Moving Over

A quick note to those reading this blog, I am moving most of my regular blogging activities to the new site, http://www.workofalifetime.com. I am not going to delete this yet, I have some back burner ideas that aren’t fully developed, but if you are interested in keeping up on a day to day basis, please subscribe there. If you want to skip perusing the site, and skip right to the RSS, that is here: http://www.workofalifetime.com/feed/rss/

The out heard round the world

Ahh baseball.  I’m not sure if it is America’s sport anymore, but that is a topic for a different column.  I’m not sure if they should introduce replay, there have been plenty of news folks talking about  that.

What I found impressive, and a little disappointing, was the amount of coverage that umpire Jim Joyce received for making a simple apology.

For those who didn’t see it, pitcher Armando Galarraga had a perfect game going.  It was the 9th inning, and there were 2 outs.  Everyone was holding their breath.  Baseball is a superstitious sport. No one talks about perfect games during perfect games.  It jinxes it.  So by the end, everyone gets very very tense.  That was the atmosphere when there was a short bouncer hit toward first.  The ball was fielded, and Galarraga went to cover.  It was a close play, but the runner was out.   Here is the play:

The stadium blew up.  The manager blew up.  Others players blew up.  It was clear immediately that it was a bad call.  Everyone knew it, Joyce knew it.   So what happened next?
Joyce did what is done far too little these days.  He took responsibility for his actions, and he apologized.  He didn’t hide it, he didn’t make excuses, he just said he blew it.  He was pretty emotional too, the weight of what was going on was not lost on him.

Watch happened next was impressive to watch.  A situation that had just blown up, that could potentially be filled with bad feelings, investigations, reports, and reprimands was turned.  Instead of it being about the blown call, it was about the apology.  Instead of people calling for Joyce’s head, he was praised for his integrity.

2 words.  I’m sorry.  One guy, making a split second decision, made the right choice.

How many times are we faced with the same decision? Ours isn’t on national television, and it isn’t filled with the same kind of pressure, but we still have to make the split second decision on how to react or handle a given situation.   What do you do?

The death of Foursquare

I’m on a trust kick lately.  I’m not sure why, it has just been weighing on me.  This kind of fits into that theme.

I believe in local.   I believe in hyper-local.  I feel, as do many others, that it is where the internet is heading.  People will congregate around ideas, causes, and location.  It will not be impersonal, but the tools will be used to make it more personal.  It is a good direction.

Leading the charge on much of this local direction is the collection of tools for check-ins.  Foursquare, Gowalla, Brightkite, and others.  These services all let you “check in” at your location, some running games, gathering badges, or other ways to help keep the interest going.

There is a fundamental issue though with all of these services, and it will quickly come to the forefront when the M word comes into play.   Monetization.  Many of the social media types and internet marketers seem to be pushing local business to monitor and reward the patrons who use these check in services.

Here is my issue with them though.  They are based on trust.  I certainly don’t suggest this method, but I can sit at my desk, login to Foursquare, and check in at every place around me. 10x per day.  The system can be gamed.  It hasn’t been abused that much because there are no financial incentives, but as soon as there are – you can be sure that it will be a regular occurrence.

So my question – what are/ will business do to combat this?  What are your thoughts?

The 2nd most important leadership quality!

There has been a good deal of talk about the recent IBM Global CEO Study lately.  There have been a number of great posts written, including one on The Practice of Leadership regarding the finding that creativity is the most important leadership quality moving forward in business.  That is pretty remarkable for a bunch of suits who don’t think outside the box very much.

I have been struck however not by the #1 leadership quality, but by the #2 most important leadership quality.  So what is it?  What is this characteristic that is SO important that 52% of the leaders ranked it as important.  More important than Global Thinking or even Dedication?

Drumroll…..

The #2 most important leadership quality is Integrity.

Leadership is about a lot of things.  It is about getting things done, it is about “steering the ship”, it is about numerous other cliché’s.  But more than all of these other categories, what the largest CEO’s of the largest companies are saying, is this:

Having integrity, doing what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it, being honest, and being a person that can be trusted is one of the most important things you can do in your career. (or life)

It also saddens me that this needs to come up.

Integrity should be a given.  I know it isn’t.

It shouldn’t be so rare that people need to search for someone of integrity.  So rare that people need to highlight it.  I know it is though.

In business, In marriage, In relationships.  Integrity IS hard to find.  It is rare.

Let’s change this.

Why I’m mad at Social Media experts

I’m tired of it.  I’m frustrated,  and I’m calling people out.  The internets J and especially Twitter, are full of good, very nice people.  I’ve chatted with many of them and have never had a bad experience.  Many of them work in the social media field.  Many of them are missing the point.

Would you go to a doctor that doesn’t know the human body?

Would you go to a doctor that specialized in putting on band aids? “Yes sir, I understand there is that bone sticking out of your arm, I’m certain a band-aid is the answer for that”.  Stupid right?   Yet that is what SOOOO many practitioners in the social media space do.

Social Media is a symptom

Social media does not solve your problems.  It does not make products less sucky, it does not “fix” anything that is wrong.  It is a tool.  It can be a really good tool, and can be a really successful tool, but it is a tool.  Social media can help a good product, or a good business, and it can improve things, but it can’t solve major problems.

