JoeAyer.com

Being a Dad

2011-03-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight I got to experience the awesomeness of being a Dad. Don’t get me wrong every day of my 11 years of being a father have been great. Sometime exciting, sometimes scary, and always an adventure. Today between a light cleaning of the house, going to church, having the cable guy come out twice to fix the cable and working on science projects with the girls and writing my own paper for school, I somehow had time for a little bit of reflection on being a Dad. Tonight the oldest had a tough time going to sleep. I found myself needing to cuddle her to get her to calm down and fall asleep. While I laid there I realized that she is growing up, but she still needs her Daddy. I serve as the protector, comforter, teacher and leader. How I carry myself, sets the tone for her in the future. I am so luck and happy to be a Dad, but I also have a huge responsibility. I think I have always known it was there, but tonight I realized I need to focus on it more.
-J

Top ten things I learned in Montreal Canada

2010-06-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

Top ten things I learned spending some time in Montreal Canada

10. The McDonalds golden arches do not always have to be golden in Canada, but the food tastes the same.
9. People in Montreal like to walk and ride bikes. In fact you can rent a bike from a machine for $5 and ride around, just like a Redbox DVD. http://www.bixi.com/
8. Most people speak French and English (except the guys at dairy queen, they only spoke French)
7. American money and Canadian money are currently trading straight across one for one.
6. I do not think there are any fat people here in Canada. Canadians eat well, and the food does not seem low fat, but nobody seems to be fat. Must be all of the bike riding and walking.
5. There is a rich history here in Canada. Lots of old buildings and cathedrals and art in public places.
4. There are many food places in Montreal. You can get just about anything, but it helps to be able to read and speak French.
3. Canadians do not seem to like ice. Any time I order a coke or even water, the restaurant does not have ice. Weird, maybe it is all of the snow in the winter??
2. If you want to stay at a nice hotel the Place de Armes in Montreal is wonderful. Website: http://www.hotelplacedarmes.com/ Turn down service every night, Jacuzzi bathtubs in the rooms and overall just very nice.
1. The only people I have heard say eh! Are the homeless people on the street asking for money or making snide remarks to women as they pass.

I highly recommend visiting this city. You will enjoy your time. I did not get to take an official tour, but I did do some bike riding and saw lots of the town. For more info check me out on Twitter. www.Twitter.com/joeayer

Dad got a new computer

2010-01-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

Look out Dad has a new computer

Recently my Dad got a new laptop. This was amazing to me as I have been on him for years to get something new that would allow him to communicate with the rest of the world including my kids, his 3 grandchildren, in California. He was one of the only people that I had even heard of that changed the internal clock battery in his previous 15 year old e-machine. Of course he was still on dialup in living in the great state of Georgia, even though many of his neighbors had broadband and wireless routers that they offered to share.

Saturday Dad and I and the kids had a Skype call. This was a huge eye opening experience for my dad. He was able to see and hear his grandchildren and vice versa. This opportunity to interact with them in a way that he has not been able to do for a couple of years, was great.
While plane tickets are expensive, this has become a great alternative to more regular visits.

Dad, thanks for getting a new computer, now we have to get you on facebook!!!!!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

2010 here we are. What is your New Year resolution? Loose the pounds? Get more fit? Eat better? How about spend more time with family and friends? Recently I have seen friends and acquaintances that are fighting cancer, it has caused me to pause, and thing about how our time here on earth is finite, and we must live each day to its fullest. One of my friends Lynn had Hodgkin’s/Lymphoma 8 years ago and now is fighting breast cancer. She is only 39!!! Matt is a pastor in TX has three kids a wife in his early thirties and has a brain tumor. It was found after he had a sudden and unexpected seizure after the Thanksgiving holiday. Lynn and Matt are healthy, normal people, which within a matter of day are now in the fight of their life.

How sad, but I would tell you that both of these people would say do not be sad for them. Instead, try to be educated and realize that life is a gift. This is my New Year’s theme, live life to its fullest. Not to be sad for what I do not have, but to be thankful for what I do have.

So with this in mind…. I ask you….are you focusing on what is important? I mean really important and lasting. I challenge all of us to make each day count, volunteer, donate blood or money, sign up to be on the bone marrow registry or to be an organ and tissue donor.
Have a Happy New Year!!!

-J

P.S. You can check Lynn’s blog at http://lynnhowes.blogspot.com/ or subscribe to Matt’s Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/MattChandler74.

