The Business Experience

Last night I had the opportunity to connect with author and thought leader behind modern marketing, Brian Solis.

The premise of Brian's book and speech is the need to "Grow With Change"- although he didn't use my words, he had his own.

In Brian's words, personal technology (Facebook, Amazon, Google) all set a precedent for the technology we use in our business world.

Today our attention spans are so short most people didn't click this post, fewer have made it this far into reading it.

In summary (because that's what we all want), do what Steve Jobs said- spend a ridiculous amount of time making things simple. To do that you'll have to grow!

How Do I Disrupt my Industry, Like Uber Did?

Wow, congratulations! If you're reading this blog, you've probably thought further ahead than 99% of your competitors. You may be the type of person who has a thirst for adventure or someone looking to make their mark in the world.

So many industries have been upended by the changes of technology. Uber broke the taxi service, AirBnB competes with the hotel industry, Expedia wiped out travel agencies around the world. Truth is, if it exists today, it probably will look very different 100 years from now.

If you have a clear vision of what that disruption would look like, act on it now! No, don't spend 100K on a new application today, but start mapping it out- what will it look like?

Even if you're a billionaire, you'll need partners to help you disrupt an industry. Connect with technology specialists to get clear on the technical needs. Meet with end users to see what their true needs are (like AirBnB you don't need a hotel to have a place to stay). Try something new to break free of your existing paradigm.

If there's already competition- how well are they doing? A competitor doesn't mean you can't enter the market, Microsoft and Apple are constantly looking for the nearest competitors for products so they don't lose ground.

If you don't have a clear vision, do all the things above too! People mistake "lean startup" for "half-baked-idea" and jump into projects without clarity. It's ok not to get all the steps right, but unless you can clearly picture the end user experience, you'll be an ineffective leader.

Start with the end in mind!

Stay Busy- But not with work

Meeting up with old friends outside the
American Airlines Arena

Harvard Business Reviews "Guide to Managing Stress at Work" says ADHD people tend to over-perform when their plates are full and under-perform when they are empty. Conventional wisdom says give
work to the busiest person you know; and all procrastinators are familiar with expansion of time syndrome. All this means is - stay busy.

But don't always stay busy working. Stay busy building relationships. Stay busy relaxing. Stay busy taking vacations. Stay busy doing things for others.

Life is short, don't waste it in front of the TV, but don't try to fill it with work either. I know- I'm guilty of it too.

What Memorial Day Really Means to You

Today we remember our veterans and thank them for keeping our country safe.

Just the other day I was talking with my mentor about the reality of human nature. Essentially we are still the same people as we were thousands of years ago- still full of pride, envy, greed, joy, love and hope.

Today civilization may seem more 'evolved' and looking at Maslow's Hierarchy of needs it's easy to see why. The men and women of our military ensure the security that allows us all to pursue higher goals than simply our survival.

So thank the people who have given their lives to build the foundation of security for this country. It really is critical to what makes this country great.

Successful Business Thoughts with DZ

Today for lunch, I had the privilege of meeting with founder and owner of development zone, Yaniv. They have been in business for over a dozen years and I was interested to learn just how it was they were successful. Yaniv's response reminded me of the sobering and somber attitude of all successful business leaders I've come across, he said it's about the customer. He said I make sure that they never feel like they are left hanging, always answer your phone, always under promise and over deliver, and be true to your word. In the world of development, and business in general it's hard to find a man who walks the walk and talks the talk. Yaniv stressed this was a critical ingredient in retaining big clients like DHL, UPS, and Comcast.

It's not easy to find a good developer these days, it's not just about being good at programming or being good at designing it's about being a good businessman and ethical person and a hard worker.

The Technology Lever

Here's a big challenge in the modern workforce made up of a mix of generations. What are your thoughts?

The conversation revolved around how we were going to distribute education and training both internally and to our customers. The HR manager wanted an LMS that would integrate with anything, provide reports on everything and give the users a world-class experience. The CEO wanted to take our existing training, place it in protected folders online and manage the attendees through an excel spreadsheet.

It's not unusual for managers to worry about the risks of taking on extra task. If you're a savvy manager, you understand that there is a lot more that need to go into the system. How will we collect payments? Who is going to distribute the certificates of completion? Who will be available to answer questions that the students have? Plus, you know the CEO is going to want reports.

It's also not unusual for executives to underestimate the work of a project. If you're a CEO, starting off basic seems like a classic business principle. Why invest tons of time and money coming up with a complex solution to a basic program? Gauge the audience first and then see how well it's received, then invest the time and energy into getting fancy.