So what are you saying, Josh?

I’m saying that too many times, social media practitioners “learn” social media but fail to even study the rest of the body systems.  Just like body consists of many systems that all work together to make us function, social media is one system of many that need to work.

Are there just internal factors or external factors?

Both.  And many folks know the internal systems, so I’m not going to waste your time by listing obvious measures like “you need a good product”.  Duh.  If you miss that you probably didn’t see this on Twitter anyway.   But I am also disappointed in the lack of people who try to understand how social media works in the larger stratosphere.  I think that will be one of my new missions.

Here are some areas that are affecting, or will affect social media now or in the future:

FCC & Broadband – The FCC is getting into the regulation business again, and this time it is targeting broadband providers.   An explanatory Reuter’s article is HERE

What this can mean for social media?  Without getting into the politics of whether this move is good bad, what this means is that broadband may have greater penetration into more rural areas.   Let’s use Twitter as an example.  According to a PEW research survey,  35% of Twitter users live in urban areas, only 9% live in rural areas.  9%!  Did you know that?  So if you are working social media magic for someone doing hyper local search in rural Indiana, what do you do? Good Social Media today article HERE

Local Search & Hyper Local Search – One of the hottest areas in the field right now is hyper local search, but there is comparatively little attention given to it from practitioners.  Fast Company details it HERE.  Everyone has heard of Foursquare and yet few understand its impact.  Check-ins are as “social” as it gets – yet few understand it and are ready to leverage it for greater impact.  Be careful though – Please read this cautionary tale from Bobby Rettew .  Before you dive in, make sure you understand it from both a user and a business side.

Open Source – Linux has been pioneering the open source space for years, but with the recent and continued backlash against the Facebook privacy moves, there is an increasing drumbeat for open source alternatives.  Are you ready? Do you know who the players are?  For a primer, read up on one that is getting a lot of attention lately, Diaspora , but there are some familiar names and even some niche sites seeing their chance, such as MySpace (remember them?) and Faithout, a christian alternative.

SEO –  If you do not have a working knowledge of SEO, then shame on you.  And don’t come at with information on meta tag videos.  It isn’t 1999.   Copyblogger has written a great SEO guide HERE.  It is a good place to start.

Programming – It isn’t necessary to understand programming, but you need to know how it works.  If you are working in the space, and advising companies or individuals on what widgets to add, how to interact, what posts to write, you should at least understand what things like  HTML5, CSS, and meta tags are.   You should know what the gossip is about where Facebook is headed and how to best implement their “like” buttons.  You should be plugged into what is going on with the Google I/O conference .  All of these will impact where the field is headed.

Mobile Devices – How will mobile impact the space?  What are the new trends in mobile?

Crowdsourcing – This is getting out of the tech space and more into human interaction, but how do crowds work? What is important?   It is not enough to have a Twitter account, or a Facebook account, or have a lot of followers.  You should have a working understanding of how crowdsourcing works, and how your clients can work as a part of the masses.  I read a good book on it HERE (Amazon link)

In summary, there is plenty of good information out there, and there is no reason not to be knowledgeable.  It is time for people to step up their game.

What areas do you think you should have a better knowledge of?  What areas are people not paying attention to but should? Leave it in the comments.

15 Habits of High Performing Individuals – From Six Disciplines Blog

I saw this posted on The Six Disciplines Blog (click to go to the original).   These are some great tips.  Thanks Skip!

  1. They live by the motto, “I must do the most productive thing at every given moment.” There are only so many hours in the day, and losing a few minutes here and a few minutes there adds up. To stay focused and productive, end each day by writing down the six most important things you have to do the next day and then follow your list.
  2. They plan their time well in advance. Keeping an updated calendar will help you avoid conflicts and be more efficient in allocating your time. Don’t forget to schedule some personal time too.
  3. They have a game plan for where they want to go. By writing down your mission and vision, you’ll have a goal to work toward and a game plan to keep you on the right path.
  4. They are early-risers. By rising early, you can get a leg up on everybody and take advantage of the early morning hours when everything is peaceful and quiet.
  5. They know the difference between good fear and bad fear. Use good fear to encourage you to take stronger action and eliminate bad fear by not worrying about things you have no control over (like the markets).
  6. They have well-defined short, medium and long-term goalsthat meet the SMAC test (specific, measurable, achievable, compatible). Have clear goals that are motivating and review them every day. Consider putting your goals into a PowerPoint slide and then have your local copy shop print it and laminate it for you.
  7. They abhor busy work. Don’t let idle chitchat, paper shuffling and busywork bog you down. Focus on your goals and eliminate what gets in the way.
  8. They are very organized. By keeping your desk clean, organizing your files and using checklists, you can eke out more hours in the day. Extend this to your personal life too.
  9. They are great communicators. Ronald Reagan was a master communicator and storyteller. Whether you like his politics or not, he was able to articulate his message and make you feel good about it. By improving your communication skills and storytelling skills, you’ll make a better connection with clients and prospects, which, in turn, will lead to more business.
  10. They are health conscious. Being a top achiever requires energy and stamina. Regular exercise and a healthy diet will make you feel good, improve your confidence and give you the fuel to keep going when everyone else is falling by the wayside.
  11. They have a burning desire to succeed. You can work smart, have discipline and be knowledgeable, but if you don’t have a burning desire to succeed, you’ll fall short of your potential. Burning desire comes from within, so spend some time identifying what it is you want in life, then put all your energy and resources behind getting it.
  12. They can motivate others. Success is best when it is shared. Being able to motivate others and help them reach their hopes, dreams and aspirations will go a long way toward helping you reach yours.
  13. They practice the fundamentals. In football, the quarterback and the running backs get most of the glory. Yet, without the lineman, there would be no protection and no holes for the running backs to shoot through. By staying focused on the basics, you can position yourself for the big breakthroughs.
  14. They are spiritual. They have faith in a higher being and follow a path toward enlightenment.
  • They continually seek wisdom. The minute you close your eyes to learning is the minute you start to atrophy. Top achievers constantly learn from others and know they’ll never know it all.