A Great Podcast

2009-12-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

Today as I drove from one place to another I listened to a great podcast with Chuck Swindoll. This was brought to me via the Catalyst Podcast which is a great regular listen. Check it out at www.catalystspace.com. I think you will enjoy the ongoing wisdom that Dr. Swindoll shares with young leaders.

Help me with my research project get a free audio book

2009-11-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

Hello,

As I complete my schooling, I am doing a research project. Would you please consider taking this survey for me. In return I have a link at the end to a free audio book on leadership. Thank you in advance.
Click Here to take survey

Trailmix.net

2009-10-26T21:15:00.001-07:00

It has been awhile since my last post. Recently my daughter and I had a great experience and adventure in Old Sacramento. We visited a new store called TrailMix.net. This store is dedicated to families getting out together and having adventures. They had a pumpkin carving activity that day and Claire was able to carve a pumpkin and take it home for free. They also had a great scavenger hunt game to play in Old Sac that not only was fun but taught us some history. I was thoroughly impressed with Mike and Sarah the owners and their three kids. This was truly a family business and I would recommend that you go check them out. For those of you that are not in the area, check out their website trailmix.net which you can experience much of what they offer in their store. Mike and Sarah thanks for a great experience for my daughter and I, you guys are great!!!!

Why I do what I do...

2009-05-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

Recently at my job I was able to meet a great lady. Her name was Angela Kott. She was blessed with a little boy named Trevor who passed away from Leukemia. His body passed but his spirit lives on. Check out his story and see why I do what I do. www.trevorkott.com

American Cancer Society Relay for Life

2009-04-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Consider supporting me in the Relay for life. Many small donations make for a large donation to help with cancer research. In 2006 I fought Melanoma and won, but education and early detection is very helpful. Let's all kick in to help!!!

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/joeayer

Share your story with me by posting it here.

Tribal Leadership

2009-04-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

It seems like so many times we take leadership for granted. As I have been a practitioner and student of leadership for the last 15 years I have learned many things. In a training that I took in 2005 I met two great guys Dave Logan and John King, who co-authored a book called “Tribal Leadership”. This book is an excellent addition to anyone’s leadership collection. Right now you can even get the audio book for free at the lin below. Check out their website, I hope you get as much out of it as I have. Post your comments!!!!

http://www.triballeadership.net/

Rotary in the Future

2009-03-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to attend a Rotary District Assembly. This event is training for Rotarians to continue to develop their clubs’ membership, depth and ultimately influence to change things in our world. I am honored to be a Rotarian and have been for almost 5 years. Recently I was accepted to serve on my clubs Board of Directors, which is a great opportunity to impact my community.

At this meeting of Rotarians I listened to many programs regarding the growth of rotary and what the future looks like for Rotary. I found it amazing that among all of the Rotarians at this meeting there was probably less than 1% in my age range and nobody in my age range that seemed to hold any type of district wide leadership position. I was amazed. As speakers took turns informing us on how we (Rotarians) needed to embrace technology and the use of it to attract younger members my eyes lit up. I suddenly was paying attention and listening. I started to shake my head in acknowledgement. The speaker got it. As Rotarians we needed to realize that young men and women starting their professional careers, raising families and building their lives are just starting to build their influence and affluence. Generation “x” embraces technology and the use of it in daily life. We use technology to stay connected with others in our friends. This was a huge revelation that this speaker gave to the audience. I was amazed as his candor and his deep understanding of this situation. He was “preaching the gospel” of the generational divide. I hope that from my position and in my work with the Rotary club I will be able to inspire other young people to get involved.

To learn more about Rotary visit http://www.rotary.org/ and get involved in this or one of many other service clubs and or organizations.

BloodSource Donor Awards

2009-03-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

On Sunday March 8, 2009 more than 1500 BloodSource volunteer blood donors gathered to celebrate life and the generous gift that they give to sustain others life. I was amazed of the amazing stories that I was told around my table. One man was a geologist, who gave for the cookies and refreshments; another couple were retired and gave because their now adult daughter was saved through blood transfusion when she was born at only 2.5 pounds. Another man to my right was a former priest who had studied and served around the world and gave because it was the right thing to do. I was amazed by the stories of these donors, and how they came together to celebrate the amazing gift that they give every time they sit in that chair, selflessly, to save the lives of others.

It reminded me again of the American Spirit and how alive and well it is. If you are a blood donor, thank you, if you are not consider becoming one. It takes only a little bit of time and just a pinch in the arm and you will then produce a gift of life.

