Dream Job

If you could have any job in the world, your dream job, what would it be?

Well, I just accepted my dream job.

This week, I start as President of Associates for International Research (AIRINC). AIRINC is a human resources consulting firm dedicated to facilitating global mobility. Since 1954, AIRINC has provided organizations with superior cost-of-living services for their cross-border transfers. Today, AIRINC offers a wide range of expatriate compensation services, ranging from data delivery and database management to policy seminars and compensation program design.


Why is this my dream job? Well, simply, it consists of many items that I write about in this blog.

First, the people. This is a great group of people. People with passion about what they do. People who are devoted to sharing knowledge in this important area of HR. The AIRINC team has knowledge leadership at all levels of the organization.

Second, the opportunity. AIRINC has years and years of proven value in the HR industry. With all of the success, I still see significant opportunity for AIRINC to further assist clients with global workforce issues.

Third, the world. I have lived almost 20% of my life outside of the USA. I consider myself a global citizen. I know in my bones the positives and challenges of cultural exchange. AIRINC focuses on helping people work across borders and cultures. AIRINC knows Global! I want to be a part of that.

Four, private ownership. One of the most frustrating things that I faced as a global leader in a large public conglomerate company is the short-term focus on results. Budgets are built on short-term financial wins versus long-term profitable growth and the value proposition to the customers. AIRINC is a private company with a proud tradition of partnering with customers and retaining quality people. AIRINC is built on the values that I believe are critical to running a business.

I hope I succeed at my dream job; I hope I add value and direction to this amazing group of thinkers. I am excited and nervous. It's like my first day at a new school; my first date with my wife; or watching my kids succeed at anything. Crazy, but I have butterflies in the stomach.

With my new challenge, I will be taking a sabatatical from public blogging. I may revert back to a private blog – as this one started. Any feedback is welcome.

Thanks for reading this blog!

Today

Today is the first day for the rest of your life!

sorry short, but some news tomorrow! Stay tuned.

Joke of the Weekend XXXI

TOP TEN Ways to Know You Are Dating a Consultant

1. Refers to those "intimate moments" as "Win-Win situations"
2. Valentine`s Day card has bullet points
3. Can`t be trusted with the car (too accustomed to beating up rentals)
4. Celebrate anniversary by conducting a performance review
5. Ends any argument by saying "let`s talk about this offline"
6. Tries to call room service from the bedroom
7. Congratulates your parents for successful value creation
8. Takes a half-day at the office because, "Sunday is YOUR day"
9. Talks to the waiter about process flow when dinner arrives late
10. Referred to the first month of your relationship as a "diagnostic period"

Leaders need to Lead in these downtimes

It is amazing to me how often when the times are not as good as in the past, leaders make some strange decisions . . . oh my, we need to cut expenses and "I" know which expenses to cut. The result is that short-term decisions impact long run revenue opportunities. Oh yes, short term bonuses might look good, but this is about the long term viability of the business and a contract with people who have worked so hard to build a business.

I have been through recessionary times in the past, my advice to new leaders is to gather the troops and tell them the straight story. The revenue in the future is not looking strong so we need to cut expenses in line with our revenue projections. So, we have two choices, what ways can we increase revenue without investments and second, where can we lower our expenses. The people closest to the clients and the actual daily work are the best to help provide insight into what might be revenue opportunities and where some expenses could be lowered. I have always been pleasantly surprised by the suggestions that really made a difference. My favourite one was from an assistant who had a great idea about saving money on shipping our products which ended up saving significant dollars. When I asked how come you never raised this before . . . the answer "no one ever asked".

Leaders! Don't crawl into your office and stay in the dark. Get out! Involve and ask your team what actions can affect short term results. Leaders lead in downtimes, but leading is also listening and involving the entire team!

Stop, Close your Eyes

Out running today, listening to Flobots' "Handlebars" and trying to figure out the lyrics . . . also thinking about what I have to be thankful . . .

It's American Thanksgiving Day on thursday .. .

Stop. Close your Eyes. (well, do after reading the posting . . . )

Take the time to think about what you have to be thankful for . . . I know I am so blessed and thankful for all that I have (health, wonderful spouse and family, friends, shelter, food on the table, a job, etc.).

So often, we focus on the things we don't have or are not right in our lives. This week, take the time to focus on the good things.

Similarly, as a leader or manager . . we focus on people's weaknesses and how to improve them, whereas we don't focus on their strengths and look for ways to leverage them . . . it is better (and usually easier) to leverage a strength then improve a weakness.

So, this week, focus on your "strengths" (i.e., things to be thankful) and set aside your weaknesses for a few days (I am sure they will still be there when you return).

And for those that are about to do year end performance reviews, have a discussion around the strengths and ways to leverage those to help the business in 2009!

Speeding Ticket

For the first time in almost 15 years, I received a speeding violation. I do have an excuse. I was on a new highway (on my way to a golf charity event BTW) and the speed limit went from 70 to 55 and I just did not see the speed reduction sign.

In most states, you can pay the fine OR take a defensive driving course and the ticket is off your record (both are practically the same price). Well being as competitive as I am, I want a clean record, so decided on defensive driving course. You can spend an entire weekend day at an training seminar or take it online. I decided "cool", I will take this online, no problem, be easy and wont waste an entire day of my life. I was wrong.

The online course was suppose to take 6 hours, somehow it took me almost 9 hours to do this online course. It just went on and on and on . . . you could not skip and each page was timed . . . it was totally frustrating. And I am not a happy camper. The other deal was that at the seminar you do not have to take a test, but online you do . . . so if you failed, you have to take it again. YIKES! Now, that is pressure.

The point of this is that as a leader (or anyone), sometimes a "course" (or decision) might seem easier when in fact, it might just be a more pain in the backside. The "grass is not always greener on the other side". Next time, I am just going to pay the fine.

Joke of the Weekend XXX

> An elderly man in Louisiana had owned a large farm for several years. He
> had a large pond in the back. It was properly shaped for swimming, so he
> fixed it up nice with picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some apple and
> peach trees.
> One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn't
> been there for a while, and look it over.
>
>
> He grabbed a five-gallon bucket to bring back some fruit. As he neared
> the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came
> closer, he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his pond.
> He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep
> end.
>
>
> One of the women shouted to him, 'we're not coming out until you leave!'
>
>
>
> The old man frowned, 'I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim
> naked or make you get out of the pond naked.' Holding the bucket up he
> said, 'I'm here to feed the alligator.'
>
> Some old men can still think fast.

Tortilla Chip, Chocolate and Beans

I am planning to have lunch with my oldest son today at school. I will be bringing a nutrious McDonald's Happy Meal (I am sure he will be the envy of the table). It is a great opportunity to meet with his school friends and do something special for him (especially since I have been traveling so much recently).

