Joe Hackman

Joe Hackman

Digital Transformation, Industry 4.0, Tesla, maker, and more...

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Saving 80% on Wages and Payroll Taxes for New Hires

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An incredible opportunity exists for businesses to hire new employees and get a large percentage of their wages and payroll taxes paid for through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Here are some important points about the program:

  1. It applies to any business and job seeker anywhere in the US.
  2. Some localities have resources that screen the job seekers to qualify their eligibility.
  3. Businesses that receive federal funding do not qualify for these funds.
  4. The program pays 80% of wages and payroll taxes through September 30, 2010.
  5. There is no limit on the number of positions you can fill through this program.

This is a phenomenal opportunity for businesses that are hiring or are thinking about hiring to save a tremendous amount of money and make these hiring decisions sooner rather than later.

Here in the East Bay Area through the efforts of the Tri Valley Business Council, The Tri-Valley Community Foundation, The Pleasanton Weekly and Alameda Country District 1 Supervisor Scott Haggerty a great resource is available at American Family Recovery Project. At this website you can learn more, find new qualified employees, find jobs or provide a source to pre-screen job candidates. They also have a number of related job seeker events and employer information sessions where you can learn more about the program.

The screening process is crucial; employers are not allowed to ask the questions that would indicate eligibility. This is where local resources play a vital role in taking advantage of this program. Here in the Tri-Valley we are very fortunate to have a great resource to help us take advantage of this program. I want to thank Toby Brink at the Tri Valley Business Council for taking the time to explain this program to me. I am looking forward to attending one of the future information sessions and will plan to share more information as it becomes available.

Resources:

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Update Microsoft Office Products – Joe Reviews SB10-074 Cert Report (Video)

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Here is a review of this weeks Cert Advisory. This update contains the infamous Arucer.dll that came with the charging software on the Energizer Duo USB. Also definitely recommend updating your Microsoft Office products if you haven’t recently. This is a weekly feature here at Managed Solutions. If you have questions about this video post a comment here or ask on our Facebook Fan Page.

Turning a critical eye to Hurt Locker and Green Zone

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This week I saw two Iraq war films – Hurt Locker and Green Zone. Both left me with some negative impressions and I wanted to share. Here are a few initial objections to the material:

  1. Military personnel are portrayed as reckless and unprofessional.
  2. Plenty of agenda in both movies, no doubt tapping people’s frustration with war.
  3. In GZ the majority of the characters were morally corrupt.
  4. The biases in both films creates a very negative impression of our service men and women.
  5. Somehow everyone had time to party and grab ass (HL) and hang out in swim suits by the pool (GZ).

I am not saying all of our armed forces are morally grounded and professional but I think the vast majority of them are, there are bad apples in any group of people. I also think that many of the lapses and outrages such as Abu Ghraib have lacked real effort to understand root causes. Recently I listened to a recording of Philip Zimbardo on the psychology of evil that sheds a interesting light on root causes of the abuse at Abu Ghraib. His name may be familiar, he was involved in the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment. I believe you will find his research very insightful particularly how we can prepare ourselves and our children to be prepared to act appropriately when facing stressful situations. I wrote a blog article about this issue last year on my old blog and recently brought it over to this blog after the Haiti quake. I should add Zimbardo’s work to that article.

The vast majority of US service men and women are extremely disciplined and professional. You would not get that impression by watching either of these films which is unfortunate.

So these movies could not be all bad, what did I like about them?

  1. HL used a technique that made me feel a sense of what the characters were feeling.
  2. Both films had dramatic suspense that really held on to my attention.
  3. GZ did include actual real mistakes that should be lessons we should learn from.

Alone and Isolated

As noted in Hurt Locker a cinematic style was used that made the characters seem very isolated and alone even when other support was present. This really made you relate to the sense of isolation and at times desperation the characters were feeling in these stressful situations. This really contributed to the dramatic effect that kept me riveted to the screen at times.

Real Mistakes

In Green Zone they definitely took the non-fiction as well as the fiction. One example was the lack of preparation to prevent the looting that occurred when US forces reached Baghdad. A more profound example was what I think most people now believe was a huge mistake – the disbanding of the Iraqi army. This list would not be complete without mentioning the mistake of bringing in an exile and propping him up to temporarily lead the country. It was useful to be reminded of and to have attention brought to these mistakes.

Take Away

After I filter out the agenda and bias I can summarize my personal take away from these films. As we all know history has a way of repeating and people have a way of forgetting bad things, the two are clearly related. It also inspired me to re-visit Zimbardo’s work and an old article I wrote where I had identified the concept independent of his influence previously.

Support for Our Military Personnel

I want to give a big heart felt thank you to any past or present military personnel that happen to read this post. Thank you for your service.

Some other responses to these films:

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Will this recipe inspire you to live a better life?

