Thursday's LinkUP: EV Williams (re) IMAGINES The Article 3X and The "Happy" Writings of Kid Bombay on Medium, EV's Latest Invention

"It takes (re)IMAGINEERS like Williams and Weiner to keep pushing the world forward. For without their vision to imagine a future very different and easier and better in the way we do things tomorrow, there would be no progress."

Good Morning Folks,

The Internet is such a great invention. So many wonderful, useful things that can be applied to our greatest challenges and opportunities in unexpected ways. Things they don't teach you in Harvard Business School. Things just waiting to be discovered or to be pointed out by a friend... which brings me to why we do these LinkUp's on most Thursdays on MitchWeiner.com.

What ties today's stories together with FSO is the movement of (re)IMAGINATION that is taking place in every company of every industry today. Forced to innovate or capitulate in a technology-leveled playing field, (re)IMAGINE is something so simple as it is Revolutionary, showing clients how to look at their business from a completely new perspective, that of a blank canvas. Looking not at “What is” but “What can be”. 

We are doing it with outsourcing just the way EV Williams (our subject today) has done it with publishing: blogging, tweeting, direct conversations between makers and buyers without all of the intermediaries and costs that once stood in the way.

Today guest blogger has been writing on Medium.com, a new platform launched by Twitter co-founder and "blog" inventor, Evan Williams. Medium describes themselves as:

Medium is a new place on the Internet where people share ideas and stories that are longer than 140 characters and not just for friends. It’s designed for little stories that make your day better and manifestos that change the world. It’s used by everyone from professional journalists to amateur cooks. It’s simple, beautiful, collaborative, and it helps you find the right audience for whatever you have to say..

==> Williams Background via Wikipedia:

Williams grew up on a farm in Clarks, Nebraska, where he assisted with crop irrigation in summers. He attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for a year-and-a-half, but eventually left to pursue his career.After leaving school, Williams worked at various technology jobs and start-up firms in Florida, at Key West, and in Texas, at Dallas and Austin, before returning to his family farm in Nebraska. In 1996 Williams moved to Sebastopol, California in Sonoma County to work for the technology publishing company O'Reilly Media. He started at O'Reilly in a marketing position but eventually became an independent contractor writing computer code, which led to freelance opportunities with companies including Intel and Hewlett Packard.

Pyra Labs and Blogger
Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan co-founded Pyra Labs to make project management software. A note-taking feature spun off as Blogger, one of the first web applications for creating and managing weblogs. Williams invented the term "blogger" and was instrumental in the popularization of the term "blog". Pyra survived the departure of Hourihan and other employees, and was eventually acquired by Google on February 13, 2003. 

In 2003, Williams was named to the MIT Technology Review TR100 as one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35. In 2004, he was named one of PC Magazine's "People of the Year", along with Hourihan and Paul Bausch for their work on Blogger.

Odeo, Obvious and Twitter
Williams left Google in October 2004to co-found Odeo, a podcasting company.[Among Obvious Corp.'s projects was Twitter, a popular, free social networking and micro-blogging service. Twitter itself was spun out into a new company in April 2007, with Williams as co-founder, board member, and investor. In October 2008, Williams became CEO of Twitter, displacing Jack Dorsey who became chairman of the board.h 

By February 2009, Compete.com ranked Twitter the third most-used social network based on their count of 6 million unique monthly visitors and 55 million monthly visits. As of February 2013, Twitter had 200 million registered users. It gets 300,000 new users a day and receives 180 million unique visitors a month. 75% of its traffic comes from outside of Twitter.com. On 4 October 2010, Williams stepped down from the CEO position, explaining "I’ll be completely focused on product strategy", and appointed Dick Costolo as his replacement. 

Following the announcement of Twitter's initial public offering (IPO) in 2013, the company was valued at between US$14 billion and US$20 billion. One media report anticipated that Williams, with a 30 to 35 percent stake in the company, would see his personal wealth grow from US$2 billion to US$8 billion in the wake of Twitter's stock flotation. 

