Sitting In For The Chief Happiness Officer!

The Chief Happiness Officer, Alex Kjerulf, will be off snowboarding in Austria next week and I'm looking forward to guest blogging while he tries out his new Ride board.

No wonder he's happy:-) Alex, have a wonderful holiday!

Keeping with the theme of Alex's popular work--as well as the ongoing series here--the week will be devoted to "Happiness, Satisfaction, and Change."

Since we're all in the midst of change all the time, why not be happy and satisfied?

I hope you'll join me at Alex's blog  as well as here at All Things Workplace.

Quick Update:

I've been absent from the blog for the past week. Two things happened which totally consumed my time:

Techs, Lies, and Videotape

1. I recently "won" with a large bid ($2,950) for a computer on eBay. (I am in the process of setting up a professional recording studio in my home and this had the power as well as the professional software needed--at a great price:-) It was then discovered that the seller was engaged in fraudulent activity. eBay figured it out first and sent me an email as a heads-up. Here's what I (re)-learned:

No matter how well systems are set up to protect consumers, someone will make fraud an art form. The seller had 100+ pieces of feedback with a 99.7% positive rating. Five minutes after I won the bid he emailed then telephoned me. We discussed the software and configuration. He then said that he had another call but gave me his number so I could call him back. To add to the moment, he also informed me that I was entitled to go onto a special website which had video training modules for all of the software. So he gave me a username and password to check it out before we spoke again. I did. It was awesome. When I called him back 15 minutes later he explained that, given the sophistication of my configuration, it would take him about a week to ship it, as he had sold 4 units. I knew that he had, as I had bid on a couple.

When 8 days passed and I hadn't heard anything I emailed. No response. Then called. No answer or machine. It was at that time that eBay contacted me and set things in motion. And here's where the real safety factor comes in.

I had done the purchase using American Express vs. my PayPal account. That was the saving grace. Although PayPal will follow through and prosecute when necessary, you are only guaranteed a reimbursement of up to $200. If the perpetrator isn't found--or is convicted but has spent the money--you're stuck. American Express suspended the charge immediately. So if you're buying an item for more than 200 bucks, use a credit card. Kudos to eBay and American Express.

And yes: the "deal" was, indeed, too good to be true.

Consultant as Project Manager

2. If you are a regular here you know that a large part of my business is consulting and coaching on Change and Leader Development. Last week a client was faced with a situation and asked if I would wear a second hat and manage a specific training project for a specific period of time. I agreed.

For those of you who consult--or use consultants--this is a legitimate role to play, but only with some careful contracting, boundaries, and understanding of all those involved. I've done this a few other times over the years and enjoy it (when we get it right).

So, I'm planning on doing a post on the range of roles that outside consultants can legitimately play, as well as  "how" and "when" they can be effective. I really hope that this will prove helpful to consultants as well as  those who work with them.

Thanks to all who have commented during the past week. I'll be responding shortly.

Have a great weekend!

Comments

[Eric]

Hi Steve, glad to see you are going to guest blog on Alex's site. He and I have talked about doing articles on "happiness vs. contentment."

I can relate to the consulting multi-tasking. I had lunch with a friend this afternoon and she asked what I had been working on. I shared with her 4 projects - each one was unique and different, but all were based upon my experiences. Keeps life interesting, huh?

Hey, I thought I used to be on your blogroll? Guess I didn't make the cut :(

I look forward to seeing your articles on CHO.

Cheers,
-Eric
(WeirdGuy)

[Steve Roesler]

Hey, Eric, good to see you again.

First: Not sure what happened with the blogroll but I have a feeling that you were mistakenly edited. I have someone working on a separate blogroll page listed by category. It should be part of the site soon. In the meantime, I'll re-insert it myself.

Now: As you may be aware, I am a "contentment" guy, too. So expect to see a reference to that sometime during the week.

Thanks for weighing in...