Earlier in the week, I had lunch with my youngest son. He wanted Chick-fil-A (I just think he really likes those commercials with the cows mispelling "eat mor chikin"). It was a nice experience (well almost). When you sit down with a bunch of six-seven year old kids, they want your attention, so I was spending most of my time opening plastic bags, buttering bread, etc. (actually, I felt like a million dollars and in this economy that's alot). Anyway, one of my son's friends (we will just call him Sean for now) was showing how he experiences different combination of foods. NOTE: the school meal was tortilla chips, separate container of cheese, beans, milk and banana (okay this is Texas). These tortilla chips were the kind that are shaped like a bowl (for easier dipping of the cheese I suppose). So, he would pour some of his chocolate milk in the chip and eat it . . he then on the next one decided to add chocolate milk and then a bean . .. luckily I had finished my meal. However, he loved it!!! Well, to each his own. Most of the other kids, did the proper dipping of chip into the cheese and eating, and then drinking milk separate . . . and eating the beans with a fork.

Why this story and how relates to leadership? Everyone is different, and you need all kinds. Where is the excitement if everyone believed the same, never disagreed on issues. So, when you are hiring, look at the current team, do you need to spice it up a little bit . . . it's time to hire a Sean-type into the team! Innovation is good, and those who are usually innovators are the ones that are not adverse to trying new things!

Now, if there is a way of making this tortilla chip choccolate combination into a product . . . Hmmmmmm. And I wonder if I will learn something new today at the lunch of a bunch of 8 year olds!

Seasons

Unless you have been on the moon (and even then), you know that the global economy is suffering right now. If you are not being laid off, your salary increases and bonuses will be minimal. You might be miserable!

There is hope. I believe that this is a great time to make opportunity hires. I know it sounds opposite of what you think. However, when times are going well, why would you want to change employers, you are doing well, getting promoted, receiving bonuses, higher salary increases . . . be crazy to look elsewhere, right?

As an Executive, this is the time that you are on the look out for one of those great hires that will help your business in the long term.

So, this works both ways, executives that are looking . . . and employees who might be wanting another challenging role. Now, all you have to do is find each other (you don't do that sitting on your hands).

Business cycles are like seasons. We went rapidly from Autumn to Winter this time; things are looking dark, cold, just plain yucky. You hunker down in your home and rarely venture outside. Whereas, Spring will eventually come, a rebirth . . . warm, maybe a little rain though. . . but those will bring beautiful flowers. Okay, not the best analogy, but I think you get the point. This too shall pass. There are those that enjoy the winter, it is a challenge, they embrace the challenge of winter. As I have said before, there are tremendous opportunities in these times. The problems might be different, but when there are problems/issues, there is opportunity. There are two types of people when facing these kinds of changes: (1) those that retract and lay low and put up with what is happening to them, and (2) those that view change as opportunity, those that might stick their neck out a little more than others and want to control their own destiny. While the first one is the safe approach (risk averse), the second one is more risky with the rewards/gratification is significant higher. Both are fine and one is usually wired into you, so if you want to do #2 but wired as #1, you will have to work much harder to make it happen. Which one are you?

I can't wait till Spring though!

Same thing, different view

Okay, I admit it. I am a huge Woody Allen fan; enjoy his movies tremendously. Whew, I said it, it's out in public!

Traveling across the Atlantic, I watched the movie, Annie Hall. You youngsters, you probably have not seen it but it is a good movie, so watch it. Anyway, there is a scene about a couple who are having marital problems, they decide for each to seek counseling. The movie has a split screen, man talking to a counselor on the right side, and the woman talking to another counselor on the left side of the screen. Each counselor asks their "patient" . . . "how many times a week do you all make love?"

Man: "Almost Never, about three times a week"

Woman: "All the time, about three times a week"

Great scene . . . same "action" but opposite views.

So, why am I talking about this . . .

Well, the same thing happens in our work relationships, especially between leaders and employees. Certain actions take place (e.g., expense cuts - why does someone cannot take a business trip to the next city, but someone else can fly across the globe, certain promotions - why did X get promoted, they are not deserving, reduction in force - why that person and not that one, etc.). It is important for leaders to understand how their actions will be viewed, not necessarily change any decisions. However, a clear communication is important, otherwise people will not see your perspective.

. . . and for me, "almost never" . . .

Focus

I woke up at a little before 5am this morning.

I decided to get a run in . . . before the day really started.

It was dark (although the full moon was nice).
It was cold. (in the 30's)
No ipod today.
No running with the dog.
It was extremely quiet.

Lots of things are on my mind, I might be making some significant decisons soon. As I ran, I thought about each issue and "addressed" them and then went to the next issue. As I was ending the run . . . I was "my goodness I am already back home that was quick". It was a very productive run (although not as nice as my run in Bordeaux on Sunday, running through the vineyards of St Emillon).

What's the point? Well, sometimes as leaders or professionals, you just need "quiet time", no phones, meetings, disruptions . . . to set aside a time to focus on those issues that you are failing in finding time to address. I like to focus on these during my runs, others like other activities (biking, swimming, etc.) or going to a library or quiet room. It is sometimes hard to find time during these busy days, but don't forget to take the time. You will feel much better afterwards. I did. Run On!

planes, trains and automobiles

Well, I have been on vacation. If anyone has seen the movie "planes, trains, and automobiles", you may be able to relate to my trip home (oh, BTW I am not back yet).

Between the rent-a-car GPS being in Japanese, to the Air France strike (which I ended up getting last seat on a train to paris, of course the worst seat on train, by the car door that opened every 5 seconds, and then flight to USA delayed from 9am to 7:30PM (yes, that is almost 12 hour delay, it has set a record for me), of course I did not account for a 12 hour connection time (silly me), so will miss my connection.

But you know what, in my old age, I am okay with this. (Yikes, is this a new me?) In life and business, you are thrown obstacles and challenges, many out of your control. If life and business went perfectly, it would not be any fun. Right? Be patient, enjoy the "extra" time, meet someone new, and remember to appreciate the times that do go well!

I did have a great vacation. Good company, great food, amazing wine, beautiful places!

Joke of the Weekend XXIX

Are You a Professional?


The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and will tell you whether you are qualified to be a "professional."

Scroll down for each answer. The questions are NOT that difficult.

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?


The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator put in the giraffe and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.


2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?


Open the refrigerator put in the elephant and close the refrigerator. Wrong Answer!

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.


3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?


Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. This tests your memory.


OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.


4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do
you manage it?



Correct Answer: You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong. But many preschoolers got several correct answers. Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four year old.

Laughter

We don’t laugh enough at work (especially in these days of a troubled global economy). We spend at least 8 hours a day working, at least 5 days a week, at least 48 weeks a year (assuming you get four weeks vacation). We all need to have more fun at work.

At an all employee meeting several years ago, we had the FUN DOCTOR come to present and he was terrific. He illustrated several simple ways to have fun each day at work . . . ways to “spice” up the office. I think all the employees got something out of that presentation (which was a risk . . . but seemed to be a good reward). There are many things you can do to bring fun into the work place, you just need to think outside of the box.