So who was right?

Transparency and Pain

Dale Carnegie says, "When you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically". That quick dose of wisdom is intended to help people make friends and influence people (great book), but there's another wildly valuable gem in that action- it creates POSITIVE PAIN.

Admitting when you're wrong hurts, but it also helps us grow faster. So let's take it to another level.

If admitting when you're wrong helps you grow, what would happen if you could find all your challenges before they became mistakes? What if we increase the stakes to connect more pain to the failure? Sounds mentally challenging, but that's one secret for growth.

Transparency is one way to do that. Transparency is an ethical leaders tool for making sure his mistakes are uncovered quickly and the visibility of the failure makes it more painful than if you could cover it up.

What are some areas in your business or marriage where you've been reluctant to be transparent? What is the fear that holds you back and what could you gain by letting go?

XThe Consequence of 90%

Don't give yourself excuses and you won't have any regrets

We've all heard coaches say give 110%. What the hell does that mean?

I'm not sure about 110%, but the consequences of only giving 90% can be real challenges to growing with change. Think back on a time when you gave 100%. I bet, regardless of the outcome, you were proud of yourself at the end of the day.

While personal pride is at stake when giving less than 100%, there's a second consequence called excuses. When you give 90% and the project fails you have an excuse. You can say if I had worked 10%
harder or done 10% more it would've been successful. This can keep you from recognizing the need for dramatic or systemic changes.

The secret, disempowering phrases I hear a lot are "We just have to do a better job of executing", "We just need to pay closer attention to these things", "We just need to communicate better". While these comments may be true and may help explain why things didn't work out they ultimately they don't really help you grow.

Stop giving less than 100% and you'll recognize the need for change a lot quicker.

The Power of the Third Party

Introduce a third party in a flattering way.

Have you ever tried to convince your significant other to change their dress style, mannerisms or annoying quirks?

If you have, you probably got burned and are a little wiser for it.

The truth is, we HATE to be corrected or rebuked. AND we hate it most from people we are closest to and we have a tendency to lash out in defense.

So how in the world do you get people to change? Enter the third party.

You may have seen a form of this technique in sales or speaker introductions. It starts with person A describing how credible/accomplished person B is and then when person B speaks, they are bestowed a tremendous level of respect. Suddenly, everything that comes out of their mouth is gospel and moving.

So the next time your wife asks you if you like the dress she chose, have her call a fashionista she respects and side step the whole debacle :)

12 Tips for a More Effective Work Life

1. 
   Set expectations and deadlines. If you write these down, it'll give your teammates structure, your supervisors confidence, and yourself enough time to get things done right.
2. Say No. Say no to ideas without enough support to move forward. Say no to customer requests that don't match your business capabilities or direction. Say no to false emergencies to remind people to plan ahead.
3. Make time. Your week should be divided into three sections: learning, teaching and doing. Make time throughout your week to exercise all three.
4. Delegate appropriately. Don't be afraid to give work back to a colleague or to request support from another department. As a team, you work best if everyone is doing their best at what they do best.
5. Under promise. No one but you knows how long something is really going to take. Don't promise everything as quickly as you know it can be done, give yourself plenty of flexibility.
6. Review each night- Take time to reflect on the day and refocus on what's really important.
7. Engage with groups- Not people in your organization, but people with a completely different focus/market. They will use tools in ways you haven't seen before and connect lots of dots for you.
8. Find mentors- Look for super mentors. People well beyond what you have and want with the experience to help you get there.
9. Read- Like mentors and groups, these can connect new ideas to old ones to make something beautiful
10. Put pride aside- Don't worry about who gets credit for ideas and work. If your sights are on a new level, those things won't matter.
11. Ask what’s really important- Number of people asking and authority of people asking can make the task seem more important than it is. Ideas tend to recycle themselves within groups. Don't let that derail you from the high-importance items.
12. Plan ahead- Real fire drills do happen, but more often than not, they are a result of procrastination and near-sightedness on behalf of management or ourselves. Don't let them become your day-to-day.

Why Biometric Security is Dangerous

Biometric security has been touted as the ultimate security in digital technology. Today we have iPhones with Touch ID that make it really easy to login, buy e-books or download apps. Personally, I love the Touch ID as a low-security barrier to replace that 4-digit entry code. Unfortunately, bio security will never put my mind at total ease, because it's biggest advantage over other authentication protocols is also it's biggest flaw.

One of the greatest advantages of bio security is the fact that you possess a unique genetic makeup that creates distinct thumbprints, retinal patterns and other identifiers. Theoretically this means no more remembering long passwords with some combination of capital letters, special characters and numbers. But what happens when your biometric ID is stolen?

Unlike passwords that can be changed, your body will always be the same. If it seems ridiculous that someone would steal your finger or your eyes, you're right. This isn't mission impossible either, where they use unique contact lenses. It's important to remember that your biometric information has to be converted to digital information at some point. Someone doesn't have to have your eyes to copy the digital code your eyes produce and send that signal to a computer system.

Of course security companies are developing systems to prevent this 'spoofing', some examples include multi-layered biometric and motion scanning where the person's interaction with the authentication device is as relevant as the fingerprint or retina, but just remember, it all comes down to 1's and 0's.

Divided Focus - A Lesson From Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey

It doesn't matter how talented you are, if you divide your focus you will fail.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey just went public with Square, Inc. insisting in his financial statements to both Twitter and Square, Inc. investors that he'll be ok splitting his time between the companies.

Now it looks like that decision is starting to bite him back. Without a hands on leader, Twitter is struggling to get the focus it needs to correct even some of the basic problems (Twitter's Timeline Changes Do Little to Solve Core Challenges).

It's not that a person cannot run two companies, but if the leadership who can be active in the day-day efforts of those organizations are not energized or empowered to make the critical decisions, the company will fail. Hopefully Jack will find a way to reenergize the Twitter world so we can continue to enjoy 140-character updates.

Lead by Accepting Responsibility

One of the greatest ways we've been able to grow as a society is by those people and institutions who have been willing to accept responsibility for things outside of their control. Let's look at some examples:

FDIC
Following the Great Depression, the FDIC began to offer guarantees on bank deposits. You've probably heard that your money is safe up to $200,000. Since 1933 no one has lost money due to a bank's failure, the government protects that money. Now, even if your credit card is stolen, you are only responsible for up to $50. This has changed the way we handle money and greatly increased our faith in the banking system.  https://www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits/

Stubhub
Is it Stubhub's fault if the seller of a ticket fails to mail it in? No, but even if that happens, Stubhub will give you a ticket out of their pocket to make sure the buyer isn't left standing in the cold.

Cash App by Square
One of my new favorite apps. While normally a bank transfer would take a couple days to process, the Cash app expedites the process to instantaneous by paying the money out of their pocket. They've instantly accepted all the risks of transferring money that the banks formerly refused to accept. Their P&L shows it has cost them some money, but they look well positioned for long term success.

Business owners accept responsibility for their employees, parents their kids, teachers the growth of their students. No guarantee or coverage can be 100%. The banking system could collapse, the concert could be completely sold out, or student's may decide not to learn, but it's the willingness to step up and accept responsibility for the outcome that make them leaders.

What are you outcomes are you responsible for? What's one thing you could guarantee that would show your leadership in arriving at that outcome?

Your Not Getting Anywhere Like That...

I'm amazed at how often I catch others and myself making this cardinal mistake. In fact, I'm making the mistake right now and I know it.

The mistake is trying to build a mansion from a house's foundation. It's silly to even think about. How can a giant mansion be held up by something meant for something so much smaller?

Your framework limits your capabilities and while new frameworks require new skills, the payoff is worth it.

We recently transitioned to Wordpress from our custom CMS. Developers have been blowing smoke all over the place warning people about the evils of Wordpress. The fact is, it's more robust, simpler to use, fast and reliable. With a few key guidelines, your cost of IT will drop heavily by using it or switching to it.

On the other hand, we have an e-commerce solution where we are praying to the stars above for updates so we can inch closer to our competition. The other solution is to slowly develop everything ourselves and compromise its the speed of upgrades.

My advice, get good an flexible. As you grow, you'll need to change frameworks get ready for it.

Breathe Life into Your Business Services

Consider branding your thoughts and ideas. Give them a unique name that people will connect with your message and provide them with ways to share that connection through media.

Here's an example, let's say you develop websites. You could classify your services as a 'web development'. Congratulations, that's simple, elegant and clearly explains what you do. Bad news, it puts you in competition with every other web developer out there. Now try this, say your service is called something funky like 'minking' (marketing linking). When people ask you, you can tell them you offer minking, it's like web development, but.... now you can explain why your brand of web development is better than anyone else out there.

Suddenly 'minking' has a life of its own. It can be hashtagged for social media, when your customers talk about it with their friends they're forced to reiterate whatever spin you put on the service and now you're in a league of your own. Paired with a strong message of differentiation and shareable media, you'll be rocking and rolling.

Get clever. Have fun!