According to the October 2013 Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, his 12 percent stake in Twitter will be worth US$1.2 billion when the company goes public.[20]

Medium
On September 25, 2012, Williams and Stone created a publishing platform called Medium (at Medium.com). It was initially available only to early adopters, but was opened to the public in 2013. 

On April 5, 2013, Williams and Stone announced that they would be unwinding Obvious Corp as they focused on individual startups.

Over at Medium I found Kid Bombaby's wonderful missive on my favorite topic happiness. Yes that's the happy ending to this long story. 

From Pherrel's song Happy to the happy smiling cultures being reborn in companies all around us, the happy theme is here to stay and Kid writes so eloquently about it. Kid Bombay, is the stage name of Ketan Anjaria, who self-describes himself as "Designer, Writer and Startup Advisor. I like to create things."

Today he's created a simple recipe called How To Be Happy: Simple steps to lead a simple and content life. Kid has a wonderful silicon sense of life living in the Bay Area where life is slower and gentler and kinder.

Kid, over to you....

7. Stop checking email in the morning.
Seriously cut that garbage out. Your brain actually functions differently when you first wake up, spending that time doing the busy work of email is a terrible waste of neurons. Email has become a job for most people and if someone asked you to clean out their garbage first thing in the am, would you do it?

• Things to try when you first wake up:
• Just lie in bed and think about one thing you want to do better today.Go for a walk
• Make love. No kidding but sex stimulates more than your lower regions.
• Sketch, visual playtime is great.
• Play with your kids. School can wait.

6. Don’t compare your place in life to others.
It’s hard and almost everyone does it but this is one of the easiest ways to spiral into unhappiness. We are not cookie cutter material. Each of us has made different choices and arrived at different paths. While jealousy can be a motivator for some people, it’s a trait that never leads to positive outcome.

Things to try to compare yourself to:

• You, 3 months ago. How are you doing since then? 
• What can you improve? What got worse?
• A favorite character or religous story. 
• How would they handle your situation? 
• What can you learn from them?

5. Be grateful.
It’s really simple. What is one thing today you are really grateful for?

What is another? If you can list 3 things a day, you’ll see you have much more going for you than you thought. Soon your list will get so long you’ll be beaming with energy.

Things to be grateful for:

• Your health. You are alive, and sick or not, you are able to enjoy the wonder that is this world.
• Your friends. Whether one friend or a thousand, which friend of yours makes you smile when you think of them?
• Your family. Crazy or not, in what ways has your family been there for you? Even if it’s not recent, what’s one thing your mom or dad did that you have fond memory of?
• Yourself. You. Are. Awesome. No really, you right there. Your smile, your perseverance, your kindness, what things about yourself are you most grateful for?

4. Go outside.

• Ok put down your iThing and step away from the TV.
•  Humans have been blessed with the most beautiful planet this side of Alpha Centauri. 
• We live on a rare and giving world. Go enjoy it. 

Things to do outside:

• Take a walk. Even if it’s 5 minutes, walking is the best exercise and head clearer.
• Sit on a bench on a park with a good view. (I highly recommend Dolores Park if you are in San Francisco.)
• Take photos. It works for me at least and helps me see the beauty around me.
• Meet new people. Say hi to a stranger, you never know what could happen.

3. Give to someone else.
Whether it’s something simple like buying a coffee for a friend or doing charity work, the act of giving opens up your heart. The heart is a muscle and must be exercised. Giving outwards prepares you to give inward. If you can show someone else kindness, their smile will work its magic back to you.

Things to give to people:

• Your time. Lending an ear is the simplest gift.
• A meal. Share food with someone whether you made it or not.
• Compliments! Everyone loves a good compliment. Even if it’s as simple as you have a great smile. Light up the room when you walk in.

2. Write your thoughts down.
This may sound odd but many times we aren’t actually unhappy, but we just have a bazillion thoughts running around in our head. Writing is a simple act that can help clear your mind. You’d be surprised how great you feel once you clean out the cobwebs.

