Generated by All in One SEO v5.0.1.1, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # Miloš Topić Focus on people first, they matter the most ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://milostopic.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [Blog](https://milostopic.com/blog/) - [Discipline is a prerequisite for success](https://milostopic.com/discipline-is-a-prerequisite-for-success/) - Discipline. A prerequisite for success. - [Speak your truth](https://milostopic.com/speak-your-truth/) - Speak your truth. Say what you think and believe, as only then will you be honest with yourself. - [Recruit leaders](https://milostopic.com/recruit-leaders/) - Recruit leaders and set them free to do what they do best. - [You and meetings](https://milostopic.com/you-and-meetings/) - Meetings and you. Are they a good fit? Do you need to be there? Would someone else provide greater value to the objective at hand? - [Honest and courageous teams](https://milostopic.com/honest-and-courageous-teams/) - Honest and courageous teams always outperform those who lack trust, honesty and courage to speak their minds. As a leader, it is your job to help build honest teams with common values, transparency and courage to have real, much needed conversations. - [Why you should only have one boss](https://milostopic.com/why-you-should-only-have-one-boss/) - The importance and value of having ONE boss. Clarity of vision, priorities, ownership and actions are of great importance for all. - [Honest feedback is essential](https://milostopic.com/honest-feedback-is-essential/) - Honest feedback is essential. The ability to both provide and receive feedback will separate you from the crowd. - [Your exit strategy](https://milostopic.com/your-exit-strategy/) - To my friends and colleagues who have shared their current challenges at work. If you are not respected and you don't belong, it is time to move on to a place where your integrity, values and contributions will be appreciated. - [Diversity of thoughts, ideas and perspectives](https://milostopic.com/diversity-of-thoughts-ideas-and-perspectives/) - Diversity of thoughts, ideas and perspectives will help each of us grow and improve. Additionally, the entire team will benefit as well. - [Stop comparing yourself to others](https://milostopic.com/stop-comparing-yourself-to-others-2/) - Stop comparing yourself to others. Be the original, not a pale copy. - [Live your values](https://milostopic.com/live-your-values/) - Live your values and act based on your moral compass. Don’t settle or compromise on things that are important to who you are as a person. - [Lead by example](https://milostopic.com/lead-by-example-3/) - Lead by example. Model the behavior you want to see across your teams. - [Can you explain your decisions?](https://milostopic.com/can-you-explain-your-decisions/) - Can you explain your decisions? Are they grounded in your values and beliefs? If not, why did you make them? - [Courage and honesty](https://milostopic.com/courage-and-honesty/) - Courage and honesty differentiate some from others. - [What is next for you?](https://milostopic.com/what-is-next-for-you/) - What is next for you? Travel? Time off to recharge and refocus? - [Reflect on your actions and decisions](https://milostopic.com/reflect-on-your-actions-and-decisions/) - Reflect on your actions and decisions. - [Say NO to lies](https://milostopic.com/say-no-to-lies/) - Say NO to lies. At some point, enough is enough and it is time to cut out toxic relationships and begin respecting yourself. - [Morality](https://milostopic.com/morality/) - Morality. The irony is real. Why is that those who lack moral compass are almost always the ones who lecture others on how they should behave? - [Leaders must be visible](https://milostopic.com/leaders-must-be-visible/) - Leaders must be visible and approachable. They should also provide positivity and reassurance in challenging times. - [Are you living your life today?](https://milostopic.com/are-you-living-your-life-today/) - Are you living your life today? Are your actions and decisions supportive of who you want to become as a person? - [How are you showing up today?](https://milostopic.com/how-are-you-showing-up-today/) - How are you showing up today? - [Tell the truth](https://milostopic.com/tell-the-truth/) - Tell the truth. It is always the best path forward long-term. - [Protect your time](https://milostopic.com/protect-your-time/) - Protect your time. Be selective where you invest your time, effort and energy. - [Are you happy?](https://milostopic.com/are-you-happy/) - Are you happy? If not, do something about it. - [Minimize the noise](https://milostopic.com/minimize-the-noise/) - Whenever you can, minimize the noise and focus on what’s truly important. - [The Modern Digital Executive: E3, A5 - Real, Hype or WTF](https://milostopic.com/the-modern-digital-executive-e3-a5-real-hype-or-wtf/) - "AI, The Metaverse, NFTs.... what's the deal with these technologies? Is it all hype or is it real?" Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA3XDSm1QLg - [The Modern Digital Executive: E3, A4 - Companies That Are Surprising in Terms of Digital Innovation](https://milostopic.com/the-modern-digital-executive-e3-a4-companies-that-are-surprising-in-terms-of-digital-innovation/) - "The leaders that get it, get it. And the ones that don't, don't. It's no surprise that some companies are further ahead with their adoption of technology - but some are more surprising than others." Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGeO0lLKIWo - [The Modern Digital Executive: E3, A3 - Impact of Innovation](https://milostopic.com/the-modern-digital-executive-e3-a3-impact-of-innovation/) - "Innovation requires embracing things that may be uncomfortable and getting honest about where you are in your digital transformation journey. Milos Topic, CIO & CDO and Grand Valley State University explains. " Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-E9qW4RUgg - [The Modern Digital Executive: E3, A2 - Defining Innovation](https://milostopic.com/the-modern-digital-executive-e3-a2-defining-innovation/) - "How can you define the innovation process? Milo Topic, Chief Digital Officer at Grand Valley State University tell us how he defines it." Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PjuFDKdscw - [The Modern Digital Executive: E3, A1 - Lessons Learned in Transforming Companies Digitally](https://milostopic.com/the-modern-digital-executive-e3-a1-lessons-learned-in-transforming-companies-digitally/) - "Influencing the culture is one way that Milos Topic, CIO and Chief Digital Officer at Grand Valley State University, has learned that makes companies and individuals get on board with digital transformation." Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdBxPWdRCRE - [We are not perfect](https://milostopic.com/we-are-not-perfect/) - We are not perfect. Don’t gloat in the mistakes of others as we all have mistakes of our own. - [Live your life](https://milostopic.com/live-your-life/) - Overwhelming percentage of your life is entirely within your own control and depends on your mindset, talents and work ethic. - [Encourage creativity](https://milostopic.com/encourage-creativity/) - Promote, encourage and support creativity. Help people break out of mundane routines and get them to create, lead and own their destiny. - [Team composition will change over time](https://milostopic.com/team-composition-will-change-over-time/) - As you evolve, grow and improve so will the composition of your team. Everyone won’t make the next round. You can’t bring everyone up at the same time. Teams will change and continue to evolve. - [People want to be heard](https://milostopic.com/people-want-to-be-heard/) - People want to be heard. While you won’t agree with all ideas and proposals, it is important to be open to listen and learn. - [Always look for top talent](https://milostopic.com/always-look-for-top-talent/) - Finding top talent is an ongoing effort that never stops. Engage into your community, region, nation and beyond to meet new people and learn about their values, skills and capabilities. You never know when an opportune match might materialize out of seemingly nothing. Always look for top talent. - [You can’t please everyone so stop trying](https://milostopic.com/you-cant-please-everyone-so-stop-trying/) - Your job is not to please everyone or to respond and react to everyone’s demands. Listen, learn and most importantly lead with integrity and courage. - [Create awareness of your contributions](https://milostopic.com/create-awareness-of-your-contributions/) - Play the long game and bring awareness to the value you bring to organizations and industries. - [Power of a team](https://milostopic.com/power-of-a-team/) - Large changes and massive progress requires teams. One person can spark the change, but can’t do it all themselves. - [Don’t silence opposing views](https://milostopic.com/dont-silence-opposing-views/) - Don’t silence opposing views. Instead, listen to understand and focus on the collective future. - [Surround yourself with honesty and truth](https://milostopic.com/surround-yourself-with-honesty-and-truth/) - Surround yourself with people who are honest, sincere and who bring different perspectives and ideas to the team. - [Leaders own mistakes](https://milostopic.com/leaders-own-mistakes/) - Why leaders should own their mistakes and not run away from them. If you have made a decision that has since been proven to be wrong, own it, apologize and fix it. This is what leadership is about. - [Don’t fake it till you make it](https://milostopic.com/dont-fake-it-till-you-make-it/) - Contrary to the popular advice, I don’t think you should fake it till you make it. Instead, be yourself and be who you are on your journey. - [Focus on the moment you are in](https://milostopic.com/focus-on-the-moment-you-are-in/) - It is important to be present in the moment. Dedicate your time, effort, energy and focus to what you are doing at that time. - [Find time for yourself and do it today](https://milostopic.com/find-time-for-yourself-and-do-it-today/) - Dedicate time to yourself. Be intentional about taking care of yourself so that you can then help others. - [How to build your credibility?](https://milostopic.com/how-to-build-your-credibility/) - Here are a few fundamental thoughts on how to build your reputation and credibility across the organization and beyond. - [7 signs your boss is not a leader](https://milostopic.com/7-signs-your-boss-is-not-a-leader-2/) - 7 signs your boss is not a leader: 1. Lack of vision, motivation and inspiration 2. People do not come first 3. Excuses, not enough resources 4. They hide from tough decisions 5. No accountability 6. No confidence 7. No team empowerment to take actions - [Do your actions support your goals?](https://milostopic.com/do-your-actions-support-your-goals/) - Posted this 23 days ago and the question still remains: Do your actions align with and support your goals? - [Everything begins with trust](https://milostopic.com/everything-begins-with-trust/) - Everything begins with trust. Without trust among people, all other decisions and actions will be challenged and much more difficult to accomplish. - [The long game - Episode 6 | Meredith Bronk shares why leadership is not about leaders](https://milostopic.com/the-long-game-episode-6-meredith-bronk-shares-why-leadership-is-not-about-leaders/) - Podcast: "The long game" with Milos Topic - Episode 6 with Meredith Bronk, CEO and President of OST shares her thoughts, ideas and experiences on how we can accelerate the adoption of new technologies designed to serve people. Meredith speaks about the importance of providing certainty to people while still moving fast across today's competitive - [How do I get better? (Mentorships and beyond)](https://milostopic.com/how-do-i-get-better-mentorships-and-beyond/) - One of the common questions and needs that keeps coming up is centered around getting better at what we do. How do we provide greater value to those we work with. Here are a few thoughts on what one might want to pay attention to. - [Walk a mile in their shoes](https://milostopic.com/walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes/) - Before you judge anyone, try to understand their position and walk a mile in their shoes. In today's world filled with divisions, separations and hidden agendas, it is easy to lose humanity and join others in this blame game. Instead, listen to understand and do your best to see the perspectives, experiences and ideas of - [Leaders must be visible and approachable](https://milostopic.com/leaders-must-be-visible-and-approachable/) - Why leaders must be visible and approachable? People who work with you want to know who you are, what you stand for, what do you believe in. They also want to be able to relate to you as a leader and to understand their role and place in the strategy, vision and the overall direction. - [The importance of finding and prioritizing time for yourself](https://milostopic.com/the-importance-of-finding-and-prioritizing-time-for-yourself/) - The importance of finding and prioritizing time for yourself. No matter how busy you get, dedicate and prioritize time for yourself to pause, think, reflect and plan what's ahead. - [How to effectively communicate changes?](https://milostopic.com/how-to-effectively-communicate-changes/) - To start, at the very least, make them bidirectional and multimodal. Additionally, send emails, use social media, text people, go meet with them, listen, learn and answer questions. - [Diversity of teams, thoughts and experiences](https://milostopic.com/diversity-of-teams-thoughts-and-experiences/) - To build high-performing teams, one must be intentional about including different backgrounds, experiences, ideas and thoughts. You don't want more of you, you want more of them, more of others who are comfortable being themselves and are willing to freely share their perspectives, experiences and ideas. - [Feedback is a gift](https://milostopic.com/feedback-is-a-gift/) - Feedback is a gift to be both given and received. Share what you know or have observed with those who are ready to received such feedback and be open yourself to listen to others on what you (and your teams) can do differently or better. - [Saying "thank you" goes a long way](https://milostopic.com/saying-thank-you-goes-a-long-way/) - While I understand that those you work with or for (or those that work for you) are paid to do their jobs, it is important to be thankful for their contributions to your collective vision and desired outcomes. Don't be too proud, too busy or too ignorant to simply say "thank you" to those you - [Why practical experience matters more than reading about it](https://milostopic.com/why-practical-experience-matters-more-than-reading-about-it/) - Practical experience matters, a lot. If you have never done what you lead it is difficult to gain credibility and complete understanding of what it takes to successfully enable progress and new capabilities in those areas. - [Your past is not your future](https://milostopic.com/your-past-is-not-your-future/) - Your past is not your future. While your past has certainly contributed to who you are today, it does not need to be a limiting factor determining who you can become. Focus on what you can control, design your days around major priorities and goals and be disciplined about those efforts. - [How do we begin to change?](https://milostopic.com/how-do-we-begin-to-change/) - Most people are more comfortable living with old problems than they are exploring new solutions. - [Adapt, adjust and advance](https://milostopic.com/adapt-adjust-and-advance/) - Adapt, adjust and advance. Respect the past, learn from it, but don’t live in it. - [Patience and grit](https://milostopic.com/patience-and-grit/) - To succeed, one needs both patience and grit and here's why. - [Design your future](https://milostopic.com/design-your-future/) - Design your future. Take a look at your past year and visualize and plan your next year. - [Work hard, break up the routine and have fun](https://milostopic.com/work-hard-break-up-the-routine-and-have-fun/) - Work hard, break up the routine and have fun. It is this change in scenery that could bring you the new perspective and energy you have been seeking for. - [Begin by acknowledging the possibilities](https://milostopic.com/begin-by-acknowledging-the-possibilities/) - Begin by acknowledging the possibilities. Opportunities based on growth and fulfillment should never be easily dismissed out of fear, uncertainty or doubt. Try something new, it may be exactly what you have been looking for. - [Take risks on people and help them grow](https://milostopic.com/take-risks-on-people-and-help-them-grow/) - Take risks on people and help them grow. It is extremely important to enable people in their journeys of growth, advancement and fulfilment. When possible, look to promote existing staff based on organizational needs and priorities and individual capabilities and interests. - [The long game - Episode 5 | Kathy Lang on focusing on the needs of others](https://milostopic.com/the-long-game-episode-5-kathy-lang-on-focusing-on-the-needs-of-others/) - The long game - Episode 5 | Kathy Lang on focusing on the needs of others. Podcast: "The long game" with Milos Topic - Episode 5 with Kathy Lang, Vice President of Member Relationships at the Tambellini Group shares her thoughts, ideas and experiences on solving problems by focusing on the needs of others first. - [Don't badmouth your competition](https://milostopic.com/dont-badmouth-your-competition/) - Don't badmouth your competition. Instead, focus on providing value and improving who you are and what you do. Improve your products and services, don't tear down others. - [Sharing workload "evenly"](https://milostopic.com/sharing-workload-evenly/) - While it is impractical to have a perfect balance of work and responsibilities for many reasons, it is important to be mindful of distribution and proactively be intentional as to how work gets done. - [Reasons for change are not all equal](https://milostopic.com/reasons-for-change-are-not-all-equal/) - Making a change does not necessarily mean that what was done up until this point is bad in any way. It may simply refer to an evolution of products, services and maturity of how we approach certain needs. - [The long game - Episode 3 | Sharon Pitt on building inclusive and diverse environments](https://milostopic.com/the-long-game-episode-3-sharon-pitt-on-building-inclusive-and-diverse-environments/) - Podcast: "The long game" with Milos Topic - Episode 3 with Sharon Pitt, Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at University of Delaware shares her thoughts, ideas and experiences on building inclusive and diverse teams, nudging organizational culture in the desired direction and much more. Sharon's question for the audience: ► - [The long game - Episode 4 | Tej Patel on solving problems with empathy](https://milostopic.com/the-long-game-episode-4-tej-patel-on-solving-problems-with-empathy/) - Podcast: "The long game" with Milos Topic - Episode 4 with Tej Patel, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Stevens Institute of Technology shares his thoughts, ideas and experiences on solving problems with empathy and understanding while innovating in service of humanity. His servant leadership approach is a great reminder - [The importance of open lines of communication](https://milostopic.com/the-importance-of-open-lines-of-communication/) - The importance of open lines of communication can not be overstated. It is essential to be available to all on your team and be of value on their journeys. Enable and empower other leaders to lead, but be ready to help as well at all times. - [7 signs you are ready to lead](https://milostopic.com/7-signs-you-are-ready-to-lead/) - Here are 7 signs you are ready to lead. While these seven areas or indicators are not comprehensive and not the only things one should look for, they have proven to be of value many times over my career. 7 signs you are ready to lead: 1. You are doing it already People come to - [Pursuing perfection](https://milostopic.com/pursuing-perfection/) - Pursuit of perfection is futile. Focus on incremental yet relentless growth, advancement and progress. - [Cavalry is not coming](https://milostopic.com/cavalry-is-not-coming/) - It is on us to own our lives, our careers and take an active role in improving them, taking care of our families, friends and communities. Cavalry isn’t coming. Own your life, before someone else does. - [Leadership is not popularity](https://milostopic.com/leadership-is-not-popularity/) - I have said this before and I will say it again: leadership is not a popularity contest. Leaders work for people they are entrusted with and work every day to solve problems and challenges of their organizations, their industries, regions or nations. Leadership is about getting things done and creating a better environment for all - [Is pandemic impacting your business? How about other things?](https://milostopic.com/is-pandemic-impacting-your-business-how-about-other-things/) - Is pandemic impacting your business? How about other things? While the past year has been challenging for us all to varying degrees, it is important to acknowledge that other areas and decisions have impacted businesses and organizations. In many cases, decisions about how to lead, invest, train, market, modernize...and so on have been made for - [Take a break from social media](https://milostopic.com/take-a-break-from-social-media/) - Every once in a while, do yourself (and those around you) a favor and take a break from social media and other things (and people) who induce stress, unrest, uneasiness and polarizing points of view. Removing content that is centered on anger, fear, hate and blame will do you good and will help you rebalance - [Balancing empathy and decisions](https://milostopic.com/balancing-empathy-and-decisions/) - As leaders, making decisions and taking actions fall among many responsibilities we are tasked with. However, creating the environment where all members of your team are treated with respect, support and are included in the process is of equal importance. Balancing empathy and understanding with decisions and actions is important and here's what I think - [Leaders don't care about being right](https://milostopic.com/leaders-dont-care-about-being-right/) - Leaders don't care about being right. They care about doing the right thing and arriving to the desired destination with expected outcomes. It is about doing what teams need to advance, grow and improve, not about them having the final say. - [Path to happiness is not always upward](https://milostopic.com/path-to-happiness-is-not-always-upward/) - Path to happiness is not always upward. Know yourself, be honest with yourself and then act accordingly in your life and career. Personal growth, advancement and improvement is not always upward bound for everyone as not everyone will want to take on additional responsibilities and changes that come with that decision. When in doubt, air - [Don't forget to have fun](https://milostopic.com/dont-forget-to-have-fun/) - Don't forget to have fun in all that you do. Enjoy life, move forward with purpose and intent and introduce some levity for yourself and others along the way. Life is beautiful, enjoy every moment you have. - [How do I get better?](https://milostopic.com/how-do-i-get-better/) - How do I get better? This question kept coming up in recent conversations with friends and colleagues and it has become apparent that one could do this by being more intentional about their own actions, thoughts, effort and energy instead of focusing on what others are doing. While you need to be aware of plans, - [Managing the pace of change](https://milostopic.com/managing-the-pace-of-change/) - While introducing change and new ways of thinking and doing things it is essential to manage the pace of change. This pace will be influenced by organizational culture, leadership, people and their collective comfort to reimagine how to move forward. - [Be the leader you wish you had](https://milostopic.com/be-the-leader-you-wish-you-had/) - Change, growth and progress could all begin with you. Yes, you, no matter what your formal title might be today. While executive leadership teams have a very important role to play, change, action, leadership can be initiated across many places within an organization and are not limited exclusively to titles or corner offices. If you - [Things to do as you start a new job](https://milostopic.com/things-to-do-as-you-start-a-new-job/) - As you begin a new job, there are many things to consider and do in your first few months. In addition to researching your new boss, leadership team, organizational reputation, products, services, financials (all of this BEFORE you accept a position of course), I have found the following things to be valuable as well. First, - [Focus on your customers, not your competition](https://milostopic.com/focus-on-your-customers-not-your-competition/) - While there is no embarrassment in learning from those who are better than you or further along on a particular journey, one should not spend their time, effort, energy and resources on their competition, but should rather get as close as possible to their customers. Answers to all of your troubles, problems and tribulations lie - [Lead by example...](https://milostopic.com/lead-by-example-2/) - Lead by example and help other people whenever you can. Do it when you can, not when it is convenient...stick your neck out in support of those who need your assistance, understanding and empathy. - [COVID-19 lessons from a higher ed CIO](https://milostopic.com/covid-19-lessons-from-a-higher-ed-cio/) - This message is from the end of April, when we couldn't get haircuts among other things ;) and it is still true nearly 6 months later. Some of the primary areas of focus for us have been (and will continue to be for a foreseeable future) grouped in five major categories: 1. People 2. Training - [I wish you health, gratitude and perspective](https://milostopic.com/i-wish-you-health-gratitude-and-perspective/) - After 6+ months of struggles and challenges for so many of us, this message from April is even more relevant today. Stay strong and stay healthy, and most importantly, don't give up on your goals and dreams. Better times are coming. - [In March, we went online](https://milostopic.com/in-march-we-went-online/) - With each passing day, more and more universities, organizations and businesses are moving their operations online. This massive test of our business continuity plans, processes and procedures (while challenging today), will be of great value in months to come. We will learn what works, what doesn't and what could be improved. We will also learn - [Coronavirus, sales and business ethics](https://milostopic.com/coronavirus-sales-and-business-ethics/) - Be honorable, honest and ethical in all that you do for your reputation will carry and extend well beyond any single sale or transaction. Your integrity, leadership and trust need to be your calling card. - [Lead your teams forward and don't panic](https://milostopic.com/lead-your-teams-forward-and-dont-panic/) - As a leader, it is essential to be honest, open and communicate frequently with your teams, your colleagues and your community. Be available to answer questions and concerns, be visible and include people into plans and actions. However, it is essential not to panic, as your actions impact and influence actions, behaviors, thoughts and feelings - [Business continuity extends beyond technology](https://milostopic.com/business-continuity-extends-beyond-technology/) - While business continuity and disaster recovery are heavily dependent on technology, tools and processes they both need to extend beyond technology and should be approached as organizational priorities, endeavors and initiatives. - [Why I don't make counteroffers](https://milostopic.com/why-i-dont-make-counteroffers/) - While I am not against counteroffers per se, I believe that if you wait to make one you have potentially missed an opportunity to retain that employee. At that point, in my experience, they are "gone." Their mind had left and their body is soon to follow. Instead, focus on being actively engaged in the - [Why you should have due dates](https://milostopic.com/why-you-should-have-due-dates/) - While not everything can or should have a due date, most deliverables should and here's why. You should agree on what needs to be done, by whom and when in order to be able to plan and take action with any and all subsequent events, projects and decisions. While I am a fan of providing - [How to navigate office politics](https://milostopic.com/how-to-navigate-office-politics/) - Someone once said, politics, you either play them or get played. However, this too can be done with integrity, honor, respect, honesty and radical candor. - [Send the elevator back down](https://milostopic.com/send-the-elevator-back-down/) - Find time to invest in helping those who can do nothing for you at this time. Be a resource, a mentor to those who are coming up behind you in your industry, your education or your market. Think about all of those who have helped you become a woman or a man you are today - [Why you should schedule time to think](https://milostopic.com/why-you-should-schedule-time-to-think/) - Yeah, I know, it sounds silly as after-all we all think all the time (or at least we should), don't we? Well, hear me out. Dedicating time to think that is outside meetings, calls, demos, emails...time that is yours, only yours without any distractions, noise or competing priorities. Try it, find time to think and - [People want respect and flexibility](https://milostopic.com/people-want-respect-and-flexibility/) - While motivations change with age and experience and are heavily influenced by our upbringing, environment, character, personality and integrity, two of the areas that remain common for us all are respect and flexibility. - [Why you should hire the best people](https://milostopic.com/why-you-should-hire-the-best-people/) - Hire the best people you can attract and afford. Hire those you can learn from, those who will motivate and inspire you to be better yourself, those who will help you elevate the entire team, together. - [How to motivate employees](https://milostopic.com/how-to-motivate-employees/) - How to motivate employees? In short, flexibility. People are motivated by different things based on their character, integrity, priorities, age...and many other factors. To some it is time in the office; to others it is a corner office and a title; or it could be money (salary and bonuses)...and the list is nearly endless. Find - [Staying in your "swim lanes"](https://milostopic.com/staying-in-your-swim-lanes/) - In order for us to continue to grow, learn, improve and advance, we need to be mindful of our areas for potential improvement. For me, one of them is certainly not overextending myself and entering "swim lanes" of others. While I will always continue to ask questions and provide ideas and suggestions, it is important - [Questionable career choices](https://milostopic.com/questionable-career-choices/) - Know your pitch and don't lie to your audience, whether they are prospective or current clients. By the way, this exchange took place in January of 2020 at my previous university in Jersey City, NJ. - [Chief Information Officer (CIO) and other "chiefs"](https://milostopic.com/chief-information-officer-cio-and-other-chiefs/) - This segmentation is more prevalent across technology then in any of the other areas. In Finance there's generally a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) who leads everything; in Marketing, that position is a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and so on. Yet, across tech and innovation, we have other positions of consideration to name a few... Chief - [Buzzwords: innovation and transformation](https://milostopic.com/buzzwords-innovation-and-transformation/) - Two of my "favorite" buzzwords in recent months and even years are innovation and transformation. The reason for that is that they are both complementary and generally the right area organizations should focus their attention, time and resources, yet most of them will NOT do what it takes to transform their businesses and innovate along - [Things one shouldn't do on LinkedIn](https://milostopic.com/things-one-shouldnt-do-on-linkedin/) - As always, one man's point of view, but let's highlight some of the major areas of concern I see on this, otherwise, very valuable network. 1. Don't SPAM people. If we have connected, don't sell me your product or service within 60 seconds of me accepting your invitation. 2. Don't endorse people you don't know. - [3 major benefits of diverse teams](https://milostopic.com/3-major-benefits-of-diverse-teams/) - 3 major benefits of diverse teams: 1. Differences in background, upbringing and values (integrity and character) 2. Exposure to different experiences, successes and failures 3. Byproduct of the first two: ideas, thoughts and solutions Diversity includes, gender, race, age...and so many other things we can all benefit from as one team. - [Be a leader of your life](https://milostopic.com/be-a-leader-of-your-life/) - Lead your life. Be a leader of your life and do all you can to live it to the fullest each day. Yesterday is gone, never to be seen again. Today is here, value it and leverage it fully. Tomorrow, is a promise, not a guarantee. Along the way, focus on happiness and what truly - [Are you growing your team?](https://milostopic.com/are-you-growing-your-team/) - Are you growing your team? How deep is your team? Are you a one woman or a man show and is that scalable? - [Respecting the budget](https://milostopic.com/respecting-the-budget/) - One should earn and retain the privilege that is entrusted to them to oversee finances of an organization. Respect the budget and be mindful of what you need to accomplish and how to strategically invest in your upcoming opportunities and innovation. Don't be wasteful. - [HIRING: calling references. Why do we do it?](https://milostopic.com/hiring-calling-references-why-do-we-do-it/) - Why do we still call references? Why do we still call references that were provided to us by the candidate? Is there a better way? - [Leaders: are they born or are they made?](https://milostopic.com/leaders-are-they-born-or-are-they-made/) - Leaders: are they born or are they made? Here are my thoughts on this "age-old" question. What are yours? - [Are you ready for change?](https://milostopic.com/are-you-ready-for-change/) - Whether it is health, career or the overall business growth and success, the answer is always the same, we need to change. We need to make certain changes and sustain them for a period of time in order to realize the benefits and potential opportunities. While we should respect and learn from history we shouldn't - [Be yourself and speak the truth](https://milostopic.com/be-yourself-and-speak-the-truth/) - Be yourself. Always and in every exchange. Even if something doesn’t work out long-term it is always better (especially in retrospect) to have spoken the truth and said what you believe and think then to have faked to be something or someone you’re not. - [I am grateful](https://milostopic.com/i-am-grateful/) - First and foremost, I am grateful for the health, happiness, understanding and support of my family and friends. I am also very grateful for my colleagues who are thoughtful, understanding and supportive of our collaborative initiatives and goals. No matter what we need to do, we need to do it together. Thank you! - [Working with professional sales people](https://milostopic.com/working-with-professional-sales-people/) - It is a true pleasure when you speak with people who are aware of your challenges and competing priorities, who have deep understanding of your industry and who do not try to pressure you or your team into further engagements via additional calls, meetings or demos. Those true professionals demonstrate the value of their product - [5 things to improve in meetings](https://milostopic.com/5-things-to-improve-in-meetings/) - While the list could certainly be longer, here are 5 things that I believe should be improved (or fixed) with respect to the majority of meetings we all attend each day. 1. Should this be a meeting? 