FC Experts Blogs
Archives › June 2007
June 29, 2007
Work/Life: Great, You're Lookin' Bad!
I've just been chewed over by my well-meaning NY host.
He: I can't believe you posted that negative critique of your book on your blog. What if someone reads it and agrees with him?
Me: Well, I guess they'll agree with him.
He: Then he won't buy the book.
Me: Why would I want him to buy the book?
He: It's a sale.
Me: Why would I want him to buy the book?
Continue reading "Work/Life: Great, You're Lookin' Bad!"
Posted by Lynette Chiang at 11:49 PM
| 
1 Comment
June 28, 2007
Technology: Twitter Has "Ruined" My Life
For those of you that don't know what twitter is... Basically, it's a DIY (do it yourself) chat room. You choose people that you want to "follow", and you can see when they type something to the twitter site. People can choose to follow YOU, and they'll see what you type to twitter. There's no forced mutual following, so sometimes, it's a one-sided deal. You can see what someone's saying, but they can't see what you're saying... which is unfortunate for them when they ask a question that you "tweet" (somehow the verb form of twitter...... meaning each entry should be called a TWIT or the site should be called TWEETER, but anyway...) the answer to and then an hour later, you see them ask again if anyone has a solution for them. :D
Continue reading "Technology: Twitter Has "Ruined" My Life"Posted by Bill Cammack at 1:34 PM
| 8 Comments
Innovation: Companies are from MARS, Customers are from VENUS
Why do companies continue to spend so much money on signing up new customers and pay little to no attention to acquired customers? Existing customers want long term relationships and attention, yet companies insist on focusing their efforts in finding new customers.
Companies are rational, logical, and analytical. Customers are (or they seem to be) irrational, emotional, and conceptual. Companies want proof, measure, and surveys. Customers want to be delighted, feel important, and count. Companies are from Mars, customers are from Venus.
Continue reading "Innovation: Companies are from MARS, Customers are from VENUS"Posted by Valeria Maltoni at 10:00 AM
| 1 Comment
June 27, 2007
Careers: Firstborn is a Smart Careers Move
Firstborns feel family pressure to excel and science backs it up: birth order is an important driver of career choices. What is less well understood is the role of birth order and intelligence - at least in my family.
Birth order might sound a bit farfetched for a science or careers topic, like astrology, biorhythms or a fad pizza diet, but it's not. A Norwegian Armed Forces Medical Services study published in this month's Science shows that firstborns of either sex are, on average, 2.3 IQ points smarter than their younger sibs.
Those several IQ points make an enormous difference when it comes to getting into college and ultimately advancing in life, contends Dr. Frank Sulloway, author of Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics and Creative Lives. Sulloway, who commented on the study in the New York Times and in this month's Science (fees, registration required), says, "There's some evidence to suggest that first and later-borns go into different kinds of careers and have associated different motivations."
As everyone knows, throughout history, the eldest child (okay, the eldest boy) has inherited property or the family business and typically received ample resources to get ahead in life. And firstborns have profited from the attention: they are "over-represented" statistically as Presidents, leaders and Nobel Prize Winners.
By contrast, resource-constrained younger sibs have been more likely to reject the family plan, affecting their personality and grade point average and - most importantly - this competition has spurred their ability to innovate and be creative. So while in general eldest sibs lead the world, younger sibs are the rebellious ones that actually change it as they reject the status quo.
I asked Sulloway, who studies family dynamics among other subjects at UC-Berkeley (he's also one of the world's leading experts on Darwin), if these several IQ points matter so much, why don't employers screen new hires on the basis of sib order (even if they're legally not allowed to ask)? "If people use birth order in job interviews they're using a stereotype rather than good information and they might pick someone on false inference," he says. "If someone came to me to work as a research assistant I wouldn't ask them about their birth order. If they told me I wouldn't infer anything major about it."
And intelligence is not the only indicator of success. Creativity and conceptual ability are also important indicators of future success.
Recruiters are not unaware of this firstborn advantage. "I'm a big believer in it but legally you can't ask where they fall in birth order - that's the problem," says an executive recruiter friend of mine. She points out that chief executives tend to be taller than average too - the Abe Lincoln effect.
No one has studied where bloggers or journalists fall in the sib order, but I think we can draw our own conclusions. Did you know that couples most often choose a spouse that matches their sib order? I read this in Sulloways's superb book, Born to Rebel, a decade ago. What would be extremely weird is if hiring managers unconsciously hire people who match their sib order.
Rusty Weston, My Global Career • San Francisco, Ca • rusty@myglobalcareer.com • http://www.myglobalcareer.com/
Posted by Rusty Weston at 8:25 PM
| 2 Comments
Leadership: No One-Hit Wonders Need Apply
“What would have really pissed me off is if Jeff had said, ‘We’re just one hit away.’ He never said that…” That is Jeff Immelt talking about another Jeff -- Zucker of NBC Universal. “[Zucker] took all the right steps.” Immelt, CEO of General Electric, does not suffer fools lightly. But in the entertainment industry, foolishness at least in terms of lavish expenses, outrageous behavior, and over-inflated egos, is common place. Zucker is an accomplished television executive who has risen through the ranks at NBC and now heads all of the entertainment. NBC’s hit television shows have evaporated but Immelt is sticking with Zucker in part because the younger Jeff fits the profile of a GE executive’s “growth traits,” which, as reported by Patricia Sellers of Fortune, include “inclusiveness imagination/courage, expertise, external focus and clear thinking/decisiveness.”
The fact that Zucker understands that one hit does not guarantee success sets him apart from many in Hollywood, but also reveals that growth must be sustainable. One hit television show does not guarantee another. Zucker, according to Immelt, believes in a team approach as well as generating more good material. Easy to say, but hard to predict in the fickle world of Hollywood.
Zucker’s example is instructive for those of us not in the entertainment industry. Many executives may be content to shoot for the big score. You see this kind of behavior on Wall Street with investment bankers as well as with high performing sales folks. And in those environments, “shooting the moon” may be worth it, or even expected, but in day to day management going for the big score is not simply risky it can be foolhardy. A chief reason why is because going for broke puts everything else aside for one single target, and if that target is achieved, or missed, what happens next.