Yesterday, I laughed more than I have in a long time. Why? Yes, I am on vacation, but it was Old colleagues coming back together (maybe drinking a few bottles of wine helped) . . . we talked about the fun times at work that we shared. When you think about it, the times when you do get together with work colleagues in a non-work environment, you do spend quite a bit of time discussing the fun times that happened.

Well, it is time to make those fun times now, so there is something to talk about in the future. What are you going to do today to have more fun at the office?

On Vacation

I am currently on vacation in Bordeaux, France.

In the past, I have posted about work colleagues being friends. This trip is a statement of that as I am joining some past colleagues who are my friends for some wonderful wine and great food. It no longer matters who reports to whom because that does not matter anymore . . . however, now, we all can just say we are friends.

When you work on a business together, there is a special bond (similar to a team sport), you set a plan, implement the plan and assess the results. I am glad that I can call former work colleagues as friends.

So, when you look around who you work with, will you still be friends a year or more after you all have gone your own ways?

Moments

When you think back about the top three moments (i.e., good things that happened to you, your team, your unit) in your business life, what is the common theme? Think about it.

They probably were not events that you were handed "the moment" . . .

It probably was not something that was totally planned or expected . . .

No.

It was something that you (and your team) were working hard. You were "going for it". It might have been risky because you did not know the ultimate outcome would be. The moment happened because it was a nice surprise from good work (and maybe a litle luck -although I believe you make your own good luck).

So remember, if you want more moments, Go for it. Be a little risky (yes, that risk reward balance).

Usually, when we have moments, we do not celebrate enough . . . so celebrate celebrate celebrate! They are too far and few between.

Now, what are you waiting for . . . go make a moment!

Everything is an Negotiation

Why does it seem that everything is a negotiation? It seems frustrating so often, because "gosh darn it" you know you are right and being fair and the answer is just staring at everyone, but somehow no one but you see it. You seem to be the smartest person in the room!

Yes, I do feel this way sometimes . . . okay, maybe I feel this way many times.

However, I definitely not the smartest person in the room. It is important to see the perspective of others, they are probably feeling the same way (being the smartest in the room) but from their vantage point. In any decision where there involvement of multiple parties, the outcome needs to be what is best. Yes, good question, best for whom (see knew you were going ask)?

The business decision needs to be what is the best interest of the organization. Okay, but what if you disagree on what is in the best interest of the organization? Well, you need to go back to the vision and fundamental strategy of the organization (hopefully one does exist . . . ) and then enter the decision discussions (aka negotiation). If you depersonalize the business decision and focus on the strategy of the organization, the negotiation turns into a positive discussion and will end up with a good solution (and not exactly what you originally felt).

It is human nature to personalize business decisions, what is this going to mean for me . . . good, bad, or indifferent? I can tell you it is not easy to depersonalize the decision but if you can and focus on what is right for the organization in context of strategy, you will end up being less frustrated and a positive outcome will be achieved.

Need Direction

Persian Proverb: When it is the darkest, you can see the stars!

When I have been in the bleakest of times, times where I was in the droldrums .. . I have found direction. The old saying, "light at the end of the tunnel". So, realize if you have been laid off or currently feel frustrated, you are in the right time to search for your new direction. Don't despair! There will be a light at the end of the tunnel.

At the darkest time, it is time that allows you to think differently and look inside yourself to find what you what your life to be.

This could also be when you, as a leader, lead a business which is not doing well. It is a wonderful time to look for a new or renewed direction for the business. You may have to take a few steps back to move forward again.

Joke of the weekend XXVIII

The Americans and Japanese decided to engage in a boat race. Both teams practiced hard and long to reach their peak performance levels. On the big day they felt ready. The Japanese won by a mile.

The American team was discouraged by the loss. Morale sagged. Corporate management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found, so a consulting firm was hired to investigate the problem and recommend corrective action.

The consultant's finding: The Japanese team had eight people rowing and one person steering. the American team had one person rowing and eight people steering.

After a year of study and millions spent analyzing the problem, the consulting firm concluded that too many people were steering and not enough were rowing on the American team. So as race day neared again the following year, the American team's management structure was completely reorganized. The new structure: four steering managers, three area steering managers, and a new performance review system for the person rowing the boat to provide work incentive. The next year, the Japanese won by TWO miles!

Humiliated, the American corporation laid off the rower for poor performance and gave the managers a bonus for discovering the problem.

Together is Better

I have found a new running buddy. He is a 26 year-old athlete who played college baseball and is a family friend. I think I am getting him addicted to this running early in the morning. Some highlights:

- when you want to sleep in and not run, you can't. Instead, someone is waiting for you.
- Someone who is in definitely better shape and runs a little faster than you do, and pushing you a little harder . . . makes you a better runner
- Running goes faster when you have someone to talk to along the way. When you are approaching the end, it's like "wow, we are already here".

As with a running buddy, a leader needs a team or colleague(s) for the same motivation and success

- the entire team and unit is motivation in itself . .. the team is dependent upon you. Business is not necessarily an individual sport.
- Colleagues (who might know more than you on some subjects) will push you and in the end you will have a better product (plus you might have learned something new)
- We face challenges all the time in business, those times seem to be easier and quicker when you accomplish it as a team, instead of doing it alone!

Dont do it alone, find a team or buddy!

Evaluating Job Offers

As you develop a network of colleagues, you may asked to provide advice to someone on job offers. In addition, I have been lucky to have job offers in the past (and hope in the future). The advice I give is to focus on seven key elements.

1. Content of the Position
-What are responsibilities and authority of the position, the day-to-day activities, the what is to be done and how is it to be done.
- imagine what you will be doing in a month, six months, two years
- you should be honest with yourself and look at the negative aspects of the position (and there are such aspects to every job)

2. Challenge of the position
- Does the position provide the opportunity to make a significant difference to the success of the unit or the organization as a whole, immediately, short term, long term?
- You have to be realistic and recognize whether there's too much challenge or whether the tensions and stress connected with the challenge may more than you want, particularly if the stress is likely to be sustained over a long period.

3. Work environment
- you need to assess the climate and environment of the position, department or organization.
- remember you will not be working in isolation and what happens around you is important and will have a major impact on how you will operate, whether you will be happy and whether you will succeed or fail.

4. Chemistry
- How well will you get along with your direct supervisor, peers, colleagues, subordinates.
- are your values aligned with the organization?

5. Concern for Results and People
- Your reputation and future, livelihood, and job satisfaction are at stake and thus, you should be concerned about whether you are investing yourself in the right company.
- Ideally, an organization that has an outstanding future and strives to be better no matter how good it is now. The best can get better!
- Does the organization go beyond profits, and concern for the people who work there?

6. Compensation
- Not this is at #6, but will be different for different people, especially at different stages of their career.

7. Location
- If there is relocation involved (which so many executives turn down positions that require relocation), assess the impact on family, change in lifestyle, climate, removing oneself from family and friends.
- Assess the community where you will be living


Maybe these seem obvious, but changing jobs or selecting a new one is an important decision.

BLAH!