2. Do we have the right people in the room? 3. Are we making decisions and taking actions? - [False promises and their downfall](https://milostopic.com/false-promises-and-their-downfall/) - False promises lead to nowhere other than to demise of your own credibility and respect across an organization. Follow the process and confirm whether something can or should be accomplished before you make any promises or commitments. Do not commit to people just to see them smile. As a leader, you are not in a - [Don't sell yourself short](https://milostopic.com/dont-sell-yourself-short/) - Don't sell yourself short and know your value. Be flexible in your negotiations process and allow for an acceptable range to be considered whether it is a new job, consulting engagement or a speaking opportunity. However, don't be desperate and set yourself back too far and always be aware of what you are worth and - [Selecting the right opportunity](https://milostopic.com/selecting-the-right-opportunity/) - Selecting the right opportunity is a mix of science and art. You need to evaluate the future organization, your prospective boss, your colleagues, strategic priorities and so many other things. However, most importantly, make that decision in the context of of your life and your larger goals. - [Don't fall in love with your product, service or industry](https://milostopic.com/dont-fall-in-love-with-your-product-service-or-industry/) - Respect and value your mission, vision and values, stay true to who you are and what you stand for, but be flexible and innovative when it comes to your products and services. Consistently review and re-imagine what you are doing, redesign them, augment them with the right strategic partnerships and focus your effort, energy and - [Constant complainers and how to deal with them](https://milostopic.com/constant-complainers-and-how-to-deal-with-them/) - While there are many ways to address those who constantly complain (while not contributing nearly as much), this is one of many ways I have found valuable over the course of my career. Try it and let me know what you think. Also, share other ideas on how to contain and minimize negativity and constant - [Customer experience matters, a lot!](https://milostopic.com/customer-experience-matters-a-lot/) - The importance and value of exceptional customer experience should never be overlooked or underestimated. In addition to a quality product or a service, how you interact and treat your customers matters, a lot! In short, remove friction and respect people's time and resources. - [The long game – Episode 2 | Paige Francis on building relationships and providing opportunities](https://milostopic.com/the-long-game-episode-2-paige-francis-on-building-relationships-and-providing-opportunities/) - Podcast – Episode 2: Paige Francis, Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the University of Tulsa shares her thoughts, ideas and experiences on building relationships, providing opportunities to all, leadership, innovation, culture and much more. - [The long game - Episode 1 | Trisha Clay on reducing friction & tearing down silos](https://milostopic.com/the-long-game-episode-1-trisha-clay-on-reducing-friction-tearing-down-silos/) - Podcast - Trisha Clay, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Hudson County Community College shares her thoughts, ideas and experiences on leadership, innovation, culture and much more. - [Walk the floor](https://milostopic.com/walk-the-floor/) - Get out of your office and experience first-hand what your clients, customers and partners experience every day. Learn and stay up to date with what your team does and look for opportunities to recognize greatness as well as consider better ways forward. - [Work for your future self](https://milostopic.com/work-for-your-future-self/) - Focus on establishing your major goals and accomplishments in life and reverse engineer the steps you need to take to be able to get there one day. In my opinion, happiness should be front and center, not accumulation of financial resources and things. Take the steps needed so that you will be proud of this - [Play your role](https://milostopic.com/play-your-role/) - Play your part on your team and make sure your responsibilities are attended to accordingly. While you should be collaborative and helpful to others, you should not try to do their jobs for them. You win or lose together as a team and everyone has a role to play. - [Circle of trust](https://milostopic.com/circle-of-trust/) - Do you know who is in it (at the very core) and have you recently asked each of them individually to share what they truly think about you? It is important to go through this exercise at times in order to supplement your own self-awareness about your strengths and areas for improvement. - [Be courageous and speak](https://milostopic.com/be-courageous-and-speak/) - Be courageous and speak. Share your thoughts in meetings and speak your mind. Say what you think and believe and listen to others' points of view. Share your thoughts, that's why you have them. Don't be shy, scared or embarrassed to talk in front of other people, no matter what positions they might hold in - [Protecting your team](https://milostopic.com/protecting-your-team/) - How and when should you protect your team? The answer is almost always, always! Even when you collectively under-perform or fail, it is up to you to face those consequences and address any criticism publicly while resolving any challenges internally and privately. Furthermore, don't allow anyone to badmouth your team publicly, especially if they haven't - [Don't do it all alone](https://milostopic.com/dont-do-it-all-alone/) - Empower others to contribute and succeed. Share, delegate and scale your operations for growth, size and relevance. Don't do everything alone, invite and welcome others to join you on this collective and collaborative journey towards growth, improvements and success. - [Done is better than perfect](https://milostopic.com/done-is-better-than-perfect/) - Done is better than perfect. We have all heard that over the years, but what I have come to realize with my own "quests for perfection" is that they were almost always nothing more than excuses. I didn't have enough time; it wasn't important enough; it's difficult; it's Friday, I'll do it on Monday and - [Making decisions](https://milostopic.com/making-decisions/) - Having options to choose from is a good "problem" to have. However, it is important not to spend too much time dwelling on options as some of them will go away with time. Do your due diligence and your research on each of the options; speak with your trusted circle of family and friends and - [Jumping to conclusions](https://milostopic.com/jumping-to-conclusions/) - Experience is a great teacher, but it can at times lead us to jump to a conclusion which is inaccurate. Instead, do your best to remain cool, calm and collected, gather evidence and research the problem before taking any radical actions. - [Respect the person, not the title](https://milostopic.com/respect-the-person-not-the-title/) - How often have we seen people who act one way around the C-suite executives, around the CEO, around the owner(s) of the company and entirely different around everyone else? My experience has shown me that in the long-term, these people will always lose. Don't be one of them. Respect the person, not the title. - [Difficult colleagues](https://milostopic.com/difficult-colleagues/) - In this video, I have shared my preferred process in resolving difficulties between colleagues that extend into challenges, hostility and at times even nastiness. However, I am interested to learn how do YOU deal with difficult colleagues who believe that processes and policies do not apply to them and that they are above us all? - [Unknown audience](https://milostopic.com/unknown-audience/) - Get out there and meet new people. I keep saying this as you never know you might meet at these events. One can't predict who also might be in the attendance and who could be helpful to you in the near future. Also, offer help to others as well as that is how your reputation - [Do you believe in what you sell?](https://milostopic.com/do-you-believe-in-what-you-sell/) - Do you believe in the products and services you sell? Do you use them yourself? Are your friends and family using them? Would you recommend them to your closest circle or are you simply doing your best to hit your quarterly quotas and targets in search of your bonuses? Either way, we can tell. Well, - [Annual performance reviews](https://milostopic.com/annual-performance-reviews/) - Annual performance reviews. We can do better in most instances, I am certain of it. First, they should be more frequent in order to provide guidance for any needed corrections and they should be multi-directional at the very least. - [Do it already](https://milostopic.com/do-it-already/) - When you read the title of this post, what came to mind? You don't need to answer, but you know what you have been putting off for way too long. Just do it already, what are you waiting for, an invitation? Remember, that all the planning in the world without actually doing it doesn't mean - [Ask. Don't say "NO" for others](https://milostopic.com/ask-dont-say-no-for-others/) - Whether a scope of a project needs to be changed, or a smaller overlooked item need to be accounted for, don't assume that the other side, whether a partner or a client, is not willing to help. When in doubt, always ask other people what their thoughts are on a particular need that you and - [Don't believe everything you hear](https://milostopic.com/dont-believe-everything-you-hear/) - Don't listen to noise. Everything around you has an opinion about most things and many will share those opinions freely whether they have been solicited or not. It is up to you not to allow those positive or negative words to change who you are and deter you from the path you have chosen to - [How to build high performing teams](https://milostopic.com/how-to-build-high-performing-teams/) - While there are many things to focus on and do, I believe that these four general areas are of great value on this journey. 1. Learn what your customers and market want and need (you may not use all of it). Also, to a smaller degree, be aware of what your competition is doing. 2. - [Stop hiding failures](https://milostopic.com/stop-hiding-failures/) - First of all, we all have them and we will experience even more of them in years to come. Now, that we got that out of the way, it should be easier for each of us to internalize that truth and act accordingly. While I strongly believe that we should all focus on our strengths, - [Random learning opportunities](https://milostopic.com/random-learning-opportunities/) - Learn from everyone, expand your perspectives and listen to what those you work with have to say about your organizational leadership, culture, performance, product, services, outcomes...your present and your future. Invite folks to be truthful and share what they have observed along the way, both across the industry and your organization. - [Share what you know](https://milostopic.com/share-what-you-know/) - Share what you know, what you have experienced, what you have done before, what you have studied, share freely with others. As long as you are not sharing confidential, private or proprietary information, share what you know in service of helping other people. While many see hoarding information as a chip they may want to - [Lunch with a friend](https://milostopic.com/lunch-with-a-friend/) - Get out of your office or your cubicle, step away from your desk and invest time in building relationships and partnerships with people. This thing, the entire life and our careers and businesses within it is a people game first. Everything always starts with people so look for ways to build partnerships, synergies and proactively - [Greatness does not tolerate laziness](https://milostopic.com/greatness-does-not-tolerate-laziness/) - If you aspire to go beyond mediocrity and dream of greatness, you will need to act accordingly and work hard each day. During this (possibly never ending) journey, you will need to prioritize and sacrifice some of the activities that are not as productive and valuable towards realization of those massive goals. There will be - [Sabotaging your job interview](https://milostopic.com/sabotaging-your-job-interview/) - Have you ever intentionally sabotaged your job interview? And I don't mean you could have been a bit less lazy with your resume or a cover letter, I mean, intentionally, half way through the process decided that that opportunity wasn't it and you have found ways to "throw" the interview and the entire search process? - [Making a bad hire](https://milostopic.com/making-a-bad-hire/) - Hiring is tough. It takes too long; we reject great potential colleagues; advance those who are not; and during this process we don't have the complete picture of those who are applying (nor do they of us) and for those reasons, it is inevitable to make mistakes. We have all hired someone who wasn't the - [Top 3 reasons why people settle](https://milostopic.com/top-3-reasons-why-people-settle/) - There are many reasons why many of us decide how to respond and react to opportunities. They range in many respects, but overall, many can be grouped under one of these three primary areas: 1. CONFIDENCE - if you lack confidence in your own abilities, it's a no go from the start. No matter what - [Rules of engagement](https://milostopic.com/rules-of-engagement/) - Learn the system and the rules of the game before you begin playing it. Same applies to your organizations, industries or markets. Learn what works, what doesn't, how are decisions made and who is able to influence the outcomes and contribute to performance. Once you have done your homework, leverage what you have learned for - [Why relationships matter](https://milostopic.com/why-relationships-matter/) - Whether you are a senior executive with decades of relevant experience in your field or a rookie who started today, you should always proactively invest in building relationships and meeting new people. Go out there, meet others, provide value, speak at events, ask questions and most importantly, listen and learn from those who may be - [I should have said "no"](https://milostopic.com/i-should-have-said-no/) - I should have said no! How many times have you felt this way? The moment (or soon thereafter) you have committed to someone on a project, task, event or a service, you have regretted it. The ability to say no to people and manage your time improves with age and experience (like many other things), - [Fear based marketing](https://milostopic.com/fear-based-marketing/) - Fear is one of our fundamental, primal feelings that we have been conditioned to respond to and act on over thousands of years. However, when it becomes the primary focus of a marketing campaign, it doesn't feel right to me. Dear partners, vendors, friends and colleagues, market your products and services and build awareness based - [Delusional optimism](https://milostopic.com/delusional-optimism/) - Being optimistic, positive and confident is always a better option then the alternative. However, it is important not to ignore challenges, problems and issues you and your organization (perhaps even the entire industry) are facing today. Delaying, postponing, deferring challenging conversations and decisions will almost always come back to haunt you with even a higher - [Discipline and why it matters](https://milostopic.com/discipline-and-why-it-matters/) - The mother of all success is discipline. Think about your major accomplishments over the last year, five or ten and you will see that they (whether personal or professional) were heavily dependent on your ability to be disciplined. Did you complete a degree; get that new job; change your career entirely; move across the country - [Courtesy is not consent](https://milostopic.com/courtesy-is-not-consent/) - Courtesy is not consent. If someone is kind to you and answers your e-mail or a message on LinkedIn that does not mean they have agreed to meet with you, have a call or to be added to your mailing list. - [Movement is not achievement](https://milostopic.com/movement-is-not-achievement/) - While almost certainly one has to move to achieve things, movement alone is not enough. Being busy is a "badge of honor" for so many of us in the United States (much less in other parts of the world), but is being busy actually contributing to your desired outcomes and achievements? When was the last - [Good ideas are polite](https://milostopic.com/good-ideas-are-polite/) - Good ideas won't interrupt you rudely and unexpectedly in a middle of your day, during a meeting or a call. They will patiently wait for you to seek them out, to do your research, to speak with others and perhaps even read a few books along the way. If you are looking for change, progress - [Be brave and honest, your future depends on it](https://milostopic.com/be-brave-and-honest-your-future-depends-on-it/) - Build your credibility as someone who speaks their mind and tells the truth even when that might not be "popular." Remain professional and respectful, but refuse to blend in into the background noise and do what you can to get off the path of least resistance. Do what is right for the organization that you - [Don't compare yourself to others](https://milostopic.com/dont-compare-yourself-to-others/) - While it is valuable to be inspired by the actions of others, one should never attempt to emulate and recreate someone else's life or career. Instead, focus on being the best version of yourself and live your life and forge new paths on your journey into the unknown. - [Cross the finish line](https://milostopic.com/cross-the-finish-line/) - We all have projects, goals and potential accomplishments which have dragged on for way too long. Some of them are 90% done, yet we have spent the last year, or two without any major progress from that point in time. Why is this the case? Are we no longer interested, motivated, inspired? Do we have - [Keep applying](https://milostopic.com/keep-applying/) - If you have done your research and have reflected on what you want to do next, please don't quit until that goal has been achieved. No matter how many times you get rejected or don't get a response at all, it is up to you to keep applying and moving forward. Don't quit on yourself, - [Difficulties with dual reporting](https://milostopic.com/difficulties-with-dual-reporting/) - You have two bosses? Not good! Here's why. While I believe that all power and authority should not be concentrated within one man or a woman and that others should be enabled and empowered to act and make decisions, it is important to be clear on who is leading what area and who has the - [Work is not everything](https://milostopic.com/work-is-not-everything/) - While working, do your absolute best, but find ways to break up your work routine with other areas of interest and value such as family, health, friends, sports, travel...doing nothing. Yes, at times, you should do nothing, sit, relax and think about your plans and goals. Be intentional with your most valuable asset, time and - [Executives make decisions](https://milostopic.com/executives-make-decisions/) - Executive leaders must be capable of making decisions and acting on them. As a leader or someone aspiring to leadership positions, you should always do your due diligence in gathering data and information, speaking with others in the same industry (and outside of it), but in the end, you must make a decision. Always know - [How to manage time](https://milostopic.com/how-to-manage-time/) - First, look at what matters to you, I mean truly matters to you. Is it your family, your health, your hobbies/sports/interests, your business, your career...list them all. Now that you have identified you major areas of priorities (let's say 3-5 of them), next, within each of them organize tasks and actions based on whether they - [Entitlement is for the weak](https://milostopic.com/entitlement-is-for-the-weak/) - You are 100% in charge of your life. Furthermore, overwhelming majority of your professional (and personal) outcomes depend on you to a great degree (I know, I know...the environment, circumstances and luck matter as well) so stop looking for others to come and "save" you. No one owes me anything, and having this mentality has - [5 years later, nothing has changed?](https://milostopic.com/5-years-later-nothing-has-changed/) - Are you in the same place today as you were 5 years ago? Allow me to clarify. If you are happy where you are professionally (and personally), where you feel fulfillment, progress, advancement, contributions, and are a part of something larger than yourself..then, you have won already! Otherwise, if you are unhappy and you keep - [Working 9 to 5? Why?](https://milostopic.com/working-9-to-5-why/) - How many of us work or have worked the hours of 9 AM to 5 PM? I would guess quite a few. How many of us have asked why are those the hours we work and are they truly the only preferred (available) option? I would wager to say, not as many. If you are - [Leaders speak last](https://milostopic.com/leaders-speak-last-2/) - Whether you are running a meeting, leading a brainstorming session or building a strategy for a new partnership, product or a service, consider speaking last and here's why. As the most senior individual in that room or on that call, your opinion and thoughts will influence others and at times event prevent better ideas from - [Put it on paper](https://milostopic.com/put-it-on-paper/) - I have developed a habit of writing important goals, plans and thoughts on paper. While I also have major things of importance in digital format on my phone (and other devices), there's something about taking a pen and a piece of paper and writing them down, one by one. It is this process of reflection, - [URGENT vs. IMPORTANT](https://milostopic.com/urgent-vs-important/) - There's a clear distinction and difference between those things that are urgent and those things that are important yet we commonly treat them as one and the same. There’s a difference, be mindful of it and invest time, energy and resources into areas, goals and people that need that investment, dedication and attention. Focus on - [Why you should work for free](https://milostopic.com/why-you-should-work-for-free/) - If you are trying to gain awareness and enter new markets, it is important to get your name, your brand, and your reputation out there. Whether you are an army of one or part of a major organization, it is important for people to become aware that you and your services or products exist. Once - [16 hours](https://milostopic.com/16-hours/) - Each day, you have 16 waking hours, if you sleep 8 hours that as, not 4-5 like I do. ;) It is these 16 hours that determine your progress, growth and future potential. Audit and review these hours and see whether they are used in support of your goals and plans, or are those plans - [Massive action required](https://milostopic.com/massive-action-required/) - How do we get from A to B (no matter what those might represent) is always influenced, impacted and frequently determined by our own ACTION. Thoughts and ideas and important, but none of them will see the light of day without effort, energy, hard work all of which can be summarized in one word, action. - [Friday](https://milostopic.com/friday/) - Does Friday make you happy? If so, why? Conversely, do Sunday nights or Monday mornings make you unhappy, sad, angry, perhaps even depressed? If the answer is yes to both, you should reconsider your career and your current job. Rethink what you do 35-70 hours per week and if it is not something that makes - [Slow down and look up](https://milostopic.com/slow-down-and-look-up/) - Most of us are putting in long hours day after day, week after week, month after month, but not enough of us are taking the time to slow down (stop even) and look up to ensure that we are still on the right course. As you are climbing your corporate / career / business ladder, - [Fears are acquired](https://milostopic.com/fears-are-acquired/) - We are born with two innate fears, fear of loud noises and fear of falling (or being dropped), all others have been acquired over the course of our lives. Furthermore, most of them have been "manufactured" by our minds based on the variety of (in)valid inputs from our surroundings. If there's an idea that seems - [You, at 80 years old](https://milostopic.com/you-at-80-years-old/) - Dear friends and colleagues, try to "project" yourself to age 80 and think about reflecting back on your life, your career, decisions and accomplishments. Do you believe that as you are sitting in a chair with a grandchild on your lap that these thoughts will bring a smile to your face? Do you believe that - [Confirmation bias](https://milostopic.com/confirmation-bias/) - A decision was made in the past and that decision is now brought into question. Unfortunately, what most people will do is continue "feeding" their past decisions and choices by looking for ways to continue supporting their course of action. This is known as confirmation bias, especially in academic research. It takes a lot of - [Don't avoid conflict](https://milostopic.com/dont-avoid-conflict/) - Don't avoid conflict. Allow me to explain. If there is an issue that could lead to larger challenges and difficulties in years to come it is important to have it addressed as soon as possible. Walking around pretending that everything is wonderful, great and perfect 24/7/365 serves no one currently and is definitely of no - [5 hiring mistakes](https://milostopic.com/5-hiring-mistakes/) - 5 hiring mistakes (of many) that stand out to me: 1. Being reactive - posting a job description on our HR‘s website and saying we’re done they are going to come to us. No, they will not! Go out there and proactively recruit the best talent you can attract (legally). 2. Chasing perfection - if - [Digital transformation: leadership and culture](https://milostopic.com/digital-transformation-leadership-and-culture/) - Digital transformation is primarily impacted and influenced by organizational leadership and culture. - [Don't use age as an excuse](https://milostopic.com/dont-use-age-as-an-excuse/) - Your age is not an excuse for you not to switch industries or for you not to try something entirely new, perhaps a business of your own. Your age is not an excuse or a reason for you not to be the first one to accomplish something in your age group or among the few - [Focus on what matters](https://milostopic.com/focus-on-what-matters/) - If you look back on things that you were obsessing over a week ago, a month ago or even a year ago, I’m willing to bet that you will find that most of them are somewhat inconsequential today. There are very few things that truly matter in life, business and career and as such those - [Leaders work for people](https://milostopic.com/leaders-work-for-people/) - Dear leadership, work for your teams. Period. This means that it is very important to understand that everything ties up to leadership and it is the responsibility of leaders. If you have someone who is not performing well it is the responsibility of leadership to provide training and mentorship or perhaps an opportunity to work - [Don't despair and don't doubt yourself](https://milostopic.com/dont-despair-and-dont-doubt-yourself/) - At times, things don’t work out because they’re not meant to work out. If you review your career thus far there have been many opportunities that you chose not to pursue or that someone else believed weren’t the right opportunity for you for whatever reason. In retrospect, they didn’t work out because something bigger and - [Learn, test, teach and share](https://milostopic.com/learn-test-teach-and-share/) - Surround yourself with those who are more experienced than you are; with those who are smarter than you are; with those who have accomplished more than you have up until today. Learn, test, practice, experiment and then pass that knowledge along to those who are coming up alongside of you or after you as the - [Trust your experience, you are ready](https://milostopic.com/trust-your-experience-you-are-ready/) - Trust your experience, you are ready. You didn't come this far to only come this far. Believe in yourself, move forward and take that first step into the unknown. What do you have to lose? Take a shot! - [If it's important to you, do it in person](https://milostopic.com/if-its-important-to-you-do-it-in-person/) - When dealing with major projects, services, contracts...save time from going back and forth and eliminate any confusion by getting straight to the point, in person. Limit unnecessary emails and calls and get to the root cause of the issue and work on solutions together. - [You can't please everyone](https://milostopic.com/you-cant-please-everyone/) - You can't please everyone, so stop trying to do so. Live your life to the fullest and go after what you want to become and who do you want to be to your family. Along the way, don't worry about what others may be saying about you, especially when they are not brave enough to - [Refuse to settle for average](https://milostopic.com/refuse-to-settle-for-average/) - Refuse to settle for average, for being average, for anything that places you right in the middle of the road. You are better than that, you are capable of achieving more and all of that while helping others along the way. This journey begins with confidence and believing in yourself, all else is to follow. - [Quitting vs. wasting time](https://milostopic.com/quitting-vs-wasting-time/) - Quitting vs. wasting time, do you know the difference? All major accomplishments require commitment, focus, attention and energy and above all, hard work. If you truly want something, quitting is never one of the options. - [Hire the person, not their employer](https://milostopic.com/hire-the-person-not-their-employer/) - Way too frequently I have seen people get mesmerized by a brand or a logo from where a particular candidate is coming from and frequently those hires don’t work out long-term. Yes, for high-level positions you may need some “sizzle” and somebody to come from a large organization, but please when you’re hiring and building - [Opinions of others](https://milostopic.com/opinions-of-others/) - Opinions of others and why they don't matter as much as most might think. - [Money doesn't change people](https://milostopic.com/money-doesnt-change-people/) - Money and power don't change people, they expose them for what they have been all along. - [You decide when to quit](https://milostopic.com/you-decide-when-to-quit/) - You decide when to quit, not someone else. You live your life according to your terms, norms and plans, not according to the opinions and ideas of others. - [There are no shortcuts](https://milostopic.com/there-are-no-shortcuts-2/) - There are no shortcuts to anything major, important and truly valuable. They all require hard work, commitment and work ethic of a champion. Do you have what it takes to be successful and achieve your goals? - [Carer strategy: corporate headquarters](https://milostopic.com/carer-strategy-corporate-headquarters/) - All things equal, if possible, always take the opportunity to work at the corporate headquarters and here's why. First, if you want to grow and stay there a while, it is good to be close to the executive leadership team and provide value by solving their challenges. In this process, you will become more visible - [5 Reasons You Need The X Theme](https://milostopic.com/5-reasons-you-need-the-x-theme/) - X is not your grandmother's WordPress theme, and we want to prove it to you. Here are the top 5 reasons you need to buy X today! Stacks, Stacks, & More Stacks Instead of being stuck with one design for your next project, X is a gift that keeps on giving. Built with our custom - [Affiliate Marketing 101 (Self Hosted Video)](https://milostopic.com/affiliate-marketing-101-self-hosted-video/) - For those looking for a more customized solution, you can upload your own self-hosted videos using the nifty Video Post Format right from within your dashboard. Each video will be fully responsive and look great on any device! Simply create a post like you always would, select Video in the format box, then enter the - [Thought For The Day](https://milostopic.com/thought-for-the-day/) - This is quote post where you can share all your favorite sayings. The featured image is optional. - [Standard Post With Shortcode Goodies](https://milostopic.com/standard-post-with-shortcode-goodies/) - With several dozen of the best looking Shortcodes around, we wanted to give you a sample of the many high-end Shortcodes built into X. We've grouped some together so this isn't a super long post, however for a complete list with demos and examples of each, be sure to head over to the 01 Demos - [Image Post](https://milostopic.com/image-post/) - This is a great way to showcase cool individual images in a quick and easy way. While writing your post: select the image format, add your featured image, then click Publish! - [Beautiful Gallery Post](https://milostopic.com/beautiful-gallery-post/) - In this gallery post format, you can include a grouping of images to share with your visitors or customers. In addition you can type any text you want to show up below or leave this area blank to just show the images. You can even use the arrows to browse through the images without having - [Little Red Riding Hood (Embedded Video)](https://milostopic.com/little-red-riding-hood-embedded-video/) - Looking to embed videos from YouTube, Vimeo, or any of the other popular video sites? No problem at all. Simply take the embed video code, add it to the video settings, and you're done. - [Audio Without Image](https://milostopic.com/audio-without-image/) - You can share your favorite audio files for all your visitors to listen to. You have the choice to set a featured image, however this is how things look when you have an audio post without one. - [Have You Heard Of Them?](https://milostopic.com/have-you-heard-of-them/) - Link posts are great for sharing cool sites and online resources. All links open in a new window, and the title of your post shows above the link. As always the featured image is optional. Should you decide to use a featured image, you can upload any size (height and width), and X will take - [Audio With Image](https://milostopic.com/audio-with-image/) - Sometimes there's nothing more powerful than the perfect song and image to go with it. Here is an audio post with the optional featured image. - [Standard Post With No Featured Image](https://milostopic.com/standard-post-with-no-featured-image/) - Sometimes you just want to type. No messing with images. Here's what a post would look like with no featured image. Sometimes you just want to type. No messing with images. Here's what a post would look like with no featured image. Sometimes you just want to type. No messing with images. Here's what a post would - [Hiring? Consider people outside your industry](https://milostopic.com/hiring-consider-people-outside-your-industry/) - Hhire for character, train for skills. Also, when growing your team, I think you should consider people outside your industry and here's why. - [Adjust your perspective](https://milostopic.com/adjust-your-perspective/) - Adjust your perspective and focus on positive and grateful aspects of your life. Things could be better, sure, but they could also be much worse, don't forget that. Work on those areas you want to improve, but don't take people and valuable opportunities you have for granted. - [We are all people first](https://milostopic.com/we-are-all-people-first/) - We are all people first. Then, our gender, race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, political or sports affiliations come into play. People first, please remember that in all you do each day in your daily lives and be of service and value to others, don't go out of your way to bring them down. Help others and - [Look for growth in your new job](https://milostopic.com/look-for-growth-in-your-new-job/) - Find your comfort zone, then leave it. As you arrive at a new place pay attention to whether you are challenged to grow and learn as that is a good place to be a part of long-term. Learning new things and failing along the way is part of career growth and advancement so don't doubt - [Time doesn't stop for anyone, don't waste it](https://milostopic.com/time-doesnt-stop-for-anyone-dont-waste-it/) - Time. The value of time. It is something you can't buy or acquire. We all have 24 hours in a day, what matters is how we use those hours each day. - [Length and value of business meetings](https://milostopic.com/length-and-value-of-business-meetings/) - Meetings. Ever present for most in some shape or form, yet commonly ineffective and disliked by the majority. Why? Why do they default to an hour? Do we need a full hour to discuss the agenda items and make decisions? That is of course, if you get an agenda ahead of time. Do they need - [Greatness requires discipline](https://milostopic.com/greatness-requires-discipline/) - Greatness requires discipline. While your talents and innate abilities are outside your immediate control, what you can control is work, effort, energy and commitment. All of which require you to be disciplined and intentional with your time, responsibilities and priorities. - [I LOVE SUCCESS](https://milostopic.com/i-love-success/) - I love success, I do. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be successful, however you might define success for yourself. Failing along the way is an unavoidable part of learning, improvements and growth, but to love failing is insane. While I don't know anyone who loves to fail, one shouldn't be afraid of taking risks, - [Share business and career opportunities](https://milostopic.com/share-business-and-career-opportunities/) - Share business and career opportunities as they come your way and you are unable to capitalize on them. Also, speak the truth about those you have worked with, don't simply "pass the buck." Be honest and help others, in everything that you do. - [Say YES to opportunities](https://milostopic.com/say-yes-to-opportunities/) - Say yes to opportunities and don't over-analyze everything that comes your way. Additionally, take every opportunity to surround yourself with intelligent and capable people. Do all you can to find ways to spend time with successful people, people you can and want to learn from and perhaps join them at their level one day. Finally, - [Can you TRUST them? Let's find out](https://milostopic.com/can-you-trust-them-lets-find-out/) - One of many ways to test out who is trustworthy and who can keep confidential information to themselves. - [Looking for a new job? Here's what to focus on](https://milostopic.com/looking-for-a-new-job-heres-what-to-focus-on/) - First, it's not the corner office, or the title, perks, bonuses, corporate cards or cars. While all of those are nice to have (and will need to be addressed during interviews), they shouldn't be your primary areas of focus. Instead, begin by focusing on earning the opportunity to get as close as possible to the - [Fear of regret is GREATER than fear of failure](https://milostopic.com/fear-of-regret-is-greater-than-fear-of-failure/) - Fear of regret is GREATER than fear of failure, always remember this. - [How to lead people](https://milostopic.com/how-to-lead-people/) - Here are a few general areas of focus and attention for those priviledged enough to lead people: Listen Ask questions Be honest and transparent Empower them to succeed, yet allow them to fail Repeat - [Why the best never "win"](https://milostopic.com/why-the-best-never-win/) - Why the best never "win" - [Talk less, do more](https://milostopic.com/talk-less-do-more/) - We are all guilty of empty promises, talk that wasn't followed by action and we all know that that will get us nowhere. As they say, talk is cheap, it's the action that matters and it is what distinguishes those who achieve and accomplish their goals and those who don't. Additionally, please don't wait for - [Winners win, that's what they do](https://milostopic.com/winners-win-thats-what-they-do/) - Winners win, that's what they do. They take change of their lives and their careers and they actively drive change and progress towards goals and ultimate success. On this journey, they don't whine, complain or blame others for where they are, but rather take their responsibilities seriously and own their actions and decisions. - [Is your job making you sick?](https://milostopic.com/is-your-job-making-you-sick/) - While most of us spend at least 40 hours/week working, many of us are spending a lot more than that, and as such, we should really consider the environment we work in and leadership we work for. Why do we tolerate workplaces that are making people sick, that are stressing people out? Why is this - [Live your life and stop conforming](https://milostopic.com/live-your-life-and-stop-conforming/) - This is your life, please live it your way. Stop following others without thinking about what your thoughts are on a particular topic, idea or a goal. Stand up and speak up for what you believe in, even if it challenges the norm or commonly accepted beliefs. Be true to your self in all aspects - [The value of strategic partnerships](https://milostopic.com/the-value-of-strategic-partnerships/) - No matter how large your business might be, it can always benefit and see value from a select number of strategic partnerships. These partnerships are larger and deeper than simple vendor relationships and as such they should be formed and entered carefully, thoughtfully and with a mutually beneficial outcome in mind. Think about your future - [Give away your products and services](https://milostopic.com/give-away-your-products-and-services/) - Give away your products and services to enter new markets or segments and establish your brand while sharing your knowledge and experience. Provide value BEFORE you ask or expect anything in return. When people are not familiar with what you can do and know, it is is up to you to build awareness and share - [3 types of employees who have to go](https://milostopic.com/3-types-of-employees-who-have-to-go/) - 3 types of employees who have to go (for varying reasons and at various times): 1. "The superstar" - someone with a particular set of technical or functional skills who doesn't play well with others and doesn't respect the rest of the team members. Someone who causes issues, tension and problems. Remember, a rotten apple - [What you should learn from your boss and why](https://milostopic.com/what-you-should-learn-from-your-boss-and-why/) - Learn from those who are ahead of you on your professional journey. Take every opportunity you get to learn from their good and less than ideal decisions, actions and ideas. - [Growth comes from being uncomfortable](https://milostopic.com/growth-comes-from-being-uncomfortable/) - Challenge yourself, try new things, seek new opportunities and get comfortable being uncomfortable. Furthermore, along this journey, it is important to be open to new ideas and be aware that what got you here may not be what gets you to the next place or level. - [There's always another deal to be made](https://milostopic.com/theres-always-another-deal-to-be-made/) - No matter what you are buying or selling in life, it is essential to learn how to negotiate well. Negotiation takes time and experience, so start practicing, begin small and work your way up to larger value items. Also, always remain cool, calm and collected during the process as otherwise you lose the leverage. ;) - [Why organizational culture matters](https://milostopic.com/why-organizational-culture-matters/) - Organizational culture is one of the primary determinants of success, in anything you do. - [Always learn from the best](https://milostopic.com/always-learn-from-the-best/) - Always learn from the best, whenever possible, that is. Do whatever you can to surround yourself with people who are leaders of their businesses and industries where you can listen, learn and ask questions. Be intentional about your personal growth, education and advancement, take charge and act proactively towards unlocking new learning opportunities. Remember, this - [The difference between motivation and habits](https://milostopic.com/the-difference-between-motivation-and-habits/) - The difference between motivation and habits is subtle for many, but of great importance and value for us all. "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Rohn - [Don't steal content, be original](https://milostopic.com/dont-steal-content-be-original/) - Ddidn't our parents and grandparents teach us that stealing is bad? Then why do so many continue to steal the work of other people and pass it off as their own? While most ideas aren't original any longer and anyone can speak about a particular concept or a topic, it is important to stick to - [Why do you care what people think?](https://milostopic.com/why-do-you-care-what-people-think/) - Why does it matter what people say? Why does it matter so much to so many of us that we will stop pursuing our goals, passions and what makes us happy? Why do we empower and enable others to have control over how we live our own lives; why is it that we will rather - [There are NO SHORTCUTS](https://milostopic.com/there-are-no-shortcuts/) - Everything that matters and is truly valuable in life, takes time. There are no shortcuts in relationships, career, business, education, health...there is no shortcut to greatness. Once you understand that, you will spend more time on making progress and a lot less looking around at what others have done or may be doing. - [How to improve your presentation skills](https://milostopic.com/how-to-improve-your-presentation-skills/) - Preparation, experience and confidence...those are some of the things that matter when preparing for your presentation and subsequently, while presenting it. In particular, focus on your slides (if you are using them), make them visual and whatever you do, DON'T READ your slides. Furthermore, engage your audience in a relaxed, casual conversation, invite people to - [How to find your purpose in life?](https://milostopic.com/how-to-find-your-purpose-in-life/) - Are you doing what you are mean to do? Are you sure? How do you know? Passion is important, but alone, is it enough? When one finds passion and pairs with with quality and adds market demand, then you have something special, something you should go all in on. Then, you may have a purpose. - [How to retain best talent?](https://milostopic.com/how-to-retain-best-talent/) - Talent matters, a lot. When it comes to attracting and retaining top level performers (those who play nice with others), I believe that we could all do more. This pertains to people who are great team players, leaders, collaborators, communicators and have enviable functional skills. While money helps, it is not the primary motivator for - [Confirm your facts and don't spread rumors](https://milostopic.com/confirm-your-facts-and-dont-spread-rumors/) - Confirm your facts and don't spread rumors. This is a solid way to live your life and advance in your career, no matter who you are or what you do. Today, most of us are way to quick to like, share, retweet...a piece of information without asking ourselves whether it is true and where does - [Keep asking questions](https://milostopic.com/keep-asking-questions/) - Keep asking questions as they will enable you to continue learning while contributing to the process at the same time. Don't be someone who sits in meetings and doesn't contribute with ideas, thoughts and experiences as that is a sure way to become irrelevant and overlooked when major projects and initiatives come around. As someone - [Share your thoughts, ideas and experiences](https://milostopic.com/share-your-thoughts-ideas-and-experiences/) - Share your thoughts, ideas and experiences. Don't hoard them for yourself, as there's nothing wrong with enabling others to succeed as well. There's plenty for us all, so what you can't or don't want to do, share freely as it might help someone else. "Power is gained by sharing knowledge, not hoarding it" - Unknown - [Build a great team](https://milostopic.com/build-a-great-team/) - Build a great team. Surround yourself with the best people you can find, attract and retain. If you are good (ideally great) at what you do, you want people who are amazing at what they do, preferably, in areas that are not your strengths. Furthermore, don't simply post a job description on your website and - [Plan ahead, but live in the moment](https://milostopic.com/plan-ahead-but-live-in-the-moment/) - Plan ahead, but live in the moment. Don't allow today to be wasted because you are daydreaming about next week, month, year or even a decade. Always have long-term plans and goals, but work hard each day to get that much closer to those goals. Make progress one day at a time, patiently, yet efficiently - [You get what you tolerate](https://milostopic.com/you-get-what-you-tolerate/) - You get what you tolerate, in life and in business. If you attract and retain mediocre players and contributors, you are going to end up with mediocre results, outcomes and performance. This is also applicable to your individual careers as you have the final say on where you are and where you continue to be. - [Hire honest people](https://milostopic.com/hire-honest-people/) - Who you hire matters, a lot! It is essential to surround yourself with honest people who will always tell you the truth, instead with those who will simply nod their heads in "agreement" with everything you might say. You want the truth, you want to learn from others as well and do what's best for - [How can I help you?](https://milostopic.com/how-can-i-help-you/) - Being helpful to people is always the right thing to do and it is a smart long-term strategy in every filed you might be in. - [Improving presentation skills and knowing how to SELL](https://milostopic.com/improving-presentation-skills-and-knowing-how-to-sell/) - Knowing how to present, negotiate and sell are critical skills for your overall success. Even if you are not in "sales" you should know how to sell your ideas, plans, products, services and so on. This also applies to yourself as you navigate your career and look for new opportunities. Furthermore, quality of a product - [Ask for help](https://milostopic.com/ask-for-help-2/) - Ask for help. As you are tying to grow, advance, get promoted or build a business it is important to use the opportunities to learn from others who may be further along in the process. Ask for help, ask multiple people and in due time, one of them (at the very least) will be glad - [Switching industries mid-career](https://milostopic.com/switching-industries-mid-career/) - Switching industries mid-career is a topic I come across frequently and those inquiring almost always doubt their abilities to make the switch successfully. While every industry and profession has its nuances, terminology and software used, the fundamental experience in areas such as leadership, management, technology, finances, marketing and the like don't change that much. After - [Take time off to gain perspective](https://milostopic.com/take-time-off-to-gain-perspective/) - Time off is important and can be very valuable on multiple fronts. It goes without saying that it is valuable to take some time off from work, change the environment and create a bit of distance, both mentally and physically (I don't believe in "staycations") and actually leave the area if possible, unplug and immerse - [Try new things](https://milostopic.com/try-new-things/) - When was the last time you did something for the very first time? I mean, first time in a new industry, company, type of project/service/client...truly first time, ever? - [Culture enables innovation](https://milostopic.com/culture-enables-innovation/) - Innovation! It is one of the hottest areas of focus for most businesses across a multitude of industries, markets and countries, or so it seems, on paper. However, when it comes to actually doing what's needed to even have a shot at being truly innovative, most fail. Culture enables innovation and that is something that - [Don't chase money](https://milostopic.com/dont-chase-money/) - Money isn't enough. While it can be a powerful motivator for many, money alone is not enough to make you happy and help you enjoy what you do. Instead, position yourself where you enjoy (even love) the journey, not the destination. Furthermore, spend time, effort and energy on what you are great at paired with - [FINISH IT!](https://milostopic.com/finish-it/) - FINISHED is better than perfect! While I'm a fan of quality in all that I do, at times, it is possible for us all to spend way too much time on things that don't provide as much value in return. Furthermore, we often sit on thing at 80% or 90% complete and we keep finding - [START TODAY](https://milostopic.com/start-today/) - Today is as good of a day as any of them to start addressing your major goals and making progress towards achieving them one day. We all have major goals that have somehow drifted towards becoming dreams as we think and daydream, but don't act nearly enough in order to accomplish them. Thinking, planing, strategizing, - [Consistency is the key to success](https://milostopic.com/consistency-is-the-key-to-success/) - Rresilience is what differentiates those who have succeeded from those who gave up (often a bit too soon). It is always about consistency and daily practice in all that you want to accomplish as a major achievement in your personal and professional life. All great things require work, focus, energy, determination and consistency. Be consistent! - [React to market demands or you'll lose](https://milostopic.com/react-to-market-demands-or-youll-lose/) - As you work to grow your business or your own personal reputation within an organization or across an industry, it is important to be aware of the environment you operate within. Analysis and assessment of market trends, shifts and needs is essential for future growth and sustainability. As we all know, needs and demands change - [Play the long game](https://milostopic.com/play-the-long-game/) - Aalways play the long game when it comes to things that matter and are of importance to you. When it comes to family, health, career...it's always important to look beyond today and think, plan and act intentionally toward creating your own future. That time will come either way, will you be prepared when it does? - [How to set and achieve your goals](https://milostopic.com/how-to-set-and-achieve-your-goals/) - We all have goals, but how do you set the stage in order to achieve those goals? First, your major goals need to be measurable and large, very large! They need to be so monumental that they will keep you moving forward and making progress for years, even decades to come. When it comes to - [It's not who you know, it's who knows you](https://milostopic.com/its-not-who-you-know-its-who-knows-you/) - How many times have you heard: "it's who you know!" as the reason or a justification why someone has made it or succeeded in some way. While it is important for you to get out there, network and meet new people, it's even more important for them to know you. If people know you as - [Stop playing it safe](https://milostopic.com/stop-playing-it-safe/) - Stop playing it safe, take risks, act and live your life to the fullest. You know what you dream of, what you think of when no one is around. Now, that you have spent months, frequently even years thinking about it, it's time to take action and work towards those goals. - [Failure to act](https://milostopic.com/failure-to-act/) - Failing to act is still a decision you have made. It is not an absence of one as it is often looked at by many people. Choosing not to make necessary changes and improvements, makes you complicit in maintaining the negative environment you might have inherited. When you know that changes have to be made, - [Embrace your weaknesses](https://milostopic.com/embrace-your-weaknesses/) - Focus on your strengths, but embrace your weaknesses, be honest and transparent as both your strengths and your weaknesses make you the woman or a man that you are today. - [Don't blame your circumstances](https://milostopic.com/dont-blame-your-circumstances/) - Don't blame your circumstances, change them, do something about it! We are all dealing with challenges, ranging from time, quality, people, funding, strategy, leadership...the list is endless. Whoever you blame for your shortcomings is the wrong person and that approach will get you nowhere in the long term. Do the best with what you have - [Complaining is not a strategy](https://milostopic.com/complaining-is-not-a-strategy/) - Complaining is not a business strategy. While we all complain at times (rightfully so if I might add), it is essential to focus on reducing complaints and focusing on positive contributions and collaborative work towards solutions. Complaints on their own provide no value and often result in further negative approach to whatever the environment might - [Competition is great](https://milostopic.com/competition-is-great/) - Competition is a wonderful thing. I'm a fan of it! Market should determine who wins and who loses, not historical performance, not old versions of your products or services...keep innovating, keep evolving or go out of business. - [Do you work in an honest office?](https://milostopic.com/do-you-work-in-an-honest-office/) - Honesty is non-negotiable on top performing teams. There can be no secrets or back room deals between the members of the inner circle such as your top management team (aka. executive leadership team or C-suite). - [Performance speaks for itself](https://milostopic.com/performance-speaks-for-itself/) - Performance speaks for itself, every single time. Performance will say a lot more about you and your accomplishments over time than any marketing campaign ever could. Having said that, I see value in promotion, marketing and building awareness of your products and services and your own personal capabilities, but please don't over do it and - [Eliminate bottlenecks, beginning with yourself](https://milostopic.com/eliminate-bottlenecks-beginning-with-yourself/) - Eliminate bottlenecks, beginning with yourself and empower people to get things done. While some items (major accounts and contracts, legal, IP,...) might require your involvement and approval, most daily responsibilities should not depend on your availability. It is essential to empower your teams and provide them with the authority they need to get their daily - [This is a team: in or out?](https://milostopic.com/this-is-a-team-in-or-out/) - Business is a team sport. All top performing organizations have arrived there through a lot of work by a lot of people, never a single individual alone. Furthermore, on many teams, certain star players with particular functional (technical) skills have been know to take advantage of the environment they are in. This behavior should not - [Talent is never enough](https://milostopic.com/talent-is-never-enough/) - Talent alone doesn't stand a chance without grit, work and determination. We all know someone who had an abundance of talent who never realized their potential as they didn't have to work ethic needed to make that talent shine and provide value. When I speak about reaching full potential, I don't mean money and financial - [Stand in your own truth](https://milostopic.com/stand-in-your-own-truth/) - Do what you believe in, even when it may not be a popular opinion. Speak what you believe and don't be afraid to share your perspectives, ideas and experiences. Challenge status quo at every opportunity as that is how both you and your organization will continue to grow, learn and advance. - [Success demands discipline](https://milostopic.com/success-demands-discipline/) - Success demands discipline. In all that you do, in order to be successful you need to be consistent and disciplined every single day over a longer, sustainable period of time. - [Your top sales person should be your CEO](https://milostopic.com/your-top-sales-person-should-be-your-ceo/) - Sales are essential in all industries and businesses. Whether you provide products or services, you need to be able to sell and be profitable in order to at least sustain your current position and ideally grow over time. On this journey, it is essential to know that everyone has some of the sales responsibilities while - [How to negotiate successfully](https://milostopic.com/how-to-negotiate-successfully/) - One of several skills that will be useful in all aspects of your life is knowing how to negotiate. - [I don't know everything](https://milostopic.com/i-dont-know-everything/) - Repeat after me, I don't know everything. Now exhale, doesn't that feel good? Being self-aware and understanding that there's always more to learn and experience is massive for your continued grown, education and advancement. The moment you think, act or say that you know it all, your progress is done. - [You become your expectations](https://milostopic.com/you-become-your-expectations/) - Expectations, standards and what you believe in will go a long way towards determining your final outcome, your performance and contributions. - [Delegation is a matter of trust](https://milostopic.com/delegation-is-a-matter-of-trust/) - Delegation is a matter of trust which is why it is essential to hire those you can trust. While true trust is developed over time, leaders should begin trusting people by empowering them to contribute to the overall success of their business. While some folks might not be as good as you (in your mind - [Don't judge people](https://milostopic.com/dont-judge-people/) - We have all done it at some point in life, we have judged someone else. In every instance, that was a wrong decision to make as none of us is perfect and none of us should have the audacity to look down on another human being. Furthermore, in most cases, we don't have all the - [How to hire employees](https://milostopic.com/how-to-hire-employees/) - Growth is good "problem" to have. As you grow and expand your business, you will need to hire more people and this is where so many fail. Hire those who complement your skills and abilities, but who are different from you. Hire those whose strengths are your weaknesses and are of great importance to every - [When is it time to make a career move](https://milostopic.com/when-is-it-time-to-make-a-career-move/) - Lack of progress (both personal and professional) over a long period of time is indicative that it might be time for you to begin exploring other options. It is important to understand that at some point in time, it is no longer valuable to you to keep hoping that things will change, especially things over - [Don't give up your business equity too soon](https://milostopic.com/dont-give-up-your-business-equity-too-soon/) - Business equity should be valued and not given away easily and at first opportunity. - [How to work with unhappy clients](https://milostopic.com/how-to-work-with-unhappy-clients/) - All people can and at times will become unhappy. Unfortunately, this unhappiness can frequently manifest itself across work and be left for you to deal with. Here's what to do. Listen to what happened and what matters to them Manage the situation, contain, analyse and own any mistakes made by you or your teams Follow - [To survive your business must be profitable](https://milostopic.com/to-survive-your-business-must-be-profitable/) - Profit dictates your organizational sustainability, longevity and its very existence. Whether you are in for-profit or non-profit sectors, you have to be profitable in order to pay your people, rent, utilities, technology, vendors...and the list goes on. While the growth doesn't need to be substantial in every instance, even a single digit percentage increase in - [People who don't belong in meetings](https://milostopic.com/people-who-dont-belong-in-meetings/) - Ahhh meetings...the place where so much time is wasted, never to be recovered again. While, in my experience, half of them are entirely useless, at times it is essential to bring the right people together to make decisions, take actions and move forward. When it comes to inviting people to join a meeting here are - [No negative people allowed](https://milostopic.com/no-negative-people-allowed/) - No negative people allowed. Period. While you can't control others (and you shouldn't try to do that anyway) you should be in complete control of how they impact and influence you, your emotions, feelings, behavior and life in general. Negative people should have zero influence over how you feel, think or perform. They have lost - [Think BIGGER!](https://milostopic.com/think-bigger/) - Bigger! Think bigger and exceed your current grand, life-long goals. We are all capable of achieving more than we think we can as long as we are willing to put in the effort needed to succeed. Also, it is important to note that all major goals take a long time and they require years, perhaps - [Social media influencers: Casey Neistat](https://milostopic.com/social-media-influencers-casey-neistat/) - Whatever you may call it, social media is here to stay and it is relevant for both businesses and individuals. It is how people communicate, it is how brands market and advertise, it is one of major ways that connects us all. One of recent examples of its influence is a cameo appearance by a - [Get feedback from your clients](https://milostopic.com/get-feedback-from-your-clients/) - Continuous, honest feedback on your performance is an integral part for future growth, improvements and advancement. You and your teams must know how well they are doing and they should hear the truth from their clients and partners, not simply rely on internal and somewhat subjective opinions. Ask people how you (and your teams) can - [Stop comparing yourself to others](https://milostopic.com/stop-comparing-yourself-to-others/) - Stop comparing yourself to others. Be who you truly are on focus on your major goals and get your priorities in order. People will talk, have opinions, ideas, but none of them should have control over your life and your future...it's yours, own it! - [CIO must report to CEO](https://milostopic.com/cio-must-report-to-ceo/) - Your top technology leader, usually a Chief Information Officer (CIO) has to have an equal seat at the executive table and should ideally report to your Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In today's world, technology is one of the major differentiators and drivers of innovation, progress and efficiency across all industries and as such it must - [Lead by example](https://milostopic.com/lead-by-example/) - Dear leaders, you must lead by example and as such you should never ask anyone on your teams to do things you haven't done in the past or anything you wouldn't do today. While you may not be as good as others on your team in a particular area (out of practice), it is essential - [How to get promoted?](https://milostopic.com/how-to-get-promoted/) - Promotion: how to get one? This is a great question, one that each of us have asked ourselves and our colleagues at least once in our careers. First, you can always move to another organization that is better suited to your goals, ambitions, skills and capabilities. However, changing organizations is a challenging concept for so - [Don't panic, lead people](https://milostopic.com/dont-panic-lead-people/) - Dear leaders, whether you like it or not, your entire organization looks at you for guidance on how to handle and address many things such as opportunities, challenges and stress. - [How to find a new job](https://milostopic.com/how-to-find-a-new-job/) - How to find a new job? A question, we have all asked ourselves at some point and more importantly, we had to answer it. When it's time to move on from your current position or place of employment it is essential to be strategic about your next move. First, research the position and who it - [Less meetings, more doing](https://milostopic.com/less-meetings-more-doing/) - Meeting fatigue is something we have all experienced at some point in our careers. Meeting after a meeting to no end and frequently to no purpose or value can become draining on individuals and teams as a whole. Each of our businesses would be much better off if we spent less time in repetitive meetings - [How to increase your influence](https://milostopic.com/how-to-increase-your-influence/) - Being able to influence direction, strategy, attention and people is always a valuable skill and ability to have. One of proven ways to do this is by establishing your credibility in a particular space based on your knowledge, experience and how you treat people. Begin by providing value without expecting anything in return and your - [Live your life today and every day](https://milostopic.com/live-your-life-today-and-every-day/) - Life is precious, valuable and incredible so do all you can to live it to the fullest, filled with happiness, joy and purpose, surrounded by people you love. Think for yourself, be yourself and don't blindly follow the crowd. Enjoy each day and focus on what is important and what matters in life. - [Write down your goals and make them visible](https://milostopic.com/write-down-your-goals-and-make-them-visible/) - Write down your goals and make them visible. When I say this, I refer to your major 5-8 goals you want to accomplish this year. Once they are written down, make them visible everywhere, at home, at work, on your phone, laptop...everywhere. You want these consistent reminders of what your priorities are and that time - [Listen to your customers](https://milostopic.com/listen-to-your-customers/) - Listen to your customers as they are among the greatest sources of information in order to continue to improve, expand and grow. On this improvement and growth process, listen to what folks are saying and engage with them across all avenues, in particular across social media. This focus on customer service and proactive approach is - [We all make mistakes](https://milostopic.com/we-all-make-mistakes/) - Mistakes are part of life, part of business. There is no such thing as perfection so the sooner we realize that, the sooner we will be that much closer to progress, advancement and growth. None of us are perfect and as such it is important NOT to point out every single mistake. When it comes - [Trust people, empower them and delegate](https://milostopic.com/trust-people-empower-them-and-delegate/) - Trust is the first major prerequisite to teamwork, progress and accomplishments. Without trust, other much needed capabilities can't be build or utilized to their full extent. While trust is earned by many, I begin trusting people and believing in them and their abilities at first. However, once that trust is lost, it is nearly impossible - [Leadership is not a popularity contest](https://milostopic.com/leadership-is-not-a-popularity-contest/) - Leadership is not a popularity contest. Privileges of leadership come with responsibilities to make decisions that positively impact the lives of the majority and the firm as a whole. It is very rare that you will be able to make decisions that will be well received by everyone, by 100% of the people impacted by - [Social media etiquette](https://milostopic.com/social-media-etiquette/) - Etiquette in social media is as important as it is in other aspects of life. Unfortunately, this isn't the case for quite a few people which act as if the keyboard absolves and separates them from reality, courtesy, professionalism and kindness. Speaking to people on social media shouldn't differ from how you speak with people - [Are you an entrepreneur?](https://milostopic.com/are-you-an-entrepreneur/) - Entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted. Becoming an entrepreneur, a successful CEO who has built their business from the ground up is filled with challenges, trials and tribulations and as such it shouldn't be taken lightly. For most people, being a #4 or #14 in an organization is a much more manageable, acceptable and stress-free - [Invest in people first](https://milostopic.com/invest-in-people-first/) - People must come first in all you do and here's why. If you invest time, attention, focus and financial resources into attracting, retaining and growing the best people you can afford you will be positioned adequately to improve and grow your business. It all starts with people first, then processes, policies, followed by technology and - [Branding vs. sales & marketing](https://milostopic.com/branding-vs-sales-marketing/) - Branding your business and yourself is a massively important strategy that will assist with your long-term viability and sustainability. Your reputation, your accomplishments precede you and people will be mindful of what you do before they reach out to you for an opportunity. Great brands stay a lot longer while sales come and go. Strong - [5 interview questions to ask candidates](https://milostopic.com/5-interview-questions-to-ask-candidates/) - Here are 5 interview questions to ask candidates and job applicants that I have found useful over the years: Tell me about yourself? What motivates you? Why this position, business and industry? Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years? What can I answer for you? Additionally, I spoke about 5 interview questions to ask - [How to price your product or service](https://milostopic.com/how-to-price-your-product-or-service/) - Pricing your product or service effectively is of great relevance with respect how well it will be received in the market. While it is not the only aspect of importance, it certainly impacts how your prospective clients will think about the value of your product or service. In order to be competitively priced, you must - [Personality, communication, negotiation and leadership](https://milostopic.com/personality-communication-negotiation-and-leadership/) - 85% of your financial success depends on your personality, the way you communicate, negotiate and lead. Only 15% depends on your technical skills. Knowing this it is essential to focus on improving those essential skills while building your networks and friendships. While in some career technical skills will be of greater value and impact, as - [Don't be afraid to fail](https://milostopic.com/dont-be-afraid-to-fail/) - Failure is not terminal, it is not fatal. Well, most of it isn't and shouldn't be anyway. Failure is a part of the process, it is an inevitable component of successful ventures and endeavors and as such it shouldn't be seen as a limiting factor. Don't allow to be scared by the prospect of failure - [Progress equals happiness](https://milostopic.com/progress-equals-happiness/) - Progress = happiness! Success arrives at the end of a sequence of steps, generally in smaller, more manageable increments. Success is rarely an event, but rather an outcome of a process, dedication and hard work. With that in mind, focus on small, incremental improvements and progress, not changing yourself as that will happen on its - [5 ways to remain cool, calm and collected](https://milostopic.com/5-ways-to-remain-cool-calm-and-collected/) - 5 things to consider as you are dealing with challenging individuals or situations. No matter what happens, staying cool, calm and collected with benefit you. Here are 5 areas to focus on when you are dealing with events which are not worthy of your time, effort or attention. Look at the big picture and the - [What's your story?](https://milostopic.com/whats-your-story/) - What is your story? What is the excuse you keep telling yourself for not going after all the things you want and deserve in life, in career, in business, health, family...what is it, do you know? Now, that you are being honest with yourself, let's take this moment to reflect on what you truly desire - [Stop wasting time, you can't buy it back](https://milostopic.com/stop-wasting-time-you-cant-buy-it-back/) - Don't waste time. In life, in business, in career, in all you do, wasting time is a significant deficiency for most and it should be taken more seriously as time can't be bought back, it can't be recouped. If you know that a particular place is no longer the right fit for you, it is - [Go beyond compliments and help people](https://milostopic.com/go-beyond-compliments-and-help-people/) - Complimenting others is a nice thing to do when it is sincere and comes from the heart. Sharing compliments and being nice to a fellow human being makes us feel good and makes them feel event better, but is this the best we can do? Why don't we take this a step further and actually - [Work hard and be patient](https://milostopic.com/work-hard-and-be-patient/) - Patience and gratitude go a long way in life and in business. Way too many of us (at times) express entitlement (irrespective of age) and act in the manner as if someone else owes us something which is ridiculous in most instances. Remember, the world doesn't owe you anything, if you want something you will - [What you focus on today will determine your tomorrow](https://milostopic.com/what-you-focus-on-today-will-determine-your-tomorrow/) - Focus = future. What you are focusing on today will undoubtedly determine your tomorrow. Your intent, your focus, your actions along with your skills, talent, education and experience will determine your level of success. All of us spend too much time, effort and energy on things that don't matter in the grand scheme of life - [Beware of self-proclaimed experts](https://milostopic.com/beware-of-self-proclaimed-experts/) - Beware of self-proclaimed experts as they are rarely what they claim to be. Expertise can at times be subjective and skin deep which is why you should accept expertise cautiously (especially the one where it is self-proclaimed). I have experienced numerous examples where so called experts were miles away from what they have claimed to - [Surround yourself with amazing people](https://milostopic.com/surround-yourself-with-amazing-people/) - Promote, encourage and even demand learning and exchanges of ideas across your organizations and your teams. As I often say, best ideas must win and as such it is essential for leaders to create environments where it is safe to fail, safe to dissent and have respectful, collaborative conversations. Surround yourself with amazing people. People - [Don't blame others, it's all you](https://milostopic.com/dont-blame-others-its-all-you/) - Don't blame anyone else for your performance, as it is YOUR performance. While I have said this time and time again, I was reminded of it and humbled by it a few days ago as a number of people have been waiting on my contributions in order for certain processes to move forward. It was - [Your ability to anticipate is a major advantage](https://milostopic.com/your-ability-to-anticipate-is-a-major-advantage/) - Anticipation is the key! Well, one of several major keys to progress and success. Your ability to anticipate the needs of your team, your boss, your organization, your industry, clients, partners...your CEO, is crucial to say the least. While it is important to be present in the moment and make progress, it is equally as - [Motivation is nothing without action](https://milostopic.com/motivation-is-nothing-without-action/) - It's Monday and people are motivated, once again. ;) Well, they are either motivated to begin something new or are somewhat unhappy doing what they have been doing for a while. Either way, most are looking for a change, a change that will rarely arrive in time, mostly due to the lack of daily, consistent - [Opportunities are created, not found](https://milostopic.com/opportunities-are-created-not-found/) - Oopportunities are created, not given on a silver platter. Take ownership of your life, your business and take actions necessary to make progress, necessary to be successful. You know what you need to do, you have certainly spent enough time contemplating about those plans, actions, hopes, dreams and goals. Now, however, it is time to - [Don't sweat the small stuff](https://milostopic.com/dont-sweat-the-small-stuff/) - 99% of things don't matter in the grand scheme of things. Keeping this in mind and in perspective it is essential to spend your time, energy, effort and resources on things that do matter. Focus on what matters and what is important, not on those who are loud and in desperate need of attention or - [Challenge status quo](https://milostopic.com/challenge-status-quo/) - Challenge status quo! Now, that's easily said, but it has to make sense, serve a purpose and be done with value and improvements in mind. In all you do, look for improvements, advancements and opportunities to contribute to a great good, one that would benefit everyone you work with. A certain path to irrelevance and - [Basic resume tips](https://milostopic.com/basic-resume-tips/) - For most of us, resume is where the process of change and transition begins. You write it summarizing your experience, contributions, skills and education. It is used as the first point of contact and reference by your prospective employers. While each of our experiences and careers vary each of the resumes could benefit from some - [Don't take yourself too seriously](https://milostopic.com/dont-take-yourself-too-seriously/) - While most of us do or at least hope to be able to do important, meaningful and valuable work, it is important to remain playful and to not take yourself too seriously in business and in life. Take a cue from your children (if you are fortunate to have them) or from those you see - [State of leadership, plan your future](https://milostopic.com/state-of-leadership-plan-your-future/) - How many leaders do you know personally? How many great leaders have you had an opportunity to work with? While experiences certainly vary, I am willing to bet that your list is small, very small. One of my passions and unwavering beliefs is that EVERYTHING ties to LEADERSHIP in one way or another which is - [Diversify your experience](https://milostopic.com/diversify-your-experience/) - Get things done, work on expanding your experience and help as many people as you can on your journey. Diversify your experience, don't get stuck doing the same thing year after year...focus on growing, making progress and learning new things. Furthermore, be a team player, contribute, help others and don't focus only on what's in - [You are your biggest competitor](https://milostopic.com/you-are-your-biggest-competitor/) - Excuses are cheap and everyone has at least a few they always go to. Some of those excuses are lack of time, resources, support, talent, money, connections, people...and the list goes on and on. However, those of us who are honest with ourselves and that is something all of us should be, we quickly realize - [How to make money: 4 major areas to focus on](https://milostopic.com/how-to-make-money-4-major-areas-to-focus-on/) - One way or another, we all want to be compensated for the value we provide, for the work we put in. Whether this is a salary, a bonus, contract pay...your products and services should be valuable and therefore you should be paid for them. That's simple enough. However, money on its own shouldn't be your - [Time is slipping away](https://milostopic.com/time-is-slipping-away/) - Time is elusive, it can't be grouped, limited, can't be controlled...it simply keeps on moving and ticking away whether we like it or not. What we do have control over is what we do with our time and how do we spend it. Audit your life to see if you are spending time on small - [Leaders are authentic and consistent](https://milostopic.com/leaders-are-authentic-and-consistent/) - Leaders must not only be honest, truthful and knowledgeable, but the very best of them are authentic and consistent as well. If you make a decision, stand behind it across all challenges (both internal and external) and communicate authentically across the enterprise. People you work with must know why you made the choices you have - [Don't jump to conclusions](https://milostopic.com/dont-jump-to-conclusions/) - Our vantage points and perspectives differ and they matter when making decisions which is why it is important to do your best to understand as much of the environment as possible. Understand what and who influences decisions. As you progress in your career, your priorities and responsibilities will change and so will your decisions. It - [How to reach your goals](https://milostopic.com/how-to-reach-your-goals/) - Focus on present actions, not your future desires. Focus on your journey, not just on the outcome or destination. You must know what you want, what you truly want and why you are doing all of this. Why are you putting in your time, effort, energy, commitment...connect to your why first. This why has to - [How to plan your day, week, month, year (no more "to do" lists)](https://milostopic.com/how-to-plan-your-day-week-month-year-no-more-to-do-lists/) - Planning our future and our goals is something we all do across both our personal and professional lives. Planning is good, but it is utterly useless without accompanying action. Lack of commitment to continuously making progress is the single largest cause of why most of us don't reach majority of our major goals and keep - [How to pitch your project, product or service](https://milostopic.com/how-to-pitch-your-project-product-or-service/) - Pitching your project, product or service is a necessary step in entering a new market or a segment. It is a necessary skill in getting the word out, in attracting investors and in staying in business in general. Furthermore, during your presentations you should be prepared for all the questions that might and will come - [You are only as good as your team](https://milostopic.com/you-are-only-as-good-as-your-team/) - Your team matters a lot, even more than some of you might think. They matter as much as you do (if not more in some instances) as their actions, values and contributions speak volumes about you, their leader. Your job is to select (attract and retain) the best people you can, provide them needed resources - [Success requires both talent & hard work](https://milostopic.com/success-requires-both-talent-hard-work/) - Hard work is a prerequisite for nearly everything of value in life. However, while we all know this to be true, in practice we often behave differently. For some reason way too many of us over estimate our talents and under estimate the work it will take to reach our goals. Furthermore, we often attempt - [One life, make it count](https://milostopic.com/one-life-make-it-count/) - ONE LIFE, MAKE IT COUNT! As far as we all know, we each get one chance at life and as such we should value it a lot more, respect those of others and do everything that we can to make it better, more enjoyable and fulfilling. Your past is exactly that, your past, it is - [Does your CEO know who you are?](https://milostopic.com/does-your-ceo-know-who-you-are/) - Do you know your CEO? More importantly, do they know you? I ask this as I know that you are a high achieving and high performing individual and as such have aspirations to grow, advance and make progress. If my assumption is correct, it is important to do what you can (where possible and practical) - [Presidents won't solve your problems](https://milostopic.com/presidents-wont-solve-your-problems/) - As we all strive for progress and greater accomplishments, it is important to understand that each of us are creators of our own destiny. Presidents or anyone else for that matter are not the ones who will solve your problems. Spending more time with family and friends; attaining a better job; earning more money; buying - [Passionate people are indicators of your progress](https://milostopic.com/passionate-people-are-indicators-of-your-progress/) - Passion makes the world go round. Without passion, we won't be as committed, as focused, or as determined to see our projects and responsibilities all the way through. We won't care to put in 100% of our efforts and skills, but will rather only contribute as much as it is necessary to get a passing - [Your future is bigger than your past](https://milostopic.com/your-future-is-bigger-than-your-past/) - Your future is bigger and much greater than your past. It simply has to be and here's why. Your past, while important, is simply a foundation for present and future growth and advancement. Otherwise, all that was done in the past was for nothing if you have come this far to stop and quit. This - [Keep your eyes on the prize](https://milostopic.com/keep-your-eyes-on-the-prize/) - Do you know what you want? This is a simple, yet very serious and influential question everyone should ask themselves on a regular basis. Are you currently working and living how and where you want to be and if not, why not? What is it that you haven't been doing in order to reach what - [Do you know what motivates your employees?](https://milostopic.com/do-you-know-what-motivates-your-employees/) - Know your people, their hopes and dreams and do what you can to enable them to be successful. We are all motivated by different things and reasons that drive us to contribute and perform at exceptional levels. For some it is money, career advancement and growth; for others, work-life balance and more time with their - [Proactively recruit the best people](https://milostopic.com/proactively-recruit-the-best-people/) - As I like to say, focus on people first, they matter the most. This is essential when leading your current teams and it is also of great importance when recruiting new employees. Don't rely on the traditional way of hiring and finding talent. Posting a position on your HR website (in addition to few other - [Leaders tell the truth](https://milostopic.com/leaders-tell-the-truth/) - In all that you do, it is essential to remain truthful and honest with your staff. Your decisions won't always be liked by all, but they should be understood and accepted by all and that is one of many responsibilities you need to address as a leader. You must consider alternatives, but once you've made - [Have no regrets](https://milostopic.com/have-no-regrets/) - Ask yourself: what do you want to do when you "grow up"? That is, if you ever need to "grow up" which can certainly be debated either way. ;) What is it that you want to accomplish, what do you want to become and do? Who are you today and who do you want to - [Don't let others decide your future](https://milostopic.com/dont-let-others-decide-your-future/) - Decide what you want to do and go after it. Don't allow someone else's opinion to shape your future,, your career, your advancement and progress...your life. Listen to the opinions of your friends and family, but make the decision for yourself and go after your goals and ambitions. Be brave as luck favors those who - [Stop complaining](https://milostopic.com/stop-complaining/) - STOP COMPLAINING! Stop it now as it serves no purpose to you or those you complain to. Negativity is a horrible trait and it will only detract from your goals and plans and will bring no value to anyone. Challenges are part of life, accept them, embrace them and move forward towards solutions and success. - [Customer Service: UPS vs Amazon](https://milostopic.com/customer-service-ups-vs-amazon/) - Customer service is essential and nonnegotiable for any business that wants to be competitive, successful and valuable. Furthermore, today more than ever, longevity and long-term client retention directly depends on the overall customer experience your business provides to their clients. Here's is my most recent example with two major companies, UPS and Amazon. One has - [Best job interview advice: be yourself!](https://milostopic.com/best-job-interview-advice-be-yourself/) - Job interviews are an important and (for most) unavoidable process in transition between your current place of employment and the next chapter of your career. While I have made a video about in-person interview tips, I want to take a moment to focus on the most important advice of them all: be yourself! No matter - [7 signs your boss is not a leader](https://milostopic.com/7-signs-your-boss-is-not-a-leader/) - 7 signs your boss is not a leader is a collection of overarching items that stood out to me over the years. This is not an all inclusive list by any means, but should you come across these seven (or most of them at least), take that as a sure sign that you are not - [Leaders care](https://milostopic.com/leaders-care/) - True leaders care. They care about their employees; they care about their coworkers; they care about the vision and mission of the overall business. They care for everyone they work with and genuinely want to see them succeed. Exceptional leaders are able to motivate others and get the best out of them, they are able - [Stop drifting through life and career](https://milostopic.com/stop-drifting-through-life-and-career/) - Opportunities are created, they are not found on the side of the road. You must be intentional, direct and focused on your future and desired outcomes. You must be relentless and tireless in the pursuit of your goals and realization of your ideas. Whatever your personal and professional goals may be, it is up to - [People don't leave companies, people leave their managers](https://milostopic.com/people-dont-leave-companies-people-leave-their-managers/) - People don't leave companies they leave leaders! We have all heard and experienced this notion in one form or another. You either know someone who has or you have left a company due to poor leadership, I know I have. Furthermore, if your firm is experiencing high turnover (and it is not an intentional "house - [LinkedIn spam is not marketing](https://milostopic.com/linkedin-spam-is-not-marketing/) - LinkedIn spam is something we are all familiar with and the reason for it can be summarized in the words of Gary Vaynerchuck: marketers ruin everything. While this is in no way a proper marketing approach, strategy or even a tactic it is certainly of great annoyance to most. LinkedIn spam generally beings in the - [How do you make people feel?](https://milostopic.com/how-do-you-make-people-feel/) - How do you make people feel? Really ask yourself this question as that is part of your legacy, part of a lasting impression and memory that will remain after you have left your current role or place of employment. Your contributions, skills, knowledge and experience all matter yet they will fade with time and the - [What is keeping your CEO up at night?](https://milostopic.com/what-is-keeping-your-ceo-up-at-night/) - If you want to succeed, grow and advance as most of us do, the conceptual approach is very straight forward and simple. Solve the problems that are keeping your CEO up at night. That's all! Yes, I know I made that sound very simple and that the execution is generally much more complicated requiring months - [If you do the work, they will never succeed](https://milostopic.com/if-you-do-the-work-they-will-never-succeed/) - Help people, empower them, provide resources and tools they need to be successful, but DO NOT do their work for them. Completing the work of others doesn't help anyone. It doesn't help them, it doesn't help you nor does it help your organization. People must be empowered and positioned to succeed, yet they must be - [Expand your circle of trust](https://milostopic.com/expand-your-circle-of-trust/) - Meeting people, getting to know them and learning what matters to them will be of great value to you in the long run. Build relationships, expand your network and invest in growing your circle of friends, colleagues and acquaintances. While we all know that networking has a potential to produce great value, this became even - [Visualize your goals](https://milostopic.com/visualize-your-goals/) - Vvisualize your goals and setup your work environment so that they are always visible and noticeable. By doing this, you will constantly be reminded of what matters to you and what you want to accomplish this year (month, week...). When I say goals, I mean BIG goals, HUGE goals, goals that "scare" you in a - [Proactive career management](https://milostopic.com/proactive-career-management/) - All of you who know me a bit know that I like to be intentional about goals and accomplishments and that I'm not a fan of aimless drifting as a viable strategy. While I'm not always successful in this pursuit, my intent is always to look some 3-5 years ahead and plan where I want - [Experience is a lot more than the number of years alone](https://milostopic.com/experience-is-a-lot-more-than-the-number-of-years-alone/) - Experience is what we are all after when looking for a new hire (obviously in addition to personality, skill set and education to name a few). However, this elusive experience is not equivalent to the number of years candidates have, but it is much more related to how were those years spent. When looking to - [Don't trade your character for the corner office](https://milostopic.com/dont-trade-your-character-for-the-corner-office/) - As we grow, advance and ascend to positions of greater responsibilities, it is essential to remain grounded and stay true to yourself. No matter what happens and where you end up in your career make sure you remain who you are as a person, as a human being. While I do understand that certain positions - [Leaders focus on what's important, not what's urgent](https://milostopic.com/leaders-focus-on-whats-important-not-whats-urgent/) - Each of us are faced with multitude of inputs and decisions to make each day. Keeping this in mind, it is important to spend your time, resources, attention and energy wisely. As a leader, your decisions impact not only your own life, but lives of others and as such you should focus on what is - [Set people free, make them successful](https://milostopic.com/set-people-free-make-them-successful/) - We all want to work with the best people available and we want to be part of high performing teams. In this noble quest, we think of ways to retain top talent and have them stay longer, be happier and feel valued. Unfortunately, at times, this doesn't work. When that time comes, where you know - [How to build your reputation](https://milostopic.com/how-to-build-your-reputation/) - You are only as good as your last performance. We have all heard this statement or a variation of it and unfortunately, in most organizations, it is partially true. I say partially true as your overall performance and contributions are more important than any single project, service improvement or business development opportunity. Your reputation as - [No more excuses, we've all had enough](https://milostopic.com/no-more-excuses-weve-all-had-enough/) - No more excuses, we have all had enough of them for a lifetime. Talk is cheap, excuses plenty, but without action and execution you will never achieve the goals you have set for yourself. Stop coming up with excuses, reconnect with your why and take actionable steps forward towards your goals. The time is now - [The most important calendar item for 2016 and beyond](https://milostopic.com/the-most-important-calendar-item-for-2016-and-beyond/) - Time management is an important skill, needed to succeed in making many of your goals a reality. As we look at our plans and goals for 2016 it is important to allocate time (actually block it off on your calendar) to think, reflect and plan. This should be you time, time where there are no - [Don't steal ideas of others, give them credit](https://milostopic.com/dont-steal-ideas-of-others-give-them-credit/) - Ideas matter, but the execution of those ideas matters even more. Furthermore, wherever an idea might come from, make sure it retains its rightful ownership and attribution. As a leader, it is your duty to properly recognize the contributor and give credit where credit is due. Under no circumstances should you ever claim someone else's - [Why annual performance reviews don't work](https://milostopic.com/why-annual-performance-reviews-dont-work/) - Traditional, annual performance reviews don't work and here's why. Employees need consistent and constant input and suggestions when it comes to their responsibilities and performance. Having someone under perform for a year is a disservice to that employee, the firm as a whole and even yourself as a leader who is accountable for the overall - [Marissa Mayer: is Yahoo! in need of new leadership, again?](https://milostopic.com/marissa-mayer-is-yahoo-in-need-of-new-leadership-again/) - Once again, Yahoo could soon be looking for a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). That is, if an investor (Eric Jackson) has his way. According to him, Marissa Mayer has been lavishly spending money, Yahoo's money on events which provided no return on investment. Furthermore, her executive team have made questionable acquisitions in recent past. - [Bad employees: fire them or make them quit?](https://milostopic.com/bad-employees-fire-them-or-make-them-quit/) - People matter the most and have the greatest impact on the organizational success and failure. It is (or should be) clear to all leaders that their primary focus needs to be on attracting and retaining top talent and that this should come ahead of policies, processes and technology which are also of great importance. However, - [Business and IT alignment](https://milostopic.com/business-and-it-alignment/) - Dear fellow IT leaders, please stop aligning IT to business and be the business! Allow me to explain. Generally, in life, one aligns two separate things, two separate items while IT and business need to be one and the same. There are no IT organizations, there is only one organization, one business that you as - [Making important decisions](https://milostopic.com/making-important-decisions/) - Decisions, decisions, decisions. We are faced with dozens of them each day and as such they require our attention and consideration. While majority of decisions are not of great significance to future outcomes (both personally and professionally), others can be quite influential. Decisions or choices that you need to make in collaboration with others which - [Why Educause matters to me](https://milostopic.com/why-educause-matters-to-me/) - Each industry has a number of organizations that unify professionals and enable them to network, collaborate, communicate and exchange ideas and knowledge. For me, one of such organizations, is certainly Educause. Educause is an association that unifies all of us who are in higher education (higher ed) information technology (IT) and provides opportunities for collaboration - [Job interviews and acronyms](https://milostopic.com/job-interviews-and-acronyms/) - Job searches and everything they entail can be challenging, time consuming and a bit unnerving at times. The crowning moment and the one you are really after is an in-person interview. Once you get there it's all on you to demonstrate value, share ideas and "sell" your vision. Now, once you are seated in front - [Why leaders are not experts](https://milostopic.com/why-leaders-are-not-experts/) - As a leader one must motivate, inspire, set standards, coordinate, improve, communicate, collaborate and so on, but they should never mistakenly believe and act as if they know everything. There is a multitude of reasons why teams are built with people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, knowledge and education in order for them to complement each - [Be honest, compete on value, not price](https://milostopic.com/be-honest-compete-on-value-not-price/) - Honest and transparent approach will go a long way in customer acquisition and more importantly, customer retention. When it comes to your services and products it is important to be honest, sincere and transparent with respect to your strategy, cost and pricing that they may need to incur. Be honest with your clients and tell - [Be passionate, yet remain cool, calm and collected](https://milostopic.com/be-passionate-yet-remain-cool-calm-and-collected/) - Passion is one of the most important attributes that influences what we do and act on each day. Loss of your passion and your drive will unavoidably result in a decrease in commitment, attention and quality of output. Once you stop caring about a project, process, job, organization...you check out mentally and it is noticeable - [Negativity has no place in your life](https://milostopic.com/negativity-has-no-place-in-your-life/) - Negativity is pointless. Simple as that, there is no point or value in it. Instead, one should reflect on their current state as well as on past achievements and even more importantly focus on future endeavors and potential opportunities. Negativity is not your thing, let it be someone else's problem. Surround yourself with positive and - [Attract the best talent, then do your best to retain them](https://milostopic.com/attract-the-best-talent-then-do-your-best-to-retain-them/) - Talented people are hard to find and they are even more difficult to retain long term. They have options and they know it. Having this in mind, it is important to invest in people ahead of anything else. Get the best folks you can and focus on quality over quantity. Once a team is built, - [CIO: one of the most rewarding positions](https://milostopic.com/cio-one-of-the-most-rewarding-positions/) - In my humble and somewhat biased opinion, one of the most rewarding positions is that of a CIO (Chief Information Officer). I say this based on their potential to influence positive transformation, change and growth within organizations. CIOs are uniquely positioned and have exposure and partnership opportunities with all business areas (finance, legal, marketing, operations...you - [Cyber security is a full-time job](https://milostopic.com/cyber-security-is-a-full-time-job/) - As more and more products get connected online in this Internet of Things (IoT) "revolution" of sorts, it is important to take information security strategically, seriously and proactively. To start, your systems and networks need to be redundant, backed up and up to date (properly configured, patched and tested); your users need to know what - [Lessons from T-Mobile and Experian partnership and data breach](https://milostopic.com/lessons-from-t-mobile-and-experian-partnership-and-data-breach/) - Cyber security, information security...call it what you want, but it must be taken seriously and proactively in every organization. Furthermore, your plan and attention must extend beyond the confines of your own networks, systems, applications and walls. You need to collaborate with your partners on join strategies to strengthen your connections, secure your data and - [Market your products and services, don't spam people](https://milostopic.com/market-your-products-and-services-dont-spam-people/) - Marketing is a blend of science and art and it should be approached very carefully and strategically. One of the most frequent methods of marketing and awareness building are mailing lists to which people sign up in order to receive promotions, discounts, free products or services and so on. However, when it comes to populating - [Identify problems with questions, not statements](https://milostopic.com/identify-problems-with-questions-not-statements/) - To solve problems one must first identify the core reasons of those issues and must accept their existence. Once ownership is established it is essential to ask proper questions as to how did you get to your current predicament and what can you do to make progress and move towards solutions. Don't make vague statements, - [Leaders think and speak clearly](https://milostopic.com/leaders-think-and-speak-clearly/) - Leaders listen to ideas, consider them, and then make their own decisions based on collective experience, knowledge and available information. While you should always be considerate, professional and respectful to your colleagues you should not agree with ideas and courses of action that you don't believe in. If your experience, education and knowledge advise you - [Invest in people](https://milostopic.com/invest-in-people/) - Education, training, growth and other opportunities are among many responsibilities of leaders to provide for their teams and staff. Make sure people are trained in their area of responsibilities and that they have opportunities to continue learning, growing and advancing. It's always better to have a smaller number of high performing people on your team - [Creative thinking required](https://milostopic.com/creative-thinking-required/) - Creativity and originality are at times challenging to come by in most organizations. Way too frequently folks follow the same path that was cut by those before them without considering all available options. It is imperative to consider alternatives and ensure that you and your business are using the best available solutions and are not - [Best leaders are approachable and welcoming](https://milostopic.com/best-leaders-are-approachable-and-welcoming/) - If you were to take a moment and think about some of the great leaders you have worked with (hopefully you were fortunate enough to work for a few) what are some of their characteristics that were common across the board? One that comes to my mind, without a doubt, was their approach-ability and willingness - [Analyzing Social Media](https://milostopic.com/analyzing-social-media/) - Social media is the present-day word-of-mouth and as such you need to listen. In order to grow, advance and improve your services and products you need to be aware of what people are saying about your organization. You also need to actively engage in providing exceptional customer service across these channels and meet your clients - [Adjust your attitude](https://milostopic.com/adjust-your-attitude/) - Growing up, how many times have you heard the following words from your parents: Adjust your attitude. Well, as you now know, they were even more right then you thought at the time. Your attitude matters, your determination and motivation to succeed is of crucial importance as you move through various opportunities and challenges in - [CIOs are joining Boards of Directors](https://milostopic.com/cios-are-joining-boards-of-directors/) - Technology is a the core of nearly everything we do in modern business and as such it needs to be considered as one of the greatest opportunity and difference makers around. With this in mind, it is natural to see more and more technology executives, most frequently Chief Information Officers (CIOs) joining both boards and - [It's simple: treat people how you want to be treated](https://milostopic.com/its-simple-treat-people-how-you-want-to-be-treated/) - When working with others, always do your best to be professional, respectful and courteous. Provide them respect, attention and dignity. No matter where they may work, above it all, they are people, just like you and your leadership role makes you even more accountable to ensure fair treatment of all employees. This extends across everyone - [It's OK to say NO to your clients](https://milostopic.com/its-ok-to-say-no-to-your-clients/) - Matching your skills and passions with market needs if the best way to ensure longevity, relevancy and revenue. On that quest, at times, you will come across those you should part with at the earliest opportunity. Strangely enough, sometimes those folks include some of your your current and prospective clients. Being paid for a product - [Solutions first, rewards later](https://milostopic.com/solutions-first-rewards-later/) - Focus on solutions for others, not benefits for yourself. This statement is based on a simple fact that if you provide solutions to others, benefits and rewards will come on their own in due time. Be proactive, step up and fill that void and focus on the opportunity of providing value to your coworkers, clients, - [Be a leader, not a decision maker](https://milostopic.com/be-a-leader-not-a-decision-maker/) - Leadership is earned, not given and as such you need to justify your privilege to lead others. Your title alone is not enough to make you a leader. Your position as a CEO, CIO, CFO, CMO, President, Vice President...gives you an opportunity to make decisions, not necessarily lead people forward. To lead others you must - [Resources follow vision](https://milostopic.com/resources-follow-vision/) - Complaining about the lack of resources is utterly useless and here's why. I am yet to meet an organization that has too many amazing people, too much money or too many great ideas, knowledge, technology...and so on. That doesn't exist, accept it, internalize it and move forward. Instead of complaining, act on delivering value to - [A taste of your own medicine](https://milostopic.com/a-taste-of-your-own-medicine/) - A taste of your own medicine is just what one may need at times. I say this with respect to the experience your clients go through with your services or products. Use your services, call your IT Service Desk (aka. Help Desk) and use your products in your daily life as that will clearly show - [Document what you do and communicate often](https://milostopic.com/document-what-you-do-and-communicate-often/) - Documentation is crucial in knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer, management and the operations as a whole. Additionally, any and all procedural or project changes must be documented and shared with everyone who is or may be impacted by this change. Document, verify and communicate frequently what you do, why you are doing it and how it - [Overwhelmed? Breathe and move one step at a time](https://milostopic.com/overwhelmed-breathe-and-move-one-step-at-a-time/) - 24 hours in a day don't seem