Are you taking care of yourself?

In the last one year I have been making these questions to myself several times:

- Am I happy with my career?
- Am I driving in the correct road?
- Am I leading my way to the success?
- Am I doing what I love to do?
- Do I know my strengths and weaknesses?

Well, most of us, I think we fail to take a lead in our career, objectives and life. We aim to achieve our objectives and goals, however most of the time without any direction or self-analysis of what we are doing or what we want to achieve.

In my case, the worst happened during the journey I forgot my real goals and desires (for some time), but fortunately I am back to the road!

I am going back to Brazil on 11st September, after some time in UK studying, teaching and working in commercial projects for several companies. I completed an MSc in Strategic Marketing and for a short period of time, I got the conviction or the feeling that an academic route would be a good move, but I was wrong.

I want to go back to the industry, as a marketing manager to work in challenge and stressful assignments, to achieve great results, to fail, to succeed, to learn more, to know more people, to lead teams and do what I most love! I am sure I will be myself again and progress in my personal and professional life!

This is the message: Do not leave the life drives you! You are in control! You decide what to do with your life and not others! Be brave and keep going!

Learning and Teaching Development Award - University of Hertfordshire.

I have just won a Learning and Teaching Development Award to work with Sim Venture software (www.simventure.co.uk) and University of Hertfordshire's staff plus a possible partnernership with IBMEC-Sao Paulo.

The project aims to create a positive culture towards entrepreneurship in the University of Hertfordshire, which involves to engage Lecturers in innovative and creative teaching methods using SimVenture to boost students' response to Entrepreneurship.

With IBMEC-SP we will carry out a cross country research about entrepreneurship in Brazil and United Kingdom, in order to highlight main differences in practices and development of new ventures as a carreer opportunity.

I have received £3000 as an incentive to run the project and I still can win another prize at the end.

WIKINOMICS!

This book is an International Bestseller, an "Economist" Book of the Year, a "Financial Times" Book of the Year. It is shortlisted for the "Financial Times" Business Book of the Year. It is repackaged for paperback. '"Wikinomics" shows how businesses can collaborate creatively with their customers to succeed in the age of Wikipedia, YouTube and Linux.

The knowledge, resources, and computing power of billions of people are self-organizing into a massive new collective force. Interconnected and orchestrated through blogs, wikis, chat rooms, peer-to-peer networks, and personal broadcasting, the web is being reinvented to provide the first global platform for collaboration in history.

Encouraging consumers, employees, suppliers, partners and competitors alike to share information and ideas, mass collaboration marks a profound change in the way business is conducted and radically alters the future of corporate architecture, strategy and management."

Wikinomics" is the definitive investigation into how small businesses can achieve success by using a dynamic ecosystem of partners to co-create and peer-produce value in this newly-emerging, networked economy.

Although it seems to be easy to apply the ideas and concepts, an open, collaborative and integrative approach is really difficult to implement, as it requires from companies and professionals to overcome old paradigms, culturals barriers and to smash your zone of confort.

Furthermore, it requires investments in human capital and an indistinctive proactive attitude towards the most modern digital marketing techniques.

Something to think about...

Fabio

Digital Marketing Conference - Cambridge

I attended the Digital Marketing Conference in Cambridge on 10th July 2008. Speakers have presented the best practices and trends on E-marketing, mobile technology, mash-ups techniques, digital video, podcasting, blogs, online PR and web design tips.

The highlights of the event were:

- Dr Dave Chaffey's presentations. He gave to the audience excellent insights and tips for creating a customer-centric website, SEO, and how to use Google analytics effectively.

- Simon Bird from DotMailerdia who explained what Mash-ups stand for and how to use it. This is an innovative and creative way of using the internet to boost marketing intelligence for your compony.

If you don't know anything about digital marketing, I strong recommend you to have a look in this website and listen to the presentations, or just read through the slides. These skills and knowledge are indispensable for a serious marketing professional.

http://www.marketingconference.co.uk/

Fabio Oliveira

The Future Face of Enterprise - The Challenge

The ‘Future Face of Enterprise’ Challenge was held on 14th and 15th July 2008 as part of the CfED ‘Summer School’. 30 Y12 students in ten teams entered the Challenge. The top two were from Simon Balle School from Hertford and Chauncy School from Ware. Excellent event, the first of many.

30 students from 3 schools in Hertfordshire have taken part in the challenge using the SIMVENTURE software. The students have achieved together over £1 million in profits running new enterprises. The atmosphere was great and the University of Hertfordshrie through the Center for Entrepreneurship Development is spreading and promoting entrepreneurship education as any other University in the country.

I am pleased to have lead this initiative together with a such fantastic team!