Things to write down:

• Your dreams. A notepad next to your bed will change your life.
• Places you want to go. Where do you want to travel to?
• Stories, songs, poems, whatever. 
• Get emo and creative. Don’t edit yourself, just let it flow.
• Problems you are having. 
• Make a pro/con list. 
• Be analytical and figure out how can you fix that problem.
• Funny quotes or things you hear that strike you. 
• I have a note file, 18 pages long with quotes. Great memories.
• The person you want to be. 
• Write down traits you want to have in yourself. 
• Do it everyday.

1. Give to yourself.
Dude, quit hating on yourself. Yes, you eat too much, drink too much, yell too much, whatever. We all make mistakes. We are all human as well and humans are not perfect creatures. When you learn to accept yourself, true happiness quickly arises.

Things to give to yourself:

• Forgiveness. 
• Yes you made a huge mistake, now learn from it and move on.
• Time. 
• Yes you may think you don’t have time, but you actually do.
• Knowledge. 
• Go learn something new. Or improve what you already know.
• Health. 
• Go take a walk. 
• Seriously, put this article down and go take a walk right now.

So for all my friends, whether close or casual, or just because. Everyone will go through some hard times at some point. Life isn't easy. Just something to think about...did you know the people that are the strongest are usually the most sensitive? Did you know the people who exhibit the most kindness are the first to get mistreated? Did you know the ones who take care of others all the time are usually the ones who need it the most? Did you know the three hardest things to say are I love you, I'm sorry, and Help me? Sometimes just because a person looks happy, you have to look past their smile and see how much pain they may be in. To all my friends who are going through some issues right now--let's start an intention avalanche. We all need positive intentions right now to give a moment of support to all those who have family problems, health struggles, job issues, worries of any kind and just need to know that someone cares. Do it for all of us, for nobody is immune. 

Now that you have seen what (re)IMAGINE has done for the communications you use in your own daily lives and the fact they didn't just appear, but were driven by passionate folks with fresh ideas about new and different ways of doing things, consider how we apply the (re)IMAGINE principle to the blank canvas of outsourcing:

Looking not at “What is” but “What can be”, that is what sets FSO apart from the other outsourcing companies and what has made us the fastest growing outsourcing company in the nation.

It is woven into the culture of who we are, it is part of everything we do. (re)IMAGINE allows us to uncover those hidden cost savings every company is looking for, identify innovative ways to improve their business, and inspire those who take care of them. 

By (re)IMGAINING our client’s business FSO becomes part of the fabric of their organization, permitting us to be a trusted advisor for all issues related to their administrative needs.

Founded by Outsourcing Pioneer & Thought Leader, Mitch Weiner ( a man who thinks outside the box much like Ev Williams) , FSO is collective of industry experts with decades of experience in the outsourcing marketing, our promise is simple:

·         Take Better Care of your people

·         Improve your service: It is an A+ FSO will make it an A++

·         Reduce & Control your costs: Guaranteed!

Finding the right onsite outsourcing partner is time consuming and difficult. There’s a lot on the line, not just for you but also for your company. Outsourcing to the wrong partner can be risky.

Our clients weren't looking for suppliers or contractors, but partners who would play a key hands-on role driving an evolution of everlasting change. Because brands who have stopped challenging their culture are destined to disappear.

Therefore cultural fit is key to success in outsourcing and is where we believe FSO adds the most value. If client and supplier are out of alignment with regards to shared goals or objectives, then the contract is doomed to failure. At FSO, with our (re)IMAGINE approach, we even take the lead when it comes to pioneering culture. But, an RFP alone will not always reveal these advantages nor result in the most productive and profitable relationship.

If your outsourcer is not keeping their commitments nor fulfilling the promise of all the advancements and new technology at its hand, I invite to you call me directly and I'll set up a time for you meet with a member of our (re)IMAGINE team and learn why of 250 companies have made the switch to FSO in the past 4 years.

TALK TO US. WITNESS US. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, EXPERIENCE US! 

Call me directly at 212.204.1193.

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

The Difference is Culture

"At FSO, every person, from the bottom to the top, is empowered to do what’s right for the customer, and encouraged to think and act like an owner."

Good Morning Folks,

Finding the right onsite outsourcing partner is time consuming and difficult. There’s a lot on the line, not just for you but also for your company. Outsourcing to the wrong partner can be risky.