If you have children, you know that your kids bring every kind of illness home from school. (Cough). Well, I got the typically headcold that moves down to the chest . . . (cough). I ache all over . . .

I promised a friend (cough) that I would run this morning, which I did. However, I sure did not feel like it (cough) . . . at the beginning, in the middle or at the end. I did finish (cough). Tomorrow is another day.

It just reminds me (cough) that as a leader/manager, you have to do things that you do not feel like doing, but you do it (cough). . . and you do it the best you can . . . It could be budgets, it could be distributing increases with a limited amount, it could be letting people go.

Remember, tomorrow is another day. (cough) You have to have "bad" days, so you have can have those great days. Here's hoping you have a great day.

Virtual Leadership Training

Most of people get promoted into a leadership or management positions feel that they did not receive enough training. While some training can help, it is very difficult to train for the constant "putting out the fires" scenarios. Most of the learning is from on the job experience. Here is an article on video games providing those experiences of being in a leadership position. Interesting.

From MMO To CEO
Matthew Kirdahy
Forbes.com

http://www.forbes.com/leadership/innovation/2008/07/16/leadership-online-videogames-lead-cx_mk_0716ceo.html

Sean Conover has two jobs. One is at a computer forensics lab in suburban New Jersey; the other is in a fantastical galaxy inhabited by 250,000 intelligent life forms driven by power and greed. In one place, he takes orders. In the other, he gives them.

There are many more like Conover, and with good reason. It's in this virtual space where tomorrow's business leaders are being born. Mom may mock videogames no more.

The experience of playing online role-playing games can mold and shape real-world business leaders. Any of the tens of millions of people playing "World of Warcraft," "EverQuest" or "EVE Online" will tell you these games are about serving a greater purpose. Sure, you're free to explore at will and engage enemies from dungeons to mountain tops, but the majority of players with common goals band together to take perilous risks and build empires.

When Conover gets home from his 9 to 5 job, he logs onto a virtual world as "Darius Johnson," chief executive of "Goonfleet," a corporation composed of more than 2,800 players in "EVE."

The leadership experience has challenged Conover the same way the modern CEO is challenged. He worries about economics, employee morale, production, training and even a succession plan, which he's devising. (After all, the next guy has to be able to weather the storm too.)

There are hundreds of helpful online games out there. Gamers will pay as much as $15 per month to play. Some games are offered for free; others only ask players to pay for various in-game elements to enhance the experience, one that may ready you for the C suite.

According to a May Harvard Business Review article, titled "Leadership's Online Labs," there are an estimated 50 million registered online gamers worldwide in the genre commonly called "massively multiplayer online role-playing games" (MMORPGs or MMOs). "World of Warcraft" maintains the largest subscriber base at 10 million. "EVE" has 250,000. The report also cites the Palo Alto Research Center, saying these gamers--who are 85% men and are, on average, 27 years old--spend 22 hours a week playing.

The article's authors, Byron Reeves (Stanford University), Thomas W. Malone (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Tony O'Driscoll (North Carolina State), found that leadership in online games offers a sneak preview of tomorrow's business world. In fact, they said these games exhibit leadership abilities crucial to the future of business.

Among these games, "EVE" is structured most like the real world. Groups of players that come together to reach a common goal are called "corporations," which can then form alliances with other corporations.


Sometimes, reality mimics fiction--or at least videogames. CCP, the publisher of EVE, formed a nine-member Council of Stellar Management, to which the players elected Conover. The council functions much like a board of directors for the game. CCP even hired an economist full time to study the behaviors of EVE.

Conover admitted that while the game's business environment, set in outer space, behaves like one in the real world, there are some major differences. "EVE" and most games like it encourage risk-taking, but "you can take risks in a videogame that in business [would make] the shareholders revolt," he said.

Then there's the obvious.

"Essentially, my job is to make sure [the members] are having fun," Conover added. "For some it's mining an asteroid, for most it's shooting people," he said.

Hilmar Veigar Petursson, CEO of CCP, said the game is meant to develop a person's core leadership skill set. "EVE" caters to a hardcore audience. "There isn't a lot of difference [between] what you can apply within the game and out of it," he said. "It's more about social skills than gaming skills. It's very hard to stay on top."

Michael Morhaime, CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, owned by Activision Blizzard, maker of "World of Warcraft," said his game provides people with a chance to assume leadership roles when they might not have had the opportunity in real life. This is apparent in the formation of guilds, where communication is paramount. Players band together to form groups for economic and social reasons.

Morhaime said that for this reason, he thought fans who enjoyed the single-player experience of previous Blizzard titles would shy away from "World of Warcraft." He found the opposite to be true. "The reason behind that is it's such a social experience," he said.

These games can also fuel the entrepreneurial fire.

Some gamers, like Trey Ratcliff, may be inspired by the experience and start their own company. Ratcliff is a former "EVE" player who is now CEO and co-founder of John Galt Games. He said he always had an entrepreneurial spirit and even ran a company before he played "EVE," yet he drew on his experiences in gaming and as a professional consultant to pursue a leadership role in business.

Ratcliff said his company is developing an online game called "Web Wars." He's keeping the major details quiet, but did say it would be free to play, with in-game options to spend money. Plus, it's sure to incorporate all of the leadership challenges the genre presents to online gamers worldwide. "Every human has this genetic predisposition as a leader, artist, whatever it might be," Ratcliff said. "You can nurture that nature much quicker with MMO's. There were all these great leaders out there [who] never had a vehicle to have them rise to the top."

Until now.

Leadership outside of business

This past weekend, I attended a Cub Scout campout with my sons. Yes, this was a real camp out (tent, out in the wild, campfire, etc.). My back is still hurting (I bought a blow up mattress to sleep on, however, during the night the air all came out).

There were many activities during the day and night. I was picked to lead one of the activities, building a rocket that we would launch under air pressure. I am still not sure how I got picked, in these kinds of activities I am normally happy being a helper.

Anyway, I found myself enjoying leading this group of eight year olds.
- the kids were very focused on getting the project complete
- everyone contributed
- good ideas were built upon other good ideas and in the end had a great "product"
- after completion and carrying over the rocket, you could see the team was proud of their accomplishment
- when it was launched, the exultation that was experienced by the team was so rewarding to me (even surprised myself)

Bottom line: again, the same leadership techniques can be used in all scenarios, does not have to be business (settting out a vision/goal, keep focus, get all members to contribute in their own special way, listen to all ideas as ideas together produce a better product, all are proud when they accomplish a good result, nothing is better than shared success).

In my current individual contributor role, I do miss leading a team (maybe I will just get involved in leading more activities).

Joke of the Weekend XXVIII

For those Project Managers out there . . .

