by Gary Mintchell | Dec 31, 2015 | Commentary, Internet of Things, News
I’ve taken some time during the holidays to get off the daily posting gerbil wheel to study even more deeply into the Industrial Internet of Things.
You may ask why. Every analyst firm now has an IoT practice. They do consulting of one sort or another. But, many are constrained by their models. I’ve seen some of the analyses. I think I can contribute.
Last week just before Christmas, PTC announced acquisition of Kepware to deepen its Internet of Things offering. I’ll have a longish analysis to kick off the New Year Monday.
The Internet of Things is a strategy, not a thing. It is described by an ecosystem, not a product.
A look at the 30-year history of the company reveals that it has grown by acquisition. First within its (then) core technology from CAD to modeling. Then into PLM. Then a Retail practice. Then it developed a services platform. None of these were core to my coverage, so PTC is not a company I’ve followed closely.
Then Jim Heppelmann, CEO, caught the Internet of Things virus. Meanwhile, the ThingWorx developers had a cool technology and cast about looking for a focus. Ah, it perfectly fits within the Internet of Things. Seemed like a fit, and an acquisition was consummated.
Following ThingWorx (2014) was Axeda–a company that itself had undergone more than one transformation. Then ColdLight helped complete the portfolio with its analytics engine.
I’ve consulted with a few companies and talked with others who wanted to jump into the Internet of Things by simply bolting on a product acquisition. They thought maybe just adding sensors (the “things” of the IoT, right?) they would be and IoT company. Or maybe a networking company.
No, PTC has the right idea. It remains to be seen if it bought the best technologies and if they can make them work together. I’ve seen companies fail at that point.
More later.
Meanwhile, I hope your 2015 was successful and that your 2016 will be one of personal growth and success.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 9, 2015 | Marketing
If I haven’t seemed my usual prolific self, business has gotten in the way. Next week I’ll be at Emerson Exchange and life will start getting back to normal.
We constructed this Website to support advertising, but I decided not to directly sell advertising. That despite the fact that page views and click throughs are not bad relative to other sites.
All of a sudden, I got swamped.
Part of my work (hint) is individual research and analysis of pieces of the market. People seem to like my analytical capabilities. I have a couple of contracts that have kept me busy.
My long-time part-time job is assigning soccer referees to high school contests. This year has seen more changes and problems than ever before. I’ve always dealt with sportsmanship issues, but this past week has just about seen a record.
I also work with companies on various aspects of marketing–social media, inbound ideas, messaging, focus points (another hint). Some of that picked up.
Finally, I began to do a little angel investing. One of my investments needed marketing help–so, there I am learning the consumer side of Facebook for marketing. Check out High Grounds Cafe on Facebook.
Looking forward to some good industry news from Denver next week. Maybe I can try stirring up something that I didn’t from Sacramento a couple of weeks ago. I also have a pile of stuff to digest, analyze and report on. Coming soon!
Have a great fall weekend (or spring for my Brazilian friends).
by Gary Mintchell | Jun 8, 2015 | Education, Leadership, News, Productivity
Mention Dilbert and the picture of smart, but socially inept, engineers mocking managers and executives pops immediately into mind. Being slightly self-mocking, Scott Adams, who created and draws the cartoon, Adams described himself who:
- is not a very good artist
- not a very good businessman (has more than 36 failed businesses)
- is never the funnies guy in the room
- yet, he’s good enough at all to build a successful business
Adams gave the motivational/personal development keynote at Rockwell Automation TechED on June 2. Some of these keynotes are worth reporting, and since I am interested in personal development both for myself and as a coach, here are some takeaways.
It’s easier to mock people that it is to come up with great ideas. Well, I guess we all have experienced that one. I just listened to a podcast with Andy Stanley who said that the word How can kill many a bold initiative and leader.
Advice almost never works. We have all given advice–to our kids, parents, bosses, direct reports. And how has that worked for you? I thought so….
Goals are for losers. What is the last goal you have set? Lose 20 lbs.? Get fit? Get more productive? How did those work for you? Replace goals with systems. Don’t say I want to lose 20 lbs. Develop a system (or I would call them habits) that guides you on your way to a healthy lifestyle and body. Have a system for how you eat, train, work, play.
Passion is overrated. Ask successful people what got them to the top, often they’ll boil it down to passion. Passion for the product, or the customer, or the company. Many factors actually contribute to success. Adams suggests substituting energy for passion. That’s one I especially like. What are we doing to enhance and sustain our energy? Food, rest, exercise, focus.
Luck can be manipulated. There exists a definition of luck as “where preparation meets opportunity.” Adams would go somewhat beyond that definition. He says change the game. If everyone has a similar approach, what can you do to change the game. He took his variety of talents, kept adding little pieces, and eventually hit on a winning formula. What can you keep adding to your portfolio that changes the game for you?
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 13, 2015 | Leadership, Productivity
Last week I was driven to complete a lot of work in preparation for leaving town for a week. My energy level shot up several notches in intensity. My productivity was at a new level I haven’t seen for a while.
Much important work was accomplished. Items disappeared from my to do list at a gratifying pace.
Physicists know that energy is the underlying physical force in the universe. We know that energy is an underlying force for success in our lives.
Time management skills are good. Especially when tied to thoughtful construction of to do lists. But those skills don’t get things done. They organize you. Doing gets things done. And to do requires energy.
Ramping up energy has amazing benefits. After three days of higher personal energy:
- My weight finally dropped below the plateau
- My meditations, being active, brought more insight
- Things got done
- A consulting session with a client was fruitful
- I was able to work through a travel schedule crisis calmly and effeciently
I teach young (and old) soccer referees to show energy on the pitch. When the players see that you have energy, they respond. They respect referees who are working hard. When you exhibit great energy, you’ll be in better positions to make better calls. You’ll manage the game better.
Same with our life in general.
That was good yesterday. Now what about tomorrow?
by Gary Mintchell | Mar 11, 2015 | Leadership, Productivity
Last week I was driven to complete a lot of work in preparation for leaving town for a week. My energy level shot up several notches in intensity. My productivity was at a new level I haven’t seen for a while.
Much important work was accomplished. Items disappeared from my to do list at a gratifying pace.
Physicists know that energy is the underlying physical force in the universe. We know that energy is an underlying force for success in our lives.
Time management skills are good. Especially when tied to thoughtful construction of to do lists. But those skills don’t get things done. They organize you. Doing gets things done. And to do requires energy.
Ramping up energy has amazing benefits. After three days of higher personal energy:
- My weight finally dropped below the plateau
- My meditations, being active, brought more insight
- Things got done
- A consulting session with a client was fruitful
- I was able to work through a travel schedule crisis calmly and effeciently
I teach young (and old) soccer referees to show energy on the pitch. When the players see that you have energy, they respond. They respect referees who are working hard. When you exhibit great energy, you’ll be in better positions to make better calls. You’ll manage the game better.
Same with our life in general.
That was good yesterday. Now what about tomorrow?