Our clients weren't looking for suppliers or contractors, but partners who would play a key hands-on role driving an evolution of everlasting change. Because brands who have stopped challenging their culture are destined to disappear.

Culture  goes much deeper than simply mission statements, vision and values, which invariably are found on company websites and sometimes that where it remains. Yes, these can all play a part in defining a partner's culture/ belief system, but more fundamentally it is how the people who will be sent to your front lines feel about their own self worth and contribution, how they are managed and the passion and pride they express during service delivery. 

Therefore cultural fit is key to success in outsourcing and is where we believe FSO adds the most value. If client and supplier are out of alignment with regards to shared goals or objectives, then the contract is doomed to failure. At FSO, with our (re)IMAGINE approach, we even take the lead when it comes to pioneering culture. But, an RFP alone will not always reveal these advantages nor result in the most productive and profitable relationship.

So how can you ensure that your “final” list of potential partners and outsourcing criteria will uncover what’s truly best for you?     

Companies shopping for a new or improved outsourcing provider should take the "speed-dating" approach— meet and spend time with supplier's leadership one-on-one before even considering them to be invited to bid. 

What you discover here is that at FSO, there is no such thing as an unimportant person, role, task or idea. When we roll out of bed each morning, we go to work knowing that, regardless of our title, we are not only needed, but appreciated.

At FSO, every person, from the bottom to the top, is empowered to do what’s right for the customer, and encouraged to think and act like an owner. Here, leadership is action not position. My mission is everyone’s mission, and any obstacle is considered everyone’s obstacles. “It’s not my job” is one phrase that is seldom heard. Everyone ensures that his or her team is charged up, in touch with the big picture, and willing and able to lead.

At FSO, no one is to blame, but everyone is accountable. No one points fingers, but everyone lends a hand. No one takes credit, but everyone freely gives it away.

If all this sounds like a smart way to run an organization, it is. It's in our DNA. It's our culture. While our business model may seem pretty simple, no one else can or has been able to replicate it because it comes from our hearts. 

Cultural alignment, I believe, will ultimately drive change, improvement and innovation. Make sure to align yourself with the right partner that sees eye-to-eye on what is important to you in order to develop a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. Don’t be afraid to ask them tough questions. You should be looking for a partner that won’t just show up but innovate.

Thanks to all our employees for NEVER settling for mediocrity. 

Every site employee, YOU, are the FSO difference! Your commitment to service, to exceed the client expectations, to do just that little bit more, to be more professional, to have that better idea, to notice that detail, to take action when no one is watching. YOU make this company the best outsourcing provider in the business. YOU are the reason we have nothing in common with our competitors. Your smile, your enthusiasm and your hard work is what makes my vision come alive at FSO.

And that's not only what makes us different, it makes us better.

Discover how our capabilities and unique differentiators can be applied to your advantage.

TALK TO US. WITNESS US. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, EXPERIENCE US! 

Call me directly at 212.204.1193.

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

InspireME Friday: 'Happy Friday! Whoo-hoo! Let's Celebrate!!'

"These are not just words or “things” that we think sound nice… or “things” that we think you want to hear… this is the fabric of FSO. This is what makes us different from every other outsourcing company."

Good Morning Folks,

It is so hard to believe how fast the week goes… I can’t believe that it is already the end of another month and we are at summer's halftime! The stats are in and July 2014 we have 2.5 times the readers we had on this blog a year ago. Thanks for all your support.

Before I share my pick from this week's inspiring, internal communiqués, I wanted to share some thoughts.

Did you know that we promoted 45 Future Leaders Program (FLP) members this year? Isn’t that AWESOME?! I am so proud of each of YOU…the hard work, the dedication, the skip, fire, twinkle…

THANK YOU! 

We have 260 more employees in the FLP and I want to see at least 45 more promotions before the end of the year!! 

We provide GREAT training as I blogged about yesterday, and we just need YOU to WANT to be promoted… to want to receive the training so when that next GREAT OPPORTUNITY arrives, you are READY for the BIG promotion. Are you in?? 