like enough for most folks nowadays. We have families, friends, businesses, schools, hobbies, sports...to attend to and they are all competing for our time and attention. At times, this can be stress inducing and result in feeling overwhelmed, feeling like you can't get anything done. Well, when you - [Customer service: How to answer a phone](https://milostopic.com/customer-service-how-to-answer-a-phone/) - How should one answer the phone? Besides saying "hello" and being polite, it is essential to embody to quality you want your customers to experience in everything you do, even when answering calls. Once you have answered the phone, focus all of your attention on that client, don't do other things and don't put them - [Leaders protect people and make them feel safe](https://milostopic.com/leaders-protect-people-and-make-them-feel-safe/) - One of many responsibilities of leaders is to protect their staff and make them feel safe, comfortable and welcome at work. Besides being the right thing to do, you want your employees to be productive and to come back tomorrow and as such it is on you to provide a welcoming and supportive environment. - [Build a great team, they are your reflection](https://milostopic.com/build-a-great-team-they-are-your-reflection/) - The quality of your team, their performance and contributions are directly related to you as a leader. In a sense, they are a reflection of you. You set standards, expectations and instill values across your team and as such you need to use caution in the initial selection process. Furthermore, you need to provide them - [Push your employees over the edge then be there to catch them](https://milostopic.com/push-your-employees-over-the-edge-then-be-there-to-catch-them/) - Push your employees "off the edge" and be there to help them land safely. Get them out of their comfort zone and enable their growth, advancement and provide them with opportunities. At times, you will come across folks who lack confidence and belief in their abilities and it is on you as a leader to - [Why you should market IT services](https://milostopic.com/why-you-should-market-it-services/) - Marketing your services and products is essential in order to make sales, increase revenue, make your payroll and ultimately survive. Having that in mind, why is it that IT leadership frequently believes (or certainly acts that way) that their services shouldn't be marketed across their organizations and beyond? Why do they believe that others will - [Job interviews 101: Be honest and tell the truth](https://milostopic.com/job-interviews-101-be-honest-and-tell-the-truth/) - Job interviews pro tip: always tell the truth! It's that simple. When you are telling the truth you don't have to make anything up or recollect what you said during your phone interview or wrote on your application. The truth is always the same and it doesn't change. Honesty would provide for an open communication - [Share the spotlight](https://milostopic.com/share-the-spotlight/) - Share opportunities with your team and empower your staff to get actively involved at the highest strategic levels. This exposure and recognition at the executive level will enable people to have a better understanding of the strategic priorities and realign themselves with that in mind. Furthermore, don't keep all strategic, leadership projects and responsibilities for - [Talk is cheap](https://milostopic.com/talk-is-cheap/) - Actions speak louder than words. We have all heard this saying and it holds true in nearly all areas of our lives. Having that in mind, it is interesting to see that way too many people don't go past words, speeches and talks. Too many people don't deliver what they claim they will and that - [Culture of innovation, creativity and progress](https://milostopic.com/culture-of-innovation-creativity-and-progress/) - Building your culture is a hard work that needs to be thought out strategically, planned carefully and implemented one step at a time. The process of bringing everyone to a new standard of performance, new standard of thinking takes time and it is not something one can achieve over night. With that in mind, it - [Why you must read meeting agendas](https://milostopic.com/why-you-must-read-meeting-agendas/) - You must read agendas for all meetings you plan on attending. This is simple, straight forward, yet some folks still show up to meetings unprepared and at times even completely unaware of the intended direction and purpose of the meeting. This is clearly a bad situation to be in and as such you should do - [Companies don't make decisions, people do](https://milostopic.com/companies-dont-make-decisions-people-do/) - Build relationships and proactively meet people outside your team, outside your immediate surroundings. Selflessly investing in relationships and getting to know your fellow coworker, partners and vendors will undoubtedly prove to be of great strategic value to you and your team. Remember, companies don't make decisions, people do. - [Two weeks notice](https://milostopic.com/two-weeks-notice/) - You have handed in your resignation, your two weeks notice. Now what? First, resist the urge to slack off and tell those few you didn't see eye to eye with what you really think of them - it's not wort it. Second, tie up any lose ends, share information and knowledge and work proactively on - [To succeed you must leave your office](https://milostopic.com/to-succeed-you-must-leave-your-office/) - Get out of your office and have your staff do the same. Now, don't interpret that as not working or simply hanging out, but as a necessary process to grow, learn and become better at our jobs. Each of us must reach beyond the comfort of our core expertise in order to meet people and - [Remove obstacles and focus on solutions](https://milostopic.com/remove-obstacles-and-focus-on-solutions/) - Remove excuses and eliminate obstacles for others to be successful. This is a very simple view of what leaders must do and in particular what IT teams must do. Technology needs to empower people and provide solutions, not be in the way of people achieving their goals and being successful. - [The world doesn't owe you anything](https://milostopic.com/the-world-doesnt-owe-you-anything/) - Stop with entitlement and earn all you want and need. Be humble, work hard and demonstrate knowledge and experience worthy of those things you seek. Furthermore, all of those who think and behave in a way that only they matter should reconsider their actions and understand that most (if not all) things in life need - [You must win hearts and minds of people](https://milostopic.com/you-must-win-hearts-and-minds-of-people/) - In order to accomplish greatness, you must win hearts and minds of people who are on your team. You must find unique ways to motivate each of them individually while simultaneously building a cohesive team capable of great accomplishments. - [Leaders set the culture](https://milostopic.com/leaders-set-the-culture/) - Leaders set the organizational culture and that will never change. Accept it and choose your leaders wisely. On the other hand, if you happen to be a leader, it is equally as important to take your responsibilities seriously and act in such way that promotes quality, accountability, and communication across all areas you lead. Whether - [Stay true to yourself](https://milostopic.com/stay-true-to-yourself/) - Don't change or compromise your beliefs for someone else's gain. When I say this, I obviously reference your positive morals, your high standards and your quality performance. Should you have any negative or detrimental habits or beliefs, by all means, feel free to change those. ;) Your ethical standards are your compass in life and - [Proactively reward your top performers, your top 10%](https://milostopic.com/proactively-reward-your-top-performers-your-top-10/) - Top performers matter. Your top 10% of employees matter the most as they are the ones who truly move the needle and make a positive difference in your strategy and operations. This is why you must be strategic and thoughtful when it comes to managing their careers in a sense. Executive leadership must know who - [Speak openly, honestly and frequently](https://milostopic.com/speak-openly-honestly-and-frequently/) - Speak openly, honestly and frequently. Think for yourself, leverage your experience, knowledge and education to arrive to your own conclusions. Don't simply follow the majority and fall into complacency, lack of action and lack of commitment. You should be represented by your own actions, not by actions of others. Stand up and speak up on - [Why you should have a University Service Desk](https://milostopic.com/why-you-should-have-a-university-service-desk/) - All of your operations begin or culminate with customer service. The point of contact, and interaction between you and your clients or customers is where the magic happens and it is one of the most important aspects of every business. With this in mind, you should create a single point of contact for all IT - [Tell me about your worst boss ever](https://milostopic.com/tell-me-about-your-worst-boss-ever/) - Never speak ill of someone you work for. No matter what may have happened, publicly, you always need to have your boss' back. Privately, you will hopefully have an opportunity to speak honestly and share your thoughts, ideas and comments. Conversely, don't allow anyone to badmouth you or your team especially if they haven't approached - [Facebook dark posts will get you the traffic and awareness that you seek](https://milostopic.com/facebook-dark-posts-will-get-you-the-traffic-and-awareness-that-you-seek/) - Facebook provides some of the best marketing capabilities for businesses of all sizes. Potential return on investment (ROI) is even greater for those with limited marketing and advertising budgets. Facebook dark posts will undoubtedly (if used correctly) bring you traffic and awareness, but it is still on you and the quality of your products and - [Manage egos, collaborate, communicate and include others](https://milostopic.com/manage-egos-collaborate-communicate-and-include-others/) - Manage egos and put the needs of everyone ahead of any individual needs. Collaborate, communicate and leverage skills and experience from other teams, groups and departments for the betterment of the entire organization. If other teams as asking to get involved, don't take that as encroachment, but rather look at it as an extended, helping - [LinkedIn endorsements](https://milostopic.com/linkedin-endorsements/) - Endorsements should be honest and sincere. Please only endorse people and their skills which you have witnessed first hand and can attest to. This video is prompted by a trend where people are endorsing skills on LinkedIn (among other social networks) of people they have never worked with. While everyone enjoys and appreciates recognition and - [Honor your commitments](https://milostopic.com/honor-your-commitments/) - Honor the commitments you have made to others. When it comes to your career you are as good as your reputation and your credibility. Always play the long game and look at least 3-5 years ahead (go further out if you can as well) and keep your goals in mind as you make decisions. Show - [Sales will make you or break you](https://milostopic.com/sales-will-make-you-or-break-you/) - Sales is the name of the game. We all know that the overwhelming majority of organizations are in business in order to generate revenue and be profitable. In order to do so, they must invest in their sales teams with focus on increasing market share, attracting new customers and furthering their business development. When it - [To lead you must follow](https://milostopic.com/to-lead-you-must-follow/) - To lead you must have followers, to have followers you must follow. Confused? Let's explain it a bit better. Before you can become a leader you must know how to lead, you must know what works and what doesn't. One of the best ways to learn this is by following others and experiencing how it - [Surviving the last mile of your Ph.D., the dissertation](https://milostopic.com/surviving-the-last-mile-of-your-ph-d-the-dissertation/) - Doctoral degrees and related studies require many things, most important of them are commitment and determination. One must stay motivated and focused on the end result and find ways to make progress every single day. How do you stay motivated? - [Refuse to be ignored](https://milostopic.com/refuse-to-be-ignored/) - Say it with me: "I refuse to be ignored!" Your future is in your hands so please take necessary actions to ensure your success. You need to be proactive and step out of your comfort zone in order to be noticed and achieve greatness you deserve. At times, these actions might include volunteering to new - [Control and own your life](https://milostopic.com/control-and-own-your-life/) - Life! You only have one and it is yours to live, so please take ownership and control of it. The overwhelming majority of your life is (or should be) within your control and as such let's drop excuses, finger-pointing and blame. Be cognizant, mindful and aware of the feelings and needs of your family, friends, - [Be mindful of the present, but staff for the future](https://milostopic.com/be-mindful-of-the-present-but-staff-for-the-future/) - Build your teams thoughtfully. As opportunities open up to add new staff, carefully consider both your team's and organizational needs then staff accordingly. Don't simply replace "like for like", but rather focus on both current needs as well as your future strategic direction you are planning to take. Each member of your team has a - [You will grow and you will learn, but you will never "make it"](https://milostopic.com/you-will-grow-and-you-will-learn-but-you-will-never-make-it/) - Each of has has our own goals that we want to accomplish and those goals are frequently modified before they are actually realized. As we achieve our goals, we set news ones and that process never ends for most people. There is always something we want to accomplish, whether professionally or personally and as such - [Don't hold grudges, they limit your success](https://milostopic.com/dont-hold-grudges-they-limit-your-success/) - Holding grudges will hurt you as much as the other side. At times, some actions or words can't (and probably shouldn't) be forgotten, but in business it is nearly pointless to hold grudges. Disagreements of the past should not determine your partnerships, collaboration and mutual success of the future. Put egos aside and work together - [Who should you include in e-mails](https://milostopic.com/who-should-you-include-in-e-mails/) - E-mails are a staple of the business world and whether we like them or not, they are here to stay a while longer. When writing e-mails you should focus on being both efficient (no War and Peace novels, please) and effective (get your point across and go for the desired outcome). Focus on actionable items - [It's about the team, not you](https://milostopic.com/its-about-the-team-not-you/) - Team must always be valued ahead of narrowly focused individual needs. Whenever possible, help people accomplish their goals even if they are not directly related to your responsibilities. Collaborate, communicate and be a team player. No one likes self-centered individuals who hide information or knowledge and don't work well with others. - [Business logic goes before technology](https://milostopic.com/business-logic-goes-before-technology/) - Business logic, processes and policies need to be in place before a technological solution can be selected. Additionally, start from the desired outcome then reverse engineer the process and steps needed to get there. During this process you must establish ownership and accountability of each of the steps and a clear timeline and what happens - [Major accomplishments are marathons, not sprints](https://milostopic.com/major-accomplishments-are-marathons-not-sprints/) - Accomplishments require effort, commitment, focus and skill. Major accomplishments require more of each of those attributes and then some. Keep focusing on making progress each day even if that progress are small steps, as one day, all of those small steps will be added together into a successfully completed marathon. Now, that I have reminded - [If you are the smartest person in the room, leave that room](https://milostopic.com/if-you-are-the-smartest-person-in-the-room-leave-that-room/) - Smarts and intelligence can be seen attributed to different aspects and behaviors, but we all generally agree and know when someone is smart and when they are not. If you have observed that you are frequently the smartest person in meetings and on projects (assuming a great degree of self-awareness here) the time may have - [Why are we doing it this way?](https://milostopic.com/why-are-we-doing-it-this-way/) - ?That question mark can mean many different things, so use it carefully. As you come across areas that may need some attention and care, start with a simple question, why are we doing it this way? Do your best not to attack or offend people, but rather focus on the solutions and better ways of - [Don't mistake kindness for weakness](https://milostopic.com/dont-mistake-kindness-for-weakness/) - Be kind and respectful to others, but don't ever allow anyone to mistake that empathy for a weakness. People should be treated with respect, professionalism and common courtesy, but none of those gestures should be mistaken as a "free pass" by select individuals to perform outside standards, policies and processes that apply to all others. - [Don't be average](https://milostopic.com/dont-be-average/) - Average. Even the word itself sounds mediocre and boring. Average, is not what you want to be. Recently, I have watched a video by Grant Cardone, a man who has succeeded against the odds and is a force of nature in the business world (sales in particular), which has reminded me of this overwhelming epidemic - [Our leaders lack self awareness](https://milostopic.com/our-leaders-lack-self-awareness/) - Self-awareness is essential for everyone, and it is even more important for those in leadership positions with strategic responsibilities. Leaders must know what their strengths are and even more importantly they must know what are the areas where they are not as comfortable at this time. Continue educating yourself, continue expanding and building your experience - [Your first client is your boss](https://milostopic.com/your-first-client-is-your-boss/) - Your first and some would argue most important client is your boss. Now, before you go on about how you are really working for the entire organization and want to help everyone (which is absolutely the right way of thinking and acting) take a minute and think about the opening statement a while longer. Your - [Scope creep will kill your projects](https://milostopic.com/scope-creep-will-kill-your-projects/) - Managing the scope of your projects is an acquired skill, one that should not be taken lightly. If you don't freeze the scope chances are that you will not deliver a successful project. It is as simple as that, if the requirements keep changing while the resources and timeline remain the same you are quickly - [Look ahead of the curve and focus on possibilities](https://milostopic.com/look-ahead-of-the-curve-and-focus-on-possibilities/) - Leading others is a great honor and responsibility, and as such, it should be approached with great care and attention. As a leader, one of your responsibilities is to get out of the weeds and focus on the vision and possibilities ahead. It is your responsibility to empower your team to believe in the vision - [Don't manipulate people, convince them to join you](https://milostopic.com/dont-manipulate-people-convince-them-to-join-you/) - Manipulating people is easy in most instances, but it is wrong in every single case. Collaborate and be honest with people, build relationships and create trust in order to ensure long-lasting, fruitful relationships. Build alliances, establish partnerships and don't trick people into things as that always ends in a win-lose situation and you will not - [Change is inevitable, embrace it](https://milostopic.com/change-is-inevitable-embrace-it/) - Change is generally a beautiful thing when it means progress, advancement, improvement and growth. If we look at our history of advancements, education and improvements (and focus on the positive aspects) each passing generation has produced value to those yet to come. With this in mind, please continuously seek improvements by dedicating time and attention - [Leadership teams must reflect the larger population they lead](https://milostopic.com/leadership-teams-must-reflect-the-larger-population-they-lead/) - Adequate representation within leadership and governance teams is essential. This not only means getting the best people you can get to join your leadership teams, but it also speaks about the importance of being mindful of appropriate gender and racial representation as well. Examples of misrepresentation are everywhere. I have recently come across a governance - [Customer service 101: Listen and engage your clients on social media](https://milostopic.com/customer-service-101-listen-and-engage-your-clients-on-social-media/) - In today's world, customer service is of great importance in everything we do, and as such, it should be approached and handled carefully. Client support and services in person and online matter and should be tailored to the needs of your clients. When starting the initial engagement we may use templates, but they should not - [Leaders own problems and provide solutions, not excuses](https://milostopic.com/leaders-own-problems-and-provide-solutions-not-excuses/) - Leadership is about solutions, collaboration, motivation and empowerment. In order to be successful as a leader you must be honest, transparent and accountable. You must take ownership of issues that lay within your area of responsibility and leadership and move towards their ultimate resolutions. When they came into existence is less important than what will - [Quitting, self-defeat, six suitcases and your purpose](https://milostopic.com/quitting-self-defeat-six-suitcases-and-your-purpose/) - Quitting on your dreams and your goals should never be one of your options. You are not done until you achieve them and no matter what others may say, you are not defeated until you admit self-defeat. I came to the U.S. with six suitcases, my parents and I were allowed to bring two each - [Ideas are cheap, execution is priceless](https://milostopic.com/ideas-are-cheap-execution-is-priceless/) - While ideas are important and valuable, often they are no more valuable than that piece of paper you wrote them on. We all have ideas, some are great, others not as much, but what differentiates success from failure, what determines the overall outcome is what we do with our ideas; how do we execute them. - [Life, health, family and a Ph.D.](https://milostopic.com/life-health-family-and-a-ph-d/) - I am finally breathing again! That is such a simple fact of life we take for granted until it becomes a challenge and an issue. Over the past week, I have dealt with respiratory issues (bronchitis) along with our three year old boy having a hairline fracture on his metatarsal bone (right foot) which is - [Audit your life](https://milostopic.com/audit-your-life/) - Audit your life annually to retain focus, intention and determination on people and things are truly matter to you. Your family, your health, your career, your education...whatever the priorities may be at this time, refocus on them and do away with those (both people and things) that provide no value and are a complete waste - [People want to be heard and appreciated](https://milostopic.com/people-want-to-be-heard-and-appreciated/) - People have an innate desire to be respected, heard, understood and appreciated. Once they reach out to those of us in customer service (READ: we are all in customer service) they want to feel that their concerns and problems are important to us, that we will take them seriously and be of assistance to them. - [Be a humble leader and accept criticism](https://milostopic.com/be-a-humble-leader-and-accept-criticism/) - Environment must be safe for dissent and as a leader you must be accepting, even welcoming of criticism and different ideas. As long as these ideas are presented professionally and courteously, you need to accept them with humbleness and give them serious thought and consideration. After all, be mindful that people on your team and - [One conversation at a time, no side chatter & respect the calendar](https://milostopic.com/one-conversation-at-a-time-no-side-chatter-respect-the-calendar/) - Communication is an essential pillar in building successful teams, but at times, it needs to be managed. While in meetings it is essential for everyone to be on the same page and focused on the topic at hand. People must be both physically and mentally present and engaged into what the team is working on. - [Excuses don't matter, your work does](https://milostopic.com/excuses-dont-matter-your-work-does/) - Excuses are frequently irrelevant, cheap and everyone has at least a few. While it is important to learn from previous decisions and actions, it is equally as important not to spend too much time stuck in the past. Learn from the past, assess your current state, communicate present outcomes, but spend all of your time, - [Don't delay the change](https://milostopic.com/dont-delay-the-change/) - When the time is here to make progress, don't delay the change. If something needs improvement, do it now and don't delay the unavoidable. Do your due diligence, conduct detailed yet all encompassing research, communicate with your team members and once you have reached a conclusion, act on it. - [No bad apples allowed](https://milostopic.com/no-bad-apples-allowed/) - One bad apple can spoil the rest so please remove them from the basket. As a leader you must establish, promote and support an inviting, comfortable and respectful working environment and as such you can't allow any single individual to jeopardize your workplace. No matter how good and valuable they may be from a functional - [Say yes to opportunity](https://milostopic.com/say-yes-to-opportunity/) - Opportunities are frequently unexpected and very commonly show up unannounced. How we react to them is what makes the ultimate difference in how valuable they become to us. I have already emphasized the importance of embracing opportunities and have shared a few examples last year which support the fact that opportunities and new clients don’t - [Don't chase perfection, chase progress](https://milostopic.com/dont-chase-perfection-chase-progress/) - Perfection is elusive and frequently unattainable. This is why it is important to focus on making daily incremental advancements towards the ultimate goal. Rome wasn't built over night and neither will most of your projects or strategic and operational services. Collaborate, communicate and work together with your colleagues to advance your current state into what - [Information security is everyone's responsibility](https://milostopic.com/information-security-is-everyones-responsibility/) - Security of data and information across organizations is everyone's responsibility. While content management, security, access and backup is generally led by Information technology (IT), they shouldn't not be the only team involved in managing and securing data across organizations. Proper security training should be an integral part of the hiring process; should be communicated during - [Be the change you want to see](https://milostopic.com/be-the-change-you-want-to-see/) - Be the change you want to see in your workplace. Or, more globally, as Mahatma Gandhi said: "Be the change you want to see in the world." Don't wait for permission to be positive, to think differently and be creative. Don't wait for appointment or a decree to be innovative and to approach problems with - [Support people's dreams](https://milostopic.com/support-peoples-dreams/) - Leaders support and empower others, they don't bring them down. This also applies when people are leaving your team and moving onto new opportunities and at times even completely different careers. Good people and good employees should always be supported, even when their immediate departure will impose certain limitations and challenges to your operations. Help - [Hire your boss!](https://milostopic.com/hire-your-boss/) - Hire your boss! While that statement without context is contradictory it does deserve your attention as you advance in your career. While vision, responsibilities, advancement opportunities, position, strategic plans, staffing, benefits and salary are all important, the single most important factor impacting and influencing your future success (besides your own work ethic, commitment and quality) - [How to staff your team during training](https://milostopic.com/how-to-staff-your-team-during-training/) - Providing training to your team is essential in order to continue improving the quality of services you offer as well as to enhance career development opportunities. However, when training takes place, it is important not to neglect services you currently provide. The actual staffing process depends on the size of your team, services you provide - [Information is meant to be shared](https://milostopic.com/information-is-meant-to-be-shared/) - Information is meant to be shared as its primary purpose is to inform others of what is or will be taking place. As soon as you have access to information that other people would find useful please pass it along so that they can find value in it. Don't hide, hoard or shelter information, it - [Why avoiding conflict can hurt you and others](https://milostopic.com/why-avoiding-conflict-can-hurt-you-and-others/) - Avoiding conflicts is generally a solid advice to follow. However, at times, disagreements (perhaps a better term) are unavoidable. By this I refer to those moments when someone needs to speak up in support of others and with collaboration and progress in mind. However, even during these disagreements one needs to remain professional, respectful and - [Focusing on success and managing project expectations](https://milostopic.com/focusing-on-success-and-managing-project-expectations/) - Project management is an acquired skill, one that doesn't come over night and is certainly not for everyone. As you are joining new project teams it is essential to do so with an open mind without any prejudices or preconceived notions. Listen to all ideas, think about them and consider them seriously. Learn from past - [Top 3 areas to focus on at a new job](https://milostopic.com/top-3-areas-to-focus-on-at-a-new-job/) - Top 3 areas to focus on at a new job may vary when it comes to specifics and details. However, the overall theme of the three areas that deserve and need you attention once you join a new organization are: Meet your coworkers - learn what their hopes, goals and ideas are. Leverage their institutional - [Client experience is the starting point](https://milostopic.com/client-experience-is-the-starting-point/) - Client experience is the starting point of all service offerings. When designing services to support your organization it is essential to start with the experience of your users (both internal and external) in mind. Once you are aware how your services impact the lives or responsibilities of others that's when you reverse engineer the process - [Make progress and don’t compare yourself to others](https://milostopic.com/make-progress-and-dont-compare-yourself-to-others/) - Make progress, don't chase perfection and most importantly don't compare yourself to others. Move towards your goals each day and don't get discouraged by seeing someone who is at this time further along the path than you may be. Most of them have started from zero, and with time, effort, hustle and commitment have advanced - [Organizational mission sets all calendars](https://milostopic.com/organizational-mission-sets-all-calendars/) - Business side of your organization sets the calendars of all others. This can happen directly or indirectly, but all functional areas need to be aware of the core mission of their business and act in support of it. In my particular case, in higher education, academic calendar sets our IT calendar and has a significant - [Today's setbacks don't define your future success](https://milostopic.com/todays-setbacks-dont-define-your-future-success/) - Overcoming personal and professional setbacks is part of life. It is one of those "absolute truths" in a sense that life is not always smooth, easy and doesn't develop according to plan. Having said that, what we do with those setbacks and how we react to them is of even greater importance. It is important - [Career advice: be thoughtful and intentional, be strategic](https://milostopic.com/career-advice-be-thoughtful-and-intentional-be-strategic/) - When it comes to your career and your professional future (same goes for many personal goals as well) it is essential to be thoughtful, intentional and strategic. Think long and hard about where you would like to be in 10, 15 or even 20 years and then design your strategic plan. Once you have identified - [We are all in customer service](https://milostopic.com/we-are-all-in-customer-service/) - No matter what you do, what your title or position says, part of your responsibilities is customer service. In order to create organizational culture where everyone is on the same page and provides consistent level of quality to clients (both internal and external) each team member must understand that their interactions with customers matter. All - [Be fearless and connect to your inner child](https://milostopic.com/be-fearless-and-connect-to-your-inner-child/) - Connect to your inner child to reinvigorate your determination, belief and focus in order to continue after your goals with even greater energy. Don't you remember how fearless you were as a child and how much fun you had going after the things you wanted (putting aside the times you got in trouble for a - [How to be a confident public speaker](https://milostopic.com/how-to-be-a-confident-public-speaker/) - Being able to speak well and learning how to be a confident public speaker is one of the most valuable skills we can have as we advance in our career. Throughout your career you will need to speak in meetings, share ideas, reports, present in front of your team or other teams; speak in front - [Prerequisite for success: transparent leadership](https://milostopic.com/prerequisite-for-success-transparent-leadership/) - In order for a team to work well together, leadership must be transparent. Leaders need to keep the entire team on the same page; have them collaborate; back each other and move in unison towards mutually agreed-upon goals. Transparent leadership where vision, mission and decisions are clearly communicated and supported with valid facts and arguments - [Charisma is not leadership](https://milostopic.com/charisma-is-not-leadership/) - People often confuse charisma for leadership and consider it one and the same. While charisma is a component embraced by many successful leaders, it is not what makes one a leader and as such it should be considered as one of their attributes, not an entire representation of that individual. Leaders put others ahead of - [Set clear expectations, you are not a puppet](https://milostopic.com/set-clear-expectations-you-are-not-a-puppet/) - As the (wo)man, the myth, the legend continues to grow and your capabilities, accomplishments and skills become known to a wider audience you will often begin receiving invitations to join projects and tasks outside your current core responsibilities. These are great opportunities to learn new things, meet new people and help others with what you - [Elevate yourself above the crowd](https://milostopic.com/elevate-yourself-above-the-crowd/) - You are not average, you are not mundane, and don't belong right in the middle of the scale. So stop acting and performing that way and elevate yourself about the crowd, above the average. Being right in the middle is the worst place to be as you are not memorable, you don't stand out, you - [Support your team unequivocally](https://milostopic.com/support-your-team-unequivocally/) - In order to be successful if is imperative to be customer focused, yet employee aware at the same time. However, at times, these two important groups may come at odds which is when you as a leader need to act. Ideally, you would have been involved all along to avoid any negative escalation of issues, - [Managing stress of your team](https://milostopic.com/managing-stress-of-your-team/) - As a leader, your reaction to stress and challenges speaks volumes to others around you. Your team looks up to you for queues and guidance of how to handle and resolve stressful situations no matter what they may be. So keep that in mind next time your are dealing with a challenging project, process, partner, - [Hire people for their personality, character and abilities, not prestige](https://milostopic.com/hire-people-for-their-personality-character-and-abilities-not-prestige/) - As you are expanding your team or replacing an employee who has recently left the company make sure to focus on the personality and abilities of that new individual, not the prestige they may bring. While the education and previous employment are absolutely important, don't become enamored with "glamorous" companies or universities such as