There are weeks that I look at what I have accomplished, and realize that it's time to adjust my route to the desired destination.  As an example, I have been working on product strategy, marketing and sales planning, in addition to taking care of the core business tasks.  Most of my time was spent doing what I thought was important, but it yielded very little in terms of the ideal outcomes. 

Despite my misguided focus, I actually learned quite a bit.  I learned that I need to do more competitive research, talk to more customers, and ensure that we're using the right tools to determine our direction.   Peter Drucker , a management thought leader that I hold in high regard, had some powerful questions that help me stay on track in terms of focus and direction. 

1. What is our mission?
2. Who is our customer?
3. What does the customer value?
4. What are our results?
5. What is our plan?

Since I have to tackle these issues as a lean organization, rather than a company with the resources available to it like IBM or Boeing, both of which made headlines this week, I need to focus on what is manageable and realistic.  Lean Startup principles will be applied.  We know what our mission is and think we know what the other answers are.  But I will absolutely be taking a deeper look at questions 2 through 5 as I work with our existing customers, and a few future customers.  

Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger conducted research that lead to the 70/20/10 learning model.  The model states that 70% of your learning should come from hands on tasks and real life problem solving.  20% of your experience should come from feedback and observing good and bad examples.  And finally, 10% should come from courses and learning.

The world of learning and development has progressed significantly in  terms of adopting this model, and Kahn Academy is helping.   It's not just because they are making the 10% of the learning process, courses, readily available on a variety of topics.  It's because they have shown how easy it is to make this information available at such a low cost.  A simple youtube video at the hands of a good teacher, combined with a searchable and indexed format in which to post the educational content, results in a small investment making a huge impact.

• Free learning for the masses
• Easily accessible learning for your customers
• Rich educational content for your employees and partners

Combine these great videos with the latest in audio to text translation tools, or audio search tools, and the sky is the limit.  

Microsoft and others have been providing these types of tools for a long time, and like Kahn Academy, are always incorporating more hands on tools to cover the 70/20.  But there is so much room for improvement, innovation and growth.  I expect to see the education, learning and development market change dramatically over the next few years.  The result will be incumbent businesses disappearing in the wake of those that take the lead as innovators, old or new.

As for the learning environments, I predict that more online tools will play a key role connecting people to hands on tasks for businesses and non profits, as well as mentors that can provide valuable feedback. 

Honesty, integrity, ethics and related words are defined by individuals...apparently.  Everyone has their moments throughout their life when the things that they say and do don't match up with what they hoped for.  That's true for me as well, although my infractions were minor in comparison to other people.  I don't believe that there is a human alive over the age of 8 years old that has not slipped from their pedestal.   

Bernie Madoff  may not have veered from his ideal at all.  I don't believe that he is capable of feeling the way that you, me and most other people do.  We all know people that have done things that others consider wildly inappropriate, and yet they don't think it's wrong at all.  Or at least that's the impression that they leave.  Which brings me back to a key observation.  Humans are wired differently. 

We have 7 Billion+ humans on the earth today according to the United Nations Population Fund. That means 7 billion+ unique personality types, many of which have a very different view of what honesty, integrity and ethics means.  As an example, I remember working with an executive at a firm that thought nothing of violating confidentiality agreements and stealing intellectual property.  He and I stood on such different ground in that regard, that it was important for me to avoid working with him.  Interestingly, people liked him because of his personality.  People can get away with a lot, until they're caught.  Sandusky is a good example.

In today's global economy, integrity is everything when it comes to long term success.  Customer's want to buy from people that they trust, and can get the job done well.  Having been a customer of Bank of America, I knew that they were heading down the wrong path when they "accidentally" switched my account to a split account with new add on fees without my approval.  That was about 8 years ago.  Based on the recent law suit that they settled, it's evident that they have continued to play shell games with their customers.  

Business success depends on honesty, integrity and ethics, and it comes down to three elements: a. promise only what you can deliver b. deliver what you promise and c. do it fairly.

