Comments

Tom, set a goal to reduce your carbon footprint.

Deliver one presentation a quarter via video conferencing - learn to use another tech tool. Give some lucky customer a great deal (no travel costs, less of your time). As you get better with that tool, try and increase to one a month.

I agree that it isn't the same as being there in person, but you gotta admit there is some percentage of your work that could be done that way?

Posted by Dave Holland at March 30, 2009 4:10 PM

Carbon smarbon - like at many places - around here we suddenly/randomly fire someone with: " ... yes we have your company car ... and now you can walk your fat backside down to the unemployment office little Ms. Perfect carbon footprint ..."

Peace - & global cooling.

Posted by C Love at March 30, 2009 6:00 PM

Wow! It's great to be in so many places; the so few days is something else altogether. But you did it!

Loved the clip--too funny and so very true!

Posted by Judith Ellis at March 30, 2009 7:27 PM

Legendary effort!

Posted by Ben Young at March 30, 2009 7:52 PM

I almost felt like I was watching the Bon Jovi video, Dead or Alive, from the 80's as I was reading this post (when MTV was actually playing videos). Watching Bon Jovi board the plane, taking showers post show, collapsing on a stage in whereverland. Thanks for the nostalgia.

Posted by Scott Peters at March 30, 2009 8:37 PM

Whingeing about being 5 minutes late in boarding the plane strikes me as a classic case of focusing so much on the detail that you've forgotten the objective. When I fly, I want to get from point A to point B safely and on time. If you worry about boarding times or when the plane pushes back etc, I really think you've rather missed the point.

BTW, re laundry. My wife got us a magic box. I've no idea how it works but I put my dirty laundry in it and a few days later, the clothes reappear in my wardrobe, washed and ironed. It's amazing. I'll ask her to send you the details...!!!

Posted by Mark JF at March 31, 2009 2:14 AM

Watch out that VT doesn't turn into DVT. Take care of yourself.

Posted by RobCH at March 31, 2009 4:55 AM

Rob, you've got me: DVT??

Posted by tom peters at March 31, 2009 5:57 AM

DVT--Deep Vein Thrombosis, or a lower leg blood clot. Very painful and potentially dangerous if it moves upward toward the heart. It used to be called "economy class syndrome." From personal experience, I can vouch for the fact that you do not want anything to do with a DVT--ever.

I was recently scheduled on a flight that ended up being canceled due to mechanical problems. I was lucky enough to get a seat on the next flight and one of the 1st class passengers was bitterly complaining about being downgraded to coach because of the cancellation. So, he could have kept his 1st class seat and waited until the next morning or left one hour late and sat in (the horror!) coach for two hours with the rest of us. He chose the earlier flight and then made sure we all knew exactly how unfair it all was for him. Poor baby.

Posted by Useless Sam Grant at March 31, 2009 6:52 AM

Purely on a techie basis, DVT isn't restricted to the lower leg although this is by far the most common source. It can also occur in the thigh or arm. The body usually breaks the clot down itself but sometimes needs anti-coagulants to help out; complications occasionally occur of which the worst is when the clot (or part of it) moves towards the lungs and blocks a pulmonary artery, causing an embolism. (Note that blood clots in the superficial veins, which lie just under the skin, are known as superficial phlebitis and shouldn't be confused with DVT.)

Posted by Mark JF at March 31, 2009 7:06 AM

More miles than what some of us might log in an entire decade.

Did I imagine that "Geronimo!"?

Jay, Bangalore

http://ideaburger.blogspot.com

Posted by Jayakumar Hariharan at March 31, 2009 7:42 AM

DVT: very painful and very critical. Sometimes requiring surgery to remove, and usually a 6-month stint on Heparin or Coumadin, sometimes Plavix.

Tom, I teach my students their priority list should look like this:

1. YOUR personal health and well-being
2. Health and well-being of your emotional support (family, friends, loved ones)
3. Personal survival (usually meaning one's career - the ability to keep one clothed, fed and housed).

You cannot give from an empty cup. Putting yourself first is neither selfish nor ignorant. We, your readers, selfishly want you around for another few decades at least... so please take care of YOU.

Posted by Gayle at March 31, 2009 8:55 AM

Sam, Mark and Gayle have marvellously explained my code and the thought behind it. Many thanks.