MIT, - [Leaders ask questions](https://milostopic.com/leaders-ask-questions/) - As you get an opportunity to meet with people who are tasking you and your team with a project or an operational or strategic need please remember to ask relevant, clarifying questions. Clarify all that isn't clear and ask questions as soon as you have an opportunity. Don't make assumptions that someone else sitting around - [Lead with your heart](https://milostopic.com/lead-with-your-heart/) - Treat others the way you want to be treated. Show compassion, empathy, understanding and support. Now, this doesn't mean be a softy all the time and let others take advantage of your kindness, but it means don't go out of your way to make lives of others miserable and unnecessarily difficult. As a leader, one - [Honor your word and build credibility](https://milostopic.com/honor-your-word-and-build-credibility/) - As you are building your professional credibility, it is important to honor your word. No matter how small it may seem, make sure to follow through on things you have said you would do. With time, these somewhat small actions will lead to larger acts which will all assist in establishing your credibility within your - [5 interview questions to ask employer](https://milostopic.com/5-interview-questions-to-ask-employer/) - You are nearing the end of an interview where you have been asked a number of questions and now it is your turn to ask a few of your own. While there is no requirement to ask questions, it is always a good idea to do so as it shows interest, preparation and desire to - [Success is contagious](https://milostopic.com/success-is-contagious/) - Surround yourself with positive, successful people who will have a beneficial influence on you. Success is contagious and it has a way of inspiring people to dream, set their sights higher and go after things with more vigor and determination. The company you keep not only speaks of yourself, but it also influences your behavior - [Productivity depends on energy, not time management](https://milostopic.com/productivity-depends-on-energy-not-time-management/) - We would all like to be more productive and accomplish things with ease. However, frequently, there is not enough time to do everything that we need to do and there's even less time for everything that we want to do. Is this the truth or is this something that we like to tell ourselves (and - [Pay attention to expressions, mannerisms and body language](https://milostopic.com/pay-attention-to-expressions-mannerisms-and-body-language/) - We all know that actions speak louder than words. Additionally, it is important not to underestimate the importance of our facial expressions, mannerisms and the overall body language. It is important to keep that in mind as you meet with your team, clients, boss, partners...as they are only aware of your feelings and thoughts on - [Best ideas must win](https://milostopic.com/best-ideas-must-win/) - Best ideas must win. They must win irrespective of who brought them up and how long that person has been with your organization. Whether they are a CEO, a President, or another executive or a temporary employee who started last week, quality ideas must always be enabled to rise to the top. Diversity of opinions, - [Leaders empower people, they don't micromanage](https://milostopic.com/leaders-empower-people-they-dont-micromanage/) - Micromanagement demonstrates lack of trust in the abilities of your staff and that is never the right thing to do. Enable and empower people to make decisions, take actions and move forward without the need to constantly come to you for every single detail. Obviously, levels of empowerment and decision making abilities will vary based - [Age is just a number, don't let it limit your growth](https://milostopic.com/age-is-just-a-number-dont-let-it-limit-your-growth/) - Your experience, skills and education matter more than how old you are. The quality you bring to a team depends on your past performance and your track record, not when you were born so please stop using it as a self-limiting factor in advancing and moving forward. You are never too young or too old - [Focus on your personal strengths and hire your weaknesses](https://milostopic.com/focus-on-your-personal-strengths-and-hire-your-weaknesses/) - Focus on your personal strengths and hire your weaknesses. Each of us have different skills and talents and we should leverage them for our success. These qualities will complement qualities of others as you build or join teams and with everyone working together towards a unified vision, success is guaranteed. Contrary to what you may - [Your major goals shouldn't be trusted to New Year's resolutions](https://milostopic.com/your-major-goals-shouldnt-be-trusted-to-new-years-resolutions/) - Another year is here, and most of us are looking over our resolutions and feel energized about all these potential accomplishments that lie ahead. However, if we fast forward a few months, the majority of people will no longer be as excited or as motivated to follow though and stick to making these resolutions a - [Customer centric, employee aware](https://milostopic.com/customer-centric-employee-aware/) - Truly successful teams are both customer centric and employee aware. In order to be able to provide useful products and services one must design, create and build those with their customers in mind. However, equally important is the need to be aware of the needs of your staff in order for them to be successful. - [I'm stressed, help me!](https://milostopic.com/im-stressed-help-me/) - Sooner or later, a time will come for most when they will feel overwhelmed, stressed and stretched too thin. It will feel like 24 hours in a day are simply not enough to accomplish it all. Well, when that time comes (or if it is already here) please note that you are not alone and - [Why value is greater than recognition](https://milostopic.com/why-value-is-greater-than-recognition/) - In all you do, focus on providing value to others over getting small wins in a form of a personal recognition. While it is nice to be recognized for your accomplishments that cannot be your focus as it has a potential of developing into something very negative which is an impression of a self-centered individual. - [Build diverse teams](https://milostopic.com/build-diverse-teams/) - Build teams that are as diverse as possible. Hiring carbon copies of yourself is counterproductive and provides no value to you, the team or the organization as a whole. You want and need people of different races, ethnicity, education, experiences...as you never know where that next great idea may come from. You want originality and - [Don't blame others, help them](https://milostopic.com/dont-blame-others-help-them/) - A mistake was made, what should one do next? The easiest thing for some people is to point fingers at others and take no responsibility for their own actions. While this selfish behavior might help them in that particular instance, long term, it will hurt them, their reputation, integrity and future relationships within the organization. - [How long should you stay in your current job?](https://milostopic.com/how-long-should-you-stay-in-your-current-job/) - How long should I stay in my current job? It is a question asked by most (if not all) of us at some point in our careers. However, the answer is not as common and varies widely across industries, positions and individuals. No matter how long you may have been at a particular job, if - [Honest communication](https://milostopic.com/honest-communication/) - Demonstrate clear appreciation and respect for your community, staff, clients and partners by communicating honestly. While at times you may not be able to disclose everything known to you you should still be honest when it comes to the direction, planning and strategy that you intend to take. Don't lie to people and don't go - [Office drama must end, today](https://milostopic.com/office-drama-must-end-today/) - The moment you notice negativity, arguments and drama in the office you must do whatever it takes to end it as soon as possible. You must learn from it as well, but negativity and fighting among team members is not acceptable and has no place on high performing teams. Diversity and differences in opinions should - [Believe in yourself and move forward](https://milostopic.com/believe-in-yourself-and-move-forward/) - I know that Mondays can be a bit more challenging than other days for some people, but today has set a new record. The amount of self-doubt and lack of belief in future success was overwhelming. Nearly half a dozen people have expressed how difficult work was; how challenging school was; how hard it was - [Stop faking it](https://milostopic.com/stop-faking-it/) - Contrary to a popular saying, don't fake it 'til you make it. Focus on what you know, have experience in and enjoy doing. Please stop pretending to be someone you are not, especially when it comes to work. Leverage your strengths to provide value to others and by doing so you will be providing value - [Successful future depends on today's actions](https://milostopic.com/successful-future-depends-on-todays-actions/) - Being envious, jealous and even hateful of others' success is quite easy and common yet it is completely pointless and quite limiting. Instead of focusing on their own plans and goals, quite a few people seem to be content looking at others through a murky lens of envy. Being passive and accepting your current state - [Who keeps you levelheaded and balanced?](https://milostopic.com/who-keeps-you-levelheaded-and-balanced/) - Who is your trusted friend or a family member who is absolutely allowed to call you out on your BS and tell it like it is? Who is that person who has your best interests at heart and helps you evaluate and focus your decisions, ideas and opportunities? Whoever they may be, they are of - [Managing massive enterprise projects](https://milostopic.com/managing-massive-enterprise-projects/) - Large enterprise projects can be daunting and seem insurmountable at times, but we all know that that is not true. It is not true as they have been done before and if others have completed them successfully, who says that you won't be able to do the same. And when going gets tough, breathe and - [Take risks and realize your vision](https://milostopic.com/take-risks-and-realize-your-vision/) - At times we must take risks in order to advance, move forward, learn and grow. Taking risks is not comfortable and natural for most people, but those who do challenge themselves outside their comfort zone are those who most frequently benefit and reach the next level. Historically, the greatest contributions to mankind were done by - [Ways to retain top talent](https://milostopic.com/ways-to-retain-top-talent/) - Attracting and retaining top talent is one of the main concerns on minds of many executives across various industries. Finding amazing people who are organizational rock stars in a sense is not easy which is why it is important to establish an environment which promotes retention. Here are some guiding principles of how to retain - [How to improve job interview skills?](https://milostopic.com/how-to-improve-job-interview-skills/) - I love how creative my friends are, but using real job interviews as mock interviews? Now, I've heard it all. Allow me to explain. A friend of mine has been on a career advancement search in recent months and as one of his references I was privileged to the positions he has applied for. While - [Spend company's money as you would your own](https://milostopic.com/spend-companys-money-as-you-would-your-own/) - Fiscal responsibility of a budget is exactly that, a responsibility, not a right. This privilege should not be treated lightly and should be approached with rationale, integrity and accountability. As you are making purchases focus on the needs of your team and those you work with and support. Once the needs are addressed and if - [Leverage available expertise](https://milostopic.com/leverage-available-expertise/) - Work with your colleagues, peers and counterparts across different functional areas in order to produce contributions of the highest quality. None of us know everything so it is time to act that way and leverage available expertise within our organizations and invite others to contribute and share both the work and rewards. - [Like it or not, you still have to work together](https://milostopic.com/like-it-or-not-you-still-have-to-work-together/) - Personalities clash and people have disagreements, but those shouldn't become insurmountable obstacles towards collaboration, productivity and advancement. Difference of opinions, ideas and originality is what makes organizations what they are and what they are yet to become. Whether you have initially (un)successfully collaborated with someone or not shouldn't determine your long-term relationship and collaboration efforts. - [Leaders speak last](https://milostopic.com/leaders-speak-last/) - You are a part of a brainstorming session or a project update meeting and folks are sharing their ideas, suggestions and plans. Last one to speak is the leader of that team. Well, last one to speak SHOULD be the leader of that team. The reason for this tactical decision lies in the desire to - [Take your talents where they belong](https://milostopic.com/take-your-talents-where-they-belong/) - If you are unhappy, unfulfilled or lack challenges where you currently are, please leave. Life is way too short for you to waste it away where you don't belong. Think about your talents and capabilities and then take them where they would have the greatest positive impact on lives of others. Providing value to others - [Is your current job your destiny?](https://milostopic.com/is-your-current-job-your-destiny/) - How did you arrive to your current professional destination? And more importantly, is this your final stop? Have you ever asked yourself those questions and what were the conclusions to which you have arrived? Was your career path a straight line with smooth, strategic, well planned transitions or have you taken a number of unexpected - [Who are you to your friends?](https://milostopic.com/who-are-you-to-your-friends/) - Who are you to your friends? What's your role in a sense...are you their rock, the confidant, the shrink, a class clown, party animal, the traveler...what are you to your circle of friends? Which of your qualities do they associate with you and really value in you? Once you have that answer, think about how - [Ask your team for honest feedback](https://milostopic.com/ask-your-team-for-honest-feedback/) - Are you failing your staff, your coworkers, your team? How do you know? Did you ask them? While most of us will annually reach out to our customers, clients and partners to get their feedback on our performance we often neglect those we work with closely. How often have you asked your coworkers, your staff, - [Innovate first, take the lead](https://milostopic.com/innovate-first-take-the-lead/) - As you notice opportunities for improvements, both strategic and operational, take the lead, innovate first and get those advancements in place. Don't worry about getting the credit or recognition and don't do it with that motivation in mind. Focus on improving lives of others, such as your clients, your team, your partners and after all, - [Reflecting on the past year](https://milostopic.com/reflecting-on-the-past-year/) - It's July 17th, and today is my birthday so I have been doing a bit of reflecting on the past year of my life and what I have accomplished (or haven't, yet) during that time. This is a great process to go through as it helps highlight what you have done thus far and to - [You are not allowed to quit!](https://milostopic.com/you-are-not-allowed-to-quit/) - Are you in pursuit of a lifelong goal? Is it getting tough to get there? Have you started doubting yourself and are you considering settling for something less? Are you thinking about giving up? Well...you won't and here's why. You are not allowed to quit going after what you truly want and what you truly - [When it's time to go, leave gracefully ](https://milostopic.com/when-its-time-to-go-leave-gracefully/) - Sooner or later, a moment will come when it is time move onto new opportunities in order to continue to grow, learn and advance. When this time arrives do your best to stay focused on present and even more importantly on your future. Leave past where it belongs, behind you and don't burn any bridges - [You get what you pay for](https://milostopic.com/you-get-what-you-pay-for/) - When making enterprise decisions look beyond the initial cost and consider total cost of ownership (TCO), usability and user experience. While current cost is an important line item it shouldn't be the main (or only) factor to consider when deciding which systems or services to implement or who to hire and promote. Look at the - [Is your team providing strategic value?](https://milostopic.com/is-your-team-providing-strategic-value/) - Every once in a while do a complete assessment of your and your team's contributions to the overall mission, vision and purpose of the organization that you work for. During this process, ask yourself, are you providing strategic value? Are you contributing (directly or indirectly) to the main cause and main reason why all of - [Give people your undivided attention](https://milostopic.com/give-people-your-undivided-attention/) - Wherever you may be, especially when in smaller groups, please provide your colleagues and coworkers the respect that you would expect in return. Give them your undivided attention, focus on what they are saying and the message or need that they are conveying at that time. Focusing your attention on them demonstrates your commitment to - [It's OK to say NO](https://milostopic.com/its-ok-to-say-no/) - If you really don't want to do something let the other person know right away. Be sincere and straightforward and say no to things and plans you have no interest in being a part of. Saying no can be liberating, empowering and will definitely let others know where they stand with you which is what - [The value of good advice](https://milostopic.com/the-value-of-good-advice/) - The value of good advice comes in its honesty, truthfulness and sincerity. Whether you like it or not, it is important to value advice based on facts from those you trust and believe in. Similarly, when asked to provide advice do so honestly and sincerely, even if the other person may not like it or - [Engage, listen, learn then lead](https://milostopic.com/engage-listen-learn-then-lead/) - Embrace the ideas of others, invite and enable all to share their opinions, ideas and suggestions as only then you will begin to align and improve. Additionally, if your ideas get challenged (in a professional and respectful manner) publicly, appreciate and respect people's ideas and suggestions and take them under advisement. Finally, don't be vindictive - [Follow your dreams](https://milostopic.com/follow-your-dreams/) - Work is only a part of your lives, but yet it takes so much of them for so long that we owe it to ourselves to be honest how we feel while there and adjust accordingly. If you are unhappy and not near retirement please perform an assessment of your needs and qualities and focus - [Customer service counts](https://milostopic.com/customer-service-counts/) - Customer service counts in all industries more than ever. Bad experiences get shared across networks fairly quickly and poor customer service can significantly decrease your market share and profitability even if your product is superior to those of your competitors. Focus your attention on your clients, hire and train all staff with a customer-centric approach - [Include people and lead together](https://milostopic.com/include-people-and-lead-together/) - One can never be too informed. Get as much valuable and relevant information as you can so that you can act on that information, make decisions and lead people. The best way to do this is to actually include people and ask for their input, their ideas and suggestions. Include people and lead together. - [Can't win them all](https://milostopic.com/cant-win-them-all/) - While you may have the best intentions in mind and are able to demonstrate your highest levels of quality, at times, some people may still not be completely satisfied. I say this not to suggest that you should give up on improving your services and products or that you should give up on trying to - [Social networks: separate personal from business](https://milostopic.com/social-networks-separate-personal-from-business/) - If you happen to be the person responsible for your organization's social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube...) make sure you make a clear distinction between those official, business accounts and your own personal accounts. As we have seen time after time, this is a very simple mistake to make which can have detrimental effects for - [Introduce yourself and meet people](https://milostopic.com/introduce-yourself-and-meet-people/) - As you join a new team it is crucial to introduce yourself and meet people in this new organization (both within and outside your immediate team and responsibilities). While it is important to familiarize yourself with policies, guidelines and operational structure it is equally important to put names and faces together and by doing so - [Enable people to contribute](https://milostopic.com/enable-people-to-contribute/) - As you work with people from different departments, divisions, even different companies you may come to realize that their work may be based on varying levels of quality and expectations. Before getting upset or immediately escalating to their supervisors please try to understand the full picture as to what they may be dealing with. They - [Engage with your industry](https://milostopic.com/engage-with-your-industry/) - Engage with your colleagues, profession and industry by attending seminars, conferences and meetups, both local and global. Learn from others who are wiser or more experienced; learn from those who have done it successfully; learn from those who are a bit further along than you on this journey. Additionally, and equally as important, don't forget - [Respect employees' personal time](https://milostopic.com/respect-employees-personal-time/) - Respect your employees personal time. Please do your best not to "bother" your staff (except in rare, emergency situations of course) outside their work hours with work related questions and responsibility. If you find yourself consistently contacting people outside work hours chances are that there's a big problem at play. You may have "bottlenecks" within - [Be honest with your service providers](https://milostopic.com/be-honest-with-your-service-providers/) - Please be honest with your service providers. No matter what happened to a particular piece of equipment or a product we need to have as many facts as possible up front in order to provide adequate services and support. There's no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed as chances are that your story is not - [How to change bad habits](https://milostopic.com/how-to-change-bad-habits/) - How to change bad habits? Well, we all have them and to begin the change we must first accept that they exist. Once we are aware of specific bad habits, we need to begin the process to change them and replace them with better habits (not with another bad habit which happens frequently). This process - [Culture of evidence and collaboration ](https://milostopic.com/culture-of-evidence-and-collaboration/) - As you and your team go about your daily responsibilities it is important to create the culture of evidence and collaboration. Each team needs to be able to document their performance, progress, accomplishments and contributions. The value of such resource will continue to grow with time as it begins to serve as a knowledge management - [How to be a great leader](https://milostopic.com/how-to-be-a-great-leader/) - To be a great leader you must make your intentions, actions and decisions about others, not yourself. You also need to provide needed resources and create a safe and relaxed environment. Additionally, you also need management skills to build on as all members of your team must be aware of the policies, rules, guidelines and - [Lack of leadership? Fill the void](https://milostopic.com/lack-of-leadership-fill-the-void/) - If you happened to be on a team or in an organization where leadership is lacking to provide what's necessary for staff to be successful not everything is lost. While your options are somewhat "limited" you can do some of the following: you can accept your faith complain, which won't do you any good leave - [Work ethic and pride in quality](https://milostopic.com/work-ethic-and-pride-in-quality/) - Work ethic and pride in ones work seems to have be diminishing across various industries and market segments in recent years. Reasons for this nonchalant behavior and lack of work ethic, commitment and quality can and often do vary. However, whatever they may be, it is up to leaders to perform full assessments (audits if - [How to present ideas successfully](https://milostopic.com/how-to-present-ideas-successfully/) - First concept to understand and keep in mind is that there are no functional projects or ideas. They all must contribute to the overall business success and should always be presented and implemented in that way. Additionally, you must know your audience; establish trust, familiarity and context with those you are presenting/pitching to and show - [Don't apologize for your opinions](https://milostopic.com/dont-apologize-for-your-opinions/) - Be authentic, transparent and most importantly, be who you are. Now, don't confuse this with being confrontational or difficult for no apparent reason, what I actually refer to is sticking to your beliefs and opinions which are backed by facts, experience and values. If you have seriously considered all options and alternatives and you have - [In-person conversations](https://milostopic.com/in-person-conversations/) - The lost art of in person conversations is now more valuable than ever. It is especially important and effective when you are trying to understand causes of issues and challenges and when you need to communicate vision, values and motivate people. Take the necessary time and make the effort to meet with people to learn - [People matter the most](https://milostopic.com/people-matter-the-most/) - People matter the most and as such they should be the primary focus of every leader at every level in every organization. Attracting quality personnel to your team(s) is essential in order to be efficient, effective and competitive. Focus your search and positioning on quality over quantity, every single time. While it is very important - [Vendors beware: cold calling is an art](https://milostopic.com/vendors-beware-cold-calling-is-an-art/) - Dear vendors, thank you for your products, services and great customer service, but please listen to what your (prospective) clients say and respect those answers. I am aware of your need to meet your sales quotas, earn your bonuses and grow the business, but becoming a spammer or a telemarketer is not the way to - [When hiring, trust your instincts](https://milostopic.com/when-hiring-trust-your-instincts/) - Trust your instincts at all times. They are here to protects, alert and warns us of what is happening around us and how we could and should react to potential opportunities or threats. These instincts also come in very handy when building a team and hiring new staff. During this process focus a bit more - [Clear responsibilities and structure](https://milostopic.com/clear-responsibilities-and-structure/) - Individual responsibilities for each employee must be clearly communicated and understood by both sides, employee and supervisor. These responsibilities mush also be shared with the entire team as well as with other teams they regularly interact with. People need to know who does what and how they contribute to the entire team and the entire - [Speak and act with confidence](https://milostopic.com/speak-and-act-with-confidence/) - We have all witnessed someone who exudes confidence and captivates the room the moment they walk in. Some of the qualities that help them are part of who they are, their DNA in a sense and can't be learned. However, many other things that go a long way towards your overall confidence and credibility can - [Capture ideas and make them a reality ](https://milostopic.com/capture-ideas-and-make-them-a-reality/) - Write your ideas down, think about them, follow through and make them a reality. Productive, valuable ideas come at random times and it is important to catch them before they escape your mind and your grasp. Even more importantly, put some time aside to think them through, do your feasibility research and follow through. Turning - [Be resourceful and negotiate](https://milostopic.com/be-resourceful-and-negotiate/) - Most of us are faced with lack of resources in some capacity in order to accomplish everything we believe we could and think we should be able to do. This lack of resources can be manifested in lack of personnel, particular skill set; lack of funding, lack of technology; equipment; tools; support services...and the list - [Helping people selflessly](https://milostopic.com/helping-people-selflessly/) - How can I help you? When was the last time you have asked that question of people from another department, division or functional area? How often do you offer help selflessly without any expectation of receiving anything in return? These are some of many questions we should each ask ourselves as we go to work - [Motivating yourself](https://milostopic.com/motivating-yourself/) - Sooner or later you will have a day or two, maybe even a week (hopefully not much longer than that) where you will lack motivation to contribute, to put in your 100%. On those days (and in general) you can do several things to try to recapture your motivation: Be grateful what you have - - [Please talk to your IT staff](https://milostopic.com/please-talk-to-your-it-staff/) - When purchasing new hardware, software of have questions about a particular technology please consult your IT staff (if available to you of course) prior to making the purchase. Having someone with a bit more technical experience and knowledge take a look at your specifications and technology needs can be of great help in the long - [Motivating employees ](https://milostopic.com/motivating-employees/) - For teams to be effective and efficient people must be motivated to contribute and do their best. Motivating can take various forms and shapes, but it always comes down to the following fundamental concepts: Comfort - people need to feel comfortable at work Variety - people want variety in their work and responsibilities Contribution & - [What will be your legacy?](https://milostopic.com/what-will-be-your-legacy/) - What will be your legacy? Have you asked yourself that question lately or ever? Does it even matter to you? This topic was brought up by a colleague of mine this morning and it stuck with me long after the conversation was over. What do we all do each and every single day; is it - [Be grateful and say thank you](https://milostopic.com/be-grateful-and-say-thank-you/) - Be grateful for what you have as your life (both personal and professional) could be a lot worse. Also, make sure you sincerely recognize and appreciate others who help you and contribute to the overall organizational performance and success. Everyone is of equal importance and everyone contributes in their way to the overall state you - [Benefits of mentoring](https://milostopic.com/benefits-of-mentoring/) - Benefits of having a formal mentoring program (which can be implemented informally as well) are overwhelming. They range from knowledge management, transfer and retention; ideas exchange to development of employees and future leaders. Having said that, the most important ingredient for mentoring to be successful is willingness of both parties to participate. You can't and - [Team unity](https://milostopic.com/team-unity/) - All members of a team (irrespective of size) must be on the same page at all times. Each of the members must be familiar with procedures, processes and policies and adhere to them across the board. This helps to build the cohesiveness of the unit and demonstrates collegiality and unity to all those you interact - [Women leaders](https://milostopic.com/women-leaders/) - Gender is not a prerequisite for leadership. Leaders should be evaluated based on their character, ethics, quality, attitude, words and actions, not based on their gender. I have had the pleasure of working for women and I have nothing but great things to say about those experiences. Women can lead as well as men (even - [Search committee representation](https://milostopic.com/search-committee-representation/) - When selecting representation for a search committee one must keep the position they are hiring for in mind. Focus not only on the operations or functions the new hire will fill, but also include people from other areas of your organization which will closely work with the incumbent. All employee groups who will work for - [When possible, promote from within](https://milostopic.com/when-possible-promote-from-within/) - When possible, promote from within as this keeps employees motivated and it shows there's room for growth and opportunities. Organizations should also focus on mentoring employees by helping them discover their strengths. Additionally, promoting from within will greatly aid in creation of the culture of collaboration, effort, commitment and the overall success. Having said that - [Internet history and online presence](https://milostopic.com/internet-history-and-online-presence/) - Most of us are online is some way, shape or form. We read, we comment, we post, we share, we like (or dislike)...and as such we should be mindful of our overall online presence. Internet history and the overall online presence will remain online "forever." It is important to approach it that way and understand - [Leadership styles](https://milostopic.com/leadership-styles/) - Most of us are familiar with or have at least heard of the 6 overarching leadership styles: Authoritarian Paternalistic Leadership Democratic Laissez-faire Transactional Transformational And while each of them have their followers I have to say that none of them is "head and shoulders" above the rest and here's why. Leadership styles or approaches, even - [Building effective advisory boards](https://milostopic.com/building-effective-advisory-boards/) - Effective and valuable advisory boards much have a purpose and provide measurable contributions to the top management teams and organizations as a whole. While in some companies certain folks are invited to join boards simply because of their name and popularity (which can be beneficial) in most instances you want members to contribute. Contributions of - [Delegating work and responsibilities ](https://milostopic.com/delegating-work-and-responsibilities/) - You have heard people speak of the importance of delegating work and responsibilities, but you still question its merit and value. You don't know whether it is the right thing for you to do as you want to be in control and trust yourself the most (maybe even, only yourself?). Let me begin by stating - [Benefits of writing well](https://milostopic.com/benefits-of-writing-well/) - One of many valuable skills most of us will need in life, in our professional lives in particular is the ability to write well. Being able to write well will help you get your ideas across, secure buy-in and achieve the following with your reader/supervisor/client (whoever your intended audience may be): Get their attention Share - [Effective presentations](https://milostopic.com/effective-presentations/) - Delivering effective presentations is a bit of both, art and science. You will get better with each passing presentation so make sure you rehearse and time yourself. Additionally, here are some valuable concepts to keep in mind as you prepare to deliver that next million dollar presentation: Dress appropriately (based on the event and audience) - [Professional references](https://milostopic.com/professional-references/) - Resume and the cover letter are done, now onto references. When deciding who to ask to be your reference consider folks who are your professional level or even higher. Focus on people you have worked with and who can honestly give a knowledgeable and obviously favorable review of your performance, achievements and character. Additionally, make - [In-person interview tips](https://milostopic.com/in-person-interview-tips/) - You have made it to an in-person interview. Congratulations! This means that your resume and cover letter (even references if they were called already) have all done their job to present you as a potential candidate for the position you have applied for. All good thus far, but that was paper and not "real" you; - [Cover letters](https://milostopic.com/cover-letters/) - Cover letters are of great importance as they complete your initial application packet along with your resume. They must be custom tailored for each particular position and organization, never a copy or a duplicate which you have used previously. Here are some important things to consider as you write that great cover letter which will - [Resume tips](https://milostopic.com/resume-tips/) - Here's a general overview of important things to consider when writing your resume. Overall, be consistent in design and content, truthful and relevant. Design Keep it simple and consistent Keywords Reference the job description throughout your resume; find words that matter to the employer and use them to your advantage. In large companies with hundreds, - [Finding your next job and perhaps a new career](https://milostopic.com/finding-your-next-job-and-perhaps-a-new-career/) - Ready to look for a new job, perhaps even a completely new career? Here are some things to consider as you embark on that journey. 