EVERY day my mind is focused on YOU… about loving our employees, about loving our clients, about CARE… the HAPPIEST PLACE TO WORK. These are not just words or “things” that we think sound nice…or  “things” that we think you want to hear…this is the fabric of FSO. This is what makes us different from every other outsourcing company. 

We want you to WANT to come to work every day and LOVE what you do and LOVE working for FSO and we WANT our clients to see you SMILING every day and delivering the WOW! factor that you all know is expected.

We have so many great communications, actions and initiatives in play across FSO — so… now ripped from the pages of FSO's internal communications is a Friday dose of inspiration to send you off to the weekend on a high note… Here is Southeast Region Experience Director, Lissette Umpierre's piece appropriately titled "Happy Friday! Whoo-hoo! Let's Celebrate!!

Good Morning TEAM Us/FSO USA – Happy Friday! Hoot – hoot!! I hope this email finds you with a twinkle, fire, skipJ

I think we should all celebrate each other, because I think we sometimes forget how great the people here at FSO can be. I challenge YOU today for YOU to celebrate YOU/Us, YOUR Family, Friends, Pets, Team(s), Client(s), and Peer(s). No PO needed to celebrate (LOL) – PromiseJ.

We have so many people to Celebrate and so much to be thankful for.   You/Me/Us are a part of industry history and a part of a blessed Family/ Company that truly cares.  

Our Founder, Owner and Chief Happiness Officer Mitch Weiner celebrates You/Us, the field employees and our Clients everydayJ! Yes we have the best field events because we work hard – and so we play hardJ!  But what about that personal note signed by our Founder, returning emails on the fly (how many Founders/Owner you know personally that returns field employee emails?), being our Visionary to make sure we have career opportunities, Fulfilling Dreams (I am a Believer – because I live it every day), empowering, stretching and strengthening Us, helping and believing in Us that we can be the Master of our Trade and make solid business decisions. I will not mention the dollar investments because I said no PO neededJ.

Today as YOU are getting ready to start YOUR day – look at YOURSELF in the mirror and tell YOURSELF – I am FABULOUS and I am LOVEDJ -- FSO Ownership truly cares and loves you! I challenge YOU to celebrate your Team(s) and Client(s) with the same Passion our Founder has for Us. Have that one on one with that employee that works hard every day and has the potential to be a FLP – perhaps that employee needs your validation and needs to feel empowered or confidence to get to the next level. Drop off a “Happy Summer” note to your Client with one of our cool summer promos or leave an appreciation note to your Peer who helped you with a solution.

Let’s CELEBRATE our Wins, Goals, Visions, Mission, and Blessings - lend a hand to those who need guidance, training, or industry knowledge.

Let’s CELEBRATE one another – WE are the BEST of the BEST in our Industry and handpicked to be part of History and the Happiest Place to Work.

Cheers!
Lissette

Strong message, Lissette, thanks!

Summer soldiers on with so much momentum in the market and so much talent across our great company as we continue to attract new blood. We have something special that no competitor no matter how they try, will have my heart and care for employees and clients. You can take that to the bank. :-))

I have a favorite line. It is not a matter of if. "It is a matter of when. I will get to it all." Just have to keep me healthy, smiling and strong. Lol

I trust you feel my passion - we will deliver and execute to perfection and we will keep smiling… and keep making a DIFFERENCE.

We are FSO USA!!!!!  

Enjoy your weekend and Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Read more inspiring messages from our employees HERE

InspireME: An Old Man Was Walking On The Beach One Morning After A Storm...

"Each and every one of us are FSO starfish; every day it should be our goal to spread the love and happiness of our wonderful company to the field, the clients and future members of our family. The love running throughout this company is infectious and it’s impossible to not share it with everyone I come in contact"

TGIF Folks,

This is Friday, InspireME Friday to be exact, the day of the week day when MitchWeiner.com sends you off to your weekend on a high note. Because, achievement begins with an inspiration. 

For the past few weeks we've gotten great response selecting and sharing with the world some very special motivational messages that our own employees, from all walks of the company, publish internally every day.

