Mobilize Your Workforce

Expose Yourself

"We have this project," the manager told me excitedly as I handed him my signed offer letter. "It involves making our enterprise web application available via PalmOS 3.5. It's purely a single developer R&D effort at this point, but a huge opportunity for our team and the company. I am planning to assign you to lead it."

There are so many times in life when the impact or significance of a moment is only revealed in hindsight. The above exchange was one of them. It occurred about 12 years ago. Targeting that kind of app for a phone wasn't even on the radar, but there was this promising new version of Java (J2ME) which, when coupled with the leading PDA (personal digital assistant) manufacturer (Palm), suddenly made possible the creation of something really cutting edge.

I didn't have any experience with mobile, but I was willing to take what I did know about software development and see how far I could get with a new and much more (especially back then) restrictive medium.

To say it was difficult would be an understatement. The virtual machine had a memory leak and the only API available was restrictive to the point that I couldn't even reference an image file in the traditional manner (i.e. just pointing to its file on the device via the name). There was the unexpected use of hexadecimal and stress about kilobytes where most desktop programmers weren't sweating wasting megabytes. Object oriented design was sometimes sacrificed for the sake of maintaining the smallest footprint possible.

It was crazy. Looking back at it now, it was completely insane. What a long shot really. Yet we did it. Everything from monochromatic images turned on pixel-by-pixel, to syncing with the desktop (internet via the devices wasn't standard at that time), to efficiently handling large amounts of data. That said, I have seen more difficult challenges since then. We have certainly seen mobile technology advance well beyond what any of us dared dream back in those days.

Which is why, the thing is... It was so great. Being there. Being blind. Pushing the limits. Learning as fast as we could. Days of struggling, then the sweet rush of finally getting it, the solution firmly in hand.

I blame that project for setting the tone of my career. Did I become addicted to that rush? Maybe I did. Seeking out the most challenging projects, the most impossible, in an attempt to get that fix once again? It seems that might be the case. All I know is that the best way to learn anything, to see how far any of us can go, is to just embrace the opportunity to expose ourselves to things never before attempted. It ended up being a good life lesson as well... because if every unknown is only an opportunity to make ourselves better, then we truly have nothing to fear of the unknown.

Passion

"Doesn't it drive you crazy when he yells? How are you able to keep from going off on him?"

I looked at the colleague presenting the question to me in surprise. We had known each other for the better part of a decade before undertaking the project in question. I understood that his inquiry was directed at my known impatience for people's incompetence or lack of accountability. What he didn't understand was that the individual in question was neither incompetent or unaccountable, thus there was very little about his impassioned pleas to the other developers that I found offensive.

Shrugging, I said, "Everyone expresses themselves differently. He's not doing it in front of the customer. He isn't bad-mouthing the company or anyone behind their backs or to their faces. I just see it as a sign he cares about what he's doing."

Let me tell you... I have worked with some passionate people. Early in my career, I might have shunned the kind of behavior that would lead a colleague to lash out over poorly written code or ineffective requirements gathering or an inability to deliver to the customer what was promised... but the longer I worked in this industry, the more I came to realize that those were the very people who would get the work done right every time. The person who is passionate enough to yell when the house is at risk of burning is the same person who cares enough to make sure it's built right to begin with. The two cannot be disconnected.

To be clear, these aren't people who complain all the time or who create obstacles simply for the sake of obstacles or who look at everything as a challenge rather than as an opportunity. Not at all. These are the people who throw themselves into the tasks they care about--both professionally and personally--with a level of dedication that we all ultimately benefit from. At their core is a sincere desire for success for themselves, their team and the product.

I read in an article recently that some of the most powerful people are passionate people. I can tell you from 15 years experience in the IT industry that passionate people are messy. They win hard and they lose hard, they dream big and they fiercely protect their dreams, they idealize and then go to great lengths to realize. They can be unpredictable and overwhelming... but they are also tremendous catalysts, they generate extraordinary accomplishments.

