The World of Pat Ferdinandi

Here, potential clients could read and decide:

Can Pat help me grow my business?

• Identify multiple new business model options that will work


• Define a new business strategy and strategic plan others can following and act upon


• Uncover internal roadblocks that are preventing change


• Develop a roadmap for my staff to follow and build for the new direction


• Would I be able to help uncover tweaks in your business model?


• Where do you find information to determine if I would be the right person to help you architect, tweak, or communicate a new business strategy, model, or plan?


• Would I be able to:




• Would I be a good mentor for you?


• Would I be a valuable consultant for you?


• Would my speaking topics, tone, and style be good for you?


• Where can I find all those fabulous tips to Engage the Business Community?


• What blogs specifically help the business community communicate their needs to geeks?




• Can I learn from Pat's source of inspiration?


• What do others say about Pat?

1. What Do You Do Now?
a. I'm studying in areas that I need to strenghten for whatever I decide to do next. I've been reading about sales, marketing, and presenting. I want to change direction building upon my successes and failures of the past.
b.I have a passion for learning about business. I love architecting business flows and data to be flexible. What I enjoy most is listening to people and learning their point of view. Consulting the old way no longer fits. I need to market myself directly to CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and CIOs if I wish to continue in this direction or a similar direction.
c. I rediscovered that I love to write. Is my English perfect? No. My sister, a retired English teacher, reminds me of that fact. I have improved and will continue to improve by writing daily (books, articles, greeting card verses, applying to this application, speeches).
d. I run an online greeting card store dedicated to those that live with parrots. I love taking pictures of parrots. I taught myself photoshop, created a blog (in the voice of Scarlet, a solomon island eclectus hen), created an online store, advertising (which was the wrong thing to do but I learned a great deal), and attended trade shows (also not a good idea but learned).
e. Holiday BAKING. You inspired me to use squidoo to pass the baking torch to my nieces (http://www.squidoo.com/holidaybaking). Let's see if they can keep up.

2. Why Do You Do It?
a. I love meeting people and learning about what they do. I love the opportunity to improve a business (large and small). I love working with people encouraging and inspiring them to change their attitude to enhance their career.
b. I have always loved greeting cards. I've been known to find the right cards for people.
c. I love parrots! It's amazing that I am only ruled by one.
d. I love when I act on an idea...growing it into something real. I'm a perfect example of someone that takes an idea from inspiration through to completion.

3. What Are You Hoping To Learn?
a. New ways to engage people to work towards a goal.
b. The digital impact on personal connections/relationships.
c. The ability to build global relationships to work towards a goal.
d. Achieving another idea that I can turn into something real.

4. After You Learn It, What Are You Going To Do With It?
Not sure. I'm not worried about that. My past illustrates that when an idea comes, I act on it. If I don't have enough knowledge, I go out and research and learn. That is how I've published books, started a service and a product business, and created a following. Along the way I've built relationships where I can add value to them.

5. Tell Me A True Story About Making A Change In The World.
My change is by affecting one person at a time...by being a leader by example (including showing my mistakes and failures). My passion about improving the quality of software is based upon building relationship bridges between business and IT. As a manager or analyst, others have come to join the team because they saw my vision and felt my passion. After working with me, they forever changed and continued using my techniques. Each person has grown and continued in the path. How do I know this? I'm still getting emails and holiday cards from people I worked with over 25 years ago. That means I build "relationships." Did this change the world? Yes...one person and project at a time.

One particular true story:
I was on a consulting project inbetween two politically diverse groups. It was not in the best interest for the staff to have it succeed. Yet, the business needed to change to survive. I was hired to be the business architect, reporting to a manager the was interested in following the plan (which was not realistic nor contained any task that described the step-by-step process). I became the leader by default to move the project forward and refocus to achieve a vision I saw as possible.

I was unable to help the team reach the vision within the project's deadline. The political force was too great that I, as the bridge, was blown up. In other words, I was the unicorn that was not allowed on Noah's Arch titled "The Balloon Factory."

What I did accomplish was:
- A team working towards a vision rather than documenting useless information
- Members learned a new way to uncover information and document it in a way that communicates understanding to both business and IT.
- A manager learning a different way to track and lead a project.
- Members changed direction from the manager's approach to one that benefited the project and themselves (for future projects).
- The business began to view their business in a new direction (no longer viewed everything through the eyes of an auction but through the eyes of a sale). The result was changing a 240yo process to a newer eBay model.
- I'm still in touch with team members. The experience has improved the process they now follow.

6. Have You Overcome a Dip?
I'm currently in one with Scarlet's Feathers. Will make a decision on the direction by the end of 2008. (NOTE: The decision made was to close down the formal business and move my designs to Zazzle. This is occuring slowly during 2009 to easily convert customers that are not computer savvy and to dwindle my existing inventory.)

I have survived a few throughout my technical career. The most dramatic one was writing my first book.

7. What Astonishing Thing Did You Do Before You Did What You Do Now?
I was told by my high-school guidence counselor that I would never make it to college. That I should learn how to type and become a secretary. Well, I graduated college, published 2 books on my own (I also submitted chapters for others), started 2 businesses, and mentored others to achieve their goals. Guess I proved her wrong.

8. Make A Wish.
To inspire others to find the motivation to build better long-term working relationships by leading the way by providing value first. To coach mentors to be more successful at mentoring.