Project Management Proverbs


1 It takes one woman nine months to have a baby. It cannot be done in one month by impregnating nine women.

2 Nothing is impossible for the person who doesn't have to do it.

3 You can con a sucker into committing to an impossible deadline, but you cannot con him into meeting it.

4 At the heart of every large project is a small project trying to get out.

5 The more desperate the situation the more optimistic the situatee.

6 A problem shared is a buck passed.

7 A change freeze is like the abominable snowman: it is a myth and would anyway melt when heat is applied.

8 A user will tell you anything you ask, but nothing more.

9 Of several possible interpretations of a communication, the least convenient is the correct one.

10 What you don't know hurts you

11 There's never enough time to do it right first time but there's always enough time to go back and do it again.

12 The bitterness of poor quality lasts long after the sweetness of making a date is forgotten.

13 I know that you believe that you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realise that what you heard is not what I meant.

14 What is not on paper has not been said.

15 A little risk management saves a lot of fan cleaning.

16 If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs, you haven't understood the plan.

17 If at first you don't succeed, remove all evidence you ever tried.

18 Feather and down are padding, changes and contingencies will be real events.

19 There are no good project managers - only lucky ones.

20 The more you plan the luckier you get.

21 A project is one small step for the project sponsor, one giant leap for the project manager.

22 Good project management is not so much knowing what to do and when, as knowing what excuses to give and when.

23 If everything is going exactly to plan, something somewhere is going massively wrong.

24 Everyone asks for a strong project manger - when they get them they don't want them.

25 Overtime is a figment of the naïve project manager's imagination.

26 Quantitative project management is for predicting cost and schedule overruns well in advance.

27 The sooner you begin coding the later you finish.

28 Metrics are learned men's excuses.

29 For a project manager overruns are as certain as death and taxes.

30 Some project finish on time in spite of project management best practices.

31 Fast - cheap - good - you can have any two.

32 There is such a thing as an unrealistic timescale.

33 The project would not have been started if the truth had been told about the cost and timescale.

34 A two-year project will take three years, a three year project will never finish.

35 When the weight of the project paperwork equals the weight of the project itself, the project can be considered complete.

36 A badly planned project will take three times longer than expected - a well planned project only twice as long as expected.

37 Warning: dates in a calendar are closer than they appear to be.

38 Anything that can be changed will be changed until there is no time left to change anything.

39 There is no such thing as scope creep, only scope gallop.

40 A project gets a year late one day at a time.

41 If you're 6 months late on a milestone due next week but really believe you can make it, you're a project manager.

42 No project has ever finished on time, within budget, to requirement
Yours won't be the first to.

43 Activity is not achievement.

44 Managing IT people is like herding cats.

45 If you don't know how to do a task, start it, then ten people who know less than you will tell you how to do it.

46 If you don't plan, it doesn't work. If you do plan, it doesn't work either. Why plan!

47 The person who says it will take the longest and cost the most is the only one with a clue how to do the job.

48 The sooner you get behind schedule, the more time you have to make it up.

49 The nice thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.

50 Good control reveals problems early - which only means you'll have longer to worry about them.

51 It's hard to remember your job is to drain the swamp when you're up to your a--e in alligators.

Damn it, would you make a Decision!

Too many times, it takes too long to decide on major or even minor actions. Yes, decisions deserve careful study, gathering of the facts, assessing alternatives, but after all the analysis, the leader/manager who hesitates too long will be lost. Competition may overtake you and a late excellent decision may be no better than an early good decision.

In support of the World Series of baseball, let's use a baseball analogy.

Decision making is difficult, but can be very rewarding. The person who steps into the decision maker's batter's box confidently, challenges the pitcher, and takes the best swing is more likely to get the extra base hit than the person who is not confident, prone to be overpowered, and simply seeks to not look bad.

In the end, the ultimate test of an executive is their judgement and ability as indicated in the decisions they make, and how they make, implement, assess, and fine-tune or change them.

May all acquaintances never be forgot

I have been in London this past week and was able to connect with some long-time colleagues (some I have not seen in over three years). All are doing well and all are at new companies (one starting his own business). It is amazing that when you catch up with people, they have improved their situation (whether personally, financially, living where they want to live, doing something different that they always wanted to do, etc.) So there is hope for all of us, we just don't realize it.

It was interesting that most of the conversations were about the present and future. Little was discussed about the "good old days". Yes, there were questions around "hey how is so and so doing" or "remember that time when . . .".

The point of this post is that as a leader, I am proud how people continue to grow in business and their personal life. People that maybe I had a very small part in helping them along as a colleague/leader. I know, they no longer report to me but we had established a relationship that was more than a boss to subordinate but one is based upon mutual respect that continued over time. It seems when you work together accomplishing great things, you do create a bond that is difficult to be broken.

Yes, I have angered people in the past and might not have always made the right decisions, but it is nice to see that people respond to my email to have a drink and catch up after so many years. As a leader, I do my best to treat people with dignity and respect and it is a pleasure to catch up with old colleagues and hearing about their new adventures. Building a network is important and the best network is the one that is filled with people I have worked with. So, if you want to improve your network, reach out to an old colleague today (right now) and reconnect via email, text message, facebook, linkedIN, etc, you will be glad you did!

What have you done lately?

I periodically hear from people who talk about their past successful track record and accomplishments . . . constantly. (it is kind of like a high school star athlete who never quits talking about how great things use to be). Yes, that wonderful track record gave them credibility in getting the new position . . . and may have made a long-lasting contribution to the business (that's great). And others may sing their praises since they left because they were maybe more valuable than people realized at the time. In my view, they are entitled to the acclaim and reward that they received (hey, they earned the promotion, big bonus, etc.), but after a while, it is time to get over it. If you hear somebody mentioning all of their accomplishments on their former job, they are in trouble . . . especially if there is no mention on any accomplishments with the present job!

The old applause and accolades last only so long. You need to earn your applause in each job and each year. Again, "what have you done lately?". Hey, it is okay to talk about the old accomplishments, but just don't forget about making some new ones (plus it will give you more to talk about in the future).

The Silent Majority

How many meetings have you been to where there is one person who speaks louder than everyone else? Consequently, it is so loud that you feel that this is the majority opinion of all in the room.

As a leader, it is important to focus on more than the vocal few (whether clients, staff, other leaders, etc.). If you don't and remain based upon the few, you just might be making decisions based upon limited and sometimes wrong information. Get out there! Talk to people and ask questions, gather feedback and input from those that are not as vocal (or what I call the silent majority). If more people support the vocal few, you will be more confident in your strategic decisions. If they do not support the vocal few, learn what are the real issues and maybe you need to segment your clients or staff to address different issues.

Yes, it is hard work to gather feedback. It is easy to listen to just a few. Do your diligence and you will be more successful for it!

Not Feeling Productive?

I was talking to an old colleague last week. They felt a feeling of not being as productive as they could be. It was a feeling of not being sufficiently challenged, stimulated or excited by the job now and as you look down the road: a feeling that present and future problems and opportunities are not new or taxing or that they are actually downright boring. They had a belief that energy, creativity, talent and potential are not being tapped as fully and as frequently as possible. They look a year from now and do not see a lot of upside by doing what they are currently doing.

Does this sound familiar?