 

I'm a big fan of Kotler when it comes to marketing.  He captures the essence of marketing like nobody else can, from understanding the product and its purpose, to capturing the hearts, minds and wallets of the buyers.  And yet, with all of the hope and potential that social media has created in our collective marketing minds, even Kotler has not cracked the nut called social media .  More specifically, how to successfully track a successful social media campaign well.

I remember working with my product and technology team back in the late 1990's on our latest technology products that served both the B2B and the B2C markets.  We were successful because we understood early on that you needed to understand why people used your product, and how they used your product.  What was the job to be done.  We used the latest in web site user heat mapping and talked to customers to understand how they looked at our tools, and what they thought was important.  That impacted how we communicated with them, as well as our overall systems design and flow.  

Our marketing reach was global, spanning multiple countries, with millions of users.  In these early days, we were so good at tracking our campaign results, including views, clicks, sign ups, referrals, buys, customer successes, that I had grand visions of a world that was dominated by tracked human behavior.  The 90's were exciting, but I never imagined how far we would come.  I'm impressed to say the least.  I just wish that social media marketing was easier to track and report on.  Hubspot, Hootsuite and a hundred other products are out there and available, but they still need work.  In the mean time, it's a very manual slog in terms of compiling meaningful data from multiple sources from your full campaign.  

Sometimes I miss the old days of print, television, radio, field deployments, partners, billboards and displays.  It may not have been efficient, but it was certainly easier in terms of marketing.  On the other hand, despite my comments, I love the new tools when they're mixed with the old school tools that are effective.  When social media is combined with a broader set of the marketing channels, the impact and long term connection with the customers is unmatched. 

Innovation seems to be sprinkled into most business and product discussions these days.  It’s expected, particularly in an economy that is driven by global competition, the ability of competitors to duplicate products rapidly, price wars, and trying to get and keep the attention of the 7 billion prospective customers that are roaming the earth.  Another reason it’s hot, is that entire industries and businesses have been wiped out, or have the potential to be wiped out by innovations.  A quick look at the recent history of Borders bookstore, Blockbuster video, or even Eli Lilly’s loss of the patent for Zyprexa, and it’s clear that innovations can change the universe, and effectively crush businesses that are not able to stay ahead of the product curve. 

Amazon.com, iTunes.com and even Netflix.com showed how innovation can change the world, and simultaneously stamp the life out of the incumbent businesses.   Although I have to mention that execution still counts, because Netflix and Bank of America seem to have forgotten that customers are neither stupid nor patient when it comes to how they are treated.  We’ll see how that turns out.  The point is that innovation is important.

Innovation does not just happen in startups, hence the mention of Eli Lilly.  Innovation is what created Zyprexa, their top selling anti-psychotic drug.  Startups do tend to be better at creating new products because they are not caught up in the day to day operations that keep them from thinking more creatively.  That’s why the Eli Lilly’s of the world like to acquire innovations that were created by startups.  These large organizations are embracing it though, and I expect to see a lot more highly structured innovation teams living within their walls.  The benefits, such as owning patents, minimizing costs, and maximizing profits, are too great for them not to at least try.  Patent troll firms like Intellectual Ventures are driving a different type of behavior in the market by buying patents from inventors, and using questionable tactics to extract money from people that use the technologies.  This will undoubtedly drive similar behavior by other businesses just to stay competitive.  My gut tells me that this will benefit very few, and the rest of the market will suffer for it.  That’s a subject for another day.

Have you ever known anyone with a clearly defined personal brand?  Some people, like Hillary Clinton, Lady Gaga, Jack Welch, Al Dunlap, and Oprah Winfrey have clearly defined personal brands.  Even if you can't pin down the exact details of their personality, you know what they stand for.  Either they have put some considerable effort into earning that brand name, or someone else has done if for them, good or bad. 