9. What Else Should I Know?
a. Happily Married
b. Have a natural ability to see patterns where others don't
c. Live only 37 miles away from the zip code (but that may require the TappanZee bridge during rush hour)
d. I don't run with scissors but I do run with ideas
e. Currently testing out an idea for a new product for women over 50.
f. Believe in accountability and responsibility by starting with myself

I offer a different perspective. Selecting someone outside your normal group of contacts (and tribe members) provides an inspirational spark.

Leaders need good listeners that are self-motivated to act and move the team towards that vision.

I know the basics of writing, managing, training, presenting. Imagine the help I would be to others who need help with the basics.

I'm not afraid to share ideas. If something I say or do sparks you to do something...all the better. I'm happy to have helped in some small way.

I act on ideas. You will have the pleasure of seeing someone jump through hoops to help others become a successful leader. A great satisfaction that many leaders want to see.

I listen, research, and analyze without falling prey to the paralysis that occurs with many people.

I do not say..."I know that." I ask myself "How Good Am I At That!"

Blogs (see recent posts below):
1. Engaging the Business Community: http://sbditipsblog.wordpress.com
2. Communicate With Geeks: http://communicatewithgeeks.wordpress.com
3. Parrotology to lead to another book on how to communicate with the business species: http://parrotology.wordpress.com
4. Scarlet's Blog: http://scarletsblog.wordpress.com

Websites:
1. Strategic Business Decisions,inc.: http://www.SBDi-Consulting.com (viewable version...currently being redesigned.)
2. Scarlet's Feathers: http://www.ScarletsFeathers.com (link to 200+ stationery products

Published Works (books):
Technical (4): http://sbdi-consulting.com/books.htm
Greeting Card (1): http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET00870&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=7%20Steps%20PRINT

eZine Articles--a good source to see the type of stories I share (first issued through constantcontact and then placed on SBDi website):
The Full List of Articles in This Series:http://www.sbdi-consulting.com/ROEFullArchive.shtml"

Resumes (in different user readability formats):
To the point version: http://www.sbdi-consulting.com/plfprofile.pdf
By role version: http://sbdi-consulting.com/plfresbySBJ.pdf

Virtual Presence:
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Triiibes, zoominfo.

What People Have Written About Me:
Costco Connection Magazine: http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200703/?pg=25

Keynote Topics

• Communicate With Geeks: Get more out of your technology buck.


• Rules of Engagement: Engaging the business community.


• Secrets to Getting Published: Print and Web.

Consulting Topics

• Thought Translation aka Business Architect




• Uncovering new profit making avenues


• Translating your ideas into a workable strategy


• Defining a blueprint of your future state


• Develop a plan of action to reach your new goals


• Coordinate the transformation

Tom Cagley, a fantastic colleague. Produces an audio of those in the field. They are very good and I recommend them to project managers (IT and business) all the time....expecially this one .

Interview:
Requirements Today http://media.libsyn.com/media/spamcast/SPaMCAST_Nine_-_Ferdinandi_Requirements_Seven_Deadly_Sins.mp3

A Reading (coming as soon as Tom uploads the taping from this morning) titled Do You Write?

Check out more of Tom's SPaMCASTs here: http://www.SPaMCAST.net

SPaMCAST - Software Process and Measurement Podcast www.SPaMCAST.net or iTunes!

Besides family, friends, colleagues...

Walt Disney
Thomas Edison
Patricia Fripp
Jeffrey Gitomer
Seth Godin (no I'm not butt kissing)
Napoleon Hill
Earl Nightingale
Randy Pausch
Alan Weiss
despair.com (you gotta laugh and put things in perspective)
& Scarlet (and all her feathered friends)

Here is my personal thank you for all that helped me through the application

Hello all,

Well, I received the nicest most encouraging "no-thank-you" email this afternoon.

I am very disappointed but understand his decision. So many great people had applied. I'm sure that Seth is having a very difficult time making the final selection. I look forward to hearing who actually made the cut.

I want to take this moment to thank everyone for their encouragement. I learned a great deal about so many things during this process. I was humbled by the outpour of recommendations.

Thank you all!

I'll keep this lens up for a bit of time for anyone that wants to review my application.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here was my application cover letter that introduced my application.

It's a New Day! I've had my previous days...taking advantages of many opportuntities. It's time to decide what my next day will be like.

The purpose of this lens is to be reviewed by Seth Godin for his Alternative MBA Application process (http://www.squidoo.com/Alternative-MBA). I will use this lens to organize my digital footprint into one place. This will include links to my blogs, articles, and websites. I include references from clients, customers, friends and relatives (hey references...remember, the goal for me is to get accepted).

Currently, I'm a Thought Translator...a bridge between business and Information Technology (IT). I help business get what it wants from Information Technologists and I help IT get what it needs to create it. I'm morphing out of day-to-day consulting (my previous day) to more management consulting (business architecture), speaking, and writing (my next day).

I understand the importance of the me-to-you connection. Just take a look at the greeting card company I started 7 years ago. Only recently did I realize that my me-to-you ability was the key to my past successes in IT. I understand the power and need for engaging people. The importance of building relationships that last longer than a specific project.

So...read on...help me get approved...ask questions about me!