You can change this Manager's "malaise". Here are a few ways.

1. Change and vary the breadth, depth and type of assignment. Worse case, it is a new company, but before that try a new special project to mix things up from the past.

2. Gain new knowledge. Attend a conference, seminar, training. Do something that will advance your skill set.

3. Lead a task force on an important issue.

4. Gain an opportunity for a short-term or long-term travel assignment.

5. Exercise

6. Help set ambitious and tough objectives for you and your unit and strive to attain them. This will get you going (unless there are frustrating hurdles that will prevent the success as that could make the feeling worse)

7. Do a lunch that is not work-related.

There are many more but bottom line, you are in a funk and need to find a way out. Doing the exact same things will not produce new results, so you must change something about what you are currently doing.

Joke of the Weekend XXVII

Lots Of Overtime

BOSS: 'And how long did you work in your previous place of employment?'

JOB APPLICANT: 'Thirty years.'

BOSS: 'Hang on a minute! It says on your application form that you are thirty-two years old. How could you have worked there for thirty years?'

JOB APPLICANT: 'I did a lot of overtime.'

Curiosity

As you may know from previous postings, I have two sons (8 and 7 years of age) and two older daughters. All parents have wonderful children stories and I periodically share these on this blog and relate it some way to leadership. This is another one.

Earlier in the week, my 8 year old was taking a bath. I was out of town and my wife was "close by" in his room and decided as she was waiting for him to finish, she would polish her toes (red by the way). She accidentally left her nail polish on his desk in the room.

The next evening, he asked to take another bath (those with boys know how they hate to take a bath, so back to back bathings was a very strange occurence). She said "Sure". He then asked "Can I wear my water shoes in the tub?". SIDE NOTE: If you don't know what water shoes are, they are thin slip-ons that prevent slipping at a pool or helps walk on rocks at lakes/rivers/swimming holes (which Austin has many). She said "Sure", and did not ask why the bath nor why the water shoes, although he did wonder.

Here is what happened. After school, he found the nail polish on his desk that his mother had left and decided hey, I wonder what it is like to polish my toe nails, it looks kind of fun. After he did it, he was shocked to find out that it did not come off by rubbing it off. He tried to wash it off at the sink, again, with no luck. So, he thought if he took a bath and soaked, it would wash off (just like his paints he uses to paint pictures). He did not want anyone to see, so the reason about wearing water shoes.

Now, he would have never had said anything if it wasnt that his mother saw the nail polish and noticed the nail polish bottle and some red spots on his desk and went to the bath tub and asked if he had used the nail polish on something (thinking the worse, on walls, etc.). As my wife says, you would have thought a huge burden was lifted when he showed her his toes (my wife has a great way of remaining calm and not laughing, but if it was me, I would have been on the floor laughing (oh, OTFLOL). He explained what happened and he has been trying his hardest to get it off for the past hour but nothing is working. She explained about nail polish remover and they removed the nail polish together. He was extremely relieved. However, he did not want anyone to know, his brother, his dad, etc. Well, I needed a good laugh this week and my wife shared the story with me. My readers can keep a secret, right?

Okay, so why post this story? (1) luckily, he doesnt read the blog (not sure anyone actually does), (2) there are leadership lessons on several fronts, but one in particular. When you make a mistake, do not "hide" the issue if you cannot resolve the issue yourself. This is the worse possible thing that you can do. Yes, even if it is embarrassing, it is best to find someone that you can share with and resolve the issue. It will be a huge relief when you resolve the issue. Oh, and as a leader, follow my wife's example and not mine (as I would have been laughing, where my wife was a true leader by focusing on resolving the issue and not making fun of him).

Quality in Tough Times

As I have said, when times are tough, those organizations with solid foundation/relationships and quality products/services will weather the storm, i.e., a house made of brick versus hay. It is also a good time to focus on efficiency within your own organization, are there processes that can be put in place to make the operations more productive. Many times, we continue to operate as we do because we do not have time to step back and revisit how we do things. We are entering a time where we can do that and produce products faster and with higher quality.

And, if you are a small business, read this article.

The Crisis May Be a Boon for Some Small Businesses

From cheaper real estate to old-fashioned attention from banks, small businesses owners may see some good times ahead
By Gene Marks
Businessweek.com

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2008/sb20081020_489867.htm?campaign_id=rss_smlbz

Yes, it's definitely bad out there. And it will probably get worse. But most small business owners like me can also find some hopeful signs coming out of the financial nightmare gripping this country. I'm talking about people who have been running businesses for a while, who employ people, and have customers. Startups are a whole other thing (and good luck to them at the present!). It's those established business owners who will see some benefits of this mess in future months. Here are a few reasons why.

We're about to have a better relationship with our banker than we've ever had.

Know how over the past few years banks have been ignoring us, chasing the big money? Remember when we used to get tickets to the ball game or taken out for a round of golf? It's going to come back. Suddenly, those boring little local banks that lent money to small businesses with actual assets are looking pretty smart right now. Surviving institutions, their egos bruised and their credibility in ruins, are going to want to be just like them. Look for a change in the way the banking industry operates. A little more humble. A lot more relationship. They've taken their eye off the ball, chasing those subprime mortgage pots of gold for too long. Prepare for a resurgence of the old fashioned banker. Our businesses will be better off because of it.

We'll forget about stocks for a while.

In the good old days of the Dow 14,000, it looked as if the sky was the limit. Hey, why not take that extra cash and invest it on Wall Street? Who cares about that peeling paint and underpaid manager? We don't need those product enhancements or new machinery. There's money to be made with that guy from Merrill Lynch (MER)!

Well, we've all been burned a bit. And that guy from Merrill Lynch is serving me pepperoni slices at the local pizza shop. We've learned a lesson. Maybe investing our excess funds in better equipment or our people is a better long-term investment than that mutual fund holding securities in a company I've never heard of. Now that the stock market has lost its shine, business owners will start doing what we should have been doing all along. Reinvesting our money into our own companies is good for…us.

We'll rediscover our balance sheets.

Those bankers I mentioned before? Well, not only will they be paying more attention to us but they'll be paying even more attention to our financial statements. Those quarterly numbers and covenants from our loan agreements that they always seemed to overlook because they were too busy chasing those other big deals? They'll be looking at them now, trust me. Get ready to face some scrutiny. The last thing these bankers want is to get burned again.

But this is not a bad thing; it's a good thing. Quarterly financial statements and debt covenants are not a punishment. They're great metrics to help evaluate the profitability and value of a company. Shouldn't we have been paying close attention to all of this in the first place? It'll be more difficult to get credit for those companies that probably shouldn't be getting credit in the first place. There will be better financing opportunities for those companies that deserve it. It's time that we all get more disciplined. More prudent. More focused. Our bankers are now going to require this. And for good reason.

We're going to raise our prices.

Why? It won't be just to keep up with inflation (which is probably going to happen from all the money flooding the system by the Fed). It'll be because all of those idiot competitors of ours, without financing and facing a slow economy, are going to start choking on the fumes of their sputtering businesses. Suddenly, not showing up to jobs and doing shoddy work is going to mean something.