Posted by RobCH at March 31, 2009 9:07 AM

Good Morning Tom and I hope you're catching up on your sleep-

Have you seen

http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/

this morning? Paul Levy, President and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, has hosted a Grand Round of blogs on the subject of medical errors and their lessons. I thought it'd be right up your alley, as it's another version of listen to the customer.

Posted by Lois Gory at March 31, 2009 9:55 AM

Needless to say I support the comments about Tom looking after himself and working to avoid DVT and indeed other health problems. We all need to do that. There is also a need to recognise that some people’s work ethic is higher than others. Some thrive on work and I suspect are more susceptible to health problems if they slow down too much – that’s un-researched of course - just a feeling I have. Listen to your own body is great advice. What motivates us at work is intriguing. All of us have custom criteria about our ‘work’ motivation. In another comment stream on this Blog I support Scott and Paul who say we need to carefully think about whether we wish to work our ‘whatnots’ off for lousy bosses who don’t care for their employees. I won’t work for such bosses. Conversely, any boss who gives me respect will always get 100% and then some from me. And that, I think, is a healthy option.

Posted by Trevor Gay at March 31, 2009 10:13 AM

Tomorrow could be a bad day, but I have a pacemaker, and given some issues that up the odds of a clot I take a blood thinner. On top of that I wear compression socks when I fly--EVERYBODY SHOULD!!!!!! Finally, especially on long flights I take a walk about every hour-and-a-half.

Posted by tom peters at March 31, 2009 1:52 PM

Tom,

My son sent me one of the U Tube videos called "Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy". Your quip about Americans being critical of Luthansa reminded me of it. I think you would enjoy it and have your spirits lifted at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jETv3NURwLc

Posted by Mark at March 31, 2009 2:27 PM

god, you have such an interesting life!

Posted by suzie at March 31, 2009 11:04 PM

It was absolutely brilliant to hear Mr Obama in London this morning talk of his belief in the ‘very special relationship’ between the UK and the US. I suggest Britain has always been the staunchest of all allies to the US. Long may that continue as far as I am concerned. I feel privileged to have a number of great friends in the US. When I hear your new President talk in such warm terms about my own country I have sense of great pride. To learn from each other; understand each other; help and support each other seems a great place to start from whether we talk about nations or individuals. Mr Obama inspires far more confidence than his predecessor. It is like a new dawn. It is not about who is the senior partner – it is about working together. I’m convinced Mr Obama has the potential to be the leader who changed the balance from an obscene worship of money to the care, development and support of people. I certainly wish him well from this side of the pond.

Posted by Trevor Gay at April 1, 2009 8:15 AM

Having been up early this morning, I caught the press conference with President Obama and Prime Minister Brown. I thought both men did a fine job. It seems that President Obama only had a flight from Washington to London and he appears to have caught some sort of bug. Maybe TP can consult with him about best travel practices, including those compression socks which, while they maybe good for all, I would imagine most women do not wear. They don't sound very fashionable and we are often so very fashion consciousness. :-) Speaking of fashion, I loved the First Lady's very soft simple spring look. Her power is within.

Posted by Judith Ellis at April 1, 2009 9:43 AM

Economy - Business - First class all get the same air.
Even if the pricing difference exists between the classes, the chances of infected airways (Sinus infection) are equal.

Just make sure you walk around and drink more water than on the ground (don't drink alcohol in order to avoid jet-lag).

Posted by LEADSExplorer at April 1, 2009 3:55 PM

Hi everyone,

Surely travel (whether for business or vacation) should evoke great memories not a litany of complaints?

I started thinking about this as I read this post and the accompanying comments. It immediately brought to mind a tour of Europe I did in winter with Christmas break in Prague now that is heavenly right there(elapsed time well over 3 months). I was there primarily to run a series of 3 day workshops on organisational/culture change in Paris, Berlin, London, Dublin, Geneva, Madrid, et al... I had a constant cold which developed into a flu that I could not shake - I was about as sick as I could be without going to hospital and yet working long, long, long hours and loving every moment of it.

After finishing my day and debriefings with clients over a meal I was finally free at around 9-10 pm so I went for long walks in Paris - going up the Eiffel Tower (http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/) around closing time every other night because it was so exhilarating, or just being on one of those bridges watching the long boats in full party mode slipping beneath you. The pubs of Dublin joining in the singing, crowds in the streets in Madrid around mid-night playing street soccer with 8-9 year olds, going to West End of London to mingle with the theater going crowds full of excitement and great conversations, or a meal with course participants in Geneva's suburbs...