1. Take a good look at yourself and identify your strengths and passions 2. Ask your family and friends what do they see as your strengths 3. Network, network, then - [Strategy vs. Operations](https://milostopic.com/strategy-vs-operations/) - Strategy and operations work best when complementing one another and when they work for each other. Depending on your position and responsibilities within an organization you may be spending 100% of your time in operations while others may be spending majority of their time focused on strategy, vision and leadership and both sides undoubtedly bring - [Teach others, don't do it for them](https://milostopic.com/teach-others-dont-do-it-for-them/) - Whenever there's an opportunity to share you knowledge and teach others some of what you know, take it. Share knowledge as you would want others to share theirs with you. Teaching people how to do things on their own helps both them and you. It helps them feel good about themselves by expanding their skill-set - [Never stop learning](https://milostopic.com/never-stop-learning/) - Learning is essential and as such should never stop. Do what you can to broaden your horizons each and every day; learn something new and don't forget to contribute to your respective areas and professions as well. Educate yourself formally and informally, get involved (attend conferences, seminars; read books, journals, websites...) and expand your experiences. - [Be considerate and kind to others](https://milostopic.com/be-considerate-and-kind-to-others/) - Be considerate and kind to others. Treat them with respect, kindness and dignity. If you take away titles, positions, corner offices, organizational charts...in the end, we are all people and should treat each other that way. Now, don't confuse the previous statement with becoming a "doormat" for someone as there will always be a few - [Ask for help](https://milostopic.com/ask-for-help/) - When in need, ask for help. Most people are inherently good people and will offer help when asked. Chances are that someone in your circle of family, friends or co-workers has a solution or knows someone else who can help you. Ask for help and be amazed at what happens next. - [Leaders: born vs. made](https://milostopic.com/leaders-born-vs-made/) - Are exceptional leaders born or are they made? We have heard this question asked and discussed at length and it is my belief that truly exceptional leaders are a combination of both. Yes, they learn, grown and advance through their careers, but one's DNA (for lack of a better acronym) must be predisposed for leadership. - [Don't be afraid, explore new opportunities ](https://milostopic.com/dont-be-afraid-explore-new-opportunities/) - Don't be afraid to explore new opportunities. Say yes to cross-functional teams, projects and challenges which will help you gain new perspectives, grow and learn from others. During these opportunities others will hopefully learn from you as well and all those involved will benefit from this mutual exchange of ideas, knowledge and experience. Finally, once - [YouTube videos are muted in Chrome](https://milostopic.com/youtube-videos-are-muted-in-chrome/) - Clear cache and all is good once again. - [Take vacations and go away](https://milostopic.com/take-vacations-and-go-away/) - Whenever needed mentally or physically take the time away from work and relax, decompress and enjoy. During this time, you shouldn't do ANY work, none, zero! Stay away from work, phones, computers, technology in general and just focus on the moment, yourself, your family, friends (whoever is accompanying you on this vacation) and relax. Vacations - [Diplomacy matters](https://milostopic.com/diplomacy-matters/) - Political "savviness" is a necessity in today's business world and it is an integral part of one's advancement, recognition and achievement. While it may be cumbersome and challenging to some it is necessary to be able to recognize how to use proper tone and inflection in certain situations in order to win people over, influence - [Create experiences that matter](https://milostopic.com/create-experiences-that-matter/) - As you embark on new projects and consider introducing new services or products make sure to include your end clients and ideally start with them. Whether it is an internal or an external project it is important to understand the needs of your clients, partners, the business as a whole prior to proceeding. As you - [Telecommuting: be flexible on work locations](https://milostopic.com/telecommuting-be-flexible-on-work-locations/) - As long as people are accountable, productive and valuable to your organization in most instances it shouldn't matter where they work from. Don't dismiss telecommuting as soon as you hear it mentioned, but rather do your diligence and consider it within your environment. It can go a long way in boosting morale, productivity and contributions - [Foster collaboration and share information](https://milostopic.com/foster-collaboration-and-share-information/) - Foster collaboration and share ideas, information and knowledge. Mentality where each department thinks and acts as if they were in their own little world or a silo doesn't work and will get them nowhere. No matter what team, group, department or a division you belong to the overall value for the entire organization needs to - [Under promise, over deliver](https://milostopic.com/under-promise-over-deliver/) - Be honest and set realistic expectations considering the scope, resources, budget and time frame of the project. It's is always better to exceed your clients' expectations than to not have met them at all. - [Confidence and humbleness](https://milostopic.com/confidence-and-humbleness/) - Everything you do professionally and personally should be done with confidence and belief in your skills, knowledge and experience (unless you are wrong of course). You are in your current position because you are good at what you do and you want to be even better. One of the prerequisites to success is believing in - [Simplify and automate everything](https://milostopic.com/simplify-and-automate-everything/) - Whenever possible (and at a minimum annually) think of ways to make you operations more efficient and by doing so you will free up people to focus on what they care about and are good at. Employees should waste minimal time on bureaucracy, paperwork and old (somewhat archaic) way of doing things. Simplify and automate - [Open door policy is not optional](https://milostopic.com/open-door-policy-is-not-optional/) - Managers and leaders must be available to their teams in any way their staff needs them to be (assuming professionalism and appropriateness of course). Your office door must be open to them, and you need to be accessible and approachable whenever they might need to speak with you. Staff needs to know that you are - [Overworked employees](https://milostopic.com/overworked-employees/) - Overworked employees are unhappy, they make mistakes and they are not contributing at their optimal levels of performance. They are constantly under pressure which has negative impact on their health and lives outside work as well (you do remember that work is only a PART of people's lives, right?). While I understand that in certain - [Hire better than you](https://milostopic.com/hire-better-than-you/) - Whenever possible, hire people who are better than you. Hire those who are the best you have ever seen within the domain of services or products that your team is responsible for. You want quality over quantity and you'll want it every single time. Additionally, you don't want the rest of your team to be - [Book review: Jab, jab, jab, right hook](https://milostopic.com/book-review-jab-jab-jab-right-hook/) - Jab, jab, jab, right hook is the latest book by Gary Vaynerchuk. In short, in reminds all (and teaches some) brands to care about their customers and communities by providing value, engaging and building trust prior to asking for that sale (aka. the right hook). If you are familiar with Gary and his work you - [Who inspires you and why?](https://milostopic.com/who-inspires-you-and-why/) - Who inspires you professionally? In this instance, I am not taking family, friends and historical figures into account even though all of them could be significant sources of inspiration. What I mean is who is currently an inspiration to you from the professional stand point? For me, two very different (age, background, experience, approach...) entrepreneurs - [Be proud of your accomplishments, but don't gloat ](https://milostopic.com/be-proud-of-your-accomplishments-but-dont-gloat/) - While marketing your ideas and accomplishments is essential, being obnoxious about it actually has a reverse effect from what may be desired. It is important to be proud of your accomplishments and be confident of what you know and can do, but remember to stay humble. Let others comment of your quality work and accomplishments, - [Organizational policies must be communicated](https://milostopic.com/organizational-policies-must-be-communicated/) - Whether it is a new policy or an update to an existing one, all changes must be clearly communicated across the organization and an official start date needs to be set. Furthermore, enterprise policies needs to be written with your organization, people, culture in mind - don't simply copy them from other organizations as they - [Trust, but verify (quietly)](https://milostopic.com/trust-but-verify-quietly/) - As you introduce new staff to your team it is essential to verify their skills, quality and performance and ensure that they are a valuable addition to your team. However, when you do this, make sure you do it quietly as you don't want any "bruised" egos or notions of distrust among employees. This can - [Build your team, then get out of their way](https://milostopic.com/build-your-team-then-get-out-of-their-way/) - Due your due diligence when building a team and get involved in the selection process. Your direct reports need to match your quality standards as well as their personality needs to fit with the rest of the team. Once you have built your team, empower them and get out of their way. Don't micromanage, trust - [Experience trumps education](https://milostopic.com/experience-trumps-education/) - As someone who has attended his fair share of academic programs and has definitely found value in each of them I have to say that education is important and should never truly end. It is a process, not a finite event and can come in many forms and shapes. However, first-hand experience with particular products, - [Relaxed and creative environment](https://milostopic.com/relaxed-and-creative-environment/) - One of many leadership responsibilities (both formal and informal) is to create and maintain a relaxed and creative environment for your team as that is a major prerequisite to them performing at their very best. Be professional, courteous and aware of varying needs of your team members, but ensure that each of them enjoys being - [Meetings don't have to suck](https://milostopic.com/meetings-dont-have-to-suck/) - Meetings don't have to suck...well, most of them do actually, but with a bit of structure and clear objectives they could be less of a nuisance. Some of the important things to consider are: Share the agenda at least 24 hours in advance (it allows for participants to arrive prepared and ready to contribute) Keep - [Balanced life](https://milostopic.com/balanced-life/) - We are all different and unique in our own ways and as such we are driven by different things, people, goals and ideas. One of the greatest advice I have received by those I admire is to find what I care about and enjoy and what do I want to do for years to come. - [Get to the point](https://milostopic.com/get-to-the-point/) - Have something intelligent and valuable to say? Please get to it by all means and do it today if possible. ;) Many people have a ton of valuable ideas, yet they either don't share them (for whatever reason) or end up taking way too long to get their point across. If are part of a - [Entitlement will get you nowhere](https://milostopic.com/entitlement-will-get-you-nowhere/) - We are all equal and organizational rules, policies and procedures apply to all alike. Do your best, no matter how urgent something is not to become a person who comes off as entitled; who believes and acts as if they are better than others, because chances are that you are not. Arrogant and entitled behavior - [New? Listen, absorb and learn, then act](https://milostopic.com/new-listen-absorb-and-learn-then-act/) - Started a new job? First order of business is to listen, absorb and learn the culture, environment and players within. Depending on your placement within the organization the impact of your decisions and actions will vary and as such it is essential to educate yourself with the current state of affairs. Your experience is essential, - [Made a mistake? Own it, apologize and fix it](https://milostopic.com/made-a-mistake-own-it-apologize-and-fix-it/) - All leaders and all organizations make mistakes and will continue to make mistakes. However, what differentiates them is how they react after the mistake has been made. If a mistake (whatever it may be, a security breach, performance or stability issues...) is made by you or your organization as a whole, own it, apologize, fix - [Success is theirs, failures are all yours ](https://milostopic.com/success-is-theirs-failures-are-all-yours/) - Promote your team and their achievements whenever possible, be proud of them and make sure that their contributions to the organization are known and recognized. On the other hand, when a failure occurs it is the responsibility of a leader to deal with any and to face any public ramifications and consequences. One of many - [Opportunities and new clients don't come announced ](https://milostopic.com/opportunities-and-new-clients-dont-come-announced/) - Be yourself at all times, as you never know when a random encounter can develop into an opportunity. These opportunities could be personal or business related, but they often workout when least expected from random meetings and very casual conversations. Treat all those around you fairly, be positive and optimistic and keep living your life - [Say it with me: I don't know](https://milostopic.com/say-it-with-me-i-dont-know/) - Saying that you don't know something makes you human and that's what we are best at being. Not having immediate answers to questions is OK as long as you go out to find the answers and follow up with those who have asked. Saying I don't know builds your credibility as no one wants to - [All teams need business sensibility and awareness ](https://milostopic.com/all-teams-need-business-sensibility-and-awareness/) - Whatever your functional area of expertise is you need to be aware and involved in supporting what your organization is all about. Simply performing your operational functions in isolation is no longer enough to be a valuable contributor. Additionally, by staying away from the organizational core function you are limiting yourself in access, contributions and - [Work shouldn't be a prison sentence ](https://milostopic.com/work-shouldnt-be-a-prison-sentence/) - Most of us will spend a third of each of our days (most of them at least) at work so you better make sure it's not a place that brings out the worst out of you. You deserve to be happy, positive and enjoy what you do so focus on finding what you love and - [When the answer is no, provide alternatives ](https://milostopic.com/when-the-answer-is-no-provide-alternatives/) - We have all been there, at times, you just have to say no. What happens next matters a lot more as it is up to you to understand the need at hand and provide valuable alternative solutions. If an organizational need (no matter how small it may seem to you at first) is not being - [Build relationships and partnerships with vendors](https://milostopic.com/build-relationships-and-partnerships-with-vendors/) - Build relationships and partnerships with vendors providing services for your organization. No matter how large they may be they should never have an upper hand on your organization; you should work together towards a mutually beneficial relationship so don't allow to be in a subservient position. Start your selection process by focusing on the needs - [Focus on core competencies, outsource the rest](https://milostopic.com/focus-on-core-competencies-outsource-the-rest/) - Perform a complete review of your operations and realign appropriately to ensure competitiveness, value and success. All business are doing things they shouldn't and are not doing those which would bring them much needed value and quality. Focus your talent, people and effort into products and services you are good at, want to be better - [Know your audience](https://milostopic.com/know-your-audience/) - Yes, it sounds like a cliche, but it is an extremely valuable piece of information as you advance through your career and have opportunities to work with people of different backgrounds, experience and knowledge. Make it about them, make your presentations and pitches make sense to them and bring them value. - [Periodically reassess performance and customer service](https://milostopic.com/periodically-reassess-performance-and-customer-service/) - It is extremely valuable to have a pulse on what is happening with your clients, your partners, your suppliers so that you can readjust and act accordingly. Knowing what they think and have experienced with you and your staff is of great value in moving forward and establishing trust in those relationships. This is why - [Speak now or forever hold your peace](https://milostopic.com/speak-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace/) - When you get an opportunity to share your ideas and suggestions with the leadership of your organization, please do yourself a favor and speak up. If you are really good at something don't you think others deserve to know that? - [Challenge everything: Long term incompetence is not a tradition ](https://milostopic.com/challenge-everything-long-term-incompetence-is-not-a-tradition/) - We can always do better, be better and so can our businesses and organizations. If you see areas that you believe can be improved (based on your knowledge and experience of course) please act on that. Processes, staffing, functional performance, operational needs, strategic alignment...they can all be improved and you can help - make them - [Focus on your own success, not failures of others](https://milostopic.com/focus-on-your-own-success/) - No matter what one does they will always be faced with and challenged by those who don't believe in them; have doubts or simply want to discourage them from leaving their comfort zone. If you know what your passion is, what you enjoy doing and are good at (quality is important) then all that is - [WordPress Plugins: Bad Behavior Error in v.2.2.11](https://milostopic.com/wordpress-plugins-bad-behavior-error-in-v-2-2-11/) - Bad Behavior WordPress plugin v.2.2.11 has a typo (missing a comma) in file blacklist.inc.php on line 94. To resolve this issue, go to (via SFTP) /wp-content/plugins/bad-behavior/bad-behavior and edit blacklist.inc.php on line 94 by adding a comma after "Nikto/" so it looks like "Nikto/", That should allow you to regain full control of your dashboard once - [Outlook 2010 window doesn't maximize](https://milostopic.com/outlook-2010-window-doesnt-maximize/) - Here's an issue I experienced recently (not really sure what caused it), but as I'm sure it happens to others as well I decided to post a quick solution that worked for me. For some reason Outlook 2010 (on Windows 7 Enterprise SP1) wouldn't launch. I mean the application would start, but the window wouldn't - [Gmail Manager for Firefox works again](https://milostopic.com/gmail-manager-for-firefox-works-again/) - If you are like me and heavily use several Firefox add-ons, chances are that Gmail Manager is one of them. It is a great add-on to manage multiple Gmail accounts (as the name implies). However, with the latest Firefox update (v. 6.0.2) it broke and wouldn't login. No worries, after a bit of searching I - [Facebook updates its news feed and makes it real-time](https://milostopic.com/facebook-updates-its-news-feed-and-makes-it-real-time/) - Facebook updated their news feed, made it real-time and moved it to the right (right above chat). This could be a nice change considering the growth of both screen resolutions and monitor sizes and as well all know instant gratification is highly rated nowadays, so the real-time component will be much appreciated. Now, if I - [Firefox in the enterprise - is it ready and does it care?](https://milostopic.com/firefox-in-the-enterprise/) - Firefox 6 "eating" the web (or only cupcakes)? Firefox 6 is here, now what. Mozilla's rapid release development cycle for Firefox is getting a bit out of hand as it seems that every 6-8 weeks they release a new full version of their browser which causes difficulties in enterprises. Even their Rapid Release Calendar looks - [1and1.com's tech support rocks!](https://milostopic.com/1and1-com-tech-support-rocks/) - For the second time 1and1.com 's technical support has proven amazing. They have been hosting several of my websites for years now and while I've been lucky enough not to have any technical issues, last night around midnight EST I had to contact them for assistance. Last night, I called about an issue with php - [How I tracked and recovered a stolen iPhone](https://milostopic.com/how-i-tracked-and-recovered-a-stolen-iphone/) - This past weekend my wife's iPhone was stolen from a store in Secaucus, NJ. While in store, she placed it down to try on a pair of shoes and then moved an isle down to take a look at another item which was long enough for the phone to "disappear". Once she realized that she - [Blackboard Mobile Learn on iOS and Android](https://milostopic.com/blackboard-mobile-learn-on-ios-and-android/) - Blackboard's (Bb) Mobile Learn app has been working fairly well on my iPhone for months now so I figured I would give it a try on a different platform (Android) as well for comparison sake. This was not meant to be, but let me explain. Recently, we have purchased a Motorola Xoom (along an iPad - [Geotagging your life online? Be careful.](https://milostopic.com/geotagging-your-life-online-be-careful/) - Geotagging and location based services are all the rage these days. While they are very useful at times, these features should not be taken for granted nor should they be enabled on all of your devices and applications. Certain parts of your life are meant to be private and they should remain that way. Geotagging - [Facebook, an online identity management solution?](https://milostopic.com/facebook-an-online-identity-management-solution/) - Facebook used as an online identity management solution? Yeah, that puzzled look on your face compares to my initial reaction when I started noticing this trend (among websites from all kinds of industries) of using Facebook as their (blog) commenting system. Some large tech websites, such as TechCrunch have completely moved over to Facebook's Social - [Flash is dead, HTML5 considered prime suspect](https://milostopic.com/flash-is-dead-html5-considered-prime-suspect/) - Flash is dead and here's why. Last week, Adobe released Wallaby, a tool which converts Flash files into HTML5 to reach more (mobile) devices. When the creators of Flash are providing free tools to convert their proprietary format into an open, standards friendly alternative (HTML5) it's safe to say that Adobe Flash is on its - [Internet Explorer 9 is here to compete](https://milostopic.com/internet-explorer-9-is-here-to-compete/) - Internet Explorer (IE) 9 was released on Monday night and having used it a bit this week I can confidently say that it is a clear improvement over previous versions. The main improvement I noticed so far (besides obvious visual design enhancements) is its speed. It's fast! This is in part accomplished with better operating - [How reliable and responsive is your local IT team](https://milostopic.com/how-reliable-and-responsive-is-your-local-it-team/) - Most technology services used at work, school, or home are looked at by users as commodity services, similar to water and electricity, they are simply expected to be available and work properly. When it comes to network; access to websites, chat services, e-mail (from both computers and smartphones - iPhone, Android, Windows based phones...) along - [Google social search](https://milostopic.com/google-social-search/) - About a week ago I noticed (as I'm sure many of you did) a new feature of Google Search, Social Search (BETA). It basically leverages your Google Profile and the information you provided to expand your search into online posts of those you consider friends, followers, etc. While this is another great advancement coming from - [4 FREE and SECURE online backup services](https://milostopic.com/4-free-and-secure-online-backup-services/) - Internet is filled with dozens of online backup/storage services which provide different levels of functionality, reliability, security and space to users. In order to cut through some of this clutter here are four online services that I have used and found to be reliable, functional and secure. While putting this short list together I focused - [The power of internet](https://milostopic.com/the-power-of-internet/) - Recently we have witnessed an amazing turn of events for a man who was homeless and now has a job and a house all thanks to his amazing voice, good people and the power of internet. While this is the latest example which left a powerful impression on me, it is not the only one - [Social networking travels fast](https://milostopic.com/social-networking-travels-fast/) - This past weekend a friend of mine got engaged, and while immediate families were informed of these great news that same day (hour?) the rest of us were finding out gradually over the past couple of days. However, the notification to the masses happened today as she changed her Facebook relationship status to engaged. Almost - [When Verizon fails](https://milostopic.com/when-verizon-fails/) - Subject: Update: Internet connectivity To Our Campus Community- As a follow up to my previous email, our Internet Service Provider (Verizon) has indicated that the connectivity problems we are experiencing are the result of a wider, regional outage within Verizon's New Jersey commercial service area. The Verizon service manager has informed us that the company - [Sustaining new year's momentum](https://milostopic.com/sustaining-new-years-momentum/) - New year is here and for most of us today is our first day at work in 2011. As we woke up on January 1st (and sobered up) we were generally highly motivated to stick with the resolutions we made last week/year and believe that this year it will be different, that it will be - [Based on your resume, would you hire yourself?](https://milostopic.com/based-on-your-resume-would-you-hire-yourself/) - Keeping one's resume up to date is generally not at the top of "to do" lists since most of us don't change our jobs frequently and as such our resumes quickly become outdated, inaccurate and forgotten. However, considering that we got our current jobs in part due to that old, outdated paper representation of ourselves - [Business & technology are partners, not competitors](https://milostopic.com/business-technology-are-partners-not-competitors/) - Finding that perfect balance between business and technology can be a challenging process. Aligning them together where they are useful to one another, productive and most of all on the same page has proven to be the key to success for many organizations. It's simple, in order to maximize return on technology investments, organizations must - [Work and happiness shouldn't be mutually exclusive](https://milostopic.com/work-and-happiness-shouldnt-be-mutually-exclusive/) - Since most of us haven't won that elusive jackpot yet (trust me, I've been trying) we continue to work for a living. It's a job to some, career to others, yet a place we all go to to earn money (on average 5 days a week) so that we can enjoy the rest of our - [Optimum Online phishing attempt](https://milostopic.com/optimum-online-phishing-attempt/) - Here's another phishing attempt that got into one of my e-mail accounts, this time undetected by several anti-spam mechanisms in place. It's an easy phishing scam to detect by a trained (or even a bit more detailed oriented) eye, but considering that it didn't get tagged as spam it could make some users fall for - [Digsby stuck at "loading skin" screen](https://milostopic.com/digsby-stuck-at-loading-skin-screen/) - My morning started with this issue for which there is a simple solution. Go to C:\Users\(your windows user name)\AppData\Local\Digsby\cache\(your digsby user name)_cache\digsbyblobs and delete all files in that directory. Restart Digsby and it should work like a charm (it will recreate deleted files btw at start-up). NOTE This worked on Windows 7 Enterprise and Digsby - [Know what your project needs](https://milostopic.com/know-what-your-project-needs/) - Recently I came across several project proposals where I was asked to evaluate technical components (hardware, software and staffing needs) and found a few items worth sharing. Several items in these proposals weren't adequately priced (difference from list and actual price on select items was as high as 60%). Furthermore, some hardware models have been - [Windows XP Mode in Windows 7](https://milostopic.com/windows-xp-mode-in-windows-7/) - I have recently moved my primary work laptop to 64-bit Windows 7 Enterprise and while I am overall pleased with the operating system (OS) I found that some apps which didn't run on Vista don't work on 7 either. Some of those which I use frequently are Timbuktu Pro and a custom built application to - [ Export and import saved passwords from Firefox](https://milostopic.com/export-and-import-saved-passwords-from-firefox/) - While certainly not one of better security practices we are all guilty of saving passwords in Firefox (and other browsers of choice) for frequently visited websites. If you visit a particular site daily it is much more convenient to allow your web browser to save your user name and password for later use. This is - [Nikola Tesla died 67 years ago](https://milostopic.com/nikola-tesla-died-67-years-ago/) - I try not to repeat posts but this is one of those which will always resurface on January 7th as I do my part to commemorate the birth, life and death of this great scientist, or inventor as he liked to call himself. Please read more about Nikola Tesla here. - [Hristos se rodi!](https://milostopic.com/hristos-se-rodi-2/) - Today is Christmas for those in the Eastern Orthodox faith and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe, happy and joyful day with their families and friends. Serbian Christmas traditions, for those who would like to read more. - [Facebook's new privacy settings](https://milostopic.com/facebooks-new-privacy-settings/) - Facebook is finally catching up to some of their perpetual security concerns and is strengthening their privacy policy and therefor the settings as well. It took a while but as of this morning (when I noticed the change) privacy settings have been tightened a bit and are finally working as expected. It will take some - [Designing a client friendly website](https://milostopic.com/designing-a-client-friendly-website/) - We have all came across websites with a mass of links and never ending scroll bars of text which have frequently left us frustrated and annoyed. Being able to quickly find what you are looking for is important and websites with a clear structure who have also been properly indexed (site specific search) are a - [Keep your websites secure](https://milostopic.com/keep-your-websites-secure/) - I'm on a search for a few replacement windows and have been looking all over north New Jersey for a place that can provide them in less than the standard 2-6 weeks time frame. One of the places recommended to me was "Air-Chek Window Depot" in Clifton, NJ. First thing I did is went online - [Extending the life of your computer 101](https://milostopic.com/extending-the-life-of-your-computer-101/) - Over the years I have seen numerous examples of poor computer use and maintenance ranging from simply outdated applications to damaged hardware by water, coffee, soda, fire...you name it. In hopes that at least a few people will read this and by doing so improve their own computing experience I have put together a little - [Make Philips DVP5990 Region Free](https://milostopic.com/make-philips-dvp5990-region-free/) - My parents region free DVD player (also hacked a while back) died so I started looking for a replacement. I went to local Best Buy on Rt. 46 in West Paterson, NJ and purchased Philips DVP5990 DVD player which I then made region free the following way: press Setup select Preferences press 1 3 8 - [Is Blackboard the best CMS out there?](https://milostopic.com/is-blackboard-the-best-cms-out-there/) - Our institution has been using Blackboard (Bb) for a while now as their Course Management System (CMS) of choice with mixed results. Depending who you ask, based on their technical knowledge and their experience using Blackboard (and other CMS solutions) you will get different responses. They range from it is good, does what I need - [Double task items in Outlook 2007](https://milostopic.com/double-task-items-in-outlook-2007/) - I did some Outlook tweaking and tinkering this morning and noticed all of a sudden double entries for my task (to-do list) items. However if you try to delete one, both entries of the same task are gone. Weird, but there's a solution: Close Outlook and restart it by going to Start -> Run then - [Make your Outlook better with Xobni ](https://milostopic.com/make-your-outlook-better-with-xobni/) - For a while now my team and I have been using Xobni, an Outlook plugin that improves e-mail client's search for both messages and contact information. It also goes a step further by aggregating and correlating data between different social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Xobni also provides data from Hoovers on companies - [Anti-Virus software ](https://milostopic.com/anti-virus-software/) - In today's world where network and system security is of great importance and we live and operate behind firewalls, VPNs, SSH, encryption, anti-virus software and many other tools that help make us more secure, it is often difficult figuring out that winning combo to stay safe online and protect your personal information. One component that - [How well will "Droid Does" do?](https://milostopic.com/how-well-will-droid-does-do/) - Attacking the market leader There's a new cell phone TV ad where Apple iPhone's disadvantages are clearly outlined by a new, soon to be released device powered by Android. At the end of the ad they flash a URL, droiddoes.com which redirects to this page and makes it clear that it will be a Motorola - [Verizon FiOS diagnostics you can do yourself](https://milostopic.com/verizon-fios-diagnostics-you-can-do-yourself/) - I have recently experienced pixelation, temporary loss of audio and/or picture with Verizon FiOS which all pointed to signal strength issues. I called Verizon and here's the first thing they had me do in order to confirm (or deny) poor signal strength: 1. On your FiOS remote click on Menu 2. Then select Help 3. - [Windows 7 is almost here, but will it be worth the wait?](https://milostopic.com/windows-7-is-almost-here-but-will-it-be-worth-the-wait/) - Windows 7 will be released into the wild on October 22, 2009 and will bring many improvements over Vista while simultaneously introducing new features. Being in the IT field I was fortunate enough to play with Windows 7 since its early RC days and must say that it is (or soon will be) the best - [Selecting the most valuable conference to attend ](https://milostopic.com/selecting-the-most-valuable-conference-to-attend/) - It's been a while since I went to a real professional conference (been to a number of one day seminars, presentations and demos), but not a real targeted conference. I think it's time to change this and become more involved in the technology world outside my immediate area. Also, considering that I'm planning to introduce - [Friends don't let friends go phishing](https://milostopic.com/friends-dont-let-friends-go-phishing/) - Recent phishing schemes targeting Microsoft's Hotmail, Google's Gmail, Yahoo and other e-mail providers represent a new larger wave of an ever-present problem and it once again emphasizes the importance of educating your users, clients and staff how to recognize threats and stay away from them. Basic things to remember: - Your bank, IT staff, utility - [The importance of a cover letter](https://milostopic.com/the-importance-of-a-cover-letter/) - Writing an effective, job