We knew they didn't know what they were doing. And now they're going to live down to their expectations. We've always known we do better work. And that our prices are worth it.

But how can we possibly prove it when some knucklehead with half the experience is also charging 20% less? Watch them fall. And watch our prices rise. Recessions and financial crises have a way of pruning the fat from the economy. The strong survive, and rise we shall.

We'll have a little more respect for regulation.

Small business owners, like myself, are loath to give the government credit for anything. We hate red tape and all the things that bureaucracy can to do to a capitalist society. We don't like big government spending or large tax increases. It's just part of our DNA.

But even this right-of-center writer has to have a little respect. It's not 1929 or 1907. There's the Fed and the Treasury and the Securities & Exchange Commission. No, they're not perfect. But they've kept the system going at a time when, historically, it would have imploded spectacularly.

They've so far coordinated pretty well with foreign central banks. Congress is raising the FDIC insurance coverage on our bank accounts. They're stepping in to do something to right all those bad loans. And they're making it easier for Warren Buffett to make even more money. I'm happy for Warren Buffett, too—he seems like a really nice guy. They have proven to me that there needs to be a role for regulation in a capitalist society.

We'll grab some space, too.

One day the newspapers are crying because real estate is so high no one can afford it. The next day they're crying because prices have dropped.

Well, we're not crying. The bursting real estate bubble means that we can finally, finally, finally buy that building or rent that space at a reasonable price. Not that overly inflated fairy tale of a price we were offered just a year ago. Now's the time to look for bargains. And the bankers will loan us the money…after they've protected us both by doing the appropriate amount of due diligence.

This year's going to be tough while the economy rights itself. But better days for small business owners are on the horizon. If we're lucky, we've got a few bucks in the bank and a few good employees still working hard for us. With that combination, smart business owners, and their newfound banking friends, will take advantage of this financial crisis and turn it into a long-term success.

Thrive in Tough Times

I could not have said this any better. This is a good post. We are and will face some tough times, thinking outside of the norm could provide you a competitive advantage. As I have said before, if you focus on providing solutions to client problems at a solid value to price ratio, you will be successful.

How Great Leaders Thrive in Tough Times
Posted by David Mammano

http://blog.inc.com/start-up/2008/10/how_great_leaders_thrive_in_to.html?partner=rss

Chester Arthur, who served as President of the United States from 1881 to 1885, will never be regarded as one our great leaders. In fact, many Americans would be hard pressed to identify him as one of our presidents.

Arthur, who served after President Garfield was assassinated, may well have possessed the basic qualities of a great leader. But the time of his presidency was fairly stable, so he was never called upon to step up.

Tough times, on the other hand, are when great leaders show their stuff. If you look at many of the famous leaders throughout history, you'll notice they became famous because they navigated through seemingly impossible times. They held the flashlight at the end of the tunnel.

Legendary leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and, more recently, Rudy Giuliani come to mind. All were faced with incredibly complex or catastrophic situations. Instead of cowering in indecision, they reacted boldly and aggressively. They threw conventional wisdom out the window and developed their own playbooks on the spot.

So what does this have to do with entrepreneurs? In short, it's time to step up as leaders of your enterprises. Extremely difficult economic times are here and may be here to stay. You're time to shine is here.

So what is a business leader to do? The reflexive action is to take a hatchet to the budget, impose layoffs and halt all plans for growth. These steps are relatively easy to take, so leadership skills rarely come into play. And often, they are exactly the wrong things to do.

But great leaders know that only dead fish swim with the current. So they work harder to get through trying times, searching for more creative solutions and inspiring their coworkers to stay engaged. They also take some time to pause and think because they know they shouldn't react impusively. Only then do they act.
So how am I trying to live up to this leadership ideal? After pausing to think, I'm taking the following steps:

1) I asked my coworkers to help me look at our expenses and figure out where we can cut. Engaging the staff in this process is crucial. They need to understand that it's a time for sacrifice, and they'll be happy to be part of the process if you let them.

2) I'm looking for new opportunities that arise from the economic problems we're facing—new trends or market needs that will rise up because of the hard times.

3) I'm enhancing customer service to make sure the people who already love what we do don't slip away. It might be hard to find a lot of new business during a recession, so we need to work even harder to convince our current customers to sit tight?

4) I'm doing more marketing, not less. Many companies reflexively shut off their advertising efforts during tough times. I'd rather shut off the water supply than my marketing. With fewer customers in the market, we need to fight even harder for those that remain! Plus, if my competitors stop advertising, I'll get more bang for my buck in the ad market. And if the market is less cluttered, our marketing efforts stand a better chance of getting noticed.
Bottom line: Don't be depressed about the tough times ahead. Get excited and view it as an opportunity to test your skills as a great leader! Chester Arthur would have relished the opportunity.

ROE: Return on Enjoyment

When are you the happiest at work? Is it the end of the day and you are ready to go home? (not good BTW).

When I step back and examine the most enjoyment I have/had at work, I categorized work/project into three sections: Planning, Building, Finishing. Yes, this is simplistic.

With Planning, this is the idea phase, e.g., brainstorming for a solution, where you are working to solve a new problem or creating a new market. This phase has enjoyment, able to think anew and don't have the added pressure to actually build it.

With Finishing, this is the closing phase. This might be finding out that you won an account or that the product is created and now its time to roll it out. This phase has a sign of accomplishment as you are delivering the product/services.

With Building, this is the creation phase. The Idea becomes reality. As you implement/build, you run into challenges that must be addressed. The enjoyment for this phase is the creation of value.

When I review these three, the last one has the highest return on enjoyment for me. It might just be the most difficult phase but this is where teams come together to build value. When I look back on my leadership roles, the times we implemented the vision/goal was most enjoyment. Each time, the results might not have been the best, there were many doubters, but there were a few people who believed and came together to create a foundation of future success. At the time, it might not have seen the happiest, but in hindsight it did have a high sense of enjoyment and accomplishment.

Bob the Builder really rocks!

Start a Company in Recession

What is your dream? Do you have an idea that you think would be successful if . . . only . . . you took the risk? This article below discusses that the best time to start a company might be during a recession.


Starting Up in a Down Economy

Nobody loves a recession*. But many successful entrepreneurs say that, in retrospect, they were lucky to have launched their businesses in tough times.

By: Ryan McCarthy, Nadine Heintz, Bo Burlingham
Inc.com

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20080501/starting-up-in-a-down-economy.html

Case Study No. 1: How Method Weathered the Dot-com Bust
* A recession is commonly defined as two consecutive quarters during which the country's gross domestic product shrinks. It is too soon to say whether the economy is in a recession now.