Continue reading "Leadership: No One-Hit Wonders Need Apply"Posted by John Baldoni at 12:00 PM
| Add Comment
Leadership: Experiencing Breakthrough
Have you had a breakthrough lately? It’s very different than making small changes in your life, career, or ways of being that might or might not be sustainable; it’s the tipping point that shifts paradigms permanently. It changes the way you process thought, the way you tackle something and interact, deal with issues, lead others,…it’s all of it. You’ll never be the same or 'go back' because the fundamental way you think will come from a different place altogether.
To use an analogy, picture being in a room surrounded by tinted glass, an enclosed room muffling everything around you. All of a sudden something comes along that smashes the glass. It’s not removed, it’s eliminated or destroyed. There are no more barriers, no filters. All of a sudden the walls are opened up, they're no longer boxing you in allowing light, or illumination to stream in. It's the epitome of the 'AHHA!' moment bringing absolute clarity and direction.
Take that analogy and apply it to your life, your leadership, your perspectives. Now what would it look like? And if you have experienced breakthrough, what did it look like?
Donna Karlin • Executive and Political Shadow Coach™ • Ottawa, Canada • •www.abetterperspective.com
Posted by Donna Karlin at 4:35 AM
| 8 Comments
June 26, 2007
Innovation: The Big Squeeze
In "The Future of First-Class," Forbes.com writer Shivani Vora lifts a page from my blog in forecasting the future of travel in the air up there. Her thoughtful column dissects the amazing transformation of business class and first-class flight service.
Vora reports that some first-class is going become like service at Five Star hotels.
Meantime, business class will become more like first-class.
Continue reading "Innovation: The Big Squeeze"Posted by Robert Buckman at 9:32 PM
| Add Comment
Leadership: Ripples and Waves
"A myth, in its simplest definition, is a story with a meaning attached to it other than it seems to have at first; and the fact that it has such a meaning is generally marked by some of its circumstances being extraordinary, or, in the common use of the word, unnatural."
I believe there is a prevailing feeling that to be a great leader you need to have charisma, a larger then life persona, powerful connections and looking good in a suit doesn't hurt either. I have found over the years that while this may have some truth in perception, it is a myth. We all know some myths are seen as truths, but this one should not be; it allows us to miss recognizing great leaders that are right under our noses. I believe there are two types of leaders in general categories - those that are waves and those that are ripples.
Posted by Grace Andrews at 2:16 PM
| 2 Comments
Careers: Personal Branding Hall of Shame
Score another one for the Customer Service Hall of Shame. Companies, especially big behemoths, rarely get it that customer service is part of branding. The latest entrant: Ticketmaster.
I recently called the ticket company to order tickets for the King Tut exhibit in Philadelphia. When I learned I’d have to pay an extra $11 of service charges for the privilege of ordering online, I thought I’d save the extra charges by going to my local outlet. It just happened that I was going to my local mall where there is a Ticketmaster office. I confirmed with the Ticketmaster rep that I could buy the tickets locally and save some service fees.
Or so I thought. I patiently waited in line at Ticketmaster. When it’s my turn, the local rep types the information into her system only to get a message that she can’t sell me the King Tut tickets. They’re only available online.
I call Ticketmaster’s customer service number again and go through the “I’m not allowed” routine. I’m beginning to think there is an inborn gene with customer service reps where they instinctively chirp, “I’d love to help you but I’m not allowed.” What were they not allowed to do? Sell me tickets online and waive any of the service fee. Not even a dollar, mind you.
I thought I’d see if I could break the “I’m not allowed” barrier. Three supervisor levels later I was still at “Not allowed.”
Did I buy the tickets? Yes, but not through Ticketmaster. I called my hotel concierge who easily booked them for me without a service charge.
Do I care about the chump change I saved? Of course, not. But I care that Ticketmaster doesn’t give a you know what about its customers.
Why are big companies so risk adverse when it comes to giving their reps a little autonomy to please customers? Remember that every time we interact with a customer or prospect, we have a chance to recreate our personal brand. Now, if only Ticketmaster would learn that.
Posted by Wendy Marx at 9:13 AM
| 4 Comments
Work/Life: Ten Commandments of Work/Life Balance
Ceo Dad's Tuesday Tirade....
As you’ve no doubt heard, the Vatican recently issued its “ten commandments” of how humans should think about behaving in regards to our cars. The document includes a reference to not using our automobiles as an expression of domination or status. Clearly, this commandment hasn’t taken hold in this country, otherwise our freeways would be one long string of Kia Spectras.
But it got me to thinking: the Vatican has set a precedent now, and it’s time they started handing down a couple of stone tablets with some guidance for other areas of life. Until they get on the stick, here’s a little nudge for the Pope and his pals.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF WORK/LIFE BALANCE
1. The family is your master, and you shall not put false masters before them, such as so-called important meetings or your Crackberry.
2. Thou shalt not take the phrase “quality time” in vain.
3. Respect your father and mother, even if you have inherited your poor work/life skills from them. That’s what you pay a therapist for. Get over it.
4. Thou shalt not multi-task.
5. Stop trying to read this commandment and do your online trading at the same time. We warned you about multi-tasking in number 4.
6. Thou shalt not kill several good hours commuting. (This one is tough, but we never said these would be easy.)
7. Bearing false witness may have something to do with work/life balance, but we haven’t figured out what it is yet. In the meantime, avoid bearing false witness anyway.
8. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife’s IMac. Computers are just another distraction keeping you from realizing you need to budget your personal time more effectively.
9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s down time.
10. Thou shalt remember all birthdays, anniversaries and dates of important soccer matches. Verily, that is the least you can do to keep yourself out of the doghouse.
Again, these are just a few suggestions to get the Vatican going. I’m sure we all have areas of our lives that could use a good list of commandments. Anything come to mind in your life?
Posted by Tom Stern at 5:41 AM
| Add Comment
June 25, 2007
Leadership: Aretha Knows Her Audience. Do You?