To cap off an amazing week I know a girl, she puts COLOR inside my world. She's my daughter, FSO people Solutions Specialist, Chelsea Weiner. Today I share her story and an analogy that is incredibly meaningful to her, as it soon will be to all of us, in a highly personal way: The tale of the Starfish. 

Whenever someone brings anything Starfish related to Chelsea's attention it reminds her that she has kept promise to a dear friend whose young life was cut short when he volunteered to be designated driver from a party and got rear ended at a stoplight by a drunk driver which pushed the car into oncoming traffic. He was killed instantly and everyone else in the car survived. This story is Chelsea's way of honoring her friend's memory and letting his love and light shine brightly on. Chelsea writes:

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING FSO AND WELCOME TO YOUR WEEKEND! 

What a great day for everyone to reach out their arms (NO YAWNING HAHA) and spread the FSO love!

Speaking of spreading our arms; did you know if you cut a starfish into pieces all of its appendages will grow back, creating a few new starfish?! How cool is that! Each and every one of us are FSO starfish; every day it should be our goal to spread the love and happiness of our wonderful company to the field, the clients and future members of our family.

Imagine you’re one of the pieces of the once whole starfish; this is your chance, today, it’s your new beginning! You have been given the opportunity to show what you’re made of, to be so much stronger and better than you were just the day before.

We are so lucky that we have Mitch, our incredible and fearless leader, who continues to pave the way for us every day. He never fails to show us the true meaning of being available 25/8 not 24/7. Mitch is the perfect example of what it means to be an FSO starfish; going above and beyond and giving everything he has to us, the field, and the clients. It’s our job to give that same effort and more back to him and the field as well! Show ‘em what you’ve got!

Recently, I have shifted from spending all of my time training and developing our employees to having the privilege of meeting with clients, sitting in sales meetings, meeting future prospects and more. I have been given the opportunity to be a starfish myself! I wear my FSO pin proudly while showing what PERSONAL, PASSIONATE AND PRODUCTIVE means everywhere I go. What do you do every day to do the same? Are you an FSO brand ambassador?

The love running throughout this company is infectious and it’s impossible to not share it with everyone I come in contact with (and if you don’t feel the love, let me know, and The Wonder Twins will show you what it’s all about!!). So as you get ready to start your day take a second to think; how am I contributing to the FSO competitive difference? How can I be better? How can I get to infinity and beyond? How can I be that starfish?

START YOUR DAY WITH A BANG!
WE CAN DO IT!
WE WILL DO IT!
MAKE IT COUNT FSO USA!" ~~  Chelsea Weiner
People Solutions Specialist

How did the Starfish become a powerful and fitting tribute to her friend's life? Chelsea explained, "On my 16th birthday he told me he couldn’t make it to my party but brought me a gift which was a starfish necklace. It was BEAUTIFUL, he told me that starfish can be cut up into little pieces and re-grow their appendages and that reminded him of me. I asked him why and he said because I’m was part of every clique in the school - athletes, popular, choral, acting, skater, loners, etc. He could see that I just loved making friends, letting people know that I was someone they could always come to; he had never met anyone else like me. I was in tears just listening to him and he made me promise that no matter what I would never lose that characteristic."

Though it's a sad story where Chelsea's love of Starfish came from, it is a constant reminder that friends are always looking over us. That in mind, it's not just an advertising slogan that "friends don't let friends drink and drive."

Remember alcohol + driving = death. It happened to Chelsea's friend and it can happen to anyone. Please drink responsibly.

With this weekend approaching seasonal halftime and "peak party", I can't think of a more important message to leave you with as you soak up all of the weekend fun that is uniquely summer and precious in the time that remains.

Make a difference - catch someone doing something good… make it count.. make it great and always SMILE!

Enjoy your weekend and Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Read more inspiring messages from our employees HERE

Ted Tuesday: The Emerging Work World in the Participation Age | Chuck Blakeman | TEDxMileHigh

In this funny and insightful talk, Chuck Blakeman explores the hallmarks of the Participation Age (a workforce who wants to Make both Money and Meaning at work)— and its attraction to the next generations of stakeholders and leaders.