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Do you have two to three words to describe your purpose? I do today but I did not for most of my life. Recently I wrote about how I’ve become more social, but something else has also been brewing. I’ve also been finding more purpose and direction in my personal and professional life.

During my foray into a more engaged and social lifestyle these were some of the steps that I took that led me to become more inspired:

  1. Formed a business support group.
  2. Supported more groups making a difference.
  3. Encouraged connections between people.
  4. Opened my mind to inspiration and learning.

Business Support Group

With a number of my clients, friends and my own business facing big challenges in 2008 and 2009 I decided to do something to try to make a difference. The precursor was writing an article for my business website “Success in 2009 from your IT Guy’s Perspective”. Shortly after that was published I decided to form a group with the intention of providing support and encouraging interaction between the members. Eventually this group met and became what I would call a business support group called 1Degree. The One Degree was the number of degrees of separation between the members. Every member has a direct connection with one or more other members. The group provides a supportive structure for people to share ideas and encouragement. I’ve received a number of compliments from members how the support and positivity meant a lot to them during their most challenging time. Many of those challenges persist today but we’re still working together to move forward. This experience gave me more confidence in myself and my ability to make a positive difference in a challenging time. Recognizing that action was especially important when the cards were down.

Support for Groups making a difference

A few years ago I joined the Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotary Club out of desire to give back. It was during a time of unprecedented prosperity in my business. Through this involvement I have kindled a deep passion for helping others. I also met a number of amazing people who work very hard to make a difference in this world and I have aimed to provide them with support in those endeavors. Some of my favorite causes include Asante Africa, The Wheelchair Foundation, Hayward Youth Academy, LN-4, and Trust in Education. I have made an effort to support these groups through Blog Talk Radio interviews, articles, sharing technical expertise and working strategically through Rotary to support their causes. It is incredibly satisfying for me to look back at what has been accomplished and to realize all the great things we can still do.

Encouraging Connections between People

Helping people and solving problems goes hand in hand. I often notice patterns that represent opportunities and try to provide the spark to have that opportunity ignite. This could be as simple as suggesting a website or article to someone but more importantly involves connecting people. This is something I realize in hindsight that I have watched and read about people doing over the years. It is incredibly satisfying to get a report back from two or more people that are benefiting from an introduction that I made. Helping people feels good, this is just another way to help.

Open Mind to Inspiration and Learning

Closing ourselves off is a defense mechanism. Traditionally this is something I quickly would do in a number of situations. For instance if a sales person called me on the phone, I would be annoyed that they were “wasting my time”. It is easy to watch the news and think that people in general are bad. It is hard to have conversations with a lot of people and not think people are good. It can be a challenge to keep an open mind but it is very important because it allows us to learn. Awareness is a powerful tool, being aware of our defense mechanisms allow us to consider new possibilities. One of the best examples I have of this is when a hip hop artist reached out to me on Facebook. He had seen something that I posted and thought it was interesting. He suggested I check out videos on YouTube that he had done. Most of them were not really my thing but one of his videos really connected with me. It involved the loss of someone he really cared about that had a lot of impact in the direct of his life. I experienced something similar in my past when I lost my mother to cancer. This story has repeated frequently since, strange connections leading to enlightenment and personal growth.

Guy Kawasaki and Chris Major

I have to thank Guy Kawasaki and Chris Major for their part in the forming of my personal mantra. Chris for noticing what I was doing and coming up with the actual words and Guy for planting the seed that a 2-3 word statement is much more powerful and important than big long winded business plans, manifesto’s and the like.

A Mantra Recipe

So the simplified version of my recipe, will this work for you?

  1. Start with some confidence and leadership building.
  2. Add several handfuls of causes bigger than yourself.
  3. Blend in some meaningful interpersonal connections.
  4. Add some inspiration and learning.
  5. Infuse the value of simplicity in a message.
  6. Introduce 2 simple words spoken at the right moment.
  7. Simmer for 2-3 days and serve.

My mantra is “Building Bridges”

My personal mantra was first spoken by Chris Major during a conversation at Leadership San Ramon Valley class of 2010 Education day in February 2010. We were having a conversation during one of the breaks from the session. Chris had recently been on my Blog Talk Radio show talking about Hayward Youth Academy. After the interview wheels were spinning for Chris. He recognized that what I do, what matters most to me is building bridges. Whether it is providing support for causes locally or around the world, connecting with unlikely new friends, teaching my son, or using technology to fill gaps in businesses – Chris was right, I am in the bridge building business. It had to simmer for a few days, but once it had it was ready for consumption.

I hope this helps you find inspiration, ideas or in some way live a better life.

I will close with the original You Tube video by Guy Kawasaki that talks about the importance of a Mantra vs a Business plan. I’ve in turn adapted this to the difference between a manifesto and a mantra in your personal life.