Thursday
Casino Slot Games
When you choose to play online, you can always apply the strange advice that has been collected from websites, books, articles and veterans who have been casino slot games for years and years traditional. No matter who you are, you can benefit from these tips and useful information on the revolution in online gaming. When you register to play online slots, you come from one of two places: it is someone with experience in casinos who want a traditional change of pace playing online or someone who has never set foot inside a casino and want to see if the casino slot games are for them. Anyway, when you play slots is you are looking for excitement and a change of pace. No more card games for you! Before start playing in an online casino first read the regulations that are provided in the website. When you play online, you can play alone or with a friend if you have wireless internet access. For the most part, however, a slot is a standalone game, so you need to trust your instinct. When it comes time to start playing online slots, you should be sure to choose the slot machine to your liking. While there are ads and flashing lights bright for any game of online slots to attract, you should only play when you are comfortable with the game. Some casino slot games are progressive, others are very technologically advanced equipment, some offer better pay, and some machines are designed with an outdated design, creating the feeling of an atmosphere of a traditional casino.
Play USA Casino Games
Before starting to do anything through internet you should have a proper knowledge in it. Especially if money is involved in it you should be very careful.CasinoNavigator.com is a site which gives you all the needed information and details about the online casinos. The casino sites sometimes give additional compensation to the beginners or to those who create their account for the first time. They will do this to make them a played member and make them to deposit more money. The online casino play sites offers like no deposit casinos in which the players need not pay for their bet and can collect the bet amount even it is double the amount if they win. The amount paid back to you if you win has got some limitations. They won’t give the amount as cash directly that amount can be used by you when you register yourself as member and bet to play again. The main aim of this site behind this concept is to attract the beginners by giving free spins. There is one act of congress followed in USA to regular the activities of USA Casinos. It is called SAFE Port ACT or Security and Accountability for Every Port Act. The rules and regulations framed by this act should be followed by all online casinos working in USA.
Wednesday
Develop an Escort Website
Do you own an escort agency and wish to spread your service world wide? Then make a visit to escortsite.com. You will definitely find solution for your need. This site provides an online escort site tool through which you can design your own website. Having simple English knowledge will help you in implementing the design of the website. All you have to do with this tool is, you have to select a design template of your choice, customize it, select with the features that you wish to implement in your website and finally choose the plan for hosting the website. With this tool you can provide a domain name for your website of your choice.
Tuesday
Play Online Games
Casino games are respected worldwide. It has got huge number of fans across the globe. People in millions have been attracted towards this wonderful and fun packed game. Irrespective of creed, country, religion and views, humanity is turning its face towards this game in this twenty first century. As the internet world has taken control of this globe, it has made its impact in this game too. Casino games which was played physically till now, has been played in online too. This is wonderful and interesting. The best among casino game is the Blackjack online game. People enjoy their time by playing the blackjack games in online. None can deny the fact that online casino games can provide the same excitement and fun provided by the normal casino games. Blackjack online game are one in which all the players are against the dealer. The other name for this game is twenty one. Every player gets two cards each. Every criteria and rules are the same and for every rules and commandments the keys are prescribed. The bet is declared openly at the start of the game. In Blackjack online game, if a player crosses the twenty one limit mark the player is out of the game. But the player can take efforts to reach near the twenty one marks. One could double the bet after doubling the cards down in this game whether one player plays it in a casino or in online. On the other hand, when a player automatically gets a blackjack, then the dealer is in trouble. It is because; the dealer has to pay one and a half times of the bet. It can be prevented only if the dealer also has a blackjack. The simple concept behind this is, a player will be more comfortable when playing this casino game online rather than playing it in a casino. One will experience all kinds of fun and excitement that one gets it while playing this game in a casino.
How to make hard disk recovery
The chances of a hard drive recovery success will depend on the nature of your problem. Starting with the most difficult situation, a mechanical failure of a component in the hard disk drive may render it unusable. Windows almost immediately after the accident will fail to restart because of the inability to recognize your drive. If you're lucky there may be a loose power cable / IDE Ribbon (two of which you can check). However, if you hear strange noises from the drive, then turn off the PC and get a technician to look at the fault. Another situation is where Windows has developed a fault which prevents it from starting. It is usually a software fault or registry viruses, rather than being a problem with your drive. To make a disk recovery, you must first get Windows started. You can try one of the following strategies:
• Start Windows in safe mode.
• Start Windows by using the "Last Known Good Configuration option during startup.
• Start Windows from a emergency boot disk
Once Windows starts, you can complete your hard disk seagate data recovery by saving the files on an external drive, and then troubleshoot the problem. If it still does not start, then you have to approach a computer technician to repair. Keep reading on my next writing about loan modification program.
• Start Windows in safe mode.
• Start Windows by using the "Last Known Good Configuration option during startup.
• Start Windows from a emergency boot disk
Once Windows starts, you can complete your hard disk seagate data recovery by saving the files on an external drive, and then troubleshoot the problem. If it still does not start, then you have to approach a computer technician to repair. Keep reading on my next writing about loan modification program.
Saturday
Factors considered while seeking car insurance
When thinking about car insurance, the biggest question of what will be the best insurance rate for his car will arise in everyone’s mind. It is very difficult to know how much amount of insurance will be safe for your vehicle as the price of the insurance depends on several factors. The calculation is based on the risk that the insurer will have to provide you with a safe. This risk is assessed through an interview that is usually made by the insurance broker. Here are some factors that can influence to increase or reduce the price of car insurance that you intend to hold:
Here are some factors related to you:
• Age (older people will get cheaper insurance)
• Your gender (women will get cheaper insurance
• Your marital status (married people will get cheaper insurance)
• If you have or not have children (those with children have cheaper insurance
• Profession (professions that do not depend on the car have insurance lowest)
Some geographical factors like city where you live, where you work, distance between your work place and home, your car parking area will also be taken into consideration while calculating the price of the insurance. The insurance rate will also get affected by the type of the vehicle. The type of the vehicle is determined by the following factors: type of car (sports car acquire high insurance rate), whether it is a domestic or imported car, make and model and maintenance cost.
These are just some factors checked, so you will hardly see two people paying the same price of insurance. All data thus collected from the customer will be placed into statistical software that checks the risk and determines the price of insurance of your car. It is always good to offer for full coverage car insurance quotes, so that you can find concessions in your insurance rate to some extent.
Here are some factors related to you:
• Age (older people will get cheaper insurance)
• Your gender (women will get cheaper insurance
• Your marital status (married people will get cheaper insurance)
• If you have or not have children (those with children have cheaper insurance
• Profession (professions that do not depend on the car have insurance lowest)
Some geographical factors like city where you live, where you work, distance between your work place and home, your car parking area will also be taken into consideration while calculating the price of the insurance. The insurance rate will also get affected by the type of the vehicle. The type of the vehicle is determined by the following factors: type of car (sports car acquire high insurance rate), whether it is a domestic or imported car, make and model and maintenance cost.
These are just some factors checked, so you will hardly see two people paying the same price of insurance. All data thus collected from the customer will be placed into statistical software that checks the risk and determines the price of insurance of your car. It is always good to offer for full coverage car insurance quotes, so that you can find concessions in your insurance rate to some extent.
Friday
An Exercise in Changing Yourself
When I first began my career as an executive educator, I challenged my clients to pick one to three behavior patterns for personal improvement. Now I realize that three patterns were too many.
The problem was not a lack of motivation or intelligence — the problem was that they were just too busy. I teach my clients now to pick the one behavior pattern for personal change that will make the biggest difference, and to focus on that. If we pick the right area to change and actually do so, it will almost always influence other aspects of our relationships with people. For example, more effective listening will lead to being more successful in building teamwork, increasing customer satisfaction, and treating people with respect.
A Wonderful Exercise
My friend Nathaniel Branden is a psychologist and the author of about 20 books. He has a wonderful exercise that helps people isolate the pattern that makes the most sense to change, because it helps people figure out the benefits of change. This is how he helps people decide whether change is worth it: Five to eight people sit around a table, and each person selects one practice to change. One person begins the exercise by saying: "When I get better at..." and completes the sentence by mentioning one benefit that will accompany this change. For example, one person may say: "When I get better at being open to differing opinions, I will hear more great ideas."
After everyone has had a chance to discuss their specific behavior and the first benefit, the cycle begins again. Now each person mentions a second benefit that may result from changing the same behavior, then a third, continuing usually for six to eight rounds. Finally, participants discuss what they have learned and their reactions to the exercise.
When Branden first explained this exercise to me, I was polite, but skeptical. I couldn't see the value of simply repeating the potential benefits of change over and over. My skepticism quickly went away when I saw the process work.
Moved to Tears
Nathaniel and I were facilitators at a large conference that included many well-known leaders from corporations, nonprofits, the government, and the military. The man sitting next to me was a high-ranking military leader directly responsible for thousands of troops. He also was extremely judgmental and seemed to be proud of it. For example, when conference participants discussed the topic of character, he said: "I respect people with real character — and organizations, like mine, with real values. I don't believe in this situational crap!"
When we began Nathaniel's exercise, our military friend chose: "When I become less judgmental..." as his behavior to change. I was skeptical about his sincerity and thought his participation in the exercise would be interesting to observe. True to my expectations, the first time around he coughed and grunted a sarcastic comment rather than talk about a real benefit. The second time around he was even more cynical. Then something changed. When he described a third potential benefit, he stopped being sarcastic. Several rounds later, he had tears in his eyes, and said: "When I become less judgmental, maybe my children will speak to me again."
Since that day, I have conducted this exercise with several thousand people. Many start with benefits that are "corporately correct," such as: "This change will help my company make more money," and finally end with benefits that are more human, such as: "This change will make me a better person." I will never forget one hard-driving executive who chose: "When I get better at letting go" as the behavior he should work on. His first benefit was that his direct reports would take more responsibility. His final benefit was that he would probably live to celebrate his 60th birthday.
Try It for Yourself
Now, it's your turn to pick a behavior pattern that you may want to change. Complete the sentence: "When I get better at..." over and over again. Listen closely as you recite potential benefits. You will be amazed at how quickly you can determine whether this change is worth it for you.
The problem was not a lack of motivation or intelligence — the problem was that they were just too busy. I teach my clients now to pick the one behavior pattern for personal change that will make the biggest difference, and to focus on that. If we pick the right area to change and actually do so, it will almost always influence other aspects of our relationships with people. For example, more effective listening will lead to being more successful in building teamwork, increasing customer satisfaction, and treating people with respect.