specific, custom tailored cover letter is extremely important when applying for a job. Well written cover letter makes a difference and can help you get that interview and ultimately the job you are after. Please take them seriously and don't overlook what they say about YOU. - [Recommendation letters](https://milostopic.com/recommendation-letters/) - When you are asked to write a recommendation letter, do you always say yes? If so, do you always write in positive light about that particular individual? If you said yes to both questions, why? What makes most people uncomfortable to saying no to most requests? - [Is your job boring?](https://milostopic.com/is-your-job-boring/) - Here's a video sent to me by a friend this morning that made me smile as it does ring true for some folks. By the way, if you are not seeing the embedded .WMV video in Firefox you will need to install the following Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin. - [Pick up the phone and talk ](https://milostopic.com/pick-up-the-phone-and-talk/) - While having things in writing is always useful it is important to remember to talk to people you work with as that further strengthens your working relationship and takes certain ambiguity and confusion out of the process. - [Firefox 3.5.x has been a disaster so far ](https://milostopic.com/firefox-3-5-x-has-been-a-disaster-so-far/) - Love Firefox, but not a fan of their latest version. It's been crashing left and right, slow, unresponsive, buggy and to be honest more than a bit annoying. - [It's quiet out there](https://milostopic.com/its-quiet-out-there/) - On this morning of social networks outages where Facebook is iffy and Twitter is down it's nice to enjoy a cup of coffee in "peace" ;) By the way, I wonder if they both run on the same hardware or are in the process of merging? Update: As a was going through my RSS feeds - [New ISP: Verizon or Comcast?](https://milostopic.com/new-isp-verizon-or-comcast/) - As I hope to finally move to a new town at some point next week one of the things I need to do is select a new ISP (+ phone, + TV provider). Since I moved to the U.S. I always used Optimum Online (Cablevision) and was overall satisfied with their services, however, my options - [It's Nikola Tesla's birthday!](https://milostopic.com/its-nikola-teslas-birthday/) - I mentioned Nikola Tesla on the anniversary of his death back in January and it is only right to do the same on his birthday. This is also prompted by Google changing their default search image to Tesla Coil. Thank you Google for remembering one of the greatest human beings to ever walk the earth. - [Is Google the new Microsoft?](https://milostopic.com/is-google-the-new-microsoft/) - Is Google making a mistake by entering the full blow operating systems area or is this a brilliant move to further diversify their products' and services offering and attack a fairly stagnant market? - [Looking for book suggestions](https://milostopic.com/looking-for-book-suggestions/) - As things begin to settle down a bit in my life I would like to get back to reading books. Please share your recommendations. - [Stevens disabled "inactive" e-mail accounts](https://milostopic.com/stevens-disabled-inactive-e-mail-accounts/) - As of today I no longer have my Stevens e-mail account. Stevens Institute of Technology has disabled (and will probably soon delete) all "inactive" accounts. Inactive in a sense that if you are not currently employed or enrolled at Stevens your e-mail account is gone. To be honest, since I graduated (December of 2005) from - [DIY Themes' Thesis](https://milostopic.com/diy-themes-thesis/) - I finally found some time over the past week to do some research (it's what I do ;) ) on the best WordPress themes out there and DIY Themes' Thesis seems to come out on top. I decided to go with it and after playing around their code "sandbox" for less than a day I - [Nikola Tesla](https://milostopic.com/nikola-tesla/) - On today's day, 66 years ago, one of the greatest men to ever walk the earth died alone and penniless in room #3327 of the New Yorker Hotel. His name was, Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla? You might ask yourself, why is it that you don't know more about this great and unusual man? The reasons - [How to make your computer perform better](https://milostopic.com/how-to-make-your-computer-perform-better/) - Here are some basic tips on how to maintain your computer (PC or Mac) and make it perform better for a longer period of time. These are tips that everyone can do on their own. If you are interested in more detailed, technical info please let me know. Also, if you have any tips or - [Prevent identity theft](https://milostopic.com/prevent-identity-theft/) - On this morning's news I head that over the past year some 10,000,000 Americans were victims of identity theft. That's little over 3% of the U.S. population. Someone might say, well it's only 3% which is not bad, but when you look at the number it is staggering, frightening even. 10 million people! While there - [Facebook Terms of Use](https://milostopic.com/facebook-terms-of-use/) - Facebook has revised their Terms of Use recently and most notable changes basically state that they own all of your content from now until perpetuity. Under "Licenses" heading they state the following: You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, - [Is MySpace dead?](https://milostopic.com/is-myspace-dead/) - Looking at my personal usage of social networking sites and considering the recent "exodus" of executives from MySpace (and their features lag), I think that they are pretty much done. Am I wrong? - [Amazon Kindle](https://milostopic.com/amazon-kindle/) - Amazon Kindle is one of the new products getting a lot of media attention and generating user excitement. While interesting and much better than the previous version I just don't find it that exciting or something I would purchase for myself. I guess, it's just not for me. - [Know what you manage](https://milostopic.com/know-what-you-manage/) - I'm a strong believer that you must know the area you are managing. You should have either moved up in that industry or took some time to actually get yourself up to speed on current practices and common knowledge. Being only a manager of people without having the necessary (even if only fundamental) knowledge directly - [Behavioral ads](https://milostopic.com/behavioral-ads/) - Behavioral ads are cool as they make the content more relevant to you and are more appealing to advertisers at the same time due to greater accuracy in targeting users. On the other hand, the concern arises from what happens with your browsing history and preferences after the ads have been served? Is it used - [Laptops are not for everyone](https://milostopic.com/laptops-are-not-for-everyone/) - Here's a clear example of why laptops are NOT for everyone. This particular user has already abused their laptop in the past which was replaced by the university, but now they have done it again. Their current machine is scratched and dented on every side of the chassis. Looking at the battery we can also - [New theme](https://milostopic.com/new-theme/) - In the process of updating my theme...don't mind the appearance and brief outages today. :) - [WebDAV connections on Vista](https://milostopic.com/webdav-connections-on-vista/) - As I'm setting up the previously mentioned laptop I keep coming across minor tweaks needed to make everything work as expected. This is somewhat of an updated post back from 2007 (posted on a previous blog) when I first encountered WebDAV issues on Vista. I wanted to map a new network location to our NetDrive, - [Help me pick the best apps](https://milostopic.com/help-me-pick-the-best-apps/) - As I'm in the middle of setting up my new work laptop I have some choices to make. I need to pick two apps, one for Twitter and the other as my main IM client. When it comes to Twitter, I normally use the web but am now in need of more features. I need - [Good record keeping](https://milostopic.com/good-record-keeping/) - We are in the process of moving all of our documentation, forms, and files online (or at least to digital format) and while working on that today we came across a couple of old installation forms from 1999. These forms are 10 years old! The people (if they are still here) have most likely received - [Are netbooks here to stay?](https://milostopic.com/are-netbooks-here-to-stay/) - Netbooks seem to be this week's topic. They came up a number of times, from a friend to a colleague at work to a secretary we used to support, but is now working at a different unit. Netbooks seem to be the next hot item and everyone wants one. Is it the price that makes - [Appreciate what you have been given](https://milostopic.com/appreciate-what-you-have-been-given/) - I've just been asked to reset an account password on a computer used by a faculty member who recently passed away. It was a strange feeling to see this individual a week ago and now she's gone. Her office was filled with papers, assignments and books she was working on. It's a sobering experience and - [Desktop backgrounds](https://milostopic.com/desktop-backgrounds/) - Backgrounds on people's computers are always an interesting thing to see. They range from a solid color to some weird and usual pattern to photos of their loved ones to their favorite vacation spots. I normally enjoy nice photos of nature and space, I enjoy seeing photos of Earth from space as it gives me - [Don't forget to say thank you](https://milostopic.com/dont-forget-to-say-thank-you/) - Don't forget to say thank you every once in a while to people that do stuff for you. It's a simple statement to make, but showing your sincere appreciation for their hard work goes a long way in their eyes. This should apply to everyone you interact with from people that you work with on - [Our trusty SNAP Server ](https://milostopic.com/our-trusty-snap-server/) - Today starts a week (spring break for all but professional staff) of catching up on our own internal, departmental projects and priorities and one of the first things I started is a fresh reformat of our old trusty SNAP server. We had it for many years and have decided to re purpose it for software - [New Euroleague attendance record](https://milostopic.com/new-euroleague-attendance-record/) - [Apple Updates Consumer Desktop Line](https://milostopic.com/apple-updates-consumer-desktop-line/) - Apple released three "new" computers today: Mac mini iMac Mac Pro Here's the first paragraph of their product release statement: CUPERTINO, California—March 3, 2009—Apple® today announced updates to its iMac® and Mac® mini desktop lines, including a 24-inch iMac that is priced more affordably than ever before and a Mac mini with powerful new integrated - [Damaged PowerBook G4](https://milostopic.com/damaged-powerbook-g4/) - Every once in a while we get machines so badly damaged that people outside work (yes we do talk about unusual stuff to others) don't believe us when we tell them what was done to these computers. Earlier this week we received a computer (Powerbook G4) which looks like it's been dropped, kicked, stomped on - [Facebook knows they made a mistake](https://milostopic.com/facebook-knows-they-made-a-mistake/) - Facebook seems to have realized that they went overboard with their recent "Terms of Use" changes and has decided to revert back to their previous version. According to Mark Zuckerberg (their CEO & Founder) they have acknowledged and took ownership of this mistake. His exact words were (quoted from FB blog): A lot of the - [WordPress plugins](https://milostopic.com/wordpress-plugins/) - As I look through the sea of WordPress plugins to test and potentially add to this blog in order make my life easier, generate more useful data and make it more interesting for visitors I've realized that this could turn into a fairly complicated process. Considering that the number of plugins keeps growing almost daily - [WordPress v.2.7.1 upgrade error](https://milostopic.com/wordpress-v271-upgrade-error/) - Just finished upgrading this blog to WordPress v.2.7.1 and it all went ok, everything looked ok at first that is. On the front end (side seen by visitors) it all looks the same and all of the functionality is still there. On the other hand, on the back end (admin side) not everything went as - [Progress is a beautiful thing](https://milostopic.com/progress-is-a-beautiful-thing/) - Photo Source: Edupics.com Earlier today I attended a meeting with two very intelligent individuals who have significantly improved their respective areas with every day they have spent here. One of them used to work on my team, but has since moved onto bigger and "better" ;) things at a different department and has made significant - [HSBC's system maintenance](https://milostopic.com/hsbcs-system-maintenance/) - Déjà vu...I tried to access an account in the middle of a business day and wasn't able to do so. Back in November I had a similar, but much stranger experience accessing an Aetna web account. Today, around noon or so I tried logging in to HSBC Direct, I got in, but couldn't get an - [LogMeIn in production](https://milostopic.com/logmein-in-production/) - It's been in testing for a couple of months now, most of us on our team have used it years ago, but as of today, we are deploying LogMeIn to all of our college machines (with a big push beginning on Monday) in order to improve responsiveness and support levels to our clients. This application - [Obama's Tag Cloud](https://milostopic.com/obamas-tag-cloud/) - Photo Credit: http://www.wordle.net Above is a visual representation of the words most used by Barack Obama in his inauguration speech. "new", "nation", "America", "people", "every", "must" and "less" were among the most frequently used words in President Obama's inauguration speech. Words which were synonymous with his campaign didn't make a notable appearance. "Hope" was mentioned - [President Barack Obama](https://milostopic.com/president-barack-obama/) - "We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of - [Inauguration Stream](https://milostopic.com/inauguration-stream/) - I've been at work for close to two hours now and the most requested "support" call of the semester so far is "where can I watch the inauguration?" :) When in need of info or a solution of any kind people always seem to turn to us, IT folks. Luckily this time the solution is - [Happy New Year, again](https://milostopic.com/happy-new-year-again/) - Tonight we welcome the new year, again. As I mentioned last week, Orthodox haven't changed their calendar and as such still celebrate New Year on January 13th. Actually, we celebrate both equally as it is nice to have two opportunities to welcome new year and party two weeks apart. Not that we really need any - [Entertaining faculty](https://milostopic.com/entertaining-faculty/) - Couple of hours ago a faculty member stopped by my office to chat and ask few support questions. Once all of that was done, on his way out he noticed "demotivators" I have posted on my door and started laughing. I mean, he laughed, he really enjoyed them and even asked where he could get - [Hristos se rodi!](https://milostopic.com/hristos-se-rodi/) - Today is Christmas for those in the Eastern Orthodox faith and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe, happy and joyful day with their families and friends. Serbian Christmas traditions, for those who would like to read more. - [MacRumorsLive stream compromised](https://milostopic.com/macrumorslive-stream-compromised/) - I have been following MacRumorsLive for a while now when it comes to Macworld and other Apple related events, but today they seems to be experiencing difficulties. Their AJAX way of updating readers with text and photos seems to have been compromised as you can see in the above photo. Few minutes later, things started - [Did AT&T's data network fail?](https://milostopic.com/did-atts-data-network-fail/) - On my way to work this morning I have noticed that none of my iPhone apps would update so I went through the standard troubleshooting of checking settings, reboot and the like, but nothing worked. I have even tried a different device (this one on Verizon's network) which worked fine. Considering that I turned 3G - [Twitter "celebrity" accounts own3d](https://milostopic.com/twitter-celebrity-accounts-own3d/) - Several Twitter accounts belonging to a few popular individuals and news agencies have been compromised today. Control has been regained on most of them in a matter of hours with help of Twitter's support team. Above is a quick snapshot of a couple I was able to take while they were still own3d by someone - [Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks cutting channels](https://milostopic.com/time-warner-cable-and-bright-house-networks-cutting-channels/) - Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks are cutting some 19 channels tonight. Some of those are: - Nickelodeon - Noggin - MTV - VH1 - Spike - Comedy Central - TV Land You can complain about this change by calling the following numbers (must be at least 18 years old to call): ~ Time - [First New Year's Greeting](https://milostopic.com/first-new-years-greeting/) - I got my first New Year's greeting and it comes from my favorite football club, Partizan from Belgrade, Serbia. :) - [PowerBook G4 RAM upgrade](https://milostopic.com/powerbook-g4-ram-upgrade/) - A friend of mine came over a week ago with an old PowerBook G4 and asked if I could get the OS up to date (he brought the OS 10.5 disk) and make it run faster. Well, considering it's a 2004 machine with 1 GHz PowerPC processor I figured it would be able to run - [Starting New Year’s resolutions early](https://milostopic.com/starting-new-year’s-resolutions-early/) - Every year each of us (even if only subconsciously) come up with a list of things we want to improve on in the following year and almost certainly for one reason or another, fail by mid March. I'm no exception to this rule, but this year I have decided to put them on paper for - [Holiday shopping](https://milostopic.com/holiday-shopping/) - It's 8:42 PM and I can finally enjoy a nice cup of coffee as I get to relax a bit. I've spent most of today in Willowbrook mall and several other stores shopping for family and friends. I have started my Christmas shopping today and will hopefully finish it tomorrow as that's about as much - [This is it, finally!](https://milostopic.com/this-is-it-finally/) - Today is the day of my last final exam. Ever! (or so I hope at least) I think that that sentence deserves to be separate from the rest of the post (with some extra formatting ;) ) as it makes me very happy and it took a while to finally get here. As I mentioned - [Value of social networks](https://milostopic.com/value-of-social-networks/) - I have been asked several times what's the value of getting involved in online social networks so here are my 4 ¢ (adjusted for inflation) on that topic. ;) Most social networking services have been designed differently (technology, functionality, features...) with different customers/segments in mind, but all of them share one common theme, enabling people - [The end is near, now what](https://milostopic.com/the-end-is-near-now-what/) - Last night I took my second to last final exam. One more on the 18th and I'm done, done with school! :) Before I go any further with this post I want to say that last night's exam of 125 questions in 90 minutes was a bit much. Everyone I spoke with afterward agreed that - [Google Reader](https://milostopic.com/google-reader/) - Somehow over the past few years I have settled on Feedreader as my RSS aggregator of choice. Overall, it's a good application, it had its minor issues along the way, but it was doing its job quite well. Throughout the years of my RSS subscription mania I have accumulated hundreds of feeds which became rather - [Shameful side of humanity](https://milostopic.com/shameful-side-of-humanity/) - I normally stay away from sad news and events on this blog, but at times that simply isn't possible. Today's post is about the sad death of a Walmart employee that's been on my mind since it happened on (in this instance appropriately named) Black Friday. I can't get over the fact that people have - [Remote car starter](https://milostopic.com/remote-car-starter/) - Getting into a warm car this morning was a great feeling and it made me wonder why on earth did it take me this long to have a remote car starter installed. It took way too long, but I finally got it done this past Friday. This on its own is no feat of great - [iPhoneize your website](https://milostopic.com/iphoneize-your-website/) - Several people I "follow" on Twitter have recommended Intersquash as a website that can make your site iPhone friendly. The process is simple and at the end of it your site (when viewed on an iPhone) will look something like this: As you can see, your site will get the "famous" iPhone gray look. You - [Twitter from an iPhone](https://milostopic.com/twitter-from-an-iphone/) - Ever since I got an iPhone as a birthday present (thank you Courtney!) in July of this year I have been using Twitterrific as the Twitter app of choice. At that time, it was one of the first apps to market and it worked fairly well. Plus, it's FREE! :) However, over the past several - [Managers matter even more?](https://milostopic.com/managers-matter-even-more/) - While I was thinking what I should write today I got a phone call from my boss, which set the theme for today's post. Coincidentally, it is closely related to my previous post (video), people matter. We ran into several issues while getting some well deserved and a bit over due paperwork through certain channels, - [Aetna web maintenance](https://milostopic.com/aetna-web-maintenance/) - I normally try not to rant online too much as it is really pointless and generally counterproductive. We have all experienced poor customer service, long waits and rude representatives, but at times certain behavior exceeds all stupidity. This is one of those times. Today, at 12:30 PM I have tried to log into an Aetna - [Twitter background](https://milostopic.com/twitter-background/) - I changed my Twitter background and in order for me to "peek" to the left of the Twitter time line resolution suffered. It's not my best photo editing work, but it's good enough for my first attempt. ;) Here's the full resolution JPG file in case you want to tweak it for your own background. - [Reducing paperwork clutter ](https://milostopic.com/reducing-paperwork-clutter/) - It's time once again to re-organize my office, file paperwork and get rid of all the unnecessary things which have been cluttering my work space. I'm not a big fan of doing this frequently as new files, invoices, requests, propositions and notes will come across my desk again and again, so I figure what's the - [Your service or product](https://milostopic.com/your-service-or-product/) - Over the past month or so I have been asked to review some 4 or 5 services/websites/products and have to say that I have enjoyed doing it. All of these have been in either their beta or pre-release stages. A couple of them are very cool ideas and hopefully they will be able to position - [E-ZPass' website](https://milostopic.com/e-zpass-website/) - It's time! Seriously, it is time for me to get an E-ZPass again. Yes, again, I broke the first one and it's not a story I would want to get back to as to how it happened...let's just say it was years ago, when I was a bit more temperamental. :) For those of you - [Google Maps has failed me](https://milostopic.com/google-maps-has-failed-me/) - It was bound to happen, we had a great run, but today, Google Maps has failed me. I'm one of those users who (many years ago) used to turn to MapQuest (remember them?) for driving directions. Several years ago a search engine company developed online maps which were up to date, fast and reliable and - [Dell Latitude D630 reboots](https://milostopic.com/dell-latitude-d630-reboots/) - I've received a new Dell Latitude D630 and wanted to set it up from scratch...format, OS install, drivers, apps...all one step at a time. Well, after the OS was installed (Vista Enterprise), the machine started blue screening (BSOD) and would go into a reboot. Initially, I wasn't able to see the BSOD error as the - [Real hosting company](https://milostopic.com/real-hosting-company/) - Below is the e-mail I received yesterday from 1and1, my web hosting provider of choice. They have informed me of future hardware upgrades and downtime in their data center where my sites are located. Now this is something simple to do, yet it helps them differentiate from some of the other hosts who are not ## Pages - [Home](https://milostopic.com/) - [About](https://milostopic.com/about/) - PRIMARY AREAS OF INTEREST: people (we are all amazing at something; let's discover what that is and act on it) strategic leadership (greatest impact on the success and failure of organizations) business innovation, growth & development (org. culture, operations, policies, talent management, training...) EXPERIENCE: 27 years in Information Technology (IT) and Management 17 years of - [FAQ](https://milostopic.com/faq/) - [Podcast](https://milostopic.com/podcast/) - Podcast: "The long game" Welcome to the long game, a place where time, effort and energy matter. The podcast has two series, executive confessions and CIO chronicles. I interview exceptional leaders and share my own thoughts and experiences on leadership, management, business and most importantly, people. "Focus on people first, they matter the most." - - [Contact2](https://milostopic.com/contact-2/) - [About2](https://milostopic.com/about-2/) - [Contact](https://milostopic.com/contact/) - [Blank](https://milostopic.com/blank/) - [Sidebar Right](https://milostopic.com/sidebar-right/) - [Sidebar Left](https://milostopic.com/sidebar-left/) - [Fullwidth](https://milostopic.com/fullwidth/) - [Services](https://milostopic.com/services/) - [Pricing](https://milostopic.com/pricing/) - [Team](https://milostopic.com/team/) - [Pages](https://milostopic.com/pages/) - [Portfolio](https://milostopic.com/portfolio/) - [404 - page not found](https://milostopic.com/404-page-not-found/) - Page not found. Please go back home and try again. ## Portfolio - [Have You Tried This?](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/have-you-tried-this/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Sierra Farm](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/sierra-farm/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Roman Forum](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/roman-forum/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Keyhole Arch](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/keyhole-arch/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Black and White](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/black-and-white/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Big Sur Milky Way](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/big-sur-milky-way/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Make It Count](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/make-it-count/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Beach Town](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/beach-town/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Monterrey Blue](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/monterrey-blue/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Skyline](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/skyline/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Red Miami Sunset](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/red-miami-sunset/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [San Francisco Bay Bridge](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/san-francisco-bay-bridge/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [South Beach](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/south-beach/) - Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. Morbi leo risus, porta ac consectetur ac, vestibulum at eros. Nulla vitae elit libero, a pharetra augue. Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris condimentum nibh, ut fermentum massa justo sit amet risus. Nulla vitae elit libero, a pharetra augue. Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor - [Stockyards Hotel](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/stockyards-hotel/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Bridge to Gucci](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/bridge-to-gucci/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Pike Place Market](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/pike-place-market/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore - [Riomaggiore](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item/riomaggiore/) - Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. Domine, quaesumus, per nos, glorificamus te, et ut cognoscant te, et virtus amore tuo. Placere Benedicite omnes qui utuntur hoc productum. 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[benefits](https://milostopic.com/tag/benefits/) - [gratitude](https://milostopic.com/tag/gratitude/) - [legacy](https://milostopic.com/tag/legacy/) - [heritage](https://milostopic.com/tag/heritage/) - [Isaac Newton](https://milostopic.com/tag/isaac-newton/) - [achievements](https://milostopic.com/tag/achievements/) - [morale](https://milostopic.com/tag/morale/) - [body](https://milostopic.com/tag/body/) - [grateful](https://milostopic.com/tag/grateful/) - [individuals](https://milostopic.com/tag/individuals/) - [humility](https://milostopic.com/tag/humility/) - [lives](https://milostopic.com/tag/lives/) - [selfless](https://milostopic.com/tag/selfless/) - [negotiate](https://milostopic.com/tag/negotiate/) - [resourceful](https://milostopic.com/tag/resourceful/) - [decommission](https://milostopic.com/tag/decommission/) - [scalability](https://milostopic.com/tag/scalability/) - [personnel](https://milostopic.com/tag/personnel/) - [feasibility](https://milostopic.com/tag/feasibility/) - [SaaS](https://milostopic.com/tag/saas/) - [Software as a Service](https://milostopic.com/tag/software-as-a-service/) - [reality](https://milostopic.com/tag/reality/) - [little black book](https://milostopic.com/tag/little-black-book/) - [action](https://milostopic.com/tag/action/) - [think](https://milostopic.com/tag/think/) - [eye contact](https://milostopic.com/tag/eye-contact/) - [body language](https://milostopic.com/tag/body-language/) - [handshake](https://milostopic.com/tag/handshake/) - [instincts](https://milostopic.com/tag/instincts/) - [calls](https://milostopic.com/tag/calls/) - [calling](https://milostopic.com/tag/calling/) - [contracts](https://milostopic.com/tag/contracts/) - [spam](https://milostopic.com/tag/spam/) - [telemarketer](https://milostopic.com/tag/telemarketer/) - [quantity](https://milostopic.com/tag/quantity/) - [diversity](https://milostopic.com/tag/diversity/) - [values](https://milostopic.com/tag/values/) - [authenticity](https://milostopic.com/tag/authenticity/) - [transparency](https://milostopic.com/tag/transparency/) - [compromise](https://milostopic.com/tag/compromise/) - [pride](https://milostopic.com/tag/pride/) - [commitment](https://milostopic.com/tag/commitment/) - [void](https://milostopic.com/tag/void/) - [managers](https://milostopic.com/tag/managers/) - [reappointment](https://milostopic.com/tag/reappointment/) - [promotion](https://milostopic.com/tag/promotion/) - [reclassification](https://milostopic.com/tag/reclassification/) - [bad](https://milostopic.com/tag/bad/) - [truth](https://milostopic.com/tag/truth/) - [engage](https://milostopic.com/tag/engage/) - [profession](https://milostopic.com/tag/profession/) - [meetups](https://milostopic.com/tag/meetups/) - [understanding](https://milostopic.com/tag/understanding/) - [introduction](https://milostopic.com/tag/introduction/) - [guidelines](https://milostopic.com/tag/guidelines/) - [live](https://milostopic.com/tag/live/) - [love](https://milostopic.com/tag/love/) - [nexus](https://milostopic.com/tag/nexus/) - [apex](https://milostopic.com/tag/apex/) - [lead](https://milostopic.com/tag/lead/) - [advice](https://milostopic.com/tag/advice/) - [integrity](https://milostopic.com/tag/integrity/) - [promises](https://milostopic.com/tag/promises/) - [attention](https://milostopic.com/tag/attention/) - [groups](https://milostopic.com/tag/groups/) - [colleagues](https://milostopic.com/tag/colleagues/) - [coworkers](https://milostopic.com/tag/coworkers/) - [important](https://milostopic.com/tag/important/) - [pay](https://milostopic.com/tag/pay/) - [cost](https://milostopic.com/tag/cost/) - [TCO](https://milostopic.com/tag/tco/) - [price](https://milostopic.com/tag/price/) - [total cost of ownership](https://milostopic.com/tag/total-cost-of-ownership/) - [destiny](https://milostopic.com/tag/destiny/) - [pursuit](https://milostopic.com/tag/pursuit/) - [journey](https://milostopic.com/tag/journey/) - [believe](https://milostopic.com/tag/believe/) - [grace](https://milostopic.com/tag/grace/) - [style](https://milostopic.com/tag/style/) - [cool](https://milostopic.com/tag/cool/) - [calm](https://milostopic.com/tag/calm/) - [collected](https://milostopic.com/tag/collected/) - [year](https://milostopic.com/tag/year/) - [reflect](https://milostopic.com/tag/reflect/) - [17](https://milostopic.com/tag/17/) - [innovate](https://milostopic.com/tag/innovate/) - [recognition](https://milostopic.com/tag/recognition/) - [feedback](https://milostopic.com/tag/feedback/) - [abilities](https://milostopic.com/tag/abilities/) - [rock](https://milostopic.com/tag/rock/) - [confidant](https://milostopic.com/tag/confidant/) - [shrink](https://milostopic.com/tag/shrink/) - [clown](https://milostopic.com/tag/clown/) - [traveler](https://milostopic.com/tag/traveler/) - [circle](https://milostopic.com/tag/circle/) - [belonging](https://milostopic.com/tag/belonging/) - [leverage](https://milostopic.com/tag/leverage/) - [finance](https://milostopic.com/tag/finance/) - [fiscal](https://milostopic.com/tag/fiscal/) - [spending](https://milostopic.com/tag/spending/) - [job interview](https://milostopic.com/tag/job-interview/) - [promote](https://milostopic.com/tag/promote/) - [risks](https://milostopic.com/tag/risks/) - [challenge](https://milostopic.com/tag/challenge/) - [thinking](https://milostopic.com/tag/thinking/) - [levelheaded](https://milostopic.com/tag/levelheaded/) - [counterweight](https://milostopic.com/tag/counterweight/) - [sanity](https://milostopic.com/tag/sanity/) - [filter](https://milostopic.com/tag/filter/) - [grounded](https://milostopic.com/tag/grounded/) - [today](https://milostopic.com/tag/today/) - [hard work](https://milostopic.com/tag/hard-work/) - [envy](https://milostopic.com/tag/envy/) - [jealous](https://milostopic.com/tag/jealous/) ## Portfolio Tags - [Planning](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/planning/) - [Mountain](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/mountain/) - [Outdoors](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/outdoors/) - [Sky](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/sky/) - [Historic](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/historic/) - [Landmark](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/landmark/) - [Ocean](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/ocean/) - [Shore](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/shore/) - [Prairie](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/prairie/) - [Forest](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/forest/) - [Ideas](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/ideas/) - [Nighttime](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/nighttime/) - [Beach](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/beach/) - [Evening](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/evening/) - [Daytime](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/daytime/) - [Nightlife](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/nightlife/) - [Sunset](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/sunset/) - [Western](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/western/) - [Upscale](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/upscale/) - [Independent](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/independent/) - [Local Food](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/local-food/) - [Building](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/building/) - [Creative](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/creative/) - [Scenery](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-tag/scenery/) ## Portfolio Categories - [Texas](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-category/texas/) - [Nevada](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-category/nevada/) - [Travel](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-category/travel/) - [Italy](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-category/italy/) - [California](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-category/california/) - [World](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-category/world/) - [Florida](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-category/florida/) - [Washington](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-category/washington/) - [Inspiration](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-category/inspiration/) - [Creative](https://milostopic.com/portfolio-item-category/creative/)