I am Second??

2009-03-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

Recently while I was browsing the latest edition of Relevant magazine (http://www.relevantmag.com/) I ran across an article about a hard core rocker from the band Korn who had become a Christian. WOW!! I immediately did some fact checking because I was very surprised. As I did the checking I found this tremendous website called http://www.iamsecond.com/ . It is a great website set up with some real interesting testimonials about people that you may not think you would find there. Check it out.

Twitter…The Real "Truman Show"?

2009-02-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

As I have been a new Twitter user I have found that this application is the new “reality series” that that has taken our nation by storm. Forget “The Real World” and “The Batchelor” now you can know what someone is doing all the time in 140 characters or less. You can get your fill of what is going on in someone’s life, and as a user it gets addicting telling others what is going on with you.

All of this reminds me of a movie from 1998 staring Jim Carey titled “The Truman Show”. The premise of this movie was that a child was basically raised by a false world which was turned into the most popular television show on the planet. This television show had hundreds of cameras showing “Trumans’” every move and everyone that Truman interacted with, were actors. He did not know that he was being watched all the time. Like living in a fish bowl.

This idea is a lot like Twitter or even Facebook. “What is Joe doing right now?” We are having social interaction through electronic means. And millions are using these platforms to interact and are actually interested in what others are doing. Amazing. Is this the old theory of people only go to car races to see a car wreck. Do people look to see what others are doing to foster their own superior ego? Why do we care?

I do not know these answers but what I do know is that I am somewhat addicted to what others are doing as well. How does this affect me and my person? Is there a way that people can actually learn from one another? Can we learn more about human behavior by watching each other and knowing where they go to get pizza and where the best web-site is for exercise, and what is going on at the capitol? Can these be useful tools in who we are and what we do?
The big question that remains is how can we use these tools to further our society? Can we use it to further our business, or quality of life? These are the questions. More discussion to come.

Think about it and weigh in.

Executive Coaches

2009-02-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

Whether you are a low level manager or a high powered CEO, executive coaching is all the rage. So what is with this “executive coaching” trend? Can anyone become an executive coach? Can you take an online class to learn how to be one? I must say I was skeptical of an “executive coach” at first, but have found that they have a role in an executive’s life.

During my 15 years of management/executive management work I have seen mentors, coaches, consultants and other types of external helpers that have engaged with a company to help develop the long and short term strategic thinking of their culture. I have seen useful people that play this role and many un-helpful people that play this role.

So what is the secret to finding one that is useful? I think that they must have real life experience balanced with academic proficiency in the area you seek. The coach must have a strong outsider’s view of your organization enabling them to give you real feedback. However they must also hold enough “clout” with you and or your organization to give you the truth even if it is hard to hear and could jeopardize their contract with you.

Some call them consultant, others call them coach, some even call them therapist, I call mine friend. Thanks coach/friend for your interest in me…..

Denny’s

2009-02-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

I found the recent promotion for Denny’s free Grand Slam to be a great success. After seeing the commercials then seeing the lines at the restaurants I thought wow this is great. But then I heard people talking about it around town. People who did not even get the free breakfast. I heard sound bites of the CEO of Denny’s on various news shows saying how they also thought it was successful for a 5 million investment. If you think about it 5 million is a small price to pay for great ads, great brand recognition and some “community” building. It was said that people were orderly in line, enjoying one another’s company, sharing stories etc. etc. When I compare this to the day after Thanksgiving sales and the many terrible things we heard about, what a great American thing to do. Denny’s….My hat is off to you, GREAT JOB!!!

Death by Meeting

2009-01-30T20:36:00.000-08:00

After reading the book Death by Meeting, written by Patrick Lencioni I am intrigued with how many organizations wipe out precious time in unproductive meetings. Meetings serve a vital role in any organization. Whether it is the small non-profit that struggles to survive living check to check or the large Wall Street Corporation meetings are a necessity of life. I think that Lencioni in this book summarizes that we need to stick to a process to handle these meetings for our organizations. Imagine if you had fewer meetings in one day and ones that are more productive. Imagine that after a meeting you have deliverable outcomes that each participant can act upon. With meetings that have meaning and purpose and outcomes we will see organizations streamline, especially in today’s economy. It is time for companies, organizations and groups to consider not doing meetings the “same old way” and begin turning over new ideas and functions for meetings.

If you have not had a chance to read this book I highly recommend it. Read it and see how you can change your mindset around meetings, and watch your organization save time which will equal money.