    • There are 15 habits that high-performing individuals do consistently.

    (Perhaps it’s time to add some of these pointers to your daily routine?)

    Are you wasting your life? A short rant.

    What is your vision?

    What are you doing to make it happen?

    Most people can answer the first, few can answer the second.  This is one of my frustrations of this content driven, always “on” world.

    You have a vision.  Most people are actually really good at visualizing.  Some people visualize based on negative factors, like “I hate my job” or “I hate my house” and others on positive factors “I wish I made 50% more” or “I dream of the day when all of the pets in the pounds were adopted”.

    The problem is that by nature we are risk averse.   We don’t want to put it out there.  We fear failure.  And that is where most people stop.   Work happens, life happens, bad things happen, good things happen.  Whatever it is, it distracts you.  You move on.  You forget.  You put the idea, the product, or the vision on the back burner.  The great idea, the one that stirred you inside goes into the “only if” or “someday” pile (if I had the time, if I had the money).

    It doesn’t have to though.  In this digital age, now more than EVER you are connected.  And do you know what?  People like you.  Even the ones you don’t know.  And they want to help you, and it is easier now then it has ever been to connect and collaborate with them.

    So that project you want to do, the job you want to get, the book you want to write – DO IT! Get started.  Ship it.  Make it happen.

    Are you the kind of leader you want to serve?

    I was listening to a recent Andy Stanley Podcast, and it inspired me to take some of his thoughts a little bit further.  The original podcast is HERE

    In the podcast, Andy talks about developing trust in your organization.  Most of the time we hear about trust lately it is in the context of whether or not people trust your organization.  This deals with more internal issues though.  As the leader of your team, do people trust you?  Why or why not?  What is your response to problems?

    Here are the three options, according to the message:

    1. Blame the person
    2. Blame the system
    3. Blame human nature
    1. Blame the person – Often leaders immediately take out problems on the person that brings them the problem or is “responsible” for what went wrong.  Leaders can do that, because obviously we are perfect.   We do no wrong, we never make mistakes.  This causes more problems that people sometimes realize.  I feel it is a major reason for team member turnover and low team member morale.  It causes hard feelings and fosters an environment of looking out for you vs. the team.  Blaming the person also makes the team member feel that taking a risk or trying to improve something is not worth it.

    As leaders, it is important to us that we are told and can help resolve situations quickly.  Often however, people are reluctant to bring leaders the problem because of the response they know they will get.  They only get that fear because of past responses.

    1. Blame the system – It is easy to blame the system. It is harder to evaluate why the system didn’t work.  If there is a failure of the system, then a piece of the system is not working well.  It is the leader’s job to find out why.
    1. Blame Human Nature – Blaming human nature is often an “out”.  Honestly, this is used when the blame may point to the leader, or hits too close to home.  Instead of pointing to a personal failure, or failure of a system we believe in, we blame the system.   You can just say, “Oh, that is how so and so is”.  I work in a job where I manage hundreds of teenagers.  It is pretty easy to say “that is how teenagers are” and it can be true.  Often though, whether the team member is 8 or 80, it isn’t human nature that messed things up, it is failure of the leader to explain the expectations, or equip his/her people to do the job correctly.  I wrote another post some time ago that your team is only as good as the middle.  You should never allow mediocrity based on the lowest common denominator.  A team will always have its best players, and it will always have some players who are new or a weak link.   The difference in the success of the team is your ability to manage the middle.

    The atmosphere and environment of your team or organization is set by the person or people at the top.  Even little things that you do – some that you don’t even realize – will filter down through the people you lead.  So today, take a look at how you act; is there anything you would want to change? Do you:

      • Yell when you encounter a problem or “lash out”
      • Take out your frustration on others around you or people under you.
      • Speak negatively about other reports to their supervisors
      • Complain about being harried or stressed
      • Tell people how their problem is ruining your day

    People often look at the big picture when evaluating the organization, when often it is a series of small interactions that when all added cause major change.

    Here is your challenge:

    Today – take 3 situations and purposely react differently then you would otherwise.  See what happens.