Indeed, passionate people are the only kind of people who have ever changed anything. In a world of overwhelming complacency, theirs is a light I don't mind navigating. Which is why, when I find myself confronted by such a person, I seldom have any reaction except attentive gratitude. And if their fierce passion happens to include the marriage of well-written, innovative code to mobile devices? Then I might also offer them a job.

All In.

JM: Let me know when you have the solution.

The IM came across my screen late at night several years ago. Myself and my team were working insane hours trying to do the "impossible." Despite the confidence of my colleague, I truly had no idea where to find the answer we needed. Given the late hour, my normal dedication to task and to team was also at threat of serious erosion due to  extreme exhaustion. I knew I wasn't alone in that.

When we started that project, we were warned it would be a futile effort. We were told the can of worms we would open trying to improve the customer's situation wouldn't be worth the hassle of dealing with their naivety and lack of cohesive direction.

Sure, sure, we were told, the pay-off at every level--business impact, technological impact, financial impact--could be huge, but the odds? Only a fool would go for them when there are easier projects available with--true--less gain, but also much less risk.

Were those people wrong? Not completely. It was tough. It did test us. We suffered a few late night. We got frustrated with each other, voices may have risen on occasion. Persistence meant digging deep more than once, but laughter was always only a moment away. We learned a whole heck of a lot. And in the end? We not only succeeded, but we blew the odds right out of the water.

I am not ashamed to say I fell in love with those people. We did something great, something I am proud of to this day. I am glad we didn't settle for an easier project or path.

Success is taking the opportunities handed to you. It's listening to the experience of others, striving to learn from their mistakes, but at the end of the day following no one's voice but your own. If there is a whisper which says you can--no matter how faint--you trust that, you follow that... and you won't ever go wrong.

For a CEO...

... and despite the ribbing our hardcore Google\Android developers like to give the company he helped found, Steve Jobs is one person we are awfully sad the world has lost.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

--Steve Jobs,
2005 Stanford University Commencement Speech

Challenge

Justin's issue was with the fact the company continued to employ a separate mobile developer for  their flagship mobile product rather than allowing him to take 100% control (despite his lack of mobile development experience). This was their decision, not mine. I only spoke of my ability, I never spoke against his. His frustration was with them not me, though that was a fact he often forgot.

At every turn, he created challenges for our project. He couldn't attack or get to the mobile code itself, thankfully, but he could--and often did--bog down every other part of the process. As much patience and understanding as I tried to afford him, it was admittedly frustrating. I enjoy my line of work for the real challenges--implementing new, innovative, robust technologies--not the manufactured ones.

I found myself looking for ways around involving him in the project. This meant looking for new methods of achieving the same old things, shifting as much responsibility as possible away from his unpredictable behavior. It also meant a fair amount of psychology 101 referencing when we did have to interact. A lot of deep breaths. For all I know, someone may have truly lied to him about the role he was going to play.

At the time, I hated it. I wanted to focus on architecture and development of a really cool app. Instead I was babysitting an unstable colleague while trying to safeguard our efforts against his passive aggressive bull shit (pardon my language, I feel strongly about potential sabotage).

In the end, for our efforts and despite his, the project was a success.

Also, it turns out, maybe I owe Justin a bit of gratitude. I saw a movie based on true events some time ago about an individual who was confronted with a horrific injury. Even after everything they endured, one specific person continued to give them a hard time. Toward the end, the main character says to the antagonist, "Thank you for never taking it easy on me. It means a lot to me."

I thought of that project and that individual who created so many unnecessary difficulties. Then I stopped focusing on him, but on what it brought to the surface in the rest of us: patience, fortitude, innovation, humor. So--in life, in business, in relationships--what a blessing those who support us are, but--also--what an equal blessing those who challenge or doubt us are. They provide us the opportunity to grow and to better ourselves. To prove to ourselves and to life how bad we want it. Which ultimately only makes the victory that much sweeter.