Bibs, Burp Cloths and Car Wrecks

2009-01-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

The last week has been amazingly busy. Kara is preparing for a show with her business Tini Zucchini, which means that everything is very busy. Kara is fabricating lots of product to show and sell, the kids are continuing to be who they are and I am of course not being very helpful. The house needs cleaning, the cat needs feeding and the dog has to pee.

On top of all of this a kid side swiped Kara and the kids earlier this week, and apparently he does not want to tell his parents and is holding his insurance information hostage. So we have to get serious with the kid, finish the sewing, tame the kids, let the dog pee, feed the cat and I need to figure out how to be more helpful.

Just another week……..

By the way if you are interested in Kara’s business visit her website http://www.tinizucchinibaby.com/

President Elect Obama takes office tomorrow

2009-01-19T20:01:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is a historic day for America. The United States of America swears in its first African American President. Not only is President Elect Obama African American, but he also has a young family and a huge job ahead of him. I am intrigued with the Presidency as an office. I find myself thinking about what happens to the Bush’s? Who moves their stuff? Who moves the new Presidents stuff in? What is it like to be a kid running around the white house and growing up in a fish bowl of sorts? WOW!!!! This is going to be an amazing thing to watch. Not only will our new president need our prayers for the monumental tasks that he has ahead of him but he will need our prayers for his family, I cannot imagine that it is easy to have a 24/7 job and have some family time. I have a semi-normal job and a family and find it challenging to keep everything together.

President Bush, thank you for your service to our country, President Elect Obama my prayers are with you as you become our next president, God Speed.

School starts again

2009-01-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

With the holidays over and life in our society getting back to the normal hustle and bustle I started school again today. A sociology class surrounding organizations and their structures, processes and outcomes which is always a relevant topic today. As I listen to the lecture I think about how this can be applied to business today. Is the professor speaking to us as a practitioner or just as an academic? Does my educational foundation get built upon theories and academia or am I learning about ideas that are relevant to today? Or are both of them interwoven?

I believe being an adult learner that I have chosen a school that is focused on teaching me as an adult learner normally with practitioners of what they are teaching. Tonight’s professor is actually more of an academic, but she is interesting. What I learn is relevant to today’s business environment which I believe helps me to learn.

It is amazing to me to see how much people want to go to school. As I took a break tonight I saw two very well behaved kids in the break room. It was amazing to me that people want their education enough to work during the day, go to school at night and fight for an education with the hopes that it will give them a leg up in society. Even if they cannot get a babysitter, they bring the kids along. Hats off Mom or Dad!! I must count myself fortunate to have a good job, and great family and still be able to go to school to better myself at what I do.

Kyle, The West Wing and 9-11

2009-01-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was able to spend time with just Kyle. We watched a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse marathon and then we had bachelor food and he went to bed. Needless to say a couple of times during Mickey Mouse I fell asleep.

After Kyle went to bed I started my West Wing marathon. I am on season three and it started with a tribute episode to the 9-11 tragedy. I must say that it brought back some emotions from my time with the Red Cross. I remember that day well and the amazing response that was mounted by the Red Cross and many other agencies. I remember the pride I had of working at a place that helped people. I also remember the hundreds of people that came in to give blood at the Chapter I worked at in Whittier, CA and how the nurses all worked without breaks and until they were out of supplies and could not draw anymore blood donations.

WOW!!!! What a great time I had with the Red Cross for 12 years. It all started working to help save lives through blood donation and now I am back working hard to save lives encouraging blood donation with another great blood banking agency.

If you have not given blood lately or volunteered or even considered making a financial donation I would encourage you all of my friends to do so today!!!

2009-01-10T22:13:00.001-08:00

Welcome to my blog. I hope this will be a place where we can exchange ideas on various topics. First a little about me. For the last 15 years I have been in various roles of leadership. From serving on board of directors of non profit organizations to professional life I have studied, lived and breathed leadership. By no means am I an y kind of expert, actually I believe that to be a good leader you have to always continue to learn and experience life.

My life experience has been unique, from working in a leadership position at America's largest disaster response organization (Red Cross) during some of the worlds largest disasters (9-11, Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, Rita, Wilma) to living as a husband (for the last 12 years) and Dad (last 8 years). All have come together to formulate my leadership experience, and now I am having some time to reflect and gather my thoughts. I hope to be able to post weekly topics on different leadership areas that can then be discussed. Please join me.