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Archive for June, 2008

Leadership and Hiring Millenials

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

Post from Leadership Turn

Today is theme day around the channel, all about graduating and new beginnings in a downturn. For a full list of participants check with Darlene over at Interview Chatter.

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Their reputation precedes them.

Hiring Millennials is an iffy business when your focus is a desire for long term employees.

On top of their sense of entitlement, many have no idea how to be led.

As CandidProf says, “Teaching is also an exercise in leadership, particularly in college. You do not simply download knowledge into student brains… Students need to be properly prepared in order to be led to learning.”

That goes double (at least) in the work arena. Too many Millennials see more value in peer information and advice than in listening and learning from anyone who has been there/done that. Their actions, more than their words, display an ‘I am the sun” attitude; they already know how to do it better and faster—cheaper rarely enters the equation—and see no use in learning other approaches, since theirs is better.

I’m not saying that every 18-35 year-old thinks this way, but plenty do—although the severity of “Millennial Fever” varies by individual.

The problem for you is that turnover is costly and you need to minimize it. high_fly.jpg

How? By latching on to the number one piece of hiring intelligence that is espoused by the smartest companies—attitude trumps skills.

And if you don’t agree, ask yourself whether you would rather teach someone to program in a new language or convince them to change something in their MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™)

It’s really a no-brainer when you think about it and it applies not just to Millennials, but to all people at all levels—from entry-level to executive.

What do you think? Does attitude trump skills?

Your comments—priceless

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Image credit: asifthebes

Relationships and corporate culture go hand-in-hand

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

Looking for a great place to work? Great Place to Work® Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) just released their Best Small (50-250 employees) & Medium Companies (251-999 employees) to Work for in America. (The website also gives the results for the last four years.)

So, what makes an official “great place to work?”

“At the heart of our definition of a great place to work – a place where employees “trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy the people they work with” – is the idea that a great workplace is measured by the quality of the three, interconnected relationships that exist there:

  • The relationship between employees and management.
  • The relationship between employees and their jobs/company.
  • The relationship between employees and other employees.”

And read what employees say about their companies.

What would your employees say?

Corporate ADD and the leader

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: spekulatorteam.jpg

By Wes Ball, author of The Alpha Factor – a revolutionary new look at what really creates market dominance and self-sustaining success. Read all of Wes’ posts here.

There is a growing phenomenon among upper-level executives in American corporations that we could easily call, “Corporate ADD.”

Even stretching down to upper-middle management levels, there is a growing problem with having too much to think about too quickly with too little information, but too much pressure to get it done and done right.

Every time I talk with mid- to upper-level execs, I hear the same thing. They can’t get anything done, because there are too many meetings talking about too may things that have to be solved immediately, and the pressure upon them to turn around impossible problems increases almost daily.

This is exacerbated by the stock market for the CEO, who finds himself putting out investor relations and stock analyst fires more than he does even the panicked internal fires that are driving his staff crazy.

Is it any wonder that there are fewer visionary “leaders” heading up companies?

Who in their right mind would step into such a role, if he were a visionary?

Do you have any answers?

Your comments—priceless

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Interview with a (very) young leader

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: b2logs.com and Ram Sharma b2logs-white.png

In April I received an email with “Greetings from b2logs.com” as the subject.

“My name is Ram Sharma, high school student and Founder of b2logs.com. b2logs is a website featuring the best business news feeds from all around the world, b2logs also hosts a one of a kind blog informing the world of the latest in business news.”

He went on to say that he’d found the content informative and was featuring Leadership Turn on his site.

Nice, but what truly impressed me was the clarity and skill of his writing. So I wrote him back, participated in his prelaunch feedback contest (they gave away an Ipod Touch) and then requested an interview with him.

Background: Ram is a 16 year old entrepreneur from Canada. He’s a junior in high school, has founded two companies, Karma Design Studio and most recently, B2 Business Network. As you might guess, Ram is competitive by nature and competes in many business competitions. Most recently, he represented Canada at the International DECA conference in Atlanta, Georgia. He also volunteers with IMPACT Entrepreneurship Group, a non-profit organization hosting entrepreneurship week in Canada. You may contact Ram through either of his companies.

In my phone conversations with Ram I found no hint of the entitlement mentality so common today. I found Ram to be thoughtful, verbally fluent and downright charming. Ram represents the best of what’s coming down the line.

I sent Ram these interview questions and the responses are exactly as he sent them.

Who are the founders of b2logs (names, ages, a bit of background)

The founders of b2logs.com are myself, Ram Sharma and my partner, Zan Zhang, both 16 year-old senior high school students.
I am one of Canada’s youngest entrepreneurs; I founded my own website design and development firm, Karma Design Studio.com last year. I am also a technology enthusiast, political debater, and avid volunteer. Furthermore, I am part of many organizations such as Impact, FIRST Robotics, and DECA. In high school, I am a dedicated student and part of the International Business and Technology Program at Gordon Graydon Memorial. I am also the President and CEO of B2 Business network, parent company of b2logs.com.

My partner, Zan Zhang is an enthusiastic student in the same program and high school. He has many talents and hobbies ranging from chess, piano, and robotics, to volleyball, investing and DECA. Zan Zhang is the Marketing Director of b2logs.com and lead author of b2 gurus.

What got you interested in doing a business oriented blog/site as opposed to something else (sports, etc.)?

The idea of b2logs.com started when my partner and I were looking for an easy way to organize our business news feeds without using traditional RSS feed readers. Focusing on only business news feeds allowed us to create something that interests us, plus no one really simplified “business news” for the average Internet user.
What difficulties have you had to deal with in moving your project forward?

My team encountered a few problems. Since I am the main developer, I had to handle layout and browser compatibility issues. Also, while developing the project I had to look into features which allowed my website to stand out and finding the right features was a bit tricky. Plus, we had to juggle this project with many others.
What do your parents/teachers/peers think of b2logs?

Overall, the response was positive, many people found this website useful and easy to use. During the PreLaunch process I received great suggestions that made the website even better. But, I still have to continue to improve the website and make it the best business news network on the web. My parents are especially proud the work that I accomplished.

Do you have any mentors? What have you learned from them?

My personal mentor is my father, Raghu Sharma. He is also a technology enthusiast in the web domain industry. There have been many lessons I have learned from him. In this case, the most important lesson I learned was how to create a website that kept bringing people back. This lesson helped me focus on the “sticky” features of my websites and allowed me to keep the most important people in mind at all times, the user.

What’s the best advice you have ever received and how has it worked for you?

Both my partner and I have learned to always question ourselves in order to find ways to improve and although planning is essential, it is all about the execution. Most of the time this piece of advice would be very helpful because I have very intricate plans and ideas that never get put into action. I believe there is a level of fear when one does something new, but when I overcome this fear the exhilarating adventures begin.

What’s YOUR best advice to others?

Here is what my partner has to say and I think it is what I would say to others:
“My best advice is to all the young people out there. If you think you are busy now, and that you will hold off your plans until later, YOU ARE WRONG. I always thought I was too young to do anything, not enough experience, insufficient responsibility, yada yada, but a friend pointed out how busy I would be when I have a mortgage, kids, a job, grandkids… So don’t procrastinate and follow your dream”

What are each of your career plans?ram-and-zan.jpg

I would like to go into engineering with a background in business and in the future I would like to continue building tech-based companies.
Zan’s career plan is to go into finance, perhaps getting a degree in accounting or a CFA or a business degree, and eventually one day run a hedge fund.

Do you think that Ram and Zan are representative of today’s youth or exceptional?

Your comments—priceless

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Avoiding the next meme generation

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Image credit: greyman

Perhaps ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’ should be rewritten, ‘As you parent, so shall you hire.’

The generations that parented the Millennials are reaping the results of confusing self-esteem with entitlement.

Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, narcissism researcher and author of Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable than Ever Before thinks that parents should stop ‘meaningless, baseless praise,’ which may start even before nursery school.

She’s right. The kids who sang ‘I am special/ I am special/ Look at me…’ (set to the tune of Frere Jacques) in nursery school are still thinking that way in the workforce.

If your kids are young start now by not only eliminating empty praise from your home, but also teaching them how to recognize it and why to discount it.

Praise what they accomplish and instill in them an appreciation of the real value found in the words, actions, deeds, and contributions, both large and small, that they make in the world.

With older kids—teens, twenties, thirties—help them wrap their minds around the idea that life doesn’t offer entitlements to anyone and share with them the real facts of life:

  • They’re special to you, because you’re their parent and you love them.
  • They’re special to themselves, because “self” is the only person they will ever truly know or actually have the ability to change.
  • They’re not special to others, except as a result of their words, actions and deeds.
  • Being special to you and to themselves does not entitle them to special treatment from their teachers, friends, bosses, colleagues, the guy complaining about their loud cell phone conversation at Starbucks or the cop who tickets them for speeding.
  • Special isn’t related to self-esteem—self-esteem is grounded in and built from their own efforts and accomplishments.
  • Self-esteem entitles them to nothing, but provides the strength to not only survive, but thrive, in today’s world—and tomorrow’s.

They may not appreciate your efforts now, but they will be forever grateful as they make their way though the world as adults.

How do you build self-esteem in your kids?

Quotable quotes: leadership by Dr Seuss

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: Zoe Armagh

Remember the bestseller All I really needed to know I learned in kindergarden? It still sells because it has a wealth of wisdom that addresses adult issues, but that most adults have forgotten.

dr-seuss.jpgAnother font of wisdom for adult issues is Dr Seuss.

I think he has better advice on authenticity and motivation in leadership then all the pundits (including me) who blather on about it today. Best, his advice is short, sweet, easy to remember and doesn’t require any outside help to understand it—just compatible MAP.

Horton Hatches the Egg (1940)
I meant what I said,
and I said what I meant
An elephant’s faithful,
One hundred percent.

Horton Hears a Who! (1954)
Don’t give up! I believe in you all
A person’s a person, no matter how small!

On Beyond Zebra! (1955)
I’m telling you this ’cause you’re one of my friends.
My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!

So, on beyond Z!
It’s high time you were shown
That you really don’t know
All there is to be known.

The Lorax (1971)
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (1990)
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.

What are your favorite Seussisms?

Your comments—priceless

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What’s in a title?

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

Here’s an equation that doesn’t change: who you are (your MAP) = what you do = what you’re called.

embarrassed.jpgIf you’re at the top of a company you’re called CEO.

But what does CEO really mean? Because when it comes to business titles people are creative and the variations are numerous and telling.

Here’s a tiny sample of what I’ve heard over the years from staffers when asked to define CEO based on their’s.

On one hand you have

  • Conceited Egomaniacal Overlord;
  • Caddish Elitist Obstructionist;
  • Controlling Embarrassing Obsessor;

and on the other you have

  • Concerned Energetic Overachiever
  • Caring Enabling Oddity
  • Charismatic Enterprising Optimizer

and inbetween you have a thousands of variations.

If you don’t like your own ‘nicktitle’ then it’s time to change your actions, which means changing your MAP.

And whether you consider that good or bad news, the main point never changes—it’s your choice.

For the sake of your staff and investors, (not to mention family and friends) I hope you choose wisely and well!

Image credit: thelearnr

Charity: good, bad, ugly

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: thaney8

nonprofit.jpgWhen it comes to charity, I’m very opinionated (no surprise there), so I thought I’d take this opportunity to present the good, my favorite charity—that you probably never heard of, and rant a bit about the bad and the ugly—two things that really tick me off.

The Good: I have a real passion for the M3 Foundation, on the web at M3boys.org. I like M3 because it’s successfully attacking the roots of one of the greatest problems in America today—keeping young, black boys in school.

“Removing the Achievement Gap for African American Boys—Boys are the most important issue facing the African American community today. With 1/3 of all black men in the USA in the penal system and more than 70% drop-out rate in high school, the situation is catastrophical. By their mid 30’s, more than 60% of black men who dropped out of school have spent time in prison.”

What’s more, it’s doing it on a shoestring budget with a highly innovative approach that’s showing enormous success in its first roll-out.

“In its first year, M3 assisted the boys in achieving average improvements in mathematics grades from 1.9 to 3.14 (from a D/F grade to a B). The average in the boys GPA increased from 2.4 to 3.0… M3 has since expanded to work in all the middle schools in Berkeley with similar success.”

Pretty cool.

The Bad: Every fundraising business or charity where too much money goes to pay the overhead, it’s the reason I never respond to any solicitation in the mail. If I like the hype I check the charity out myself and then send a donation direct to the headquarters—never the address on the solicitation. And when checking out the charity I focus on financials using Charity Navigator when possible or just digging if it isn’t listed there. I look for around an 80/20 split, with the 80% going to support programs.

The Ugly: Avoiding real estate taxes on property that isn’t mission related—especially common among religious organizations. For example, way back when I lived in Denver, CO, the largest owner of apartment buildings was the Catholic Church. It paid no income or real estate taxes because the church was tax exempt, yet those properties used municipal resources without limit. I have no problem exempting actual places of worship and associated community centers, but not the rest. The same goes for other tax-exempt abuses—do leaders really need fleets of expensive automodiles, first class/private jet travel, (multiple) mansions, etc. to accomplish their missions?

So much for Friday, now here’s the Fun. For all you pilots, expilots and wannabepilots who love flying, or if you’re just plain curious, click here for a flight over the mountains. Just bring the Dramamine if you’re prone to a queasy stomach!

What are your good, bad and uglies?

Your comments—priceless

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Corporate culture success stories

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Image credit: duchesssa

There’s no time to post about all the interesting articles on corporate culture that I find, so I thought I’d offer several up with a few notes.

Wow! A founder who not only knows the front-line people (read: those the customers see) are the key to success, but puts his founder stock where his mouth is. No, not some high tech hot-shot in Silicon Valley, but Robbie Lee, CEO and founder of U.S. Dry Cleaning Corporation, the nation’s fastest-growing chain of dry cleaning operations.

According to Deborah Rechnitz, chief operating officer, “Robbie believes very strongly that our front-line employees are the key to our success. He also wants them to know that the company values their efforts and that they too can participate in the success of the company.”

Michigan isn’t the first place most people think of when cultural innovation is mentioned, but that’s what Rich Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations in Ann Arbor has successfully fostered.

“Inside Menlo’s offices above a coffee shop a few blocks from the University of Michigan’s central campus, there are no walls.

  • No cubicles.
  • Nobody working long nights.
  • Nobody working weekends.
  • No offshoring of work to programmers in India or other countries.
  • And nobody telecommuting, sort of counterintuitive for a technology firm in the era of virtual offices.
  • And if a client is a cash-starved entrepreneurial start-up — is there any other kind? — Menlo might just cut its usual rates for custom software by 50% in return for equity in the client’s business or royalties from its products.”

Casino’s are the last place you expect to find good culture, but apparently Caesars gets it right.

“It’s something you hear over and over about Caesars in its birthplace; good people, the place runs right; the staff make good money. Not the best money, like they raked in back in the good old days . But still among the best.”

Many Canadian companies also have their cultural act together, among them are…

  • “When people have passion projects or interests . . . there is a culture here that they’re not shy or unwilling to come forward… It’s that kind of flexibility, out-of-the-box thinking and attention to corporate culture that truly differentiates a company from competitors” explains Chris Bedford, president of Calgary-based branding agency Karo Group.
  • “Creating an open dialogue where employees truly have a voice and are listened to also makes a profound difference. “We’re constantly hiring,” he says. “Not only are we overstaffed, but we’re cherry-picking the best people and it all comes because of the reputation,” according to Bruce Rabik, chief operating officer of Rogers Insurance Ltd.”

There are great lessons to be learned from these cultures and the people who create/enable them. And if you want to implement similar ideas in your company, I’m willing to bet that every one of them would take the time to address your how-to questions.

Blogoff supports Accion—the leader in microfinance

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: Arieanna Schweber

For the first time in 33 years Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, is June 20 instead of June 21—not an event to let pass without recognition.

blogoff1.jpgAnd what better way to recognize it than with a charity event involving bloggers and—what else—blogging.

And what better charity than 45 year old ACCION International, the microfinance organization with a four star ratting (it’s highest) from Charity Navigator for low administrative expenses to donations ratio and many other awards.

Participating Biz and Entertainment Channel bloggers will be posting hourly for all twenty-four hours June 20, from 2400 to 2400. Unfortunately, I can’t participate myself, but you can bet that I’ll be an active supporter. How? By donating, commenting, digging, stumbling and sharing any way I can.

It’s a great cause and one I hope that you’ll support, too.

Here’s a list of the intrepid Biz Bloggers participating…
Business and Blogging
Accounting Solver
taxgirl
Doing Biz Abroad
One Vote Matters
Interview Chatter
Biz Chicks Rule
Buzz Networker
Digital Money World
Franchise Pick
Yielding Wealth
Small Business Boomers
My Organized Biz
Viva El Negocio
Home Biz Notes
Entertainment Channel participants

For more information go here, to donate click here.

Your comments—priceless

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