Serving the Customer

I've only had someone threaten to fire me once. I was in my early twenties, working as a server at a popular high-end steakhouse. It wasn't my primary source of income, but a job I had taken to help me more quickly reach some personal goals I had at the time.

A couple was seated at one of my tables during supper rush. The husband ordered filet mignon, stating, "No bacon--Please ask them to remove it before cooking because if they remove it afterward I can still taste it."

I passed his request along. When the food came up, I saw the cook remove the bacon after it was already on the plate. I mentioned it. I was told by the manager to serve it anyway because the customer wouldn't know, so I took it out. He called me back over within a few minutes to say that he could taste the bacon.

While I had been willing to deliver the food on my supervisor's orders, I wasn't going to lie to the customer. I apologized and told him I would have them cook another. When I mentioned it to the manager, he said they could have another one, but they would have to pay for it.

I was baffled. He knew the customer was right. We had both seen the cook remove the bacon after the steak was cooked. There was no way I was going back and telling the customer they had to pay for our mistake. It was just wrong. Unfortunately, I also couldn't make the manager credit the cost of the second steak. What I could do, though, was take the cost of the second steak out of my tips for the night... In other words, pay for it myself. I suspected the customer would reject that offer so my plan was to let them believe the restaurant had simply done the right thing.

When I suggested this approach to my manager he told me if I did that he would fire me.

Shocked, I asked, "You would fire me for trying to make the customer happy and the restaurant look good?"

He nodded. It occurred to me this likely had more to do with his injured pride (his cocky assurance the man wouldn't know any different) than with restaurant policy. I let it go, but went ahead with my plan. I let the customer believe the restaurant had comped the second steak by ringing it up on a separate ticket (so it didn't show up on their bill) that I then covered when I cashed out at the end of the night.

As far as I know, my manager was never the wiser. I avoided getting fired, though it wasn't too long after that I moved on. A year or two later the restaurant closed. I have some guesses as to why. I learned some valuable lessons from the experience though:

First of all, if you tell the customer you can meet their needs\requests, then you have an obligation to do everything in your power to follow through with that commitment. Second, when you can't or fall short of the agreed upon expectation, there is no road to remedy that doesn't start with 100% accountability. Third, the last employee any company should threaten is the one striving to do the right thing regardless of the consequences. That's just insane.

The people I work with at Headmost? They are made of similar stuff. We dream big. We do big. But if we ever fall short? You'll hear it from us first. It's about commitment, accountability... and respect.

Welcome to our playground.

Mobile Toolbox

The rental car attendant looked up when I walked back in.

"Do you have any cars with cigarette lighters that work?" I asked.

"You can't smoke in the cars," he informed me.

It had long ago stopped occurring to me that a cigarette lighter had anything to do with cigarette lighting. "I don't want to smoke a cigarette," I told him patiently. "I want to plug in my GPS device"--I held my phone up to emphasize my point--"I can't be the only person whose had this problem."

"Well, you can try some other cars to see if any of them work."

They did not. I was tempted to cancel my reservation to find another company, but it was late and I had too much to do to waste anymore time. It wasn't lost on me, however, that the tasks ahead would require the phone and two tablets on the passenger seat stay charged. Fortunately, I was not without resources.

I sent a text to a friend: How would a cigarette lighter be disabled on a car?

Friend: Fusebox.

Ah. Of course. I pulled over in a parking lot and opened the glove compartment. No owner's manual. Back to the phone. Web browser. Google.

Where is the fuse-box on a 2010 Chevy Cobalt?

Google: Left of passenger floorboard or under hood, driver's side, toward back.

Where is the fuse for the cigarette lighter?

Google: [Fuse diagram]

I popped the hood, took off the fuse-box cover and held my phone close, trying to see in the darkness.

I need a flashlight.

I downloaded a flashlight app, turned it on, then went back to comparing the diagram on the phone to the panel now clearly lit in front of me. I put one of the spare fuses in the designated location and finished the job quite pleased on several levels.