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine called and said she had an extra ticket to go see Aretha Franklin where she was going to be playing at a local theatre. It was a Wednesday night and generally, I don't go to music concerts during the week, but this was too good to pass up. The concert was scheduled to start at 8. Yeah, right, I figured. First were the warm up acts(s), then, if we were lucky after the stage was cleared and reset, Franklin would go on at about 10 p.m. I've been to a few concerts in my day. With a busy workday coming up, I drove my own car, figuring that if the concert went too late, I could leave before the end without inconveniencing anyone else.
So we got there a little before 8. Though I shouldn't have been surprised, the theatre was filled with people like me, baby boomers in middle age, many with white hair and the requisite paunch. It was, after all, the 'burbs. So eight o'clock rolled past, then 8:05, 8:10 and suddenly, the band came out and before any of us knew what was happening, there she was, in all her glory, Ms. Aretha Franklin belting out R-E-S-P-E-C-T. The crowd went wild. It was 8:15 p.m.
Ms. Franklin got all her biggest hits out of the way in the first 30 minutes…Think, Chain of Fools, Freeway of Love, Natural Woman…and 2-3 more of those crowd pleasers. She knew her audience. All great performers do. She talked to us, asked how we were doing, thanked us for coming out on a weeknight. She made a few jokes, bantered with the members of her band who were uniformly fabulous. We ate it up.
Posted by Ruth Sherman at 6:40 PM
| 1 Comment
Careers: Lead Like Fonzie
Leadership can be stressful. Being pulled in a million different directions, always having to bring your “A game,” having 100% of the accountability without 100% of the responsibility. The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) recently conducted a study on the stress of leadership. In it, they were able to identify what and who causes stress. At the top of the “what” list was a lack of resources and time. At the top of the “who” list were the bossy boss, competitive peers, poor-performing direct reports, and unreasonable customers.
Unfortunately, stress doesn’t occur in a vacuum. In the workplace, all eyes are on you. Your boss, direct reports, peers, the guy who comes in to water the plants in your office…everyone looks to people in leadership roles to see how they are going to react to stressful situations. As my boss once told me, sometimes people base their reaction to a situation on how they see you react. If you fly off the handle, they might do so as well. So what’s a leader to do? Lead like Fonzie.
If you’re not familiar with Arthur Fonzarelli, or “the Fonz,” he was a character played by Henry Winkler on the 70s sitcom Happy Days and he was known for two things—1) being a ladies man and 2) being the very definition of cool. For the purpose of our discussion, we’ll focus on only his coolness and how it allowed him to become an effective leader. Leader, you might ask? “Correctamundo.” To the degree that he had willing followers named Richie Cunningham, Ralph Malph, and Warren “Potsie” Weber.
In almost every episode, Richie, Ralph, and Potsie were faced with a stressful situation. And they always looked to the Fonz for guidance on how to react to, and handle, tough situations. Because he was able to keep his cool, he was able to help them navigate those stressful situations. Things would have turned out much differently if he had been overly emotional. Even when things seemed bleak, his unflappable response was to flash the “thumbs up” to let everyone know that all would turn out well.
As a leader, how should you behave in a stressful situation that affects your whole team?
Communicate. Share as much as you can about the situation at hand. People don’t like to be left in the dark when it comes to important issues. Make sure you maintain clear channels of communication.
Reassure. Don’t assume your team doesn’t need to hear that everything is going to be okay. They might not have access to the same information as you do and they might cling to assumptions and rumors without your reassurance.
Remain calm. Remember, all eyes are on you. What you say is important, but how you react can have even greater impact. Take a few seconds to take the emotion out of the situation and gather your thoughts before you respond verbally or nonverbally. Then maintain your calm throughout. It’s amazing how comforting this behavior will be on your team.
But if things remain tense, and the team needs another sign, you’ve got one: Flashing the old “thumbs up” will work every time.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (courtingyourcareer.wordpress.com).
Posted by Shawn Graham at 10:28 AM
| 1 Comment
Work/Life: Obesity in the Wordplace
A panel assembled by the American Medical Association has recommended doctors stop finding softer words to describe obese children, saying it only exacerbates the problem to come up with fuzzier, gentler terms for a serious condition.
We can only hope this sets a great precedent for this business world, which often couches its own, shall we say, “heavier” aspects in double-speak. This kind of obfuscation only makes it more difficult to achieve work/life balance, as the untruths we accept in the workplace can’t help but carry over into daily routine. Here then are a few suggestions for telling it like it is at your job:
1. DOWNSIZING AND/OR REPURPOSING. These two terms have to go, to be replaced with “It’s over, feel free to put me down as a reference,” and “we’ll keep you on just long enough to show our customers how to interface with the computer that will be replacing you.”
2. PERFORMANCE REVIEW. Let’s not mince words. This is you getting called on the carpet for the myriad screw-ups that have nearly shut down business several times. We should start calling it the “Uh-Oh,” as in: “Jenkins, your ‘uh-oh’ is coming up on Thursday. Say your prayers.”
3. PRODUCTIVITY. Another fuzzy word which could more effectively be conveyed by those supposedly in-jest posters you see in certain cubicles reading “Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves.” Now that’s productive.
4. EARLY RETIREMENT. How about “thank you for letting us save money by giving you a severance package which is still about one-eighth of what we will have to pay to the poor independent contractor (a.ka. no health plan or 401K) who replaces you.”
5. BOUNDARIES. This covers a multitude of real-life predicaments, from “touch me again and I’ll tazer you, got it?” to “just because I’m in the cubicle next to you does not mean I need to hear about how whips and chains figured into your weekend.”
It’s time we started telling it like it is at work. And with luck, this will carry over into our home lives as well. Such as replacing the phrase “quality time” with “get your stupid, self-absorbed butt out of work mode, and take this family out for some soft-serve ice cream and miniature golf before we all start pelting you with back issues of the Wall Street Journal.” Or something like that.
Any terms or phrases in the work place you think should get early retirement?
