Archive for February, 2005
Discovering your strengths
I really like the attached post that comes from Leadership. Now. – a blog by leadership consultant Don Blohowiak. The explicit lesson is best described in Don’s own words, "When you understand the abilities, talents and skills you don’t have, you can develop coping and compensatory strategies."
This insight reminds me an aweful lot of the mantra coming from Marcus Buckingham’s Now Discover Your Strengths. The argument here is straighforward (as has a strong base in cognitive science):
- By the time you are about 8 years old, many of your brain’s processes have become hard-wired.
- This means that you will view, process information about, and react to the world in a remarkably similar way for the rest of your life.
- Understand how you process the world and you understand your strengths (and Buckingham, through an online test, helps you to identify your top five).
- For these same reasons, weaknesses, like strengths, are hardwired…and although you should be aware of them, you’ll never be able to change them.
- The real bit of wisdom from Buckingham is to focus on your strengths (it will make you successful and happy) and not your weaknesses (can’t do anything about them anyway).
This isn’t rocket science (although it is cognitive science). Better understand yourself (meta-awareness) and you’ll perform better and be more successful.
Read on…
Link: Leadership Now.
Have you heard the one about the deaf audio technician?
No joke.
A colleague relays her experience at a conference facility in California…
She’s running a big meeting. During set up before the big general session, she notices how the Conference Coordinator is giving instructions to the Audio Visual tech assigned to run the multimedia extravaganza for hundreds of conference attendees.
The Conference Coordinator is speaking very S – L- O – W – L – Y to the young man.
My colleague, ever vigil, knows something’s up.
When the conference coordinator leaves the meeting room, my associate says to the tech, “A – R – E Y – O – U D – E – A – F?
He nods.
Moment of truth.
Now before completing the tale, I’ll share a little aside. In relaying her experience, my associate said to me, “Can you imagine what that tech’s job search must have been like? A deaf man striving to be an audio technician!”
I say: “Man, I want to meet the guy who hired that fella! He must have really been enlightened. …Or desperate!
“Or related!” shot back my colleague.
Okay, back to the meeting in California.
The meeting goes on as planned the guy who cannot hear running the audio board.
“He was the most attentive audio tech I’ve worked with,” says my associate, a professional meeting planner.
“But we did have a hitch,” she adds.
It was one of the most common gremlins that creep into audio systems in meetings: feedback screeching from the public address system. Which, of course, the tech cannot hear.
But he could detect it.
From his post at the audio board, he pays close attention to watching the audience. He couldn’t hear the feedback. But he could see people reacting to it. He leaps into action immediately.
And fixes the problem.
“That guy was probably the most attentive tech I’ve ever worked with,” says the professional meeting planner. “He fixed that problem as fast as any tech I’ve ever seen.”
Amazing.
Inspiring.
Instructive.
Hear me: None of us are defined by our limitations.
Recognize this truth: When you understand the abilities, talents and skills you don’t have, you can develop coping and compensatory strategies. And accomplish astounding things no one—not even yourself—would expect from you.
I still want to meet the man or woman who hired a guy with no hearing to run critical audio operations for demanding clients in high pressure do-or-die situations.
Dr. Mohan Sawhney Joins WOMMA Advisory Board
I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Sawhney during my days at Herman Miller. At that time, Dr. Sawhney was working to complete his book, "The Seven Steps to Nirvana: Strategic Insights into eBusiness Transformation" of which our work in e-business was heavily referrenced.
I’m looking forward to seeing him influence WOMMA and add his always insightful perspective.
Weblog Tools Market
Elise Bauer has pulled together some interesting figures with regard to the growth and proliferation of Weblog Tools…and "growth" is the key factor here. As one of her commentors put it, consider this data "directional." But what does this research validate? That the total number of weblogs is growing? I’m still curious how sites are being used, how frequently are these sites being updated (are they active?), etc. As many of these tools provide free services, it is still unclear how many of them are actually being used…and thus what the impact of weblogs are truly having. Even the Pew Internet and American Life Project only has some rough usage data.
"Directional" data is extremely useful information though and about all we really have right now.
Link: elise.com: On the Job: Weblog Tools Market – Update February 2005.
Demo@15
The 15th DEMO came to a close earlier this week. Check out of the Blogging DEMO site for a review on some very interesting (and in many instances useful) emerging technologies.
Highlights include:
Jotspot – a Wiki for business uses such as intranets, meeting management, project management, etc. (more ideas here)
Teleo – a Skype alternative that allows you to forward calls to a cell phone or click-to-call from any application that shows a phone number…and not too bad at $.02.minute.
VKB – the creator of virtual keyboards for use with PDAs and cell phones. You gotta see how this stuff works. Gartner is predicting BIG things for this market.
Vlog It! – Video + Blogging = Vlogging…pretty much says it all.
Onfolio – is "a PC application for reading RSS, news feeds, collecting and organizing online content and publishing to email, weblogs and web sites." This tool is much more than a simple RSS feed reader. Check out the demo.
imeem – social networking software. By the way, if you don’t know what a "meem" or "meme" is, go here.