Sometimes mobile technology gets a bad rap--sometimes it deserves it--, but this was such an extraordinary reminder to me of the power we now have at our fingertips. Years ago I couldn't have handled this situation without a whole heck of a lot more trouble. Today--thanks to the availability of information, the creativity of app developers nationwide, the vision of better people than myself--the task turned into nothing more than a 20 minute hiccup in my plans.

Super sweet technology: I'll take it.

P.S. King Soopers stores in Colorado Springs and Denver have been added to Find it Fast Grocery Locator! If you want to suggest your city\grocery chain be next, just let us know!

Then there was the time...

Every grocery chain typically has one or two stores in less than ideal locations. In our early days,  when we were doing the initial analysis and design for Find it Fast, we visited one such store. The building was a stark concrete structure with no windows. Despite being the middle of the day, an armed security guard was stationed at the entrance; a few steps inside the door, the customer service desk was positioned behind bullet proof glass.

To say we were all a bit on edge, more alert than usual, would be an understatement. Calling off the entire visit was an idea not far from my lips. I didn't because we had decided the location was important. Find it Fast had to work in every category of store, not just the biggest and the newest. The older ones, in fact, are often the most random in their placement of items, so we persisted.

Then it happened.

I was standing at the back of the store, in front of the butcher window--taking note of the cereal shelves inexplicably to its right--when a tremendous yell resonated to my left. Dread seizing my already wary spirit, I looked up.

A giant Twinkie was running toward me.

This is it then, part of my mind lamented.

A giant Twinkie ran right past me.

I wonder if I should...

A giant Twinkie darted down an aisle to my right.

I decided I shouldn't and turned back to the work at hand.

When we walked out of the store thirty minutes later, we were all a mix of shell-shocked, relieved and a little bit wiser for our time. Nobody said much, everyone staring out their respective windows.

Finally, as I was starting the car, I asked, "Did you guys see the--?"

Still looking out their windows: "Bizarre," "Yeah, that was weird," "He seemed so angry."

We never talked about it again.

The good news for you? With Find it Fast, your time in stores like that should be minimal... unless, of course, you want to know what the screaming Twinkie was about.

Lose Enthusiastically

The other day I was thinking about how much of what I have accomplished in my life has been the result of my not getting what I set out for. In fact most of the roads I have started down with one objective in mind have veered spectacularly off course, leading to destinations I would not have fathomed at the outset. Destinations that have all ended up being successes in their own right, often even better than whatever the original goal was.

I think life can be hard, that sometimes we have to make difficult decisions and accept tough losses, but always in the rubble there are opportunities... if we can just keep our minds and eyes open to them. Sometimes that's really difficult. Sometimes when life hands us lemons the most tempting thing to do is chuck them at the head of the thoughtless jerk who gave them to us to begin with. I mean, really, do I look like someone who wants to take someone else's poo and try to turn it into a tasty beverage? I do not. But...

Headmost was born from loss. In hindsight, no other path could have led us here. I guess all I'm saying--encouraging--is that the next time you find yourself confused, disappointed, facing an unexpected dead end... look again. In my experience, there is always another path, something better waiting to be discovered. Life gives as much as it takes, if we will only let it.

P.S. For those using Find it Fast in the KC market, Hen House has been added and Sun Fresh will be by mid-July. Also, King Soopers in Colorado Springs will be online by end of July! Thanks for your continued support!

Play Hard.

Today was a big day for Headmost for several reasons, not the least of which was the release of the Find it Fast Grocery Locator on the Android Market!

I can't even begin to tell you the stories, friendships and experience this little piece of software has already gained each of us. We have big plans for the future and for this app, including additional cities and an iPhone version. Today is a tribute to the journey that led us here, to the people we have met, to the lessons we have learned, to whatever the future holds.

If you have an Android (2.1+) device and live in our area, click on the image above to play. We would love your feedback and suggestions! If you aren't near us, stay tuned as we will be adding new features and cities\grocery chains in the near future!