Back to the Future
March 23, 2008
Last Wednesday, I attended an all day seminar hosted by IDC, a technology oriented analyst firm. The seminar was focused on topics that those of us who work for high technology firms care about; i.e. what’s the next big thing that our firms should capitalize on in order to continue to thrive. I attended sessions on Software as a Service (not so new), Software Appliances (still pretty new), Social Networking (kind of new), Innovation (not new at all), and a session on “The New Customer”.
It’s this last topic that I find fascinating - mostly because the attributes of “the new customer” seem pretty darned similar to the attributes of the majority of the customers I’ve served in 26 years of working for high technology companies. Specifically, customers purchasing high dollar technology solutions want to know that once the implementation is done, the solution they bought actually achieves the outcome they were shopping for. Sometimes that’s true business transformation, often it’s cost savings, but in all cases there is a project sponsor on the hook to find the right solution and make sure it works for the business. During and after the sales process, that project sponsor wants to talk to people who understand their business and the technology. They don’t want their relationship “managed”, they want the straight scoop they need to ensure they choose the right tools and partner to get the job done. People who’ve taken the risk to introduce a vendor’s solution into their organization want that vendor to be standing by their side as a partner who shares in solving the hard problems that inevitably accompany change.
The closing speaker at this conference was Tom Kelley, General Manager of IDEO, and author of “The Ten Faces of Innovation”. While there are ten faces in his framework, he focused on “The Anthropologist” as the most important. His point was that organizations can’t truly service a customer’s needs, and definitely won’t discover new markets around unmet needs, unless they do the field work to observe the problems firsthand. He was a great speaker, and definitely a hit with an audience of high techies who love to be associated with the next big thing, but are often frustrated that their firms aren’t willing to take more chances when it comes to innovation.
In a related blog post last week, Bob Sutton talks about risk taking as key to innovation. Ironically, in many organizations risk taking isn’t as encouraged as it should be to drive innovation, yet the implicit risk associated with a failure to focus on ongoing customer success is rampant. What’s been your experience with the technology vendors who are important to your success at work?
Thinking Green on St. Patrick’s Day
March 16, 2008
As tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, and I am of almost solely Irish descent, I feel compelled to comment today on things that are green. Above and beyond its place as the traditional color to be worn in honor of St. Patrick’s day, thinking green is becoming increasingly more important to reverse the human impact on the earth. Individuals, communities and businesses are increasingly concerned about managing our carbon footprint in order to protect and defend our planet for the generations to come.
Here are 3 easy ways to get green - tomorrow and throughout the rest of the year.
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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
March 7, 2008
Since we have the luxury of a full time economist on our Board of Advisors, I followed up with Jared Bernstein after reading the following in today’s Wall Street Journal article about the February jobs report:
“U.S. recession fears mounted as employment fell in February at its fastest rate in five years, suggesting that the housing and credit crunch is gripping the broader economy. U.S. nonfarm payrolls fell by 63,000 in February, after declining 22,000 in January. If not for a rise in government jobs last month, payrolls would have fallen by more than 100,000. However, the unemployment rate dropped to 4.8% from 4.9%.
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When Does Your Paycheck Start in 2008?
March 3, 2008
photo credit: A colleague just sent me this link regarding “Work Your Proper Hours Day” in the UK. This day is celebrated on February 22nd - the average day on which Britons working unpaid overtime pass the mark where their unpaid labor ends and they begin to work for themselves.
WYPH day is the brainchild of the Trades Union Congress (TUC). This organization, with roots going back to 1868, advocates for working people. Their Worksmart site provides tips for employees on how to manage work life balance, and provides a calculator you can use to figure out your individual WYPH day. I took a quiz on their site - it looks like my day is today - March 3. Hmmm - I think I still have a couple of months to go before I stop working for the Government and get to keep the rest.
Many of us have New Year’s resolutions relating to achieving better work life balance. Mine was to get home in time to cook dinner (link to a wonderful cookbook) a couple of nights per week. I’ve been doing ok with that one. Mark Bittman, another one of my favorite cookbook authors, wrote this article in yesterday’s New York Times about taking a break from virtual reality each weekend.
What do you do to draw boundaries between work and life outside of work?
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