It's been on my to-do list for months (at least!) but it's finally moving from to-do to done. That's right -- the 1st issue of Highlighting High Performance is ready for delivery.

Please, hold the applause.

Those of you who only read my feed haven't seen the sidebar item about my newsletter, so here's what I'm talking about -

Highlighting High Performance is the monthly email newletter for anyone who wants to excel.

Each issue features a variety of tools, tips and techniques designed to help you achieve high performance in whatever you do.

I'll be hitting the send button on December 1st, so you still have time to sign up to receive the inaugural issue. And I'll even make it easy for you to sign up while it's still fresh on your mind -

In a recent post, consulting guru Alan Weiss stated that, in his opinion, LinkedIn is a waste of time. He was writing specifically of its utility for consultants, but it was apparent in reading his words that his feelings apply to other disciplines as well. His conclusion?

This is a mild diversion with limited utility for serious entrepreneurs and consultants in a world where time is a non-renewable resource. Worse, it has created a cultish behavior among many of its adherents who see the leaf and not the tree or the forest. I’m still awaiting my secret decoder ring.

Contrarian consulting advice: Use your time to network qualitatively, and don’t rely on technological shortcuts which don’t immediately involve you with real buyers. I know some people will write in ignoring the fact that I am writing about consultants, because the cult blinds them. They need to spend less time staring at Linkedin on their computer screens and go taste the coffee.

Now, before you go deleting your LinkedIn account (or Facebook, or FriendFeed, or what ever other social networking tools you use) I would challenge you to consider a conclusion that's different from Alan's. While I agree completely that we shouldn't rely on technological shortcuts, to abandon them out of hand - without first considering how they may support our overall business strategy - is a needlessly limiting approach. Better to determine what tools would have the most utility in the market you work in and then develop the discipline to use them appropriately in the pursuit of your business goals. Doing so can convert a tool such as LinkedIn from a "mild diversions with limited utility" to an effective component of a complete business development plan.

Your time to sign up for the Varsity Speaking Academy, that is. In just over 4 weeks you can join with Dan Weedin, Shannon Evans and me to learn the presentation skills that will have a positive impact on your professional success. This one and a half day seminar will be held at the beautiful Clearwater Casino and Resort Hotel, overlooking Agate Pass on Washington's Puget Sound. Among the topics to be covered are:

• Secrets to writing powerful presentations

• 7 strategies to connect with every single audience

• How to effectively use your personal stories to carry your message

• Ways to overcome anxiety and fear

• How to use PowerPoint so you it will enhance your message, not put your audience to sleep

• How to be asked back to speak over and over and earn more money in your career

• What it takes to write to be read

• How to write to generate more clients

• How to establish a powerful presence on the internet

• Effective methods of keeping track of what your customers are saying about you

• A surprising, yet effective marketing technique

You can learn all that - and more - by attending the Varsity Speaking Academy on October 6th and 7th, 2008. You can get more information and register at the Varsity Speaking Academy web page.

Hope to see you there!

I hope you'll indulge me this morning as I share an outstanding opportunity with you. First, though, I'd like you to consider for a moment who might be on your list of the 5 greatest leaders of all time. Next, consider the characteristics they all share. I'm willing to bet that "excellent communicator" is somewhere on that list. You see, while it's true that not all excellent communicators are great leaders, the greatest leaders are all excellent communicators. So it only stands to reason that if you want to excel as a leader it's important that you work on your communications skills.

I bring this up in order to introduce you to workshop designed to do just that - improve your communications skills. My friend Dan Weedin is presenting a Varsity Speaking Academy in the Seattle, Washington area on October 6th and 7th, and author Shannon Evans and I will be joining him as guest presenters. During this day and a half workshop you'll learn strategies you can implement right away that will transform your presentation skills forever:

• Learn the secrets to writing powerful presentations
• Walk away with 7 strategies to connect with every single audience
• Learn how to deliver a presentation that will engage every audience member
• Learn how to effectively use personal stories to carry your message
• Uncover your natural humor and incorporate it in your presentations
• Develop ways to overcome anxiety and fear
• Develop easy to use practice skills that will keep you constantly sharp
• Learn how to use PowerPoint to enhance your message
• Discover how to be asked back to speak over and over

In addition to all of that great information, bonus sessions will cover:

• What it takes to write to be read
• How to write to generate more clients
• The secrets to establishing a powerful presence on the internet
• How to use the internet to stay informed, in touch and in control

This workshop is guaranteed to be both informative and transformative, but spaces are limited. So head on over to Dan's site to learn more about the Varsity Speaking Academy and to register for the event. Be among the first to register and you will qualify for a discounted investment and receive a free bonus.

Chris Brogan and others are giving thought to working remotely, and that got me thinking about a closely related topic - business phone services. You see, I've effectively abandoned my hard-wire phone. Not everyone has, of course, and businesses in particular are pretty much forced to maintain their traditional phone service in order to have a single phone point of entry into their operations. It doesn't matter whether it's a PBX system, VOIP/IP Telephoney, or KSU-based; the common thread is that current business phone systems are physically tied to a specific location.

But why does it have to be that way? Why isn't there a wireless phone plan that provides a central call-in number that permits customers to reach anyone with a phone associated with the plan by dialing an extension? It should work in the same way that current business phone systems work but include only three options - dial an extension if you know who you want to talk with, select the department you would like to be connected with or stay on the line for assistance from a real, live human being. Any contact beyond that point should be with a person (or their voicemail). An added bonus would be to include a fax-to-computer phone number in the plan and do away with any real reason to have a hard-wired phone.

That's the business phone system I'd like to see. It may already exist, but I've not heard of it if it does. And if it doesn't, it should.

How hard could it be?

One of the most painful customer service experiences I've had lately came my way thanks to the Dell online ordering system. But one of the most pleasant customer service experiences I've had lately came may way thanks to one of Dell's customer service representatives.

The thing is, I should have never had to talk to the representative in the first place. I did, though, because Dell's online ordering system managed to lose two orders. It didn't matter that I had Purchase ID numbers; the orders did not exist. I'm not exactly sure how you design an order processing system that can spit out order numbers while simultaneously losing the actual orders, but it's obviously doable.

To Dell's credit, the luck of the draw put me in contact with a friendly, understanding and helpful customer service rep. Andrea went out of her way to make what had started out as a painful experience as simple and pleasant as possible. But while I was extremely impressed by the service Andrea provided I'm still disappointed with the overall experience with what should have been a routine online transaction.

So consider this as a cautionary tale. The moral of the story: No amount of extraordinary customer service will fully salvage your reputation if your customer's initial experience does not meet their expectations.

UPDATE: Looks like it's not just me...

Email one comes in saying, your order is verified, life is good, let's rock -n- roll.

Email two comes in time stamped AFTER email one, 10 minutes or so later saying, just want to let you know we're thinking about this and we'll send you another email shortly verifying/confirming, etc, etc.

Hmmm.. This don't look good for moose and squirrel....