When they look back on the early days of their start-up, Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan remember that a lot of potential investors laughed at them. The Bay Area, where they were living, was awash in Internet start-ups. Each week in 2000 brought another glitzy launch party or news that the scantest of business plans had attracted venture capital. Even office landlords were demanding equity from their dot-com tenants. Lowry and Ryan, who wanted to start a company to make -- of all things -- humdrum household products, were decidedly out of step with the times. "You had the sense that there was this real historical thing going on in the region, even if it was not going to end well," says Ryan.

Still, Ryan and Lowry felt they had a good idea. Method, their start-up, wouldn't sell just any household products. Its soap and cleaning supplies would be made from environmentally friendly ingredients and would come in chic packaging. Compared with the products of giants like Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) and Clorox (NYSE:CLX), Method's merchandise would be hip. So the partners passed on interesting and potentially lucrative job offers and pooled $100,000 in personal savings to get started.

You know what happened next: The go-go New Economy abruptly ran out of steam. Dot-coms ran out of money, layoffs were rampant, and the entire city of San Francisco seemed to suffer from an economic hangover. People started to worry openly about a recession.

Like most business owners facing hard times, Lowry and Ryan focused on their costs. They were expert bootstrappers, mixing cleaning solution in a bathtub, bottling it themselves, and driving around town to restock shelves. They would accost any store manager who would listen to their spiel. They returned to some stores three and four times before they got an order, and little by little their sales pitch improved. And the partners noticed something else: Compared with the situation a year before, when there seemed to be five start-ups for every idea for a business, the competition was relatively muted. "Starting a business in a recession is like vacationing in the off-season," says Ryan. "It's a little less crowded, and everything starts going on sale."

By spring of 2001, Lowry and Ryan had gotten small-batch production on track and had hired a CEO named Alastair Dorward. But Method's debt stood at $300,000, split among the three men's personal credit cards. Payments to their vendors were three or four months past due, and at one point Lowry and Ryan had just $16 left in the bank. "We had to appeal to the inner entrepreneur of each of our vendors," says Lowry. "We had to sell them on the fact that Eric and I could do something that had never been done before."

Lowry and Ryan also tried again to raise money, and with VCs falling out of love with dot-coms, they found that there was more interest in their idea. In early September 2001, the partners received a term sheet for $1 million -- a sum that would allow Method to get current on its bills and then begin to expand. They were set to close the round on September 11. Needless to say, the deal didn't go through right away; the partners finally closed in November. And there were some serious strings attached. Lowry and Ryan would receive $550,000 up front. Of that money, the legal fees associated with the transaction would eat up $110,000, and $300,000 would go to pay outstanding vendors' bills. That left Method with $140,000 in capital. To get their hands on the remaining $450,000, Lowry and Ryan were obliged to meet a key milestone: They would have to add distribution to 800 stores by March, which was just five months away.

The tenuous nature of Method's financial situation was underscored at the dinner Lowry, Ryan, and Dorward hosted to celebrate the deal. The partners gathered their investors plus their lawyers and accountants at an expensive restaurant in San Francisco. When the bill came, Lowry's credit card was declined. Then Ryan's card was declined. And Dorward's. Their backup cards were declined, too. "It's a good thing Eric knew the owner of the restaurant," says Lowry. "We convinced him we were good for it -- that that guy over there was about to give us a million bucks."

Method did make it into 800 stores by March -- though just barely. When Lowry and Ryan got the remainder of their Series A funding, they paid off old accounts and then jumped right back into fundraising mode. With the recession in full swing, venture capitalists were being very picky when it came to making new investments. But Method, which had been ignored barely 18 months earlier, was suddenly a Bay Area darling. "It was really interesting," says Lowry. "We used to be completely off investors' radar screen, but when the bubble burst, people were clamoring for us. Our business plan wasn't some sort of ad-based or online thing that was hard to understand. Our model was, 'Hey, we're going to make this cool product, and if you think we can sell a lot of it, then it's a good investment.'"

Being able to raise money in 2001 undoubtedly put Method on the growth path. By 2006, the company had $71 million in sales, and today the founders are pushing to reach $100 million. But Lowry and Ryan look at the period before they raised money, when they struggled and nearly drowned, as pivotal. In retrospect, the fact that they had to hone their pitch in countless meetings with store managers and vendors was fortuitous. They were practiced enough that by the time their big break came -- pitching Target for national distribution -- they didn't blow it. Which raises the question: Did the recession actually make Method better? The founders think so. As Ryan puts it, "The hungriest wolves hunt best."


. . .

Case Study No. 3: Hard Lessons Learned From Clif Bar's Fast Start
Gary Erickson couldn't have cared less about the state of the economy as he drove across the Bay Bridge in September 1991. What he needed was a name for his new energy bar. The next day, he was going to a cycling industry trade show. Bike shops figured to be his main retail outlets, so this was a chance to get buzz. Without a name, he might as well stay home.

Then, as he made his way to the office of his package designer, it came to him: Clif. It was his father, Clif, who had instilled in him the love of the mountains, who started him skiing at the age of 4, who was responsible for all of his outdoor passions, from rock climbing to bike racing. It was perfect. And so Clif Bar was born.

Although he didn't know it at the time, Erickson started his business in the middle of a recession. The downturn began in July 1990, four months before it dawned on Erickson that he could make a better-tasting energy bar than PowerBar, which had the market to itself back then. By the time he shipped the first Clif Bars, in February 1992, the recession was officially over, although the hard-times mentality lingered long enough to ensure Bill Clinton's election that fall.

"The economy, stupid" may have been as much of a boon for Erickson's start-up as it was for the Clinton campaign. Erickson found, for example, that contract manufacturers were delighted to do business with him. Would that have happened if they hadn't been worried about their own sales at the time? Perhaps. It would certainly have been more difficult for him to have signed them up if the economy had been booming and they had had all the work they could handle. He could have found himself pleading with vendors to take on a start-up that might not have survived long enough to pay its bills.

And unlike the owner of an established business, who faces a number of distractions in a recession, Erickson was free to focus on developing the bar, marketing, finding distributors, and so on. When you're starting out, you naturally worry most about the possibility of failure, and so you devote your energy to avoiding it, which means making sales and generating cash.

What people seldom prepare for is the possibility of success, especially when times are tough. (Boom times are different. In the late 1990s, it often seemed that most entrepreneurs were already figuring out how to spend the money from their future IPOs.) And yet success brings with it dangers of its own, as Erickson soon discovered.

Today, Erickson says a "cocktail" of factors made it possible for him to start Clif Bar back in 1991. Without any one of them, he probably would not have launched the business. To begin with, there was the wholesale bakery he had founded in 1986, at the age of 29. He named it Kali's Sweets & Savories, after his grandmother, Kalliope. It made Greek calzones and cookies, all from his mother's recipes. He sold them to specialty food retailers in the Bay Area, such as Peet's Coffee. By 1991, the bakery employed 10 people and was doing close to $300,000 a year in sales but had yet to break even. Erickson estimates that it was losing from $10,000 to $20,000 per year -- a situation that was no doubt aggravated by the recession. He worked nights and drove the delivery truck on Tuesdays and Fridays. By day, he continued to work full time at a bicycle company. To help manