from The Four Phases of Implementation by Jacques Murphy:

Through the four phases of an implementation, the morale of those participating in the project takes a predictable path. It is this morale that is necessary to the success of your project. The more morale can be increased, the more successful your implementation will be viewed. Understanding the four phases helps you manage and cultivate the high morale you are aiming for.

As my friends know, I have switched completely to the Mac. I just got tired of fixing Windows all the time. I love the Mac vs PC commercials-- they're the only ones I watch on TiVo. I even check them out online on Apple's web site (which is actually kinda sad, isn't it?) I find I enjoy the spoofs on YouTube almost as much as the originals.

But I have to say, my new favorites are the ones for Linux, especially this one and this one. I assume that Novell is behind the series. If not, they should be; if so, good job! It reminds the rest of us that Linux may actually be a plausible alternative and also that Novell didn't disappear with the demise of Netware. Hmm, maybe it's time to convert my old Dell to Linux!

Anne Fisher explains why women get paid less in Fortune:

"I think that women's unwillingness to "rock the boat" is a big reason why, according to the Economic Policy Institute, the wage gap between college-educated women and their male counterparts has actually gotten bigger since the mid-'90s. A decade ago, women earned 75.7 cents for each dollar paid to a man. Now it's 74.7 cents.

Our product management salary survey challenges the perceived discrepancy between compensation for men and women, at least in technology businesses. Whether the discrepancy exists or not, we should all embrace these 6 tips. As your father probably said, you rarely get what you don't ask for.

I just got around to reading a few issues of Deliver - a magazine for marketers. Since I don't do much direct mail any more, I haven't been in too much of a hurry to read them. But the magazine offer some really good techniques and success stories of marketers using direct mail. And that's good for whom? Of course, the post office! And guess who sponsors the magazine. Good guess. The post office. I think the US Postal Service has done a fine job of thought leadership marketing without blatantly pushing a postal agenda.

It's like when Campbell's reminds us that "soup is good food." They don't need to mention the Campbell's brand because, with 80+% marketshare, they'll benefit the most when we all go buy some soup. And with a virtual monopoly on direct mail, who will we use when we decide to use some of the great techniques in Deliver?

What are your marketers doing to get your message in front of buyers? Your company's thought leadership vehicle could also be good exposure for product managers and product marketers.

Active listening is about more than gaining understanding. Active listening is about giving. Giving assurance that you understand someone's needs. Giving confidence that you will address those needs. Giving feedback and acknowledgement that someone's input is valuable. If you haven't tried active listening, you may think it is a passive, receptive activity. Here are ten active listening skills that will help you, your customers and your team from Tyner Blain.

Bob looks at requirements: different types of goodness:"As I consider a raft of requirements from both inside and outside the organization, I'm struck by the motivations behind them. Some features are suggested because 'they'll make money'. Others because 'they complete the product'. Still others 'are really, really important to customer x'. Competitors dictate some, preferences of developers others, and executives still others. The list of sources is as long as my arm, which truth be told, is rather on the longish side."

An old Danish proverb states: He who builds to every man's advice will have a crooked house. As Bob points out, choice involves focus--focus on a segment, focus on a persona, focus on a set of problems for a persona in a segment.

The more we listen to everyone, the less we actually seem to accomplish for anyone. The question for your next MRD is what type of customer do we want to delight?--and who are we not going to focus on, at least not this time?

WeaKnees Blog reports that TiVo and Earthlink Announce Partnership: "Here's one that seems to be a bit out of left field: Earthlink will bundle TiVo services with its DSL lines. If you opt for the package, you'll get access to Amazon Unbox."

Partnerships should extend our reach in technology, promotion, or sales channel. Both partners should benefit. And most important, the customer should get a better solution from the combined offering that can be achieved independently.

Is this a partnership of desperation between two companies fearful of the big tumble? Or does this make sense? TiVo needs to cement their relationships with the media providers, not internet providers. What's the benefit of this partnership to clients? None that I can see.