Lots O’Links Thursday

I wanted to share some of the great items I’ve come across this week (all of which I posted comments to):

• Rosa Say inspired me with this post to use off-site retreats as a way to enhance the learning experience for my management group.
• Mike Sansone talked about enthusiasm and passion in marketing, and I commented about how I’ve gotten better at tuning in to “positive vibes”, and how those vibes either pull me in or turn me away.
• Tom Peters shared with us his “Musings: 25 Micro-presentations“, what I called “one heck of a stream of consciousness (about excellence in leadership)”. Read these 200+ pages quickly and you’ll see what I mean. He also expressed his continued amazement at Starbucks and Whole Foods (and of course I agreed).
• Mike Sigers gave us a “Simple Seven Day Plan to Atract More Friends” which I liked a lot, and I offered my own technique that is great at creating a deeper connection with new friends.
• Tom Vander Well threw a bucket of cold water on “best practices” in QA departments, and I piled on with thoughts of my own. We also found out that Tom has been spending some time at Starbucks too (good on you!).
• Liz Strauss likens good blog writing to driving a Ferarri, and presents 6 (plus 1) ways to “get your blog post in the right car and sailing smoothing down the right road”. It’s excellent advice, and I was inspired to add my own driving analogy: “To me, a good blog is like a good Interstate Highway in the mountains – many signs and guideposts, much visual stimulation, lots of room to maneuver and not get slowed down (4 lanes instead of 2), and easy access to other crossroads and viewing points. A not-so-good blog is like a straight 2-lane dirt road that’s flat for 50 miles – bumpy, boring, no signs or guides, and God forbid you get behind a tractor.”