“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.”

— Henry Kissinger*

This is a great quote, one of many that speaks to a simple aspect of Leadership.  It is hardest for leaders who must lead themselves to a place they’ve never been, as well as those who follow.

Consider two basic circumstances.  As a new manager, hired from outside the organization, it can be easier to see ‘where’ their new team(s) should head.  A view from outside brings new perspective to an organization.  Those new, unexplored ideas can often be the new injection of life a team or organization may need to get moving again.

The challenge for the new manager is to build relationships, develop trusts, and describe a new path.  Only with solid relationships, albeit new, in place can the leader hope to lead an organization forward.  Carrot and Stick approaches, regardless of positional authority, can last only for very short periods.

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For way too long, I was always the Martyr. Had the misplaced belief that, if I did my job with excellence, I’d be recognized for my work. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t work that way. If you’re not also tooting your own horn, the world just passes you by. Some will love you, most won’t know enough to miss you when you’re gone.

This is also one of the beauties of contemporary social media. It gives everyone who care to pick it up, a bull horn to serve their own purposes. Even today I’m probably too conservative in self-aggrandizing activity, but I’m working at it.

The article triggering the thought, originally is courtesy of Chris Guillebeau discussing what Hustling is.

Joey Roth created the artwork and I think you’ll agree, no words are needed beyond the labels.

(photo credit: Joey Roth)

“Open Leadership”
by: Charlene Li
ISBN: 978-0-470-59726-2

Every once in a while you come across a new book that just knocks the ball out of the park.  And, so it is with Charlene Li’s Open Leadership.  As an active proponent of social media I’ve read a number of books on the topic.  Yet Open Leadership is the first that has a presented a practical, pragmatic, and far-reaching discussion about how to integrate it into the fabric of existing companies.  Not only how, but why, and why now!

Someone looking to do a ‘power-reading’ of the book might tend to dismiss it as a social media ‘how-to’ manual after the first couple chapters.  There’s much more to it though.

Social media is the book’s consistent thread and is pervasive throughout. Yet it’s not about social media itself.  Social media is the contemporary reference to a broad sea change involving how we communicate.  This communication has made it as easy for the CEO to interact directly with customers as it is for the individual employee, and that employee with the CEO his or herself.  When it seems everyone can communicate with everyone else, how can you effectively lead anything? This is the crux of Open Leadership.

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What do you do if a competitor starting slinging mud at you, making outright false claims, or excessively stretching the truth about you?  Should you descend to their level and start slinging mud back?

A company’s president recently faced this basic question. The topic made for perhaps one of the most interesting, fresh topic, posts I’ve read in a while. So, do you sling mud too, or, ignore it, push forward, and take the high road?

Here’s something to think consider

Personally, I agree with the sentiment to avoid slinging mud. But there’s a difference between participating in the same behavior and standing up for yourself. In today’s social media world of broad transparency, you cannot afford to ‘not’ say anything.

Borrowing from a Harvard Business Review post yesterday, a happy coincidence:

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Given current economic conditions it is hard to believe there may be a looming labor shortage in the U.S. Periodicals of all size and repute have discussed the topic. Just do a search (boomer “labor shortage”) and read a few articles to reach your own conclusion.

The short version, as soon as 3-5 years the U.S., due to increasing numbers of Boomers retiring, will be left with a smaller, less-experienced work force.

There are so many variables, the argument won’t have been decided for another 20-30 years .

Tied to concerns of a potential labor shortage are concerns involving knowledge transfer.  As the more ‘worldly’ move on, they’re taking their hard-won knowledge with them.  Those left behind will have to relearn everything themselves.  There is a potential loss of competitiveness from things like lost productivity, re-learning, and ability to recruit to meet needs.

Here’s a real-world example.

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For the past few days I’ve been watching a discussion over what SaaS (Software as a Service) is. The interactions seem to have broken down into two main camps.

On one side, there are those who feel SaaS is defined by it’s technology platform, particularly whether it is single or multi-tenancy*. If you’re not using a multitenancy* platform, you can’t be profitable and you’ll fail. Period.

Just because a service provider does not have MT does not doom them to failure. If you have a very large scale customer, particularly in relation to the rest of your customer base, it may make sense to stand up a separate environment just for them.

The discussions have reminded me, a lot, of the old UNIX versus Windows diatribes 15 years ago. They were something along the lines of: Only UNIX for ‘real’ work; Windows for the ‘little people.’

If another major customer came along that might represent a 30% revenue bump, it just might make sense standing up yet another MT as ST instance for them as well. Is my business doomed? No. Very happy actually. Whichever path chosen, it would be economically driven.

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With so many people looking for work, seeking answers to win the next opportunity, this question is all too common.  At the same time, the suggested answers vary wildly but, for the most part seem to miss the crux of the issue.  Why should I hire you?

Consider these common responses:

I am:

• Accustomed to a fast pace and will hit the ground running
• Will be a valuable asset to your organization
• Able to handle stress and pressure
• Think quickly on my feet
• Am a team player

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We are still early in SaaS’ (Software as a Service) life cycle.  It is not uncommon to come across open discussions as to the value of SaaS verses desktop offerings.  Recently I happened across one such discussion from the perspective of a developer.  Should they build new product/service offerings in SaaS and abandon desktop, client-side installations?

There are a number of myths that often come up in these discussions.  Many are simply the result of people ‘wanting’ SaaS, the next new thing, to be more than it really is…too soon.

Consider:

Myth:  “There are no up-front costs.”

Unless yours is a new business with no existing processes in place, you -will- have noticeable (direct and/or indirect) upfront costs when adopting new solutions, whether conventional or SaaS. At the most basic, there are real costs in converting your business (data migration, customization, staff training, …) from a legacy process to a new one. The larger your enterprise, the more integral your offering will be to the customer, the more likely there -will- be upfront costs.

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Today, feel like loosening up a bit. Maybe I’ll post a more-serious blog post today…and then again…maybe I won’t:).  For those closest to me, you’re likely aware there’s a much-awaited new member to my family.  Tigger is a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (GSMD), or Swissy for short, coming to us from Wildest Dream Farm.  At 15 weeks, she’s already clocking over 35 lbs and has been an absolute pleasure.

More than prior puppies I’ve had, Tigger has an incredible ability to attract followers and become a local celebrity.  Some of her litter mates have inquired as to how she’s been able to attract such fanfare.

According to Tigger herself, here are her Top-10 steps for obtaining celebrity

1. Look cute
2. Find high-traffic areas; like corner coffee shops, store entrances
3. Frequent, repeated visits, so they know to expect you
4. Video spots, YouTube can help
5. Social media participation – Facebook posts are good. Fan page
   probably over the top though.
6. Post pics to Flickr
7. No biting, minimal barking—not a problem for us Swissies
8. Posturing (sitting puppy, puppy’down-head between paws, tail wagging)
9. Occasional bathing for lustrous gotta-touch coat.
10. Have a nut-job for an owner
11. BONUS: This is the big one—Love others as much as they love you!

Hope you’re ready for a Grrreat! weekend,

Tigger!

Odds are, if you are a small to medium business (SMB), you have considered using a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider.  A SaaS provider can let you do things like offload the burden of non-core (but essential) functions like email, workflows, and CRM.

When evaluating SaaS vendors, it is important to look beyond their solution offerings, beyond ‘features and benefits,’ and at the vendor itself.

Building on an earlier article (Selecting a Vendor—Things to Consider), there are some additional things to consider:

Financial

Regardless of a firm’s size, employing a SaaS provider is not without up-front costs. It can range from customization (e.g. workflows) to simple opportunity-costs involving staff retooling. You want to be sure you’ve not just spent a large % of your budget only to have the vendor abruptly close their doors (giving you a glorious opportunity to explain why you were caught off-guard).

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