Posted by Tom Stern at 6:11 AM
| 2 Comments
June 23, 2007
Change Management: Hip Hop Slips
To anyone who follows the music business the fact that Hip Hop sales have tanked is not a surprise. A USA Today article illuminates the swoon with sobering statistics: Hip Hop sales are off over 43% of their high in year 2000. That Hip Hop is down is widely understood, but "why" is hotly debated. There is more than one factor at work. (Photo of Run DMC by Ricky Powell)
First off Hip Hop's success in selling records was driven by the core audience of Black consumers. That audience is intact. They may buy fewer CD's, but they still listen to Hip Hop.
The driver for multi-platinum sales was not only appealing to the core, but getting lots of non-Black kids to buy in as well. Here is where the problem begins. One need only watch HBO's Entourage to get the idea that white kids, have adopted the culture to such an extent that they don't really need the "authentic" version. They have their own. DJ AM, who appeared on the show is a good example of how to be Hip Hop without being Black. This new non-Black Hip Hop head has taken the swagger and left some of the music behind. They can listen to rock just as easy to Hip Hop, and to demonstrate their keen kinship to the culture they go out of their way to listen to who's next in Hip Hop as opposed to who's pop.
One need only look at the days in rock in the late 70's as the powerhouse bands like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones faded. Their replacements were no match for disco. But rock didn't die. It evolved.
USA Today goes on to mention over-commercialization with the endorsements and product placements, etc. But with the whole world trying to understand where and how they want to listen to music (and how much to pay), the commercialization theory takes a back seat to these bigger and more fundamental issues.
One need only step into a club or even a department store to note that there are still some very good hooks in the music. But to take it back to the top, Hip Hop needs its next Puffy, Tupac and Jay Z. The ingredients are still present, the talent just needs to find that perfect beat.
Posted by John N. Pasmore at 8:26 PM
| 39 Comments
June 22, 2007
Work/Life: Some Spitting Distance on Work/Life Balance
Anyone in need of a little perspective on their overworked lives, get yourself to Luling, Texas this weekend, for the 54th annual Watermelon Thump. This is a four-day event, and among the highlights are a watermelon eating contest, and, even more freeing, a watermelon spitting contest, which takes place on, you guessed it, the “Spitway.” Why do I suggest we overachieving workaholics get our butts to Luling? Here’s why: every day, we live in a competitive world. On the highway, we are in competition with other drivers to get out ahead. On the job, we are in competition with co-workers, clients, and bosses to be the one who gets the most recognition. What we need is a different kind of competition. One where the consequences do not seem so life and death. One where it truly doesn’t matter if you win or lose, but it’s how you play the game. Really, you try seeing how far you can spit a watermelon seed and attach anything but fun to the outcome. Try forcing as much juicy watermelon down your gullet as possible without grinning. Granted, you may run into some people in Luling who compete in these events year after year, and perhaps take them a touch more seriously, but all the more reason for you to dive into the fray with abandon, and show them you aren’t there to claim their crown. Rather, you are there to revel in the fact that you, a harried, unbalanced, stressed-out American worker are putting your all into attempting to master distance, arc and smooth trajectory on a fruit seed p-tooey’d from your watermelon-moistened mouth.
A weekend of this kind of frolic could have you emotionally centered in no time. Soon, those other aggressive highway drivers will mean nothing to you. So what if you’re being tailgated? You got a watermelon seed to fly 50 feet off your tongue! So what if some unqualified hack gets promoted over you? You took your place on the Spitway last weekend! In fact, if you can’t make it to Luling on short notice, why not grab yourself a watermelon (or send someone to get one if you’re too busy), set the wastebasket some distance from your desk, and create your own Spitway, right there in your workspace? It’s like practicing your putt in the office, only much more messy…a.k.a. much more fun!
Before you know it, you’ll be setting up all sorts of carnival attractions in the office. Throw a softball at the target and dunk the boss into a bucket of water? Hit the bull’s eye and win an extra personal day? The possibilities are limitless. The Watermelon Thump has been going for 54 years. That’s longer than most businesses have lasted in this country, so they have to be doing something right. Maybe it’s the fact that everybody who participates gets great benefits. The kind that come from happily, unabashedly, spitting something as far as you can.
What other pointless activities can you devise to remind yourself that we should not take our jobs so seriously?
Posted by Tom Stern at 6:08 AM
| Add Comment
June 21, 2007
Innovation: WHO Services the New Network?
If it is true that relationships are the new marketing, then customer service is way up there in term of importance. Thanks to an array of more affordable technology, individuals who have access to tools are now able to participate in and drive where business is going next.
This is part of the conversation that is taking place at the 2007 Supernova conference, June 20-22 in San Francisco. As Kevin Werbach says at the Conversation Hub
Continue reading "Innovation: WHO Services the New Network?"Posted by Valeria Maltoni at 8:39 AM
| Add Comment
Careers: How Do I Work This?
In the coming Conceptual Age, contends author Dan Pink, creative "right-brain" thinkers gain leverage with corporations while linear "left-brain" thinkers, dominant in the Information Age, become more of a commodity.
In A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, Pink asserts that right-brained "R-directed thinkers ... exemplified by creators and caregivers, [though] shortchanged by organizations, and neglected in schools, deliver right-brain results." The ability to see out of the box, to synthesize or invent new ideas, products, solutions or services will be more prized in the Conceptual Age than it was until now.
Some companies, such as Google, GE, and Procter & Gamble are looking to hire R-directed thinkers, says Pink. But how does a job candidate position himself as an R-directed job candidate? "You do it with results," says Pink. "You do it by showing performance and results in previous jobs. Once you have done that then you can talk about how you have done it."
In other words: show, not tell.
"I wouldn't go into a job interview saying you're a right-brain person good at empathy and sympathy - that would be a disaster," says Pink. "Anybody who says I'm really funny is not."
Once you get to an interview, do you have to look a certain way to seem creative? "People are going to make assumptions based on what you look like at that moment and also the broader narrative of life that they have read about," says Pink. "I think it's a waste of time to try to fake people out - it has to be true and authentic. An organization where you have to deck yourself in camouflage or a disguise - you're less likely to do the kind of work you could do there."
And how do you identify an R-directed employer? "I think in some ways your default assumption is most employers are not R-Directed," he concedes. "You look at what they produce and how they produce it - a service, product or experience and the quality. And look at how they do it how much autonomy they afford employees. Look at turnover there. That begins to give you some hints."