To me any form of travel is a gift to us from the Gods whether we are working or at leisure.

Here are 3 suggestions of simple trips that will leave you with life long memories - guaranteed! The carbon debt from these trips are mainly in the air travel to get to and from your home to these locations. But these carbon miles can be offset by your actions within the rest of your life - make yourself a carbon cop for your own consumption of electricity, etc at home/work/leisure and you will still have a good carbon profile.

1) The Amalfi Coast from Positano to Ravello, Italy

2) Driving the Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia.

3) Highway 1 from San Francisco to Los Angeles, US

I am already dreaming about a wonderful trip to Spain and France to enjoy the food there cooked by the best chefs in the world - wow life is good even in these troubled times of economic paradigm shifts!

Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at April 1, 2009 5:08 PM

RL - surely they will be rioting in the streets upon your return to Europe - whether you all partake of a gourmet snack &/or mix with royalty. best deal for viagra

" ...series of 3 day workshops on organisational/culture change in Paris, Berlin, London, Dublin, Geneva, Madrid, et al..."

Please - you simply must tour again with "g" & report back about grandiose free enterprise / digital 3.0 triumphs & luxury travel lifestyle.

Peace & love. :>)

Posted by C Love at April 1, 2009 6:13 PM

The Trevor Gay comments are in the love spirit I support & we shall NOT feel that Mr. Gordon Brown is a lapdog, minion & USA hand puppet - as the 2009-11 heart, soul & wealth is torn from the British & deposited in USA Swiss accounts. Many times if I recall, young Trevor has praised Margaret Thatcher while being critical of all things Labour. (Paul Johnson, eminent British historian and author "Lessons for Obama from Britain" Forbes magazine April):

"The Labour party inherited a strong economy. It is poignant to recall that in Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's time there was the serious possibility of Britain's being able to abolish its income tax and pay off its entire national debt. This was not an inconceivable feat--indeed, the U.S. actually retired its national debt during Andrew Jackson's presidency.

But now, after more than a decade of New Labour's being in power, the British economy is in ruins. The pound sterling has fallen. No wonder. The national debt has risen to a three-decade high of 49% of GDP and is increasing rapidly. The budget deficit is also at a historic high, and deepening. The tax yield is falling fast, so taxes, including income tax, will have to be increased. But who is to pay them?

Jobs are quickly disappearing, and unemployment is likely to reach more than 3 million this year, a huge figure for a country the size of Britain.

The eastern Europeans--who until recently had been flocking to Britain to fill its need for skilled labor, especially plumbers, electricians and carpenters--are going home. Last September there were some 300,000 French young people in London, enjoying its rich cultural life, social freedoms and booming labor market. They have now vanished.

During the boom years London's financial center, known as the City, expanded to become the leading such center in the world. But the financial sector--by far the country's biggest industry, both in terms of value and in the numbers of people employed--is contracting fast. There are more unemployed bankers in London than anywhere else on earth

The chief problem facing British businesses is the maze of oppressive government regulation New Labour has signed into law. These laws particularly affect conditions of employment--the right to hire and fire; safety and health in the workplace; maternity leave, which now applies to men as well as women; and countless other aspects of work. According to one calculation, New Labour has created more than 20,000 new offenses, most of which apply to industry and commerce. It has also created 1.25 million public-sector jobs, mainly in inspectorates and in supervisory positions to ensure that companies observe the new regulations or, if they don't, are punished

In truth, New Labour has made it as legally difficult as humanly possible to build up a flourishing firm. This is the root cause of the pessimism and gloom that now blankets Britain. The one consoling thing is that New Labour, by all measurements, is heading for one of the most catastrophic electoral defeats in British history."

Love/peace & fish & chips. :>)

Posted by C Love at April 1, 2009 6:36 PM

C Love.... Great to hear from you.... I actually thought that "g" & "little old me" could open up a US style fast food chain called "The Polish Deli". Our Deli would be different - you knew that was coming - because the whole business would be Web 3.0 (Semantic Web) literate from the get go.

I will leave it to Louis CK to describe just how this business will work because it was his idea in the first place. In less than 30 seconds Louis CK describes my "perfect" digital age business model - please note it has no brands, no management, it is simplicity personified, and it requires no loans from the US Federal Reserve... see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2HekMK77D4

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Please stay well and stay happy - catch you next time you are over on Twitter, Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at April 1, 2009 8:22 PM