A Wonderful Exercise
My friend Nathaniel Branden is a psychologist and the author of about 20 books. He has a wonderful exercise that helps people isolate the pattern that makes the most sense to change, because it helps people figure out the benefits of change. This is how he helps people decide whether change is worth it: Five to eight people sit around a table, and each person selects one practice to change. One person begins the exercise by saying: "When I get better at..." and completes the sentence by mentioning one benefit that will accompany this change. For example, one person may say: "When I get better at being open to differing opinions, I will hear more great ideas."
After everyone has had a chance to discuss their specific behavior and the first benefit, the cycle begins again. Now each person mentions a second benefit that may result from changing the same behavior, then a third, continuing usually for six to eight rounds. Finally, participants discuss what they have learned and their reactions to the exercise.
When Branden first explained this exercise to me, I was polite, but skeptical. I couldn't see the value of simply repeating the potential benefits of change over and over. My skepticism quickly went away when I saw the process work.
Moved to Tears
Nathaniel and I were facilitators at a large conference that included many well-known leaders from corporations, nonprofits, the government, and the military. The man sitting next to me was a high-ranking military leader directly responsible for thousands of troops. He also was extremely judgmental and seemed to be proud of it. For example, when conference participants discussed the topic of character, he said: "I respect people with real character — and organizations, like mine, with real values. I don't believe in this situational crap!"
When we began Nathaniel's exercise, our military friend chose: "When I become less judgmental..." as his behavior to change. I was skeptical about his sincerity and thought his participation in the exercise would be interesting to observe. True to my expectations, the first time around he coughed and grunted a sarcastic comment rather than talk about a real benefit. The second time around he was even more cynical. Then something changed. When he described a third potential benefit, he stopped being sarcastic. Several rounds later, he had tears in his eyes, and said: "When I become less judgmental, maybe my children will speak to me again."
Since that day, I have conducted this exercise with several thousand people. Many start with benefits that are "corporately correct," such as: "This change will help my company make more money," and finally end with benefits that are more human, such as: "This change will make me a better person." I will never forget one hard-driving executive who chose: "When I get better at letting go" as the behavior he should work on. His first benefit was that his direct reports would take more responsibility. His final benefit was that he would probably live to celebrate his 60th birthday.
Try It for Yourself
Now, it's your turn to pick a behavior pattern that you may want to change. Complete the sentence: "When I get better at..." over and over again. Listen closely as you recite potential benefits. You will be amazed at how quickly you can determine whether this change is worth it for you.
Being an Effective Global Leader
My company is stretching into areas of the world I've barely heard of — we are definitely broaching the unknown. As a leader, what do I need to be successful as globalization changes the rules of the game?
MG: To help me answer this question, I contacted Maya Hu-Chan of the Global Leadership Development Center at Alliant University's Marshall Goldsmith School of Management. Maya is an international management consultant and certified executive coach who specializes in global leadership, executive coaching, and cross-cultural business skills. Maya and I co-authored Global Leadership: The Next Generation, from which we learned much about facing the challenges of globalization.
First, we learned that globalization is here to stay. It has proliferated into our daily lives. It is not only organizations that are going global; it is individuals, families, and friends. For instance, you may call computer support from your home in San Diego and reach a technical assistant in India; or your son may reach out to a video game creator in Germany and become Facebook friends with a whole slew of Europeans over night. Disney was right; it is a small world after all!
Second, we learned that today's global leaders build partnerships. As the organization standardizes and integrates its operations worldwide, leaders are required to align themselves with supply chains which may appear seamless in a strategic plan but which, in reality, involve real people with diverse cultural backgrounds and communication styles. The new organizational prototype demands new individual skills to meet this complexity; it presents planning and communication challenges requiring new tools in response.
I asked maya, what to elaborate on her experience in coaching leaders to build global partnerships. Here is her response:
MH: A foundational element for any global leader is the need to look at the big picture while at the same time consulting with key stakeholders at every level. A recent client of mine, a Thai vice president with a high-tech multinational, faced exactly this dynamic. As his coach, I helped him to approach this duality with cultural sensitivity and awareness, using the appropriate communication approach to get the message across.
Since his outreach spanned not only hierarchy but continents, his strategy would have to meet the complexity of the landscape. He began his first management initiative by interviewing his supervisor, and then his boss's supervisor, clarifying short and long-term goals by asking questions like "what's our mission?" and "what's our strategy?" From there he consulted with his team, planned a two-day retreat, and followed up with regular virtual staff meetings spanning Asia, the United States, and Latin America. The result was to clarify the group's direction by being specific about what they want to accomplish.
In some ways, the work of equipping global leaders is that of creating more "un-CEOs." New leaders are those who are adept at building partnerships, both one-to-one and one-to-many, as a matter of habit. They emphasize horizontal leadership such as peer coaching, for example, to help project stakeholders help each other.
In my work with multinational corporations, my global clients have often pointed out that building partnerships is one of the most important competencies for global leaders of the future. Leaders have to successfully build trusting and long-term strategic relationships, internally and externally, and leverage those relationships, in order to get the job done.
Finally, remember to be curious about other cultures and enjoy the challenges of communicating in a competitive, fast-paced global business environment.
MG: To help me answer this question, I contacted Maya Hu-Chan of the Global Leadership Development Center at Alliant University's Marshall Goldsmith School of Management. Maya is an international management consultant and certified executive coach who specializes in global leadership, executive coaching, and cross-cultural business skills. Maya and I co-authored Global Leadership: The Next Generation, from which we learned much about facing the challenges of globalization.
First, we learned that globalization is here to stay. It has proliferated into our daily lives. It is not only organizations that are going global; it is individuals, families, and friends. For instance, you may call computer support from your home in San Diego and reach a technical assistant in India; or your son may reach out to a video game creator in Germany and become Facebook friends with a whole slew of Europeans over night. Disney was right; it is a small world after all!
Second, we learned that today's global leaders build partnerships. As the organization standardizes and integrates its operations worldwide, leaders are required to align themselves with supply chains which may appear seamless in a strategic plan but which, in reality, involve real people with diverse cultural backgrounds and communication styles. The new organizational prototype demands new individual skills to meet this complexity; it presents planning and communication challenges requiring new tools in response.
I asked maya, what to elaborate on her experience in coaching leaders to build global partnerships. Here is her response:
MH: A foundational element for any global leader is the need to look at the big picture while at the same time consulting with key stakeholders at every level. A recent client of mine, a Thai vice president with a high-tech multinational, faced exactly this dynamic. As his coach, I helped him to approach this duality with cultural sensitivity and awareness, using the appropriate communication approach to get the message across.
Since his outreach spanned not only hierarchy but continents, his strategy would have to meet the complexity of the landscape. He began his first management initiative by interviewing his supervisor, and then his boss's supervisor, clarifying short and long-term goals by asking questions like "what's our mission?" and "what's our strategy?" From there he consulted with his team, planned a two-day retreat, and followed up with regular virtual staff meetings spanning Asia, the United States, and Latin America. The result was to clarify the group's direction by being specific about what they want to accomplish.
In some ways, the work of equipping global leaders is that of creating more "un-CEOs." New leaders are those who are adept at building partnerships, both one-to-one and one-to-many, as a matter of habit. They emphasize horizontal leadership such as peer coaching, for example, to help project stakeholders help each other.
In my work with multinational corporations, my global clients have often pointed out that building partnerships is one of the most important competencies for global leaders of the future. Leaders have to successfully build trusting and long-term strategic relationships, internally and externally, and leverage those relationships, in order to get the job done.
Finally, remember to be curious about other cultures and enjoy the challenges of communicating in a competitive, fast-paced global business environment.
How to find savings coupons online
Those days of collecting savings coupons from newspapers and magazines were gone and now internet is finding its place in supplying a large number of coupons to its users. A number of websites are dedicated to list coupons and all you need to do is to search for the coupons of your needs and make a print out of it. Many people rely on savings coupons only for buying food items but these coupons are available for other types of products and services like electronic items, web hosting, software download and much more. In 2009, approximately 1.2 billion coupons, about one third of the total number of coupons redeemed were for non-food products such as paper goods, cleaning supplies and personal care items. You can often find deals on these products in stores with great discounts, pharmacies and even at retail stores for a dollar, most of which accept coupons. Many chain pharmacies that distribute their own coupons can be stacked with manufacturer coupons. Use Facebook or Twitter to register for a preferred brand and receive Savings coupons and deals that are not available anywhere else. Do not let the saved cash to waste on unnecessary extra costs. Instead, place it in a jar. It is possible to see their savings grow and it motivates you to continue cutting or offering for coupons.
Thursday
Need to Find a Job? Stop Looking So Hard
Do you know anyone who tried for years to have a baby but couldn't? Then, after giving up, maybe after adopting, suddenly, surprisingly, got pregnant?
Or someone who was dying to be in a relationship? Dated all the time, but never met the right person. Then, after accepting he would be alone, started focusing on other things and, lo and behold, met someone and got married?
How about someone who lost her job? Maybe she spent the next year working on her resumé, perusing job sites, devoting all her energy to getting work. All to no avail. Then, after deciding to stop looking so hard, out of the blue, came a great job offer?
What is that? A karmic journey? A miracle? Statistical aberration? Pure random chance? Perhaps it never really happens; perhaps we remember those stories precisely because they are so unusual?
Or, perhaps, it's a really great strategy.
I just heard a story from a friend of mine. She knows a guy who's been out of a job for over a year. He spent the year working on his resumé and sending it out. He's on Internet job sites every day. He tries to meet with people when there's the opportunity but there aren't a lot of opportunities these days. And he's getting more and more depressed. It's hard to get out of bed but he does. He puts on a suit and tie, sits at his computer, and looks. Eventually, he figures, he'll find a job. I'm sure he's right.
But probably no time soon. The sad truth is that there aren't many jobs out there. And, just last week in the U.S., 200,000 more people started looking for them. Call me a pessimist. But I don't know a single company who is hiring. (I'm in New York, where things are particularly bad.) If you're the kind of person who likes to play the odds, then you'll admit that, chances are, you'll be out of a job for a while.
The same applies to companies who have lost clients, whose revenues are down, who are scrambling for business. It's a scary economic environment out there.