What makes up your personal brand?  It's somewhat circumstantial for most people.  Because most of us don't have deep pockets like Warren Buffet, our brand has to be tempered with what the tribe expects and demands of us.  My tribes have included family, friends, co-workers, bosses, customers and the community at large.  I have not always given my tribes what they wanted.  Their reactions have been at times fantastic, and at other times epic failures.  

Fantastic is usually associated with getting people to try things that they normally would not, or simply saying something unexpected.  People appreciate when you help them overcome hurdles and achieve success. Epic failures have sometimes resulted from something as simple as pointing out that a business process or product needs to be fixed.  Some people don't like reality, and it's painful for their customers.  Despite these two different potential outcomes, it is possible to still maintain a personal brand and get along with your tribe.  As a matter of fact, your tribe will likely grow as a result of it.

My personal brand has evolved over time, and has settled into one that is probably a little less spicy than I would prefer, but nonetheless helps me to be successful.  It's also a bit of a moral compass that helps to guide my decision making.  When people who know who I am and how I work, the following thoughts tend to come to mind:
* Committed (at least to other good people)
* Someone you can trust (consistently)
* Intelligent (willing to research, analyze and understand)
* Strategic (can make connections on a broad scale and set direction)
* Hard working (can create solutions, plans and execute)
* Unafraid to speak his mind (even if it gets me in trouble for items I feel strongly about)
* Not big on wasting time (happy to walk away from silly things)
* Fun  (in a uniquely James way)

I find that I can successfully maintain my strong brand without ruffling feathers for the most part by keeping introductions formal, and warming up to the conversation and the tribe thoughtfully and considerately.  I may not have the brand of Oprah Winfrey, but it's my own and it works.

My wrestling coach used to work us hard, introduce us to new concepts, get us charged up to take on challenging teams and individuals, and feel like we were one big family with the requisite horseplay of brothers.  He also helped us to put things into perspective by helping us to relax with a mix of meditation and a side order of spirituality.  That was the first time that I ever meditated, lying on the wrestling mats on our backs, eyes closed, with mostly silence, and the occasional direction from the coach as he walked us through the meditation exercise.   It was a life changing experience. 

The same could be said for my experiences with Boy Scouts, soccer teams, and a variety of businesses with great leaders.   I gave a great deal, but I also gained a lot.  I've tried to do the same as a leader.

Recent experiences have shown me that cutting corners as a leader in terms of giving your team what they need can backfire horribly.  Fortunately, I was only an observer from the sidelines in this instance, but the effect was so high impact, it rippled outside of the organization.  The team consisted of some extremely talented individuals, with the rest being a mix of solid workers for the most part.  There were a few "twists" in the group, which are the types of people that like to create a bit of social chaos.  The team became unraveled, and chaos ensued for a variety of reasons.  But at the core, it's the leadership that forgot about these key principles:

1. Provide a vision and a unified mission for the team
2. Sharpen skills through continuous improvement
3. Remember that leaders have good relationships with their teams, but at the end of the day, a leader must lead
4. Recognize the good things that people do, and help them learn from what goes wrong
5. Expect a great deal from people, but also provide the relief that they need to regenerate
6. Create a winning culture

I'm pretty sure that Captain Bligh forgot many of these things which caused the mutiny on the Bounty.  Of course he and many other modern leaders would argue that they were perfect, and it was surely just the team's fault. 

So where do we all fit into the picture in our own worlds?  I think that the answer comes down to focusing on what needs to be done, rather than getting caught up in the drama of the day.  Humans are great at creating drama, and most leaders are not great leaders.  So remember this:

a. Focus on what you need to get done (the important things)
b. Be great at what you do (read, learn, communicate and deliver)
c. Find humor and moments of relaxation in your day
d. If things are working, stick with it...if not, make a plan to forge a new path

Of course, that's easier said than done.  I have a tendency to get so caught up in a. and b. that I often forget to act on c. or evaluate for d.  But I'm always trying.

Welcome to my blog. I'm expecting to provide some interesting content over time.  For now, here's an interesting piece from Uncle Bill.