The trouble is you can never get a "precise handle on it until you're there," says Pink. But he also suggests talking to people who have left there recently. One way to do that is use a service such as Linked-In and search by company. This will yield people who either currently work - or formerly worked - there.
Pink believes that there are steps that job seekers can take to build their conceptual skills to better compete in the job world. His book, now in paperback, includes chapters on the pillars of R-directed thinking: design; story; sympathy; empathy; play; and meaning. If you can enhance your skills or hone your talents in these areas, it bodes well for you in the Conceptual Age.
Rusty Weston, My Global Career • San Francisco, Ca • rusty@myglobalcareer.com • http://www.myglobalcareer.com/
Posted by Rusty Weston at 1:22 AM
| 2 Comments
June 20, 2007
Leadership: Are Normal Work Hours Possible in a Global Organization?
As organizations grow and become global, therefore multiple time zones, are what one might consider normal working hours not to mention work-life balance possible? I won’t for a second begin to define what work-life balance is, as it all depends on individuals, their personalities, and energy level, along with a multitude of other factors. But aside from work-life balance by any definition, are normal work hours even in the equation?
If you have to be in conference calls with your other centers around the globe and they need financial numbers, stock market figures etc, which means the conversation has to be as late in the day as possible, is it possible to structure a work week so there is some balance in your life and you have time for a life?
Last week I wrote about perks of the workplace and pushed a few buttons along the way. Great! actually, because if you’re not paying attention, you’re not going to determine whether or not it’s what you want ultimately, especially before your personal life disappears into thin air. My work is all about awareness. Yours is making choices that suit your values and define and maintain your personal boundaries. It doesn’t matter if you’re the leader of the organization or the lowest person on the totem pole. You all have choices to make with regards to what’s acceptable to you. So to take this one step further, there are other kinds of perks or enticements that have nothing whatsoever to do with the ‘extras’. They are harder to say no to because often people are enticed by who they’ll work with, from company to its leadership, and will sacrifice a great deal for the opportunity.
I’ve been there, done that, however eventually and thankfully because of my training, I was able to say no to some of the most glamorous, enticing opportunities possible within my profession. I asked myself, “What would I have to give up to have this?” The cost was way too high.
There are other intangible enticements. I’d love to hear you input and perspectives as to what you think some of them may be. For example, what if you always wanted to work for one of the most visible, powerful firms in the world, knew you had to start in the lower ranks and pay your dues, and work night and day to grow within the organization? Is it to have a great life or impressive lifestyle? What will you give up to get what exactly, because in the realm of life, if you give up life, what are you left with when all is said and done?
Having fun and being pumped with your job is probably the biggest enticement of all. If you are having that much fun it can become addictive.
So I leave you with the question “What would your life look like if…?”and finish that sentence. Whatever it is that finishes that statement, eg. "I was working with...." or "I was working at...." and look at the answer you come up with. Then ask yourself, is it or was it worth it? The answer will be staring you in the face. Will you pay attention to what it tells you?
Donna Karlin • Executive and Political Shadow Coach™ • Ottawa, Canada • •www.abetterperspective.com
Posted by Donna Karlin at 10:49 PM
| 4 Comments
Leadership: Lesson in Pop Management
You don’t care that every time your team gets to the NBA Finals the rest of the country shrugs. You don’t mind that the nickname for your best player is “The Big Fundamental.” You could care less that your team might be the third most popular NBA team in Texas. But one thing that you care about is that your team has just won its fourth NBA title in nine years. You are Gregg Popovich, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. Few coaches have won four titles, that’s three more than your mentor the legendary NBA coach Larry Brown often considered one of the very best in the game.
Popovich, or Pop as he is known to his players and friends, is a throwback to the days when NBA coaches actually coached. He is skilled at the fundamentals as well as understanding the strengths and weaknesses of his opposition. He is teach and mentor, and for many an all-around great guy. He’s simply not Broadway, or Hollywood, South Beach or even the Windy City. A graduate of the Air Force Academy, Pop is a coach’s coach. And for that reason, Greg Popovich is a good role model of managers to study. Here are three reasons why:
He can teach. The NBA is known as a player’s league. Not in San Antonio, however. Tim Duncan is the star power forward and maybe one of the very best of all-time to play the position but his self-effacement and willingness to listen to Pop opens the door for everyone else on the team for follow his example.
Posted by John Baldoni at 12:00 PM
| 1 Comment
Careers: Personal Branding Miss by Hillary Clinton
We’ve now entered the silly season politically speaking and as the latest exhibit consider the just released video and campaign song by Hillary Clinton. Clinton and former President Bill Clinton spoof the controversial last scene of the Sopranos with Hillary standing in for Tony Soprano. The screen goes black just when her campaign theme song is to be unveiled. One click takes you to the theme song which is “You and I” by Celine Dion.
Yes, it’s cute if you’re running for student council president. And, yes, it’s creating an Internet buzz. But, what does it do for Hillary’s personal brand? Why associate yourself with a fictional mobster and criminal no matter how popular he is? Didn’t the Clinton’s have enough problems with all the real life sleazy characters they have been associated with -- not to mention some of their less than savory behavior. Think Monica and Whitewater and all the allegations that they had their hands in the wrong pots.
Then that Celine Dion song. Does that make you just a little sick thinking about such a saccharine song as the theme anthem for a down and dirty political campaign? Were she a doey-eyed young thing it might make sense. But what does “I can see your love shining like a light,” as the song puts it have to do with her campaign? She would have been much better off to have selected a song that matches her image -- that is upbeat, charged and gets people excited.
What do you think her song should be?
Posted by Wendy Marx at 8:31 AM
| 5 Comments
India - The Super Job Creator
A recent study shows that India is by far the highest new jobs creator in the world. It may be celebration time for Indians, but is this also the right time to reflect on aspects that could bring the party crashing down?
