It is hard to think it has been 6 years since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington and what could have been of the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. I was sitting in my office in Boston’s Back Bay, in the shadows of the city’s second tallest building, where a few miles away the 2 planes that were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center originated.

Information slowly came in what had happened and I tried to bring up news Web sites, but as everybody else was trying to do the same, every Web site for CNN and FOX News to the Boston Globe were unresponsive. I then called and emailed friends who work in Manhattan, some I heard from right away, some I did not. As the story of a small plane hitting one of the towers changed to both towers being hit by jet aircraft, we were told to go home. I called friends and family in Boston and, due to a reason I don’t recall why I drove to work that day, I gave several people a ride out of the city. As I sat and stared at the TV the rest of the day from home, I connected with friends and family near and far.

As much as we can prepare for all that life throws at us, things happen that we are not prepared for at all or happen in a way that we could have never anticipated. So we react, and hopefully learn from it and let it affect how we prepare for the future. We never forget what happened, and in turn help those who didn’t experience it themselves to understand and learn as well.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Once again, I miss another date to send something, but in this case it’s not for a relative’s birthday. BlogDay was last Friday, August 31, and you can read about BlogDay here.

As I missed contacting 5 people – and nobody contacted me – here’s some link love for 5 blogs I enjoy reading on a regular basis.

The Lobby – Yes, this is a corporate blog operated by Starwood Hotels, but it gives great tips on vacation destinations and things to do in those areas. They have a team of great writers that give good, light-hearted information on different spots around the globe.

PSFK Trend – They cover international products, services, events and trends from a marketing perspective. This is another blog that has helped expand my mind about what is out there.

The Patriot Act – Surprisingly, it’s hard to get deep insight into what the New England Patriots are doing in the Chicago market. As I am not going to subject myself to the blowhard writers for the Boston newspapers, this blog helps fill the gap.

Spoofee – This is more of a feed from their forums, but as I have gotten some great deals on purchases they have mentioned, they get a mention here.

The Jeff Pulver Blog – The guru on voice over IP writes much on entrepreneurship and I always find it insightful and very relevant. Plus he throws great parties!

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What seems like many moons ago now, as I was preparing to take on my first role where I had the word “manager” in the title, I sought advice from my good friend RJ. He had been a manager for several years at that point. I asked him for one piece of advice to give me, and he said, “people leave.”

What? “People leave?” Is that it? What sounded oversimplified would resonate with me for years.

After I challenged him on this 2-word statement, he proceeded to detail to me what was behind it. People leave – they quit for whatever reason. In the short-term, it will have some impact on the organization, team, group, etc. (I’ll use “group” from here forward). But in the long-term, it should not, and that’s where the role of a manager comes into play to ensure the continuity of the group.

The more I thought about this, the more sense it made to me. Everything a manager does not only ensures the success of a group, but also prepares for when there changes in its members. From hiring people into it, to managing people and process to understanding what people do, the manager is the central figure that should understand what is going on all the time. How the manager executes can vary, and that’s a whole other topic for another time.

When people leave a group or want to leave a group, in my opinion it is too late to try to keep them. Many times managers spend too much time trying to keep someone and may even make a counteroffer, all in the name of keeping the group as it is. What they don’t realize is the very fact that a person wants to leave has already changed the group dynamic and trying to keep them may do more harm than good. If a person’s decision to leave is final, asking for a long period of time before they actually walk out the door also is not in the group’s best interest. The age-old “2-week notice” is not law, and should not be, and Jim Carlini says it better than I can.

Many managers oversee what work is done and don’t spend a lot of time on managing people. When a person is hired, you are not just bringing in a skillset, but a living, breathing human being with emotions and a life outside of the office. Keeping this in mind, and spending time on getting to know the person and keeping their best interests in mind, will lead to a more successful execution of their skillset. Or at least that is my first-hand experience over the years!

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After reading The 4-Hour Workweek, it is even sweeter to hear stories about people who decide not just to go for the brass ring, but to take it with all the might of Atlas. This afternoon I met such a person – John Gerard, who will be famous in 31 days.

I first heard about John and his story from my cousin Nina, who used to work with John, only later to hear about it from blogging guru Darren Rowse. You can read John’s story and why he is doing this cross-country trek to get to Hollywood, California from Syracuse, New York to meet Jay Leno on The Tonight Show on day 31 of his journey.

John was in Chicago for a few days and today I met up with him. He is someone like any of us, and he utilizing the Internet and his background in television to help fulfill this goal. Tomorrow morning (Thursday, September 5) he will be on the WGN-TV Morning Show, so if you are in Chicagoland be sure to see him live.

His Web site, famousin31days.com, features videos and information on his journey. Check back for progress on his trip and where he may be, which possibly could be near you.

Good luck John, and safe travels!

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I am finally introducing the world my very first blog, sourcegate.

This is an ongoing compilation project of technical tips, notes and Web sites I use and refer to in my capacity as an Internet consultant and entrepreneur. Rather than keep an offline record of these notes or store links as bookmarks, I am making this information – all non proprietary to Dunkirk Systems, of course – available for all. As I find resources or develop something of interest, I will post it there. I am also in the process of entering past bookmarks and notes and should be caught up soon.

As I said, this is my first blog. Long before I launched The Hot Iron, I started sourcegate using a different blog platform. When I discovered ExpressionEngine, I decided to shelve the old software and eventually migrate to the EE platform, and a little later than I had hoped it is now live.

You can subscribe to the feed or listen to it with the Odiogo feed. Commenting is also turned on, as I am interested if these tips are useful – or not – to you, or if you have any suggestions for a topic or category. If there is nothing of interest in sourcegate right now, check back later, as it will always expand as my mind expands!

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