I was talking about this with a close friend of mine who holds a senior position at a large consulting firm. He sounded down--not depressed--but uninspired. We were commiserating about the environment when he said, "We're going after anything that's out there. This is not the time to be choosy. It's not fun."
But I do think there's another way to go through these times with less pain and more success. A way to increase your chances of getting that job. Of winning a new client. And maybe even enjoying it.
Give up.
Not completely. But mostly. Stop trying so hard. At most, spend 1-2 hours a day on it. Here are a few rules:
Write your resume quickly and efficiently. Get the basic point across and then let it go. Same with a cover letter. Your resumé is not going to get you a job. If you're a company, the same holds true for your marketing materials. I'm sure they're already good enough.
Don't spend time on job sites. It's highly unlikely, with all the people who are looking, that someone will hire someone they don't already know (or someone they know doesn't already know). Same goes for companies: don't respond to RFPs unless you already have the relationship.
Spend all your hunting time with people: at lunch, on the phone, going for walks. Finding a job or new clients is all about human relationships.
If you're only going to spend 1-2 hours a day on this, what should you do with your other 12 hours? If you aren't going to spend your days looking for work, how will you find it?
Here's my recipe:
Make a list of all the things you love doing or things that intrigue you that you'd like to try doing. This is brainstorming so don't limit the list or judge it; write down everything you can think of.
Separate the activities you do with people from the activities you do alone. For example, gardening, reading, meditating, and writing are alone activities. Volunteering to run a fundraiser is with people.
Look at the activities you do alone and figure out if you can (and want to) do them in a way that includes other people. For example, join a garden club. Or a reading or meditation group. Or write something that other people read (a blog counts). If you can (and want to) make them activities that include other people, keep them on the list. If not, then cross them off the list.
Now's the fun part: Spend 90% of your time doing things you love (or have always wanted to try) with other people who also love doing those things. If possible, take a leadership role.
A good friend of mine has recently gotten involved in a church she adores. She loves all the pastors; she came to our house for dinner the other day and couldn't stop talking about them. So she met with them and offered to help in whatever way they needed. She's now leading a monthly strategy breakfast with the pastors and lay leaders of the church. I've never seen her so excited.
Another friend is training for a triathalon with a group of 15 others. He's in the best shape of his life and can't stop talking about it.
A company I know is doing pro bono work for charities and the government. Everyone working on those projects is energized.
Another company I know has given all their people writing time; they've been told to put their ideas on paper and get them out there. Somewhere. Anywhere.
Why does this work? Woody Allen once said that eighty percent of success is just showing up. When I first started my business, a great mentor of mine told me to join the boards of not-for-profits and do what I do best for them. Other board members will then see the results and want to hire my company to do the same for them and their companies. That's the obvious reason.
Here's the more subtle reason this works. Nobody wants to hire someone (or a company) who needs to be hired to survive. Depressed is not attractive. People want to hire energized people who are passionate and excited about what they're doing. Jobs come from being engaged in the world and building human connections.
And an even more subtle reason. If you're passionate about what you're doing, and you're doing it with other people who are passionate about what they're doing, then chances are the work you eventually find will be more in line with the stuff you love to do. And then . . . then your life changes (not to be too dramatic but it's true). No longer are you, like my consulting friend said, "going after anything that's out there." You're using this crisis as an opportunity to do work you love, at which you excel, with people you enjoy. You can't help but succeed.
Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking: that's a fine strategy if you're independently wealthy, getting that nice fat trust fund check every week to pay for your gym membership (or mortgage or kid's tuition). But what about the rest of us? Our inability to pay the monthly bills might actually intrude on our ability to "enjoy" unemployment. I know how scary it is to be without an income.
And that fear is what you have to manage because here's the kicker. It won't take longer to find a job even though you're spending less time looking. It'll take you less time.
Pursuing things you love doing with people you enjoy will position you better to get a job; other people will notice your commitment, passion, skill, and personality and they'll want to either hire you or help you get hired.
Also, actively pursuing other activities while looking for a job will make you more qualified for a job--because you'll end up a more interesting person. When you finally get that job interview, you'll be able to recount all the many things you've been doing (and will probably have a good time relating them) instead of saying that the only thing you've been doing for the past three years is looking (unsuccessfully so far) for a job.
The same holds true if you're a company looking for business. Spend your time doing things that will make you a more interesting company to hire when the business comes back.
And even if it took the same amount of time to find a job, wouldn't you rather spend your time doing things that are interesting with people you enjoy?
I just heard the story of a woman who decided to do work she didn't enjoy for a few years in order to make a lot of money. Three years later the company went bankrupt. That could happen to anyone. Bad luck. But here's what she said that I found the most depressing: "It's as though I didn't work for the last three years--it's all gone. And what's worse, I worked like a dog and hated it. I just wasted three years of my life."
Don't waste this time. The job search. The client search. Do it. But do it in a way that excites you. That teaches you new things. That introduces you to new people who see you at your natural, most excited, most powerful best. Use and develop your strengths. The things at which you excel. The things you love.
It's well known that people have a harder time getting pregnant when they're stressed about getting pregnant. And it's unlikely you'll get into a relationship if all you think about is getting into a relationship. The same holds true for finding a job (or, for a company, finding new business). However hard it may be, force yourself to do things you love with other people. Let the work find you.
Or someone who was dying to be in a relationship? Dated all the time, but never met the right person. Then, after accepting he would be alone, started focusing on other things and, lo and behold, met someone and got married?
How about someone who lost her job? Maybe she spent the next year working on her resumé, perusing job sites, devoting all her energy to getting work. All to no avail. Then, after deciding to stop looking so hard, out of the blue, came a great job offer?
What is that? A karmic journey? A miracle? Statistical aberration? Pure random chance? Perhaps it never really happens; perhaps we remember those stories precisely because they are so unusual?
Or, perhaps, it's a really great strategy.
I just heard a story from a friend of mine. She knows a guy who's been out of a job for over a year. He spent the year working on his resumé and sending it out. He's on Internet job sites every day. He tries to meet with people when there's the opportunity but there aren't a lot of opportunities these days. And he's getting more and more depressed. It's hard to get out of bed but he does. He puts on a suit and tie, sits at his computer, and looks. Eventually, he figures, he'll find a job. I'm sure he's right.
But probably no time soon. The sad truth is that there aren't many jobs out there. And, just last week in the U.S., 200,000 more people started looking for them. Call me a pessimist. But I don't know a single company who is hiring. (I'm in New York, where things are particularly bad.) If you're the kind of person who likes to play the odds, then you'll admit that, chances are, you'll be out of a job for a while.
The same applies to companies who have lost clients, whose revenues are down, who are scrambling for business. It's a scary economic environment out there.
I was talking about this with a close friend of mine who holds a senior position at a large consulting firm. He sounded down--not depressed--but uninspired. We were commiserating about the environment when he said, "We're going after anything that's out there. This is not the time to be choosy. It's not fun."
But I do think there's another way to go through these times with less pain and more success. A way to increase your chances of getting that job. Of winning a new client. And maybe even enjoying it.
Give up.
Not completely. But mostly. Stop trying so hard. At most, spend 1-2 hours a day on it. Here are a few rules:
Write your resume quickly and efficiently. Get the basic point across and then let it go. Same with a cover letter. Your resumé is not going to get you a job. If you're a company, the same holds true for your marketing materials. I'm sure they're already good enough.
Don't spend time on job sites. It's highly unlikely, with all the people who are looking, that someone will hire someone they don't already know (or someone they know doesn't already know). Same goes for companies: don't respond to RFPs unless you already have the relationship.
Spend all your hunting time with people: at lunch, on the phone, going for walks. Finding a job or new clients is all about human relationships.
If you're only going to spend 1-2 hours a day on this, what should you do with your other 12 hours? If you aren't going to spend your days looking for work, how will you find it?
Here's my recipe:
Make a list of all the things you love doing or things that intrigue you that you'd like to try doing. This is brainstorming so don't limit the list or judge it; write down everything you can think of.
Separate the activities you do with people from the activities you do alone. For example, gardening, reading, meditating, and writing are alone activities. Volunteering to run a fundraiser is with people.
Look at the activities you do alone and figure out if you can (and want to) do them in a way that includes other people. For example, join a garden club. Or a reading or meditation group. Or write something that other people read (a blog counts). If you can (and want to) make them activities that include other people, keep them on the list. If not, then cross them off the list.
Now's the fun part: Spend 90% of your time doing things you love (or have always wanted to try) with other people who also love doing those things. If possible, take a leadership role.
A good friend of mine has recently gotten involved in a church she adores. She loves all the pastors; she came to our house for dinner the other day and couldn't stop talking about them. So she met with them and offered to help in whatever way they needed. She's now leading a monthly strategy breakfast with the pastors and lay leaders of the church. I've never seen her so excited.
Another friend is training for a triathalon with a group of 15 others. He's in the best shape of his life and can't stop talking about it.
A company I know is doing pro bono work for charities and the government. Everyone working on those projects is energized.
Another company I know has given all their people writing time; they've been told to put their ideas on paper and get them out there. Somewhere. Anywhere.
Why does this work? Woody Allen once said that eighty percent of success is just showing up. When I first started my business, a great mentor of mine told me to join the boards of not-for-profits and do what I do best for them. Other board members will then see the results and want to hire my company to do the same for them and their companies. That's the obvious reason.
Here's the more subtle reason this works. Nobody wants to hire someone (or a company) who needs to be hired to survive. Depressed is not attractive. People want to hire energized people who are passionate and excited about what they're doing. Jobs come from being engaged in the world and building human connections.
And an even more subtle reason. If you're passionate about what you're doing, and you're doing it with other people who are passionate about what they're doing, then chances are the work you eventually find will be more in line with the stuff you love to do. And then . . . then your life changes (not to be too dramatic but it's true). No longer are you, like my consulting friend said, "going after anything that's out there." You're using this crisis as an opportunity to do work you love, at which you excel, with people you enjoy. You can't help but succeed.
Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking: that's a fine strategy if you're independently wealthy, getting that nice fat trust fund check every week to pay for your gym membership (or mortgage or kid's tuition). But what about the rest of us? Our inability to pay the monthly bills might actually intrude on our ability to "enjoy" unemployment. I know how scary it is to be without an income.
And that fear is what you have to manage because here's the kicker. It won't take longer to find a job even though you're spending less time looking. It'll take you less time.
Pursuing things you love doing with people you enjoy will position you better to get a job; other people will notice your commitment, passion, skill, and personality and they'll want to either hire you or help you get hired.
Also, actively pursuing other activities while looking for a job will make you more qualified for a job--because you'll end up a more interesting person. When you finally get that job interview, you'll be able to recount all the many things you've been doing (and will probably have a good time relating them) instead of saying that the only thing you've been doing for the past three years is looking (unsuccessfully so far) for a job.
The same holds true if you're a company looking for business. Spend your time doing things that will make you a more interesting company to hire when the business comes back.
And even if it took the same amount of time to find a job, wouldn't you rather spend your time doing things that are interesting with people you enjoy?
I just heard the story of a woman who decided to do work she didn't enjoy for a few years in order to make a lot of money. Three years later the company went bankrupt. That could happen to anyone. Bad luck. But here's what she said that I found the most depressing: "It's as though I didn't work for the last three years--it's all gone. And what's worse, I worked like a dog and hated it. I just wasted three years of my life."
Don't waste this time. The job search. The client search. Do it. But do it in a way that excites you. That teaches you new things. That introduces you to new people who see you at your natural, most excited, most powerful best. Use and develop your strengths. The things at which you excel. The things you love.
It's well known that people have a harder time getting pregnant when they're stressed about getting pregnant. And it's unlikely you'll get into a relationship if all you think about is getting into a relationship. The same holds true for finding a job (or, for a company, finding new business). However hard it may be, force yourself to do things you love with other people. Let the work find you.
The Power of Old Ideas
The revelation that Ford is creating the future by revisiting the past offers a perfect lesson about innovation.
BusinessWeek reports that Ford is reviving "retro" green technologies, some of which date from the 1940s. Evidently Ford has known for a long time how to build lighter-weight steel bodies and direct injection engines. Some of these fuel-efficient, energy-saving ideas had already proven themselves in European cars.
Question: If the solutions have been there all along, why weren't they used earlier?
The American auto companies have long been full of excuses. Detroit automakers have whined that they didn't move faster to become leaner and greener because they were simply meeting consumer demand for big, fuel-inefficient vehicles. Ask yourself: Were those poor, soft-hearted babies really just doing what the all-powerful consumers told them to do?
Auto companies are the world's largest advertisers. They were hardly passive responders; they were active shapers of the US consumer market toward models that made the companies fat and happy, without the messy process of making big changes to accommodate innovations. That is, until losses mounted as competition grew.
Ford, at least, out-performed GM or Chrysler, and it is a good sign that Ford is finding ready-to-go projects in its own technology archives. But none of the companies were good enough or fast enough at deploying innovations already developed, because there would have been too much disruption to their profit models and established structures and processes.
The fact that an innovation is not put into immediate use, even when it passes from "wild idea" stage to a workable prototype, reflects organizational failings -- not a sign that the innovation is worthless. Great ideas can be blocked for classic bureaucratic and political reasons. On the perils of hierarchy, consider one of my "rules" for stifling innovation: Fostering a perception that if the idea were any good, the people at the top would have thought of it already.
In one case I love to cite from a textile manufacturing plant, that kind of culture inhibited an idea for fixing a long-standing problem of yarn breakage. When a new plant manager looked for solutions, he asked the employees. One plant veteran, originally an immigrant who still spoke with a heavy accent, reluctantly came forward to haltingly offer a possible solution. It worked. When asked how long he had had that idea, he replied, "Thirty-two years." He thought if the idea were any good, the people at the top....
It has always been amazing to me through the years how much innovation does not require reinventing the wheel. Sometimes it just means combining two things that already exist -- for instance, wrapping a waffle around ice cream to create the first ice cream cone.
Now is the time for managers to visit the organizational attics where the old clothes are stored and try them on -- perhaps they are back in fashion. They should open that bottom desk drawer to find the proposals they floated 5 years ago that got shot down because no one thought the dominant model would ever fade.
Think of all the dusty ideas we could bring back that would be good for our companies and ourselves. Doctors who make house visits! Call centers staffed by people from your own city! Television sets that could be turned on by one button on the monitor!
And if your company doesn't want the innovation -- after all, these are lean times with sluggish investment -- maybe someone else does. I imagine that one of you could start an e-Bay for unused technologies, auctioning off dusty but promising ideas to the highest bidder.
In this rotten economy, where getting anyone from bosses on to spend money to develop something new is a long-shot, dusting off old ideas and giving them a test drive might be a good way to accelerate your company and your career.
BusinessWeek reports that Ford is reviving "retro" green technologies, some of which date from the 1940s. Evidently Ford has known for a long time how to build lighter-weight steel bodies and direct injection engines. Some of these fuel-efficient, energy-saving ideas had already proven themselves in European cars.
Question: If the solutions have been there all along, why weren't they used earlier?
The American auto companies have long been full of excuses. Detroit automakers have whined that they didn't move faster to become leaner and greener because they were simply meeting consumer demand for big, fuel-inefficient vehicles. Ask yourself: Were those poor, soft-hearted babies really just doing what the all-powerful consumers told them to do?
Auto companies are the world's largest advertisers. They were hardly passive responders; they were active shapers of the US consumer market toward models that made the companies fat and happy, without the messy process of making big changes to accommodate innovations. That is, until losses mounted as competition grew.
Ford, at least, out-performed GM or Chrysler, and it is a good sign that Ford is finding ready-to-go projects in its own technology archives. But none of the companies were good enough or fast enough at deploying innovations already developed, because there would have been too much disruption to their profit models and established structures and processes.
The fact that an innovation is not put into immediate use, even when it passes from "wild idea" stage to a workable prototype, reflects organizational failings -- not a sign that the innovation is worthless. Great ideas can be blocked for classic bureaucratic and political reasons. On the perils of hierarchy, consider one of my "rules" for stifling innovation: Fostering a perception that if the idea were any good, the people at the top would have thought of it already.
In one case I love to cite from a textile manufacturing plant, that kind of culture inhibited an idea for fixing a long-standing problem of yarn breakage. When a new plant manager looked for solutions, he asked the employees. One plant veteran, originally an immigrant who still spoke with a heavy accent, reluctantly came forward to haltingly offer a possible solution. It worked. When asked how long he had had that idea, he replied, "Thirty-two years." He thought if the idea were any good, the people at the top....
It has always been amazing to me through the years how much innovation does not require reinventing the wheel. Sometimes it just means combining two things that already exist -- for instance, wrapping a waffle around ice cream to create the first ice cream cone.
Now is the time for managers to visit the organizational attics where the old clothes are stored and try them on -- perhaps they are back in fashion. They should open that bottom desk drawer to find the proposals they floated 5 years ago that got shot down because no one thought the dominant model would ever fade.
Think of all the dusty ideas we could bring back that would be good for our companies and ourselves. Doctors who make house visits! Call centers staffed by people from your own city! Television sets that could be turned on by one button on the monitor!
And if your company doesn't want the innovation -- after all, these are lean times with sluggish investment -- maybe someone else does. I imagine that one of you could start an e-Bay for unused technologies, auctioning off dusty but promising ideas to the highest bidder.
In this rotten economy, where getting anyone from bosses on to spend money to develop something new is a long-shot, dusting off old ideas and giving them a test drive might be a good way to accelerate your company and your career.
Wednesday
Tough Economy? Smart Managers Dial the Stress Level Down, Not Up
The knee-jerk response to cost-reduction pressures in an economic downturn is turn up the heat to wring greater productivity out of your work force. This is not your best option, and will hurt more than help.
A smarter approach is to get more out of your people by tapping into what people really care about, in all parts of their lives. When you do this -- for real, not just as window dressing for some faux social welfare program -- you not only reduce stress, you decrease time wasted on activities that don't matter, boost trust with the company, and build resilience.
Contrast these three approaches you might take as a manager of a solid performer when times are tough:
"Hey Sarah, we're having a bad year, so if you want any kind of bonus at all, you're going to have to suck it up and work harder than ever before. Sorry, I know it's tough, but that's just the reality."
"Hey Sarah, I know that there's a lot of pressure on you now, on all of us, really, and I want to make sure you're getting it all done. Let me know how I can help."
"Hey Sarah, I know that there's a lot of pressure on you now, on all of us, really, and I want to make sure you're taking care of all the things that are important to you, so that you don't burn out during this especially intense period. What ideas do you have about small changes in how things get done that you can try to make life a little easier -- so that you have the strength and focus you need now to perform well for our business, which desperately needs your best efforts?"
The first option helps Sarah face and hopefully deal with the harsh reality, and that's an essential part of your job as her manager. You've also tied economic incentives to her performance, though the criteria for achievement are based not on results but instead on behavior--often a wasteful allocation of pay. But you've not dealt with whatever Sarah's got going on in her life, and so the burnout risk is high.
The second option shows your empathy, to a degree, and your general interest in being supportive, but it's passive and vague so it's not likely to change Sarah's actions, nor have her feel that you're serious about providing real support.
The third option has the best chance of producing the results you want from Sarah. You're acknowledging the pressure and you're thinking of Sarah as a person, not just an employee. This caring approach will likely be returned with loyalty and extraordinary effort. You're expressing the expectation that she's going to have practical ideas for performance improvements that are rooted in her having a better life and greater opportunity to get done what's most important to her, sending the message that you want to hear those ideas and that you're willing to try them. The risks are low because you're not telling Sarah she can do whatever she wants, only that you're willing to try new ways of getting things done that are good for her and for your business.
On top of these benefits, when you convey this expectation across the board, you're creating an opportunity to see who among your employees responds best to a crisis by innovating with how things get done--more data for your assessment of their respective advancement potential.
Most importantly, though, when you take this approach you're likely to see improved satisfaction and performance in all parts of life, including work. My research team and I found that when people undertake smart experiments designed to produce what I call "four-way wins" -- intended benefits for work, home, community, and self (mind, body, and spirit) -- they shift some of their attention from work and dedicate it to the other domains. Yet their satisfaction and performance in all domains, including work, goes up. The paradox: You get more out of people at work the more you pay attention to their lives beyond work. This is especially important in times of great stress, when pressures in the domains of family, self and community can be particularly acute.
A smarter approach is to get more out of your people by tapping into what people really care about, in all parts of their lives. When you do this -- for real, not just as window dressing for some faux social welfare program -- you not only reduce stress, you decrease time wasted on activities that don't matter, boost trust with the company, and build resilience.
Contrast these three approaches you might take as a manager of a solid performer when times are tough:
"Hey Sarah, we're having a bad year, so if you want any kind of bonus at all, you're going to have to suck it up and work harder than ever before. Sorry, I know it's tough, but that's just the reality."
"Hey Sarah, I know that there's a lot of pressure on you now, on all of us, really, and I want to make sure you're getting it all done. Let me know how I can help."
"Hey Sarah, I know that there's a lot of pressure on you now, on all of us, really, and I want to make sure you're taking care of all the things that are important to you, so that you don't burn out during this especially intense period. What ideas do you have about small changes in how things get done that you can try to make life a little easier -- so that you have the strength and focus you need now to perform well for our business, which desperately needs your best efforts?"
The first option helps Sarah face and hopefully deal with the harsh reality, and that's an essential part of your job as her manager. You've also tied economic incentives to her performance, though the criteria for achievement are based not on results but instead on behavior--often a wasteful allocation of pay. But you've not dealt with whatever Sarah's got going on in her life, and so the burnout risk is high.
The second option shows your empathy, to a degree, and your general interest in being supportive, but it's passive and vague so it's not likely to change Sarah's actions, nor have her feel that you're serious about providing real support.
The third option has the best chance of producing the results you want from Sarah. You're acknowledging the pressure and you're thinking of Sarah as a person, not just an employee. This caring approach will likely be returned with loyalty and extraordinary effort. You're expressing the expectation that she's going to have practical ideas for performance improvements that are rooted in her having a better life and greater opportunity to get done what's most important to her, sending the message that you want to hear those ideas and that you're willing to try them. The risks are low because you're not telling Sarah she can do whatever she wants, only that you're willing to try new ways of getting things done that are good for her and for your business.
On top of these benefits, when you convey this expectation across the board, you're creating an opportunity to see who among your employees responds best to a crisis by innovating with how things get done--more data for your assessment of their respective advancement potential.
Most importantly, though, when you take this approach you're likely to see improved satisfaction and performance in all parts of life, including work. My research team and I found that when people undertake smart experiments designed to produce what I call "four-way wins" -- intended benefits for work, home, community, and self (mind, body, and spirit) -- they shift some of their attention from work and dedicate it to the other domains. Yet their satisfaction and performance in all domains, including work, goes up. The paradox: You get more out of people at work the more you pay attention to their lives beyond work. This is especially important in times of great stress, when pressures in the domains of family, self and community can be particularly acute.
Cut Health Care Costs With Prevention
Prevention is the key to both better health and lower health-care costs over the long haul. This is where the nation — and each of us as individuals — needs to put energy and resources. In the long run, it is more important than addressing the high cost of new technologies and drugs or their inappropriate overuse.
Today, the U.S. basically has a medical care system rather than a health care system: We focus on treating illness when it occurs but not on preventing it in advance.
According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine article, there are about 465,000 preventable deaths per year in the U.S. from smoking, 395,000 from high blood pressure, 216,000 from obesity, 191,000 from inactivity, 190,000 from high blood sugar, and 113,000 from high cholesterol.
These are mostly due to our lifestyles: One-third of Americans are overweight, another third are obese, and 20% smoke. We eat too much packaged and prepared food rather than nutritious foods, and we do not exercise. Even children's physical activity now declines with age, from about three hours per day at age nine to less than an hour by age 15.
This helps explain why the U.S. ranks 39th for infant mortality, 43rd for female mortality, 42nd for male mortality, and 36th for life expectancy — but is first for per capita spending on health care. Clearly, there is something terribly wrong with this picture. And unless we get serious about prevention, there will be a diabetes epidemic and more heart disease, cancer, arthritis and other chronic illnesses. Life spans will shorten rather than lengthen, and the costs will be enormous.
I firmly believe that each of us must each take responsibility for our own preventive health care. That said, other players in society should assist us in the following ways:
Our government should insist that restaurants post calorie counts and fat content and schools restrict the availability of sodas and other non-nutritious foods in cafeterias. In addition, it can provide a food pyramid — recommended diets or eating plans — that is not influenced by vested interests.
Our employers should provide wellness programs like Safeway's, which encourages staff to utilize smoking-cessation, weight-reduction, stress-management, and nutrition counseling at no charge. Those who participate are given a reduction (incentive) of their portion of the health care premium. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed describing the program, CEO Steven A. Burd reported that over four years Safeway's per capita health-care costs (including both the company's and employees' portions) did not rise while those for most American companies had increased 38%. In addition, the company had less absenteeism and higher worker productivity.
Insurance plans should offer subscribers lower premiums for not smoking, for being at reasonable weight, and for exercising.
Physicians, especially primary care physicians, should spend the time necessary to provide good preventive medicine, which includes counseling, screening tests (high blood pressure, weight , cholesterol, cancer), and immunizations.
Prevention is valuable at any age. At the Erickson Retirement Communities, residents can opt for a program that includes health-promotion classes for all (similar to Safeway's) and care coordination for those who do develop a chronic illness. The physicians limit themselves to about 400 patients (compared to about 1,300 to 1,500 for most primary care physicians) and offer same same-day visits and as much time as needed per visit. They use an electronic medical record system, nurses to assist with care coordination, visits to each hospitalized patient, and an automatic office visit within 72 hours of a hospital discharge.
The results are striking: fewer hospitalizations, shorter lengths of stay for those who are hospitalized, and a drop in the "bounce rate" (i.e., unplanned readmissions to the hospital in the 30 days after discharge) from the national Medicare average of (an outrageous) 24% to less than 10%. In other words, better health, better care and reduced costs.
In summary, a combination of nudges and incentives can assist us in achieving our responsibilities for health promotion and disease prevention — responsibilities commensurate with the new right of all Americans to have insurance.
Today, the U.S. basically has a medical care system rather than a health care system: We focus on treating illness when it occurs but not on preventing it in advance.
According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine article, there are about 465,000 preventable deaths per year in the U.S. from smoking, 395,000 from high blood pressure, 216,000 from obesity, 191,000 from inactivity, 190,000 from high blood sugar, and 113,000 from high cholesterol.
These are mostly due to our lifestyles: One-third of Americans are overweight, another third are obese, and 20% smoke. We eat too much packaged and prepared food rather than nutritious foods, and we do not exercise. Even children's physical activity now declines with age, from about three hours per day at age nine to less than an hour by age 15.
This helps explain why the U.S. ranks 39th for infant mortality, 43rd for female mortality, 42nd for male mortality, and 36th for life expectancy — but is first for per capita spending on health care. Clearly, there is something terribly wrong with this picture. And unless we get serious about prevention, there will be a diabetes epidemic and more heart disease, cancer, arthritis and other chronic illnesses. Life spans will shorten rather than lengthen, and the costs will be enormous.
I firmly believe that each of us must each take responsibility for our own preventive health care. That said, other players in society should assist us in the following ways:
Our government should insist that restaurants post calorie counts and fat content and schools restrict the availability of sodas and other non-nutritious foods in cafeterias. In addition, it can provide a food pyramid — recommended diets or eating plans — that is not influenced by vested interests.
Our employers should provide wellness programs like Safeway's, which encourages staff to utilize smoking-cessation, weight-reduction, stress-management, and nutrition counseling at no charge. Those who participate are given a reduction (incentive) of their portion of the health care premium. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed describing the program, CEO Steven A. Burd reported that over four years Safeway's per capita health-care costs (including both the company's and employees' portions) did not rise while those for most American companies had increased 38%. In addition, the company had less absenteeism and higher worker productivity.
Insurance plans should offer subscribers lower premiums for not smoking, for being at reasonable weight, and for exercising.
Physicians, especially primary care physicians, should spend the time necessary to provide good preventive medicine, which includes counseling, screening tests (high blood pressure, weight , cholesterol, cancer), and immunizations.
Prevention is valuable at any age. At the Erickson Retirement Communities, residents can opt for a program that includes health-promotion classes for all (similar to Safeway's) and care coordination for those who do develop a chronic illness. The physicians limit themselves to about 400 patients (compared to about 1,300 to 1,500 for most primary care physicians) and offer same same-day visits and as much time as needed per visit. They use an electronic medical record system, nurses to assist with care coordination, visits to each hospitalized patient, and an automatic office visit within 72 hours of a hospital discharge.
The results are striking: fewer hospitalizations, shorter lengths of stay for those who are hospitalized, and a drop in the "bounce rate" (i.e., unplanned readmissions to the hospital in the 30 days after discharge) from the national Medicare average of (an outrageous) 24% to less than 10%. In other words, better health, better care and reduced costs.
In summary, a combination of nudges and incentives can assist us in achieving our responsibilities for health promotion and disease prevention — responsibilities commensurate with the new right of all Americans to have insurance.
Tuesday
Dollars and Sense--Worthwhile Moves for Tough Financial Times
There may be a shortage of banks willing to make loans and a shortage of investors willing to buy stocks, but there's no shortage of advice on how CEOs and other business leaders should respond to these uncertain times. Silicon Valley's venture capitalists, famous for moving in lockstep with one another, are now busy sending emails and making presentations to their portfolio companies, filled with advice on how to weather the economic storm.
Two weeks ago, the partners at Sequoia Capital organized a meeting of their portfolio companies to offer their advice on surviving the financial crisis. Among their words of wisdom: use zero-based budgeting, review salaries, spend every dollar as if it were your last. Shortly thereafter, Benchmark Capital sent an email to its portfolio companies with advice such as: don't spend money until you have to, don't hire incremental employees until you can't stand it, don't move out of your office until you are sitting on top of one another.
It's all perfectly unremarkable, utterly predictable, and thoroughly unsurprising -- as if leadership in difficult times is best practiced with a green eyeshade and a calculator. So, with apologies to my friends in the VC community, here's some additional advice that I hope makes sense, even if it doesn't obsess about dollars and cents.
1. Don't just remake your balance sheet, reassert your mission statement. This crisis is as much about values, trust, and business integrity as it is about declining stock prices and limited credit. Be sure to remind your colleagues, your customers, and the world at large why what you do matters, why you started the company in the first place, and what kind of impact you're trying to have on the world. Here's a question I always ask CEOs to think about: "If your company went out of business tomorrow, who would miss you and why?" Well, since plenty of companies may go out of business, remind everyone around you why staying in business matters.
2. Have a fresh and original take on what's happening now, and be sure to offer as much hope as you do fear. No one's going to be surprised to learn that you plan to cut costs, solidify financing, figure out what projects can be delayed. But no one's going to be inspired by those moves either. Some of the most brilliant leadership decisions have come at the darkest times for the economy. How did Milton Hershey, the candy giant, respond to the Great Depression? With a "Great Building Campaign" that kept all his people employed, resulted in such legendary structures as the Hotel Hershey and the Hershey Theater--and laid the foundation for a resilient corporate culture. Think more like Milton Hershey than "Chainsaw Al" Dunlap.
3. Sure, you should manage your financial capital carefully. But you should manage your "relationship capital" even more carefully. If you're anxious and uncertain about the future of your business, just imagine how anxious and uncertain your customers are about the future of their business. Call them. Visit them. Find out what they're struggling with. Is there a gesture you could make towards them--even a symbolic gesture--to communicate that you have a stake in their success?
4. Invite your people to help figure out the future. There's something about tough times that brings out the rugged individualist in most CEOs: "It's up to me to get us out of this mess." But with economic problems this complex, and the stakes this high, the "lone genius" model of leadership doesn't cut it. Don't think of yourself as a problem-solver, think of yourself as a solution-finder. And assume that you'll find some of the best ideas in the most unexpected places. There is "hidden genius" all around you, from the quiet genius of your colleagues to the collective genius that surrounds your organization. Seek it out, invite it in, put it to work.
Oh, and one last thing: Don't listen too closely to advice from venture capitalists.
Two weeks ago, the partners at Sequoia Capital organized a meeting of their portfolio companies to offer their advice on surviving the financial crisis. Among their words of wisdom: use zero-based budgeting, review salaries, spend every dollar as if it were your last. Shortly thereafter, Benchmark Capital sent an email to its portfolio companies with advice such as: don't spend money until you have to, don't hire incremental employees until you can't stand it, don't move out of your office until you are sitting on top of one another.
It's all perfectly unremarkable, utterly predictable, and thoroughly unsurprising -- as if leadership in difficult times is best practiced with a green eyeshade and a calculator. So, with apologies to my friends in the VC community, here's some additional advice that I hope makes sense, even if it doesn't obsess about dollars and cents.
1. Don't just remake your balance sheet, reassert your mission statement. This crisis is as much about values, trust, and business integrity as it is about declining stock prices and limited credit. Be sure to remind your colleagues, your customers, and the world at large why what you do matters, why you started the company in the first place, and what kind of impact you're trying to have on the world. Here's a question I always ask CEOs to think about: "If your company went out of business tomorrow, who would miss you and why?" Well, since plenty of companies may go out of business, remind everyone around you why staying in business matters.
2. Have a fresh and original take on what's happening now, and be sure to offer as much hope as you do fear. No one's going to be surprised to learn that you plan to cut costs, solidify financing, figure out what projects can be delayed. But no one's going to be inspired by those moves either. Some of the most brilliant leadership decisions have come at the darkest times for the economy. How did Milton Hershey, the candy giant, respond to the Great Depression? With a "Great Building Campaign" that kept all his people employed, resulted in such legendary structures as the Hotel Hershey and the Hershey Theater--and laid the foundation for a resilient corporate culture. Think more like Milton Hershey than "Chainsaw Al" Dunlap.
3. Sure, you should manage your financial capital carefully. But you should manage your "relationship capital" even more carefully. If you're anxious and uncertain about the future of your business, just imagine how anxious and uncertain your customers are about the future of their business. Call them. Visit them. Find out what they're struggling with. Is there a gesture you could make towards them--even a symbolic gesture--to communicate that you have a stake in their success?
4. Invite your people to help figure out the future. There's something about tough times that brings out the rugged individualist in most CEOs: "It's up to me to get us out of this mess." But with economic problems this complex, and the stakes this high, the "lone genius" model of leadership doesn't cut it. Don't think of yourself as a problem-solver, think of yourself as a solution-finder. And assume that you'll find some of the best ideas in the most unexpected places. There is "hidden genius" all around you, from the quiet genius of your colleagues to the collective genius that surrounds your organization. Seek it out, invite it in, put it to work.
Oh, and one last thing: Don't listen too closely to advice from venture capitalists.
Don't Make These Mistakes with Your Online Brand Community
If you've got a brand, chances are you've got an online brand community or you're considering launching one. When these work well, they deliver tremendous insights about customers and can help you improve marketing and advertising strategies and develop more relevant new products and services.
Here are six mistakes to avoid if you want to make the most of your community.
Don't think you can just plug in and go. Managing communities requires more than technological skills and software; technology is just an enabler. If you don't have people who understand your business and have the skills to facilitate vibrant discussions without dominating the conversation you won't generate good insights.
Don't believe bigger is better. Companies often believe that the bigger the online community, the better the insights, and so they build communities with thousands of members. In fact, large communities are less effective than smaller ones at nurturing relationships among members, and between members and the brand. They are more transient, less "sticky," and less satisfying all around. When the goal is deep customer insights, smaller, private communities (up to 400 members) are best for developing trust. What you're after is participation, not reach.
Don't expect people to stick around for nothing. Community members need to benefit from their participation. To sustain their interest, design engaging activities (online or off) that allow them to talk about the brand in the context of their lives and build personal or professional relationships. Give them ways to talk with each other, and with you.
Don't "sell". You'd be amazed at how many companies get customer communities up and running only to sabotage them by trying to turn them into another sales channel. Customers want to feel like you mean it, and they know when they're being suckered. They'll clam up as soon as they get a slick sales vibe. Build trust and your community members will tell you more - and buy more from you.
Don't drop the ball. Show members that you are actively listening and you value them: contribute to the conversation, building on their comments, and tell them what you're doing with their input. The worst thing you can do is stop engaging when you think you've got your "answer." Develop a long-term relationship with your community. Deep insight takes time to emerge.
Don't hoard the data. Don't expect lasting benefit from the community unless you have a plan for how to mine its lessons and tailor them for the people who can use them. Create reports and communication plans that fit different stakeholders' needs within the company — everyone from market research, to product management, to C-suite executives. Some people should hear unfiltered customers voices; some need deep dives with detail; others need quick and dirty top-lines. The more that people throughout the company engage with community feedback, the more value they'll find and the higher your ROI will be.
Listening online shouldn't be a campaign or a project; it should be woven into the company culture. Do it right and you'll get better customer insight and do a better job of discovering and satisfying your customers' needs.
Here are six mistakes to avoid if you want to make the most of your community.
Don't think you can just plug in and go. Managing communities requires more than technological skills and software; technology is just an enabler. If you don't have people who understand your business and have the skills to facilitate vibrant discussions without dominating the conversation you won't generate good insights.
Don't believe bigger is better. Companies often believe that the bigger the online community, the better the insights, and so they build communities with thousands of members. In fact, large communities are less effective than smaller ones at nurturing relationships among members, and between members and the brand. They are more transient, less "sticky," and less satisfying all around. When the goal is deep customer insights, smaller, private communities (up to 400 members) are best for developing trust. What you're after is participation, not reach.
Don't expect people to stick around for nothing. Community members need to benefit from their participation. To sustain their interest, design engaging activities (online or off) that allow them to talk about the brand in the context of their lives and build personal or professional relationships. Give them ways to talk with each other, and with you.
Don't "sell". You'd be amazed at how many companies get customer communities up and running only to sabotage them by trying to turn them into another sales channel. Customers want to feel like you mean it, and they know when they're being suckered. They'll clam up as soon as they get a slick sales vibe. Build trust and your community members will tell you more - and buy more from you.
Don't drop the ball. Show members that you are actively listening and you value them: contribute to the conversation, building on their comments, and tell them what you're doing with their input. The worst thing you can do is stop engaging when you think you've got your "answer." Develop a long-term relationship with your community. Deep insight takes time to emerge.
Don't hoard the data. Don't expect lasting benefit from the community unless you have a plan for how to mine its lessons and tailor them for the people who can use them. Create reports and communication plans that fit different stakeholders' needs within the company — everyone from market research, to product management, to C-suite executives. Some people should hear unfiltered customers voices; some need deep dives with detail; others need quick and dirty top-lines. The more that people throughout the company engage with community feedback, the more value they'll find and the higher your ROI will be.
Listening online shouldn't be a campaign or a project; it should be woven into the company culture. Do it right and you'll get better customer insight and do a better job of discovering and satisfying your customers' needs.
Monday
How to Spot the Upturn Early
Talking with half-a-dozen professional friends at a recent gathering, I was distressed to find how deeply the recession is touching all of them. Two had been laid off; spouses of two others had lost their jobs; and the remaining two were in mortal fear that their own jobs were on the chopping block.
Layoffs are the subject of the March HBR Case Study. Warning: it's depressing reading (sorry). The plot for the case is based on discussions I've had with my psychologist friend Larry Stybel, who is a co-founder of an executive career management firm called StybelPeabody (Larry and his partner Maryanne Peabody are expert commentators for the case; Larry is also an Executive in Residence at the Sawyer School of Business at Suffolk University.)
No one has any idea when these bad economic times will end. But Larry also tells me that it's possible to discern very early signs that the tide may already be turning. For example, smart companies are already positioning themselves to come out of the downturn with guns blazing by making clever acquisitions. Larry points to Johnson & Johnson's recent purchase of Omrix Biopharmaceuticals, which makes surgical products, and the breast implant firm Mentor. J&J picked up these firms for a relatively cheap $1.5 billion. "This is good news," Larry says, "because unlike many companies, J&J has a healthy attitude that investing is about the long term. It's not sitting on its cash and shivering with fright."
Larry also makes an important point that, given all the corporate downsizing and R&D cutbacks, it will take companies four to six months to return to full operational capacity once the recession is over. That's valuable time that can be lost to competitors. "If you plan to move based on a headline in The Wall Street Journal proclaiming that the recession is over, you'll be too late," he observes.
Larry recommends watching for three other signs that the economy is improving:
Uptick in nonexempt overtime. Before companies have the confidence to hire full time staff, they will pay hourly employees for overtime. "Keep asking people, 'Who is starting to pay overtime?'" he suggests.
Increase in back orders for corrugated boxes. Boxes are ordered for one reason: stuff is going to get put into them. (This idea comes from Jeff Ross of Fialcow Capital)
An increase in customer orders at plastics companies. Plastics are ubiquitous in manufactured products. "The plastics industry will see positive change before you can," Larry says. (He credits his friend William Flynn for this idea.)
Layoffs are the subject of the March HBR Case Study. Warning: it's depressing reading (sorry). The plot for the case is based on discussions I've had with my psychologist friend Larry Stybel, who is a co-founder of an executive career management firm called StybelPeabody (Larry and his partner Maryanne Peabody are expert commentators for the case; Larry is also an Executive in Residence at the Sawyer School of Business at Suffolk University.)
No one has any idea when these bad economic times will end. But Larry also tells me that it's possible to discern very early signs that the tide may already be turning. For example, smart companies are already positioning themselves to come out of the downturn with guns blazing by making clever acquisitions. Larry points to Johnson & Johnson's recent purchase of Omrix Biopharmaceuticals, which makes surgical products, and the breast implant firm Mentor. J&J picked up these firms for a relatively cheap $1.5 billion. "This is good news," Larry says, "because unlike many companies, J&J has a healthy attitude that investing is about the long term. It's not sitting on its cash and shivering with fright."
Larry also makes an important point that, given all the corporate downsizing and R&D cutbacks, it will take companies four to six months to return to full operational capacity once the recession is over. That's valuable time that can be lost to competitors. "If you plan to move based on a headline in The Wall Street Journal proclaiming that the recession is over, you'll be too late," he observes.
Larry recommends watching for three other signs that the economy is improving:
Uptick in nonexempt overtime. Before companies have the confidence to hire full time staff, they will pay hourly employees for overtime. "Keep asking people, 'Who is starting to pay overtime?'" he suggests.
Increase in back orders for corrugated boxes. Boxes are ordered for one reason: stuff is going to get put into them. (This idea comes from Jeff Ross of Fialcow Capital)
An increase in customer orders at plastics companies. Plastics are ubiquitous in manufactured products. "The plastics industry will see positive change before you can," Larry says. (He credits his friend William Flynn for this idea.)
In Tough Times, Young Workers Need to Toughen Up
I'm just entering the workforce and it is really stressful. With all the global and economic turmoil, do you have any advice for someone who is just getting started in the workforce?
The advice I have to give to young people from the West who are just entering the workforce is simple. In this new era of uncertainty, we all need to think like entrepreneurs. But first, let's start with a dose of reality:
It is tough out there, and it's only going to get tougher.
Forget about security.
Like it or not, even if you start out with a large corporation, you need to think like an entrepreneur.
Make peace with this reality, and your life is going to be a lot better.
We in the West are just beginning to understand what globalization really means. It means that people across the planet are: competing to buy our products; producing products that we can buy for less money; and competing for our jobs. We are just beginning to understand the impact of a world competing for food, oil, cement, wood, and natural resources.
As millions of hard-working young people graduate from colleges around the world, many of them not only speak fluent English, they have no expectations of anyone "giving" them anything. They expect to make it through their own motivation and ability.
The old lament, "When I was young, things were tougher," is, in my opinion, no longer accurate. I say: "When I was young, things were easier!"
As a UCLA PhD student, I had what were considered extremely high GMAT scores and a mediocre work ethic. Today, in the same program, my GMAT scores would be considered average, and with the work ethic I had then, I would never have graduated. Here's an interesting definition of global competition: when your classmates at the top engineering and science programs speak English as fluently as you do, and it is their second language!
Some may complain that the new world isn't fair; I believe it is much fairer today than ever before. Yesterday, if you were born in the U.S. (especially if you were a white male), the cards were all stacked in your favor. Tomorrow, millions of people from around the world will be getting the chance their parents never had.
Young people in the West need to learn the meaning of one word that all successful entrepreneurs know well: compete.
Take nothing for granted in this era of uncertainty. Develop skills and talents that will make you globally competitive. Keep upgrading and changing your skills and talents to fit the needs of an ever-changing marketplace. You will be expected to know more and work harder, and you will be expected to keep learning in your increasingly precious spare time.
Finally, the marketplace for the "fun" and "meaningful" jobs will be ridiculously competitive. I am not saying that you should forget about becoming a writer, actor, comedian, athlete, or CEO coach. I am suggesting that you calculate your probability of success in these glamour fields. Realize that many great actors and actresses still wait tables at age 50.
A few final points:
Forget about taking a year off.
Don't spend your adult years "finding yourself."
Unless you are rich, don't buy the flat-screen TV. When you are poor, live life as a poor person; don't try to live like a rich person.
And, like any great entrepreneur, invest your time and money in your future.
The advice I have to give to young people from the West who are just entering the workforce is simple. In this new era of uncertainty, we all need to think like entrepreneurs. But first, let's start with a dose of reality:
It is tough out there, and it's only going to get tougher.
Forget about security.
Like it or not, even if you start out with a large corporation, you need to think like an entrepreneur.
Make peace with this reality, and your life is going to be a lot better.
We in the West are just beginning to understand what globalization really means. It means that people across the planet are: competing to buy our products; producing products that we can buy for less money; and competing for our jobs. We are just beginning to understand the impact of a world competing for food, oil, cement, wood, and natural resources.
As millions of hard-working young people graduate from colleges around the world, many of them not only speak fluent English, they have no expectations of anyone "giving" them anything. They expect to make it through their own motivation and ability.
The old lament, "When I was young, things were tougher," is, in my opinion, no longer accurate. I say: "When I was young, things were easier!"
As a UCLA PhD student, I had what were considered extremely high GMAT scores and a mediocre work ethic. Today, in the same program, my GMAT scores would be considered average, and with the work ethic I had then, I would never have graduated. Here's an interesting definition of global competition: when your classmates at the top engineering and science programs speak English as fluently as you do, and it is their second language!
Some may complain that the new world isn't fair; I believe it is much fairer today than ever before. Yesterday, if you were born in the U.S. (especially if you were a white male), the cards were all stacked in your favor. Tomorrow, millions of people from around the world will be getting the chance their parents never had.
Young people in the West need to learn the meaning of one word that all successful entrepreneurs know well: compete.
Take nothing for granted in this era of uncertainty. Develop skills and talents that will make you globally competitive. Keep upgrading and changing your skills and talents to fit the needs of an ever-changing marketplace. You will be expected to know more and work harder, and you will be expected to keep learning in your increasingly precious spare time.
Finally, the marketplace for the "fun" and "meaningful" jobs will be ridiculously competitive. I am not saying that you should forget about becoming a writer, actor, comedian, athlete, or CEO coach. I am suggesting that you calculate your probability of success in these glamour fields. Realize that many great actors and actresses still wait tables at age 50.
A few final points:
Forget about taking a year off.
Don't spend your adult years "finding yourself."
Unless you are rich, don't buy the flat-screen TV. When you are poor, live life as a poor person; don't try to live like a rich person.
And, like any great entrepreneur, invest your time and money in your future.
Sunday
Two Rules for a Successful Presentation
Most presentations go bad because the presenter didn't prepare well enough in two ways. In fact, so important are these two classic errors that I'm going to elevate them to The Two Rules for Preparing a Successful Presentation.
Rule One: Know Thy Audience.
Presentations are about their audiences, not their speakers. Before you write anything down, or commit anything to a Power Point slide, you must give some thought to your listeners. So ask yourself obvious — but easy to forget — questions like, what time of day am I speaking? How many people will be in the audience? Will they just have eaten, or will they be looking forward to a meal? Will they have heard a number of other speeches, or is mine the only one? The answer to each of these questions should affect the length, style and content of your presentation.
People have more energy and more ability to hear complex ideas early in the day; later in the day their energy flags and they don't want to entertain as many new ideas. Larger audiences demand more energy from the speaker and want to laugh more than they want to cry. The worst audience (from the speaker's point of view) is a tired, fed, slightly inebriated audience. That audience needs President Reagan's rule for after-dinner speeches: 12 minutes, a few jokes, and sit down before the audience stands up.
But the really interesting things to know about audience members are, what do they fear? What are their dreams? Where do they want to be led? And what have they had recent cause to like or dislike? Only once you understand the emotional state of the audience are you ready to begin to design a presentation for them. Far too many speakers make the mistake of believing that one size fits all. I have seen executives give the same speech about the financial state of the company to investors, to the general public, and to employees — with very different results.
Rule Two: Tell Them One Thing, and One Thing Only
This is a difficult rule for most presenters to follow. But it's essential. The oral genre is highly inefficient. We audience members simply don't remember much of what we hear. We're easily sidetracked, confused, and tricked. We get distracted by everything from the color of the presenter's tie to the person sitting in the next row to our own internal monologues. I'm afraid the company's not in very good shape. That comment that Joan made last week. Maybe I should dust off my resume. Now, what was that guy up front saying?
So you've got to keep it simple. Many studies show that we only remember a small percentage of what we hear — somewhere between 10 – 30 percent.
But when a speaker gets in front of an audience, the urge to tell 'em everything you know is very hard to resist. Far too many speakers perform a data dump on their audiences at the first opportunity. Unfortunately, we can only hold 4 or 5 ideas in our heads at one time, so as soon as you give me a list of more than 5 items, I'm going to start forgetting as much as I hear.
Against this dismal human truth there is only one defense: focus your presentation on a single idea. Be ruthless. Write that one idea down in one declarative sentence and paste it up on your computer. Then eliminate everything, no matter how beautiful a slide it's on, that doesn't support that idea.
Follow these two rules and you'll find that audience will remember — and maybe even act on — your speeches. After all, the only reason to give a speech is to change the world.
Rule One: Know Thy Audience.
Presentations are about their audiences, not their speakers. Before you write anything down, or commit anything to a Power Point slide, you must give some thought to your listeners. So ask yourself obvious — but easy to forget — questions like, what time of day am I speaking? How many people will be in the audience? Will they just have eaten, or will they be looking forward to a meal? Will they have heard a number of other speeches, or is mine the only one? The answer to each of these questions should affect the length, style and content of your presentation.
People have more energy and more ability to hear complex ideas early in the day; later in the day their energy flags and they don't want to entertain as many new ideas. Larger audiences demand more energy from the speaker and want to laugh more than they want to cry. The worst audience (from the speaker's point of view) is a tired, fed, slightly inebriated audience. That audience needs President Reagan's rule for after-dinner speeches: 12 minutes, a few jokes, and sit down before the audience stands up.
But the really interesting things to know about audience members are, what do they fear? What are their dreams? Where do they want to be led? And what have they had recent cause to like or dislike? Only once you understand the emotional state of the audience are you ready to begin to design a presentation for them. Far too many speakers make the mistake of believing that one size fits all. I have seen executives give the same speech about the financial state of the company to investors, to the general public, and to employees — with very different results.
Rule Two: Tell Them One Thing, and One Thing Only
This is a difficult rule for most presenters to follow. But it's essential. The oral genre is highly inefficient. We audience members simply don't remember much of what we hear. We're easily sidetracked, confused, and tricked. We get distracted by everything from the color of the presenter's tie to the person sitting in the next row to our own internal monologues. I'm afraid the company's not in very good shape. That comment that Joan made last week. Maybe I should dust off my resume. Now, what was that guy up front saying?
So you've got to keep it simple. Many studies show that we only remember a small percentage of what we hear — somewhere between 10 – 30 percent.
But when a speaker gets in front of an audience, the urge to tell 'em everything you know is very hard to resist. Far too many speakers perform a data dump on their audiences at the first opportunity. Unfortunately, we can only hold 4 or 5 ideas in our heads at one time, so as soon as you give me a list of more than 5 items, I'm going to start forgetting as much as I hear.
Against this dismal human truth there is only one defense: focus your presentation on a single idea. Be ruthless. Write that one idea down in one declarative sentence and paste it up on your computer. Then eliminate everything, no matter how beautiful a slide it's on, that doesn't support that idea.
Follow these two rules and you'll find that audience will remember — and maybe even act on — your speeches. After all, the only reason to give a speech is to change the world.
How Should Wikimedia Organize Itself?
Wikimedia is the product of an unprecedented collaboration of volunteers that one could argue simply emerged out of nothing. So, even posing the question of how to "organize" Wikimedia around the globe might seem counter-revolutionary.
The truth is that Wikimedia is already an organization of sorts. It has structures, processes and systems for getting the work done. There are groups (some very large, some very small) organized to manage each of the hundreds of Wikimedia projects around the world. There are 27 country chapters organizing activities. There are countless informal groups working on specific content projects and meeting socially. Finally, there is a foundation supporting the whole and playing a vital, albeit limited, role. As such, the question of organization is real, but it isn't the kind of organizational problem that one can solve from a management textbook or nonprofit case study.
In mid-April, I attended the annual Wikimedia chapters conference in Berlin. Organization of the movement was a real and present challenge, most are very young organizations (as is Wikimedia itself) trying to figure out how to play a useful role in supporting projects in their countries. The conference attendees were inspiring in their dedication to Wikimedia and their willingness to volunteer their personal time to the work (only 5 chapters have a paid staff member, and only Germany has more than one).
Not surprisingly, organizational issues are emerging. To name a few: What rights do chapters have to represent and initiate partnerships on behalf of Wikimedia in their countries? Do chapters have a responsibility to all Wikimedia volunteers or only those who become dues paying members? What role do chapters have in fund-raising to support the overall Wikimedia activities around the world?
Over the course of the conference, two of the Foundation's Trustees began a dialogue about organizational development and movement roles. They sought to begin a process to create a charter for the movement that specified roles and responsibilities more clearly with the objective of creating simple ways for movement constituents to get things done. This work emerged from the lessons of other global nonprofit organizations studied by our colleagues and in interviews conducted during the Wikimedia strategy process. This research provided one overwhelming conclusion: We need to get in front of this issue because, as we learned from other organizations, the consequences of moving too slowly were frightening. We weren't able to identify a global nonprofit that had an organizational model that they felt worked well, even though most had been through one or more multi-year reorganization processes. We heard stories from multiple well-known NGOs about the decade-long restructuring processes that they'd been through. One global NGO leader told us: "It is enormously difficult to put the genie back in the bottle . . . The risk around organic growth is that the local entities feel empowered to do what they think is right, but this may not align over time with the larger movement's strategy."
So, how do we go about the work of developing organizational models that preserve the unique features of Wikimedia's success and create the conditions that would support a much greater scope of global activities, investments in critical infrastructure and new services for the movement as well as decision making processes that allow for effective resolution of difficult global or local policy challenges that emerge periodically?
We do know that there are some basic principles that are non-negotiable:
• All the work of the Wikimedia movement is focused towards the fulfillment of our vision: a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge
• Wikimedia is and will remain a decentralized movement with formal and informal leadership and support roles shared among different groups including readers, editors, other volunteers, the Wikimedia Foundation, advisers, supporters and like-minded organizations
• The Wikimedia Foundation's role is to protect and support perpetual accessibility of the core assets of Wikimedia for the global public good and to invest selectively in areas that support the fulfillment of the vision
The truth is that Wikimedia is already an organization of sorts. It has structures, processes and systems for getting the work done. There are groups (some very large, some very small) organized to manage each of the hundreds of Wikimedia projects around the world. There are 27 country chapters organizing activities. There are countless informal groups working on specific content projects and meeting socially. Finally, there is a foundation supporting the whole and playing a vital, albeit limited, role. As such, the question of organization is real, but it isn't the kind of organizational problem that one can solve from a management textbook or nonprofit case study.
In mid-April, I attended the annual Wikimedia chapters conference in Berlin. Organization of the movement was a real and present challenge, most are very young organizations (as is Wikimedia itself) trying to figure out how to play a useful role in supporting projects in their countries. The conference attendees were inspiring in their dedication to Wikimedia and their willingness to volunteer their personal time to the work (only 5 chapters have a paid staff member, and only Germany has more than one).
Not surprisingly, organizational issues are emerging. To name a few: What rights do chapters have to represent and initiate partnerships on behalf of Wikimedia in their countries? Do chapters have a responsibility to all Wikimedia volunteers or only those who become dues paying members? What role do chapters have in fund-raising to support the overall Wikimedia activities around the world?
Over the course of the conference, two of the Foundation's Trustees began a dialogue about organizational development and movement roles. They sought to begin a process to create a charter for the movement that specified roles and responsibilities more clearly with the objective of creating simple ways for movement constituents to get things done. This work emerged from the lessons of other global nonprofit organizations studied by our colleagues and in interviews conducted during the Wikimedia strategy process. This research provided one overwhelming conclusion: We need to get in front of this issue because, as we learned from other organizations, the consequences of moving too slowly were frightening. We weren't able to identify a global nonprofit that had an organizational model that they felt worked well, even though most had been through one or more multi-year reorganization processes. We heard stories from multiple well-known NGOs about the decade-long restructuring processes that they'd been through. One global NGO leader told us: "It is enormously difficult to put the genie back in the bottle . . . The risk around organic growth is that the local entities feel empowered to do what they think is right, but this may not align over time with the larger movement's strategy."
So, how do we go about the work of developing organizational models that preserve the unique features of Wikimedia's success and create the conditions that would support a much greater scope of global activities, investments in critical infrastructure and new services for the movement as well as decision making processes that allow for effective resolution of difficult global or local policy challenges that emerge periodically?
We do know that there are some basic principles that are non-negotiable:
• All the work of the Wikimedia movement is focused towards the fulfillment of our vision: a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge
• Wikimedia is and will remain a decentralized movement with formal and informal leadership and support roles shared among different groups including readers, editors, other volunteers, the Wikimedia Foundation, advisers, supporters and like-minded organizations
• The Wikimedia Foundation's role is to protect and support perpetual accessibility of the core assets of Wikimedia for the global public good and to invest selectively in areas that support the fulfillment of the vision
Saturday
How Can I Delegate More Effectively?
My first suggestion in trying to improve delegation skills is for you to always remember: "Delegate more effectively -- don't just delegate more frequently."
My good friend and mentor Paul Hersey showed me why more delegation was not necessarily better delegation. If we delegate an assignment to a person who lacks the motivation and ability to do the job, we do a disservice to both the person and our organization. We need to delegate only to people who are ready to handle the challenge.
To get this right, begin by scheduling a one-on-one conversation with each of your direct reports. Ask each to list their key areas of responsibility. Then ask, "Within this area of responsibility...
1) Are there areas where I need to 'let go' or delegate more to you?
2) Are there areas where I need to get more involved or provide more help to you?"
If you are like most leaders, you will probably find that while there are some areas that you need to let go more, there are others areas where your direct reports would appreciate more of your involvement. Tailor you delegation strategy to fit the unique needs of your staff members.
After getting your direct reports' input on how you manage them, get their ideas on how you manage yourself. Ask,
1) Do you ever see me doing things that I don't need to be doing?
2) Can I let go of some of my work and give it to my staff members?
If you are like most leaders, you are probably wasting some of your time on activities that a manager at your level doesn't need to do. By delegating these activities to staff members you may simultaneously free up some of your own time (for more strategic work) and help to develop them.
After getting input from your direct reports, don't promise to do everything that everyone suggests. Just promise to listen to their ideas, think about all of their suggestions, get back to them -- and do what you can.
My good friend and mentor Paul Hersey showed me why more delegation was not necessarily better delegation. If we delegate an assignment to a person who lacks the motivation and ability to do the job, we do a disservice to both the person and our organization. We need to delegate only to people who are ready to handle the challenge.
To get this right, begin by scheduling a one-on-one conversation with each of your direct reports. Ask each to list their key areas of responsibility. Then ask, "Within this area of responsibility...
1) Are there areas where I need to 'let go' or delegate more to you?
2) Are there areas where I need to get more involved or provide more help to you?"
If you are like most leaders, you will probably find that while there are some areas that you need to let go more, there are others areas where your direct reports would appreciate more of your involvement. Tailor you delegation strategy to fit the unique needs of your staff members.
After getting your direct reports' input on how you manage them, get their ideas on how you manage yourself. Ask,
1) Do you ever see me doing things that I don't need to be doing?
2) Can I let go of some of my work and give it to my staff members?
If you are like most leaders, you are probably wasting some of your time on activities that a manager at your level doesn't need to do. By delegating these activities to staff members you may simultaneously free up some of your own time (for more strategic work) and help to develop them.
After getting input from your direct reports, don't promise to do everything that everyone suggests. Just promise to listen to their ideas, think about all of their suggestions, get back to them -- and do what you can.