Well, India’s economic success story is official now. India has created the maximum jobs in the world during the period 2000-2005. Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has claimed in its recently released Employment Outlook 2007 report that India generated 11.3 million net new jobs per year on an average. During the same period, China created 7 million net new jobs while Brazil and Russia created 2.7 million and 0.7 million net new jobs respectively. India’s unemployment rate of 6% in 2005 also compares favorably with other BRIC countries whose unemployment rates were hovering around the 8-9% mark at the same time.
Continue reading "India - The Super Job Creator"Posted by Anupam Mukerji at 7:52 AM
| 2 Comments
June 19, 2007
Leading Ideas: Where to Look When Performance Breaks Down
"When it comes to improving performance, most organizations' problems can be traced to their inability to think and talk together at critical moments."-- Paraphrased from William Isaacs's book Dialogue, p.3
Consider this:
What passes as "communication" in most organizations is nothing more than people talking AT each other. Firing different opinions around a room with little structure to productively move any action forward. The dialogue is dysfunctional - meaning that it doesn't produce a deeper understanding of the issues at hand. Eventually, when a decision must be made, it's often the person who has spoken the loudest, longest, or with the most conviction that wins - whether it was the best idea or not.
When I share this idea with potential clients they often say, "Yes! That's exactly what happens in our organization. How can we change it?" My first answer is that it takes time and commitment (and usually help from a professional like me). My second answer is that they can begin the process right now - by exploring their own contribution to the dysfunction. Good dialogue can be boiled down to 5 key elements - Listening, Respecting, Suspending, Voicing, and Inquiring. When dialogue breaks down, it's usually because one or more of these are missing between the players involved.
Continue reading "Leading Ideas: Where to Look When Performance Breaks Down"Posted by Doug Sundheim at 4:13 PM
| 1 Comment
Technology: Interview with Eric Rochow of Gardenfork.tv
This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Eric Rochow, the creator and producer of Gardenfork.tv, his "internet show" or "videoblog".
What is Gardenfork?
Gardenfork is an internet video show - iTunes video podcast about cooking, gardening, and other stuff. Other stuff can include car repair, or how to drop tree with a chainsaw. Its very eclectic; for example I've been doing a series of shows on BBQ, stopping at places whenever I can and interviewing BBQ experts, but then I'm also working on a show about how to repair cracks in your basement walls.
You can watch the show on our website: http://gardenfork.tv or subcribe to it through our page on iTunes.
Continue reading "Technology: Interview with Eric Rochow of Gardenfork.tv"Posted by Bill Cammack at 3:28 PM
| Add Comment
Careers: Personal Branding Wunderkind
In honor of summer casualness, here's a diz dat list -- a bit of diz, a bit of dat.
For those on linkedin, check out this article which tells you how to use the business networking site more effectively. And for those not yet on the site, get your fingers moving .
By now you've probably heard of Timothy Ferriss, a 29-year-old self-described wunderkind who is the PT Barnum of self-promotion and the author of The 4-Hour Workweek. Ferriss is so over the top as to be almost a caricature when he talks about himself, yet at the same time you want to sit up and marvel. He's managed to get himself quoted everywhere and as of today is Number 20 on Amazon's bestseller list. Steve Rubel in Ad Age explains how Ferriss worked the blogosphere to build buzz for his book. (You need a subscription for Ad Age so email me if you want to see the article.)
Ferriss' book is also chuck full of good advice for personal branders -- a lot of it worth paying attention to, especially his advice on becoming a top expert. A few Ferriss suggestions:
* Join trade associations.
* Give free one-to-three hour seminars
* Write articles for trade magazines
*Join ProfNet, an expert service of PR Newswire
Beware, however. Ferriss, who has the cockiness galore of a young pup, makes it all sound as easy as sliced bread. In fact, it takes time and continual effort for most people to establish their street and online cred. However, much of what he says will work over time. Just don't expect to be an overnight wonder unless you're Timothy Ferriss.
Posted by Wendy Marx at 8:13 AM
| Add Comment
Work/Life: Why Work/Life Balance is Up in the Air
CEO Dad's Tuesday Tirade....
Ever since Tom Stern, the fellow who invented me, gave me my own Web address (ceodad.com), from this new electronic vantage point I’ve been able to tool around on the Internet with abandon. This is nothing new for comic strip characters, many of whom have their own sites, however now that you know you may want to think about what you’re putting out there in cyberspace. For example, Garfield just told me that he’s had it up to here with YouTube videos of somebody’s cat yawning, and Doonesbury, despite his left-wing nature, is tired of all the conspiracy theory sites out there. (He’s got his gripes with the president, but as far as he knows he was not responsible for the UFO that landed in North Korea and replaced Kim Jong-il with a “grey.”)
Just the same, the Internet can be a source of inspiration. Take, for example, this story, in which airline passengers arriving at England’s Gatwick Airport have been seeing an ad for a strip club etched in the farmland along the landing approach.
It’s no surprise that the adult entertainment industry is on the vanguard of a new delivery system. They’re always the people who exploit a new technology first. But rather than bemoan their poor taste, let’s take this as a mandate for keeping our work/life priorities straight. Many, many workaholics are going from meeting to meeting on airplanes. As the plane lands, they are likely closing the laptop into which they’ve been entering spreadsheet data for the entire flight, focusing on their upcoming presentation and waiting anxiously for the full and complete stop so that they can turn on their Crackberries. Let’s suppose, as they looked out the window prior to landing, they saw a message carved into the landscape below. Here a few possibilities:
1. HEY, DIPWAD. CALL HOME BEFORE YOU HEAD INTO THAT MEETING
2. HOW’S THAT STRESS-INDUCED ULCER WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA?
3. CHILL OUT. YOU ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT.
If we start now, we could potentially shift priorities overnight. The one snag is that since there is no product being advertised, it may be difficult to finance these from-the-air mottos. Still, some quick-thinking exec should be able to come up with a tie-in. For example:
1. Verizon.
2. Pepto Bismol
3. Deepak Chopra
Far-fetched? I say no. Like all good ideas, all it needs is a little time to take flight. What would you scrawl into the ground to inspire the overworked?
Posted by Tom Stern at 6:48 AM
| Add Comment
Work/Life: Welcome to My 24/7 Seamless Life
I'm sitting cross-legged on the floor of my office in Austin, TX, wedged between a bolster and a hard place. It's a customer's personal Pilates studio.