Here’s a list of the rest:
Adomo, Inc.; www.adomo.com ; Cupertino, CA
Affini, Inc.; www.affini.com ; Saratoga,
CA
Audiotrieve, LLC.; www.inboxer.com ;
Boxborough, MA
AutoXray; www.autoxray.com ; Tempe, AZ
Avvenu, Inc.; www.avvenu.com ; Palo Alto,
CA
Blazent, Inc.; www.blazent.com ; San
Mateo, CA
BorderWare Technologies Inc.; www.borderware.com
; Ontario, Canada
Browster, Inc.; www.browster.com ; San
Francisco, CA
Cenzic, Inc.; www.cenzic.com ; Santa
Clara, CA
Cloudmark, Inc.; www.cloudmark.com ;
San Francisco, CA
Convoq, Inc.; www.convoq.com ; Lexington,
MA
Demandware, Inc.; www.demandware.com ;
Woburn, MA
Digipede Technologies; www.digipede.net ;
Oakland, CA
Digital Monkey Pty Ltd; www.digitalmonkey.com.au
; Adelaide, Australia
Digital Railroad, Inc.; www.digitalrailroad.net
; New York, NY
DPM Pty Ltd; www.dpm.com.au ; Fyshwick,
Australia
Five Across, Inc.; www.fiveacross.com ;
Palo Alto, CA
Fortiva Inc.; www.fortiva.com ; Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
Grok Software, Inc.; www.grokinc.com ;
Nevada City, CA
Groxis, Inc.; www.groxis.com ; San
Francisco, CA
Homestead Technologies, Inc.; www.homestead.com
; Menlo Park, CA
iControl Networks; www.icontrol.com ;
Palo Alto, CA
imeem, Inc.; www.imeem.com ; Palo Alto, CA
ImpactEngine.com, Inc.; www.impactengine.com
; La Jolla, CA
Imprivata, Inc.; www.imprivata.com ;
Lexington, MA
Infommersion, Inc.; www.infommersion.com
; San Diego, CA
Intellifit Corporation; www.intellifit.com
; Philadelphia, PA
IntroNetworks; www.introNetworks.com
; Montecito, CA
IPLocks, Inc.; www.iplocks.com ; San
Jose, CA
iUpload, Inc.; www.iupload.com ;
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Jambo Networks, Inc.; www.jambo.net ;
Dallas, TX
Jigsaw Data Corporation; www.jigsaw.com ;
San Mateo, CA
JotSpot, Inc.; www.jot.com ; Palo Alto, CA
KnowledgeDNA, Inc.; www.knowledgedna.com
; Santa Barbara, CA
KoolSpan, Inc.; www.koolspan.com ; N.
Bethesda, MD
LiveDeal, Inc.; www.livedeal.com ; Palo
Alto, CA
LiveVault Corporation; www.livevault.com
; Marlborough, MA
Lusora Inc.; www.lusora.com ; San
Francisco, CA
Marrakech Ltd; www.marrakech.com ;
Berkshire, United Kingdom
MDA; www.mdrobotics.ca ; Brampton,
Ontario, Canada
Mediabolic, Inc.; www.mediabolic.com ;
San Mateo, CA
Meru Networks; www.merunetworks.com ;
Sunnyvale, CA
Metavize, Inc.; www.metavize.com ;
Foster City, CA
Mindjet; www.mindjet.com ; Larkspur, CA
Mission Research, Inc.; www.missionresearch.com
; Lancaster, PA
Motorola, Inc.; www.motorola.com ;
Schaumburg, IL
Moving Image Research, Inc.; www.movingimageresearch.com
; Los Altos, CA
NewTek, Inc.; www.newtek.com ; San
Antonio, TX
Novint Technologies, Inc.; www.novint.com ;
Albuquerque, NM
Nsite, Incorporated; www.nsite.com ;
Pleasanton, CA
NTERA Ltd; www.ntera.com ; Dublin, Ireland
Onfolio, Inc.; www.onfolio.com ;
Cambridge, MA
Online & GroupWare; www.gotapp.com ; Chatou,
France
Openwave Systems Inc.; www.openwave.com ;
Redwood City, CA
Outsmart Ltd.; www.outsmarttelecom.com
; New York, NY
Photoleap, Inc.; www.photoleap.com ; La
Jolla, CA
Pluck Corporation; www.pluck.com ; Austin,
TX
QRSciences Limited; www.qrsciences.com
; Cannington, Australia
REAL Software, Inc.; www.realsoftware.com/demo15
; Austin, TX
Realtime Enterprises; www.realtimeenterprises.com
; Cortlandt Manor, NY
Satori Labs, Inc.; www.satorilabs.com ;
Scotts Valley, CA
Serious Magic, Inc.; www.seriousmagic.com
; Folsom, CA
SigNav Pty Ltd; www.signav.com.au ;
Fyshwick, Australia
Smart Online, Inc.; www.smartonline.com
; Durham, NC
Sonaptic Ltd; www.sonaptic.com ;
Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
StreamBase Systems, Inc.; www.streambase.com
; Lexington, MA
Symbol Technologies, Inc.; www.symbol.com ;
San Jose, CA
Teleo, Inc.; www.teleo.com ; San Francisco,
CA
Traverse Networks, Inc.; www.traversenetworks.com
; Fremont, CA
Virtual Business Solutions & Systems; www.vb2s.com
; Roubaix, France
Virtual Iron Software; www.virtualiron.com
; Acton, MA
VKB Inc; www.vkb-tech.com ; Menlo Park,
CA
WhatCounts, Inc.; www.whatcounts.com ;
Seattle, WA
Xfire, Inc.; www.xfire.com ; Menlo Park, CA
gapingvoid: “the kinetic quality”: the future of advertising
This is an interesting blog from Hugh (train Manifesto) Macleod at gapingvoid.
Link: gapingvoid: "the kinetic quality": the future of advertising.
"The future of brands is interaction, not commodity. It’s not something you buy, but something you participate in."
I get it and agree with it…although I believe that Hugh may be oversimplifing the point (then again, that is the type of insight really good consultants provide).
"In the old days, the three most important words in advertising were
"Unique Selling Proposition". To me, the three most important words are
"By Interacting With…"
-By interacting with Gerber, she becomes a better-informed mom.
-By interacting with The Wall Street Journal, she becomes more tuned into the world of capitalism.
-By interacting with Apple, she brings her entrepreneurial dreams closer to reality.
-By interacting with McDonald’s, her busy schedule is made slightly easier by avoiding a lot of fuss over lunch.
-By interacting with Ralston Purina, she becomes more attached to her canine friend.
-By interacting with your brand, she becomes…?
A good brand is a two-way conversation."
Revenge of the Right Brain
That’s the title of an article in the February edition of Wired magazine. What’s the gist? That the left brain thinking – logical and precise – which gave us the Information Age will soon give way to right brain thinking – artistic and emotional – and a new Conceptual Age. This new Conceptual Age, according to author Daniel H. Pink, is our next chance to flourish given that so many left brain thinking jobs are steadily leaving the United States.
This is, of course, a response to the off-shoring of American jobs. The article itself is quite similar one published in the February 2004 issue entitled, “The New Face of the Silicon Age.” I’ll boil both arguements down:
1. Offshoring of jobs is enevitable.
2. This is not a new phenomema – look to history for examples in farming and the automotive industry.
3. This movement is ultimately good for the US economy (and both articles do focus on the US).
4. The US has something other countries don’t – the ability to innovate (see my comments on this).
There seems to be an underlying assumption in both articles (more explicitly stated in the 2004 article), that the countries who we are offshoring to have no ability to innovate…that their cultures inhibit this capacity.
I find two major flaws in this thinking:
1. The thinking borders on racism.
2. The evidense simply does not support it…particularly seeing how much VC cash is moving to China (see the December FastCompany article entitled, “Offshoring Creativity.”
While it is true that the United State’s opportunity to flouish resides in it’s worker’s ability to innovate and adapt, the same can be said of any country that is a part of the global economy. Which, by the way, makes it even more a neccessity for your business to get its arms around the concept…pronto.
Innovate or die
Innovate or die? No, no, no…innovate AND die. It’s true. Innovation will destroy your business. That is, if it’s done correctly.
True innovation requires a willingness to destroy your business. What you talkin’ about Bill? I’ll say it a different way: Innovation is about creating new things. If done well – from conception through execution – innovation will destroy your business and replace it with something new, better and more competitive.
This is important stuff, so I’ll give you an example: If you are working in a commodity market, all of your competitors are doing the exact same thing as you. Yeah I know, their product is slightly different, their messaging focuses on a slightly different element, their corporate culture is like a separate country. But it is basically all the same stuff, don’t kid yourself. If your goal is to destroy your competitors and take their market share, focus internally instead…on your business. That is exactly what your competitors are doing, focusing on you that is. If you can come up with a way to make your business meaningless in the face of a new product, service or business model, then you have a real chance at redefining your industry.
Make sense?
Why are so many people/companies not doing it? Well first, if you are an established company, you have mechanisms, processes and departments whose existence is based on your existing business. Second, it takes guts and an unwavering certainty that it is the right thing to do. I hear company after company talk about how all of their teams are so innovative. What’s the evidence? There is none. Most of what I see are continuous improvement programs – which are VERY important by the way- and an attempt by management to recognize their people’s talent. But it’s not innovation.
Where do you start?
Ask the question, “How do I destroy my existing business?” Although this is contrary to how it usually gets played out. Most people ask, “How do I improve what I’m doing?” This is a continuous improvement question. It is about refinement, not re-creation.
Seem simple? It’s not…but you know where to go if you need help.
