March Madness

I openly admit it, I'm stealing from Max Perilstein's blog (fromthefabricator@blogspot.com) ... that is, his blog is the inspiration for mine this week.

First, he mentioned basketball ... NBA basketball, but still basketball. With that in mind and the ACC tournament next week, followed by the NCAA tournament, I just had throw in my Go Tarheels! cheer, just this once. The Heels might not be #1, but they are still in the top 10 and Duke is not (and that's really all that matters).

Enough about that.

While March may be the month for basketball, for those of us in the industry who have spent the first couple of months bouncing from one conference or meeting to another, it's also the month when your travel schedule likely slows down a bit. Sure, there's something here or there, but you may find that you get a few more consecutive days at your desk. You've learned a lot over the past couple of months. You've heard interesting speakers and presenters ... maybe you've even picked up a few tips of the trade and best practices suggestions. Now, how will you be using all of your new-found wisdom?

There's a new show on Fox called "Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" And while your first thought may be of course I am, think about it--how often do you use the information you learned in elementary school? The show asks contestants questions like what's the largest species of bear? How many teaspoons are in 5 tablespoons? In the word "unfortunately" what is the suffix? While you may know the answers, you might also have to think a bit to recall them.

Attending an educational conference (like next week's BEC conference in Vegas) can be a similar matter--if you don't use what you learn, that is. These events are a great way to learn not only about the industry, but also about worldwide matters and issues that do affect you and your business. The next time you attend a conference, maybe take just one thing you've learned and find ways to apply it to your daily work practices or those of your entire company. If this is something you've done or do already send me an email and tell me about it.