The night before, I was holed up in my Chicago office, curled up on a futon in a brownstone owned by couple who had seen the DVD my movie about cycling 2,400 miles along Route 66 last year. They invited me to come stay in their home.
The night before that, I was in my groovy Manhattan office, using the south-east corner of my host's gargantuan Design Within Reach desk overlooking the ornamental stove.
I lease 'offices' like this all over the country. They're located wherever I'm invited to lay my bicycle helmet and plug in my 12" Powerbook.
Continue reading "Work/Life: Welcome to My 24/7 Seamless Life"Posted by Lynette Chiang at 1:01 AM
| Add Comment
June 18, 2007
Leadership: The Immigration Bill--A Failure to Communicate
First, I have no opinion about the just-failed/just-revived immigration bill. Truth is, I didn't understand it well enough to have an opinion. I didn't understand it because it was never properly explained. I wanted to understand it, but did not have the time to research it. And, anyway, who can be trusted to give an unbiased explanation? I was hoping that one of the bill's many champions would take pity on us poor citizens and explain it. That did not happen. This is amazing to me because it seemed that for the month or so leading up to its initial failure, no one was talking about anything else. Now, all we hear is that it's back on, going to happen, but I still know nothing more about it than I did before.
It's odd, really. Because without a proper and easy-to-digest explanation the first time around, the rumor mill went into overdrive until it was impossible to know what was fact and what was fiction. Many citizens thought they did understand it, rose up in protest, made their calls to their representatives in Congress and paralyzed the legislation. But it seems to me that it's déjà vu all over again. The news is the bill has been changed, adjusted to address certain concerns. Maybe it's better and maybe it's worse. I just don't know.
It does not have to be this way. This is what happens when the people responsible for pitching an idea (President Bush and members of Congress) are so immersed in the details of the idea, over such a long period of time, that they forget the people that they are pitching to know virtually nothing about it. Or, they don't care whether we understand or not (I shudder to consider that possibility).
Continue reading "Leadership: The Immigration Bill--A Failure to Communicate"Posted by Ruth Sherman at 7:02 PM
| Add Comment
Innovation: The Great Haul of China
It wasn't long after I arrived in Tokyo that I heard about the tuna flying to China. My book The Sushi Economy ends in China, sushi's last frontier, where an expanding middle class is developing fresh appetites for the food and an increasing ability to afford it. The result -- tens of millions of Chinese join us at the sushi bar -- has seemed inevitable, much as a yen for sushi has accompanied integration into the global economy elsewhere in the world. But that day still appeared to be far-off. "Five years from now, Japanese consumers will not be able to eat good-quality sashimi," Tom Asakawa, a fisheries-trade specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo told me a year and a half ago. "You'll have to go to China to do that."
When I spoke before groups in Tokyo, I made a point of quoting that line verbatim, savoring my Nostradamus-like role to residents of a country that has long paid a premium for the world's top seafood catch. I quickly, however, was able to move from prophesy to reporting on present-day reality: high-quality tuna were already being purchased at auction at the Tsukiji market in downtown Tokyo and being put immediately on planes to Shanghai. I hadn't heard anything like this the last time I was at the market, about a year ago -- but things are changing quickly in China, in terms of both the new wealth undergirding a luxury consumer culture and the international cargo connections that sustain its tastes.
The Japanese have been long concerned that the Chinese would eat their lunch, although they didn't expect it to happen literally. Asakawa's prediction seemed to becoming true, although there was in reports of these new flying fish a quiet note of caution for those who want to trumpet (or fear) the unending rise of China.
At first, I wondered why the fish even traveled through Tsukiji to begin with; tuna originating in the Mediterranean or South Pacific or Atlantic could be flown directly to Shanghai, saving at least $5 per pound on tariffs, auction-listing fees, and freight costs. But then I remembered what the Shanghai municipal fish market looked like when I visited: a dirty, disorganized bazaar exhibiting seafood of widely varying quality. Tsukiji presents the opposing model of the modern marketplace, and the extra handling costs Chinese wholesalers were willing to saddle served as a premium for being able to tell chefs and diners that their fish had the imprimatur of the world's biggest and best fish market.
This is where China's luxury culture and the lack of consumer confidence in its public and private sector come into conflict. The origins of products matter, but the hands through which they pass do, too. If people don't trust the hygienic standards or business practices of their hometown fish market, a nice piece of north-Atlantic bluefin toro handled there will never be worth much -- just as bags marked Louis Vuitton are suspect in China unless they come straight over a Vuitton counter. The Japanese may be losing their historical grip on the world's best sushi, but the national brand has not lost its credibility. As China rises, those who eat sushi will be willing to pay for the best, but they need to be assured that's what they're getting. Back in Tokyo, Tsukiji's primacy as a local seafood provider may diminish, but the fish market may find new life as a international boutique label.
Read about Sasha Issenberg's The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy at www.thesushieconomy.com. Or buy it here.
Posted by Sasha Issenberg at 12:04 PM
| 1 Comment
Leadership: Executive Coaching -- Fuel or Folly?
So which is it? There seems to be a wide variety of opinions concerning the value of executive coaching. Some say it is the professional that people choose who gets tired of working and so becomes a consultant and that this person’s input is a waste of time. Others swear by executive coaching as a way that changed their lives and careers. As an executive coach myself, I engage in both sides of this conversation with sincere interest. So is it fuel for the leader to improve or folly?
Posted by Grace Andrews at 9:26 AM
| 1 Comment
Careers: Helicopter Parents & Spouses Should Buzz Off
I was speaking with some corporate recruiters at a career conference last week and the topic of “helicopter parents” came up. On the off chance you haven’t heard the phrase before, it refers to overbearing parents that hover over their children in all phases (and I mean all) of life. “Parents with extreme personal boundary deficiency” isn’t as catchy, but in my opinion it’s a lot more accurate description of the phenomena. Even though I’ve listened to presentations and read articles by academics that attribute this growing trend to generational differences, I still hope this is just a bad dream or a passing fad.
At the conference, one recruiter told of a parent who contacted him to negotiate his child’s salary. I’m glad I was sitting down at the time because when I heard that I almost passed out. Upon reflection, I’m not sure if I was more outraged at the parent for making the call or the child for allowing it to happen.
But it doesn’t end there; I’ve also heard stories of (and seen) parents and even spouses accompanying their children or significant others at career fairs. What’s next? Parents and spouses in high-level meetings with clients and corporate executives? Sitting in on performance reviews? I cringe at the thought.
There are few guarantees when it comes to identifying and hiring top talent. But if there’s one, heavy involvement by parents or spouses spells trouble. As a hiring company, don’t be afraid to take a stand. If you’re contacted by a parent or spouse about salary negotiation, politely let them know that you’d be more than happy to speak with the candidate directly. The same holds true when approached by a parent or spouse at a career fair.
Employers, if you hear what sounds like a helicopter off in the distance, run away from that candidate as fast as you can. Career offices, encourage parents to empower their children to take ownership of their (not your) job search. Job candidates, look to loved ones for moral support but learn to interface with companies of interest on your own without using them as a safety net. Parents and spouses, stay in the background; recruiters shouldn’t know you on a first-name basis. If we take a stand now, maybe we can head this craziness off before it reaches critical mass.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (courtingyourcareer.wordpress.com).
Posted by Shawn Graham at 8:55 AM
| Add Comment
Work/Life: What My Father's Day Was Like
Those of us who wrestle with work/life balance the way Paris Hilton wrestles with her high school equivalency test know how hard it can be to face Father’s Day. It is an honoring, after all, of your skills as a parent, and if, in your heart, you suspect those skills are deficient, the anxiety leading up to the actual day can be daunting. Worse yet, they went and made it a Sunday. Trust me, it’s much more difficult to get out of a commitment on the day the Lord rested. The implication being that if the all-knowing, all-seeing entity that created the universe scheduled one day of down time into his PDA, the least you could do is stop trying to find some country where it’s already Monday so you can call them and get patched into their morning sales meeting. Maybe God has been around so long because he’s not a dysfunctional workaholic, and spends time with his family on the weekends.
The Father’s Day card from my wife was sweet. The outside read “To My Husband on Father’s Day: I Remember Every Day We’re Together.” And when you opened it up it read “It’s Not Hard. There Were Four of Them.”
At my daughter’s private school, the kids gave awards to each other’s fathers, and I was voted “The Dad Who Is At Least A Better Role Model Than Alec Baldwin.”
Of course, even if one is a father himself, one still has to make sure to commemorate the day with his own father. This can be trying for me, because my dad is not of the introspective, enlightened generation which comprises today’s modern, conflicted CEO’s. Even if he did understand the concept of work/life balance, he would most likely hire someone to deal with it. When I was growing up, it was a given that a man must work and work to support his family. Nurturing and quality time were considered de facto betrayals of the American Dream. Just the same, the call to Pop this year went well, and we reminisced about some of the highlights of my boyhood with him, and those few moments he reserved just for me. Like the only time I got a hug was when he performed the Heimlich on me. Or how we went to one baseball game together, but he found the seventh inning stretch such a blatant display of unproductive laziness that we left and went to the Stock Exchange floor to see some real non-stop action. And he did take me fishing once, but there wasn’t much for me to do except watch the occasional dolphin get caught in the tuna nets. I wished him a happy Father’s Day, and he jovially wished me the same, adding “you are their real father, right?” That dad of mine!
How was your Father’s Day, American dads?
Posted by Tom Stern at 6:07 AM
| 1 Comment
June 15, 2007
Innovation: Salt Me Down
Airlines have long been derided as 'buses in the air.' But new technology, new planes, and even new seating in those planes are all contributing to turn air travel upside down.
Or is it back to front?
Ben Webster in a story in The Times (UK) reveals that some airlines are considering "yin-yang" seating that would call for some passengers to sit facing the rear of the plane. In fact, ten airlines, including British Airways, are examining a back-to-front seating arrangement to give people more legroom.
Oh, I should mention that this yin-yang configuration would enable airlines to shoehorn up to 50 additional seats into, say, an A380 — which, at first blush sounds like we'll be packed sardine-like into the fuselage. This is an improvement?
In a word, yes!
Continue reading "Innovation: Salt Me Down"Posted by Robert Buckman at 12:49 PM
| 2 Comments
Work/Life Balance, The Ride
In what may be the first instance of literature being turned into its own theme park, an interactive Harry Potter environment is set to open in Orlando in 2009. I can already see the anti-Satan worshipping crowd lining up to picket the place. Of course, the fact that the franchise generates so much darn money was a huge motivating factor in giving this one the green light. I would guess there are not a lot of development meetings revolving around “Dosteyevsky Land,” “The Gore Vidal Adventure” or “Chick Lit Berry Farm.”
Just the same, such a topic-specific theme park leaves the door open for other, more socially conscious parks, which could address our nation’s need for work/life balance. Imagineers, take note:
I’M IN A MEETING LAND – Gives visitors a chance to see the truth behind this shadowy phrase that has cut so many calls from spouses and children short. State-of-the-art robotic CEO’s reveal that while claiming to be in a meeting, they are actually on speaker phone practicing their short game.
BLUETOOTH MADNESS, THE RIDE – Strap in for the most perilous rollercoaster yet: a recreation of trying to drive, eat a bagel, read the Journal and negotiate an overseas contract without an interpreter, all at the same time. Bonus coupon for free ride given to those who do not get pulled over by state-of-the-art robotic highway patrolmen.
THE HAUNTED MCMANSION – A guided tour through the empty gesture of conspicuous consumption, in which audiences wait for the ghost of a former Executive Vice President to come and frighten the guests of the home he used to live in, only to realize he is working late and will not make it home in time to haunt them after all.
THE DOWNSIZING ADVENTURE – State-of-the-art robotic Directors of Personnel use state-of-the-art corporate doublespeak to can your sorry butt. One of the scariest theme park rides known to man. It may take weeks before you tell your spouse what happened.
It’s time for amusement parks to reflect some of our real-life experiences, and these are decent places to start, I think. What theme park attraction would you like to see about your daily grind?