Kathy Rink

Proud to share that as Director of Operations at J Hawkins Consulting, Inc., we're dedicated to serving the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. From IT services to software development, we're here to support your growth every step of the way. Our personalized approach ensures that even SMBs receive the attention and expertise they deserve. Connect with us today and let's explore how we can help your business thrive! #SMBs #ITservices #SoftwareDevelopment I invite current clients to share their feedback on our services in the comments below! 🌟 #ClientFeedback #CustomerExperience

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Please join us when I speak at the PMI Chattanooga Chapter virtual Luncheon on May 23rd. We’ll be discussing one of my favorite topics, #BenefitsRealizationManagement. It has never been more important for organizations to clearly and effectively connect their goals to benefit realization and outcomes. We’ll look at some of the indispensable techniques involved. I look forward to an engaging discussion. Register here: https://lnkd.in/exSDThjd #PMI, #strategyexecution, #chattanoogaPMI, Logan Meacham, PMP

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How do you document your Group Policies? Besides another Excel spreadsheet. I'm testing out Loop (Microsoft's Notion clone) when adding/testing GPO from the CIS benchmark, with help from Wazuh. Adding descriptions, and documenting which user groups will be affected. The main reason is so new techs that haven't used Group Policy can get a better understanding and quickly look up what each policy does. I'm not sure if this is worth while or if there's a better solution. #cis #cisbenchmark #gpo #sysadmin #systemadministrator #itsecurity #techsupport #wazuh

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I walk my dog each night and generally listen to audiobooks or podcasts as we stroll. I just finished listening to this author’s audiobook, Supercommunicators, and found it very insightful. Each of us can communicate better and this book provides practical advice to do so. This article is a quick summary of some of the key findings and suggestions in the book. It’s worth reading or listening to, especially when walking the dog.

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🚀 Discover the key strategies for successful workplace collaboration! Check out our latest blog post to learn how fostering strong partnerships can drive your organization's success: https://ukg.inc/3xNZBKJ. #WorkplaceCollaboration

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With my background in IT Service Management and Operations, we've always thought in people, process and technology. We have been shifting work to the left for decades toward the least costly solution. First to cheaper providers, then to level zero (self-serve), and more recently to automation. Now, as Generative and Predictive AI continue to gain ground, so many organizations are ready to invest and get past optimization and efficiency and into business value. This means data is at the center of the people, process and technology to drive that value. And can we maintain quality deliverables while reducing cost? In order to do that, we need to start with the basics and make sure we have: 1. Solid foundations on which to build (e.g. systems and data architecture readied for this work). 2. Defined processes that are consistent and repeatable (and where they are nuanced, automation can be a piece of the solution, but not the whole thing). 3. Usable data for the tasks you want to automate or shift. (e.g. clean; ready for the task; available - does it even exist today?) What else would you add to this list? #genai #ai #automation #machineworkformachines 🖼 created with Designer/Dall-E

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With so much talk about M&A and the influx of PE money in our space, the focus seems to always gravitate to the transaction rather than the transition. That’s why the #ITNation has created #ITNationGrow. This experience is the newest addition to our nations family and is focused solely on developing growth habits needed to increase value and ensure your legacy. A proper exit requires years of prior execution and our goal is help you successfully navigate the journey. Would love to see you out there! Together we are the #ITNation. https://lnkd.in/gYNmCYTB

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Just finished the learning path “Atlassian Agile Project Management Professional Certificate”! #jira #agileprojectmanagement #agilemethodologies

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As I've been diving deeper into IT portfolio metrics, I've realized that KPIs alone often fall short in capturing the full picture of business impact. 📊 They're great for measuring what's happening, but they don't always reveal how IT initiatives are truly driving value. 🤔 That's where OKRs shine! ✨ OKRs go beyond numbers, focusing on aligning IT efforts with strategic business goals. By setting ambitious Objectives and measurable Key Results, you can: * Foster innovation and collaboration: Encourage teams to think creatively and work together towards a common goal. 🤝 * Drive accountability: Ensure everyone understands their role in achieving success. 💪 * Create transparency: Make progress visible and celebrate achievements. 🎉 * Embrace agility: Adapt quickly to changing priorities and market conditions. 🏃‍♂️ * Cultivate continuous improvement: Regularly review and refine your approach to maximize impact. 📈 And don't forget about KPIs! They can complement your OKRs by providing valuable data insights that track your progress towards achieving those ambitious goals. 📊📈 Say goodbye to siloed projects and hello to a unified IT strategy that delivers real results! 👋🚀 What do you think? Have you used OKRs to drive success in your IT portfolio? Share your experiences and insights below! 👇 #ITPortfolioManagement #OKRs #KPIs #BusinessGoals #DigitalTransformation #ITLeadership