Good Morning Folks,

What does it mean to be a company that has joined the Participation Age? How does this new business perspective affect the bottom line? In this funny and insightful talk, Chuck Blakeman explores the hallmarks of the Participation Age, and their attraction to the next generations of stakeholders and leaders.

Says Chuck in a piece he penned for INC, "We are living at the intersection of two opposing work worlds, The Industrial Age, which is still strangely dominant in the front office of most companies. And the Participation Age, which is emerging as the new standard for how we work."

"In the production area, we have replaced Industrial Age assembly lines and smokestacks with things like nanotechnology and clean rooms. But the front office looks pretty much the same way it did a hundred years ago, with managers in ties making all the decisions. These Industrial Age management practices, which recreated humans as extensions of machines, are colliding with the emerging Participation Age workforce that wants to Make Meaning at work.

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.

Enjoy!



Well done Chuck I always love your articles and your forward thinking. 

Let's all go make things happen today. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the second consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

InspireME Friday: The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Create It

"There is no limit to what you can achieve as long as you are passionate about doing the right things for the right reasons."

Good Morning Folks,

I hope you are all having a PERSONAL, PASSIONATE, and PRODUCTIVE week!!

Every Friday we send you off to the weekend with an inspiring message selected by me personally from all the daily motivational messages circulating inside our company, authored by employees across all geographies and roles.

That in mind, I am pleased to introduce one of our Dallas Experience Managers, Stephen Lafley, and his post, "The best way to predict the future is to create it!" Here's Stephen:

When I first started off in the work force many years ago, I can remember being in a job interview with a fortune 250 Company. The District Manager asked me to tell him what I thought I would like my future to be with them. I told him that I wanted to be successful, happy, productive but mostly employed. I knew deep down in me I had enormous drive, fortitude and had what it took to be successful.   

He then asked me to define what success meant to me. I can remember sitting there thinking of all of the things that I wanted to say, but when I said them in my head they sounded so cliché. I knew that what he was asking me was how I was going to be successful with them and what I would bring to the table. Not what is success, but how to achieve it. I was just 20 years old and had not worked in such an environment. I thought for a moment and then told him that success would be to achieve his position and eventually move further up the ladder. Not knowing if I blew the interview, I had to just wait to hear if I got the entry level job or not. To my surprise I was offered the job. Once the 90 day trial period ended and I was doing well, I asked the District Manager why he hired me. He laughed and said that he saw it in my eyes, the passion and desire to do well and told me never to sell myself short as I have the power to create my future. 

After 36 successful years with this company, I have now since retired from them and have started a new career with FSO. When you give a 100% in everything you do, always being positive and work hard, you create your future.  Success does not happen by chance, you (we) make it happen. Having a dream without action is just a dream. Having a vision of where you want to be in the future and acting on it, is building that future.  

There is no limit to what you can achieve as long as you are passionate about doing the right things for the right reasons. Like Mitch's "See 2020 clearly" vision, he is predicting our future and we are here to help him (us) create that vision. As the company's future grows, so does ours. So, predict your future and act on it every day.

Thanks, Stephen! Appreciate it. 

There is so much excitement and activity going on throughout the entire company. We have a great team and this is our time. Each day we show our prospects and our clients a REIMAGINED way to go to business. That is why they hire us. 

You have value to bring, a contribution to make, and your happiness is on the line. BELIEVE in the service you provide and the passion you sell from within. 

Make a difference - catch someone doing something good… make it count.. make it great and always SMILE!

Enjoy your weekend and Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Read more inspiring messages from our employees HERE

Not Your Father's Company Picnic

"I would like to thank you for showing us that management indeed cares about all the employees and how hard work and dedication is truly the key to a successful organization. It was a wonderful opportunity for FSO employees in the same region to get to know each other and recognize the diversity."

Good Morning Folks,

While most companies in this economy are cutting out or cutting back and having pot luck summer supper get togethers in their parking lots, while only top executives and sales stars jet off to golf outings in fancy resorts, FSO (where business never is conducted as usual) believes that our people make the difference. Therefore there is nothing more important than recognizing their achievements and celebrating our success as a family.