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Some Tuesday ramblings about positivity! We live in a very negative world. There’s bad stuff happening all the time.  I work in the service industry, meaning unfortunately people only ever call us when something is broken. They are frustrated, and they are likely focused on the negative impact that is having on them. This leads to negativity in our own lives as well. A frustrated client can frustrate us. Maybe they’re down cause they did something we think is stupid. Maybe their old IT didn’t keep things up to our standards. Maybe someone didn’t help us the way we needed them to. It can be very easy to find the negatives and focus on them, or even share them. When we share a negative, or "vent", we’re really just spreading the negativity. Often, when it’s shared, it’s shared to get other people “on your side” or to try to laugh at someone else. But does sharing and spreading that help anything? Does it change the situation or better our lives? Not really. In fact it can bring others down, and invites more people to join the negative space. What we really need to do is flip our brains and focus on the positives. Let’s look at the examples above and flip them around: A client did something silly and now their down: Let’s look at the situation as a teachable moment. Maybe the client wants to learn what they did wrong, so they don’t repeat it. An other IT company did something that we would never do: This one presents us with a very easy way to wow a client, especially during onboarding. We can show them the right way to do things, and we can do that without ever mentioning the other IT company. We can say “I’ve fixed this up to our standards, I think it will work much better for you.” If someone hasn’t helped you, or hasn’t given you the guidance you need, you can just talk to them. “Hey, I appreciate the help you’ve given so far, but I’m still a bit stuck, can you help me some more?” or “Hey, I know you’re really busy, but I need help on this, can we set a time for you to sit with me?” Rephrasing and re-purposing our minds with positive intent helps us to spread that positivity. It’s not easy, but there are some action items that can help. Any time something has you frustrated or feeling negative take a pause. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing for a few seconds. Force yourself to find the positive outcome. The more you practice this, the more it will come naturally instead of needing to be forced. Make a point each day to do two things: First write down something you did that had a positive impact on someone else’s life. Second write down something someone else did that had a positive impact on your life. Keep a log of these and look back on them from time to time. You’ll see a pattern of positivity, and it can help to drive away the negatives. In the end, our lives are only as positive as we let them be. To quote Willie Nelson, “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” 

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Having the luxury of seeing many organizations go through the transformation process, readiness and focus on change management are components that are talked to about, but often not executed well. I'm excited to be joining a panel discussion with Joseph Calzone IV hosted by Amy Yackowski on June 27th @ 11am to talk through our experiences and give some advice to those organizations who are embarking on a transformation journey. Click on the link in the comments to register!

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"Complaining about a problem without proposing a solution is called whining." This is a great quote that is said to be attributed to Theodore Roosevelt. Whenever I am tempted to complain, this little gem comes to mind (Sometimes I follow it....sometimes I don't. I admit it...I am human. 😀 ) Every problem has a solution. Sometimes the solution can be...be patient and wait. Waiting patiently can sometimes provide the time needed to come up with a better solution. I also have my own little saying I tell my teams. We SDSC - Strategically Develop Solutions to Challenges. Part of the strategy involves being patient. So don't whine! Be patient, and propose a great solution!

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We spend a significant amount of time on #DisasterRecoveryPlanning and Testing. After spending the past two months in our East Coast Cloud to make sure everything is ready for a disaster, we failed back to the West Coast yesterday. We significantly beat our #RecoveryTimeObjective (#RTO) and #RecoveryPointObjective (#RPO). It took many #TableTopExercises, #LiveDrills and #Failover tests and plan re-writes to get to this point, but it's worth the effort as it gets easier to respond and recover. We still found some minor updates that can keep it running smoothly in the future. #DRPlan #DRTest #BusinessContinuity #DRPlanConfidence #KeepTesting

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What is this and what does it do? 🤔 . If you know, you know. This is a hard one. 😱 . Bonus points if you spot what I did for this install. 🙌🏼 #TheWhiteGloveMacGyver #infrastructure #technology #informationtechnology

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Explore how UKG transforms HR processes through exceptional customer service and solutions in this video. https://ukg.inc/49V3Cdq #HRTechnology

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LinkedIn used to be a good place to look for new opportunities! Not anymore! I do a simple search with a keyword and the results are all simply "promoted" results and have no relevancy! #LinkedIn #JobSearch #FixYourApp

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How do you consider your strategic goals, when thinking of sourcing your IT-Services? #cios #itsourcing #itoutsourcing #managedservices #sourceITsimple

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Super excited to build and deliver this at #MSBuild. In this session, pro developers from all backgrounds can quickly learn how to navigate the tooling and strategies to build and extend #PowerPages sites. https://lnkd.in/e-jQQiSM

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🚀 Unleash Your Potential with Next-Gen Project Management Skills! In today's competitive job market, employers are on the lookout for Next-Gen Project Managers who can:  • Harness the power of AI and modern technology effectively and ethically.  • Foster critical thinking among their stakeholders.  • Exhibit high levels of emotional intelligence.  • Focus on achieving outcomes, not just completing tasks. Introducing our new class, "Project Success Discipline Foundations", designed to equip you with these sought-after skills and more! Here's what you'll learn:  • Work Smarter, Not Harder: Discover the secret behind building habits that make work easier and more efficient.  • Hands-On AI Experience: Engage in real-world project exercises with hands-on AI tasks that you can immediately apply in your workplace.  • Accountability for Outcomes: Showcase your learning through a capstone presentation, honing your communication skills and demonstrating your newfound knowledge. Join us and step into the future of project management! 🌟

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