So for our second half kick-off and (re)IMAGINATION of the summer picnic as usual, we took to sea, chartering a cruise for a sunset toast around the isle of Manhattan. And we took the whole gang aboard. This was a great expression of gratitute for our site leaders! :) We rocked the boat which is a great metaphor for what we do every day in the field. When was the last time you treated your employees like this?

Wrote one of many employees to me in a post-event thank you, "I would like to thank you for hosting such a wonderful event. It was a wonderful opportunity for FSO employees in the same region to get to know each other and recognize the diversity that the company offers. I would especially like to thank Christine for showing us that management indeed cares about all the employees how hard work and dedication is truly the key to a successful organization."

Said another, "First I would like to thank you for the wonderful boat cruise and I had a great time. I also want to say thank you for allowing me to represent FSO under your leadership. I'm amazed watching the growth of this company and the environment that's created for us makes me feel blessed. It's been a little over a year since joining FSO and I was with Deloitte at the time. Deloitte is a great company and people had asked me why would you leave a company like Deloitte and my response was I missed the passion and energy working with the both of you prior with the other company. I just want to say I'm proud to work for FSO and happy with the training and leadership from Don Adams & Neal Michael. Thanks for everything and I will continue to inspire my team and develop."

So people also ask me what ever in the world brought you out of retirement to deal with the stress of building a business especially in these times? And the answer is that I live in service to others. My approach to employee care and inclusion will be my leadership legacy.

I'm just a kid from Queens, New York – the product of a broken family and the school of hard knocks. I had no expectations of anything being handed to me; I stood to inherit nothing from my parents. Everything I earned came from working “100 jobs at once” – parking cars, serving Baskin Robbins, and pursuing my own future with a relentless passion that drives me today. I’ve built it all from scratch, passion, belief and drive with people who share those traits and want to bring success to life.

My legacy is to pay it forward so people who show up with FIRE>>SKIP>> and TWINKLE... can have the same opportunities I had against all odds, coming from challenging circumstances. It's nights like these, emails like those above, that provide a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment that no amount of money can buy. To see others grow and prosper is the greatest of gifts I can give myself.

I tell my managers: "Leadership is teaching. Leadership is caring. Leadership is giving. Your employees are great. Use them. Teach them. Lead them. Love them. We don't have to do it alone. Show them the love all day every day. They want us to lead them to greatness. Never can be too busy too not have time to think about them and find new talent. Think of all the great people we or I have found this year and beyond. Where would we be without them.Maybe they have friends we can hire hire. Make your leadership skills come alive."

I could go on and on, but the pictures of our event that follow tell a story more powerful than even ten thousand words could. The sky's not the limit because the universe is infinite… but because YOU keep raising the bar!!! (As the saying goes "don't tell me the sky's the limits when there are already footsteps on the moon!" That's the FSO way of thinking. lol)

FSO USA!

Welcome to the FSO Summer Launch

Celebrating as we pass Statue of Liberty

Strike  pose!

Time to enjoy each other's company

Everyone traveled from afar to join the party

Mitch & his ladies (Crystal, Mitch, Denise and Hope)

Smile and laughter all around

See even more photographs on our Facebook page.

I've seen other workers out there – overlooked, ignored, forgotten in the decades-long transformation of Corporate American. They’re the hourly workers who work in traditional, corporate-run catacomb-like mailrooms of the workplace. Their tasks are vital to business, yet their faces are a blur to patrons and higher-ups.

Once upon a time, any job could be the launch pad for a savvy, bright worker’s rise through the ranks. No longer. Today, these workers are anonymous to many, and often fated to stay that way. 

I will always be that guy in the space who cares enough to take care of the hourly employee from the middle manager down. And that's why our company meeting will never be your father's tired old company picnic.

It was great seeing everyone in NYC! What an incredible and memorable sail! FSO rocked the boat and now we head into the field to rock the competition. 

Thanks to our employees for all you do for us, and to our clients for all you award us the privilege of doing for you.

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"It is never too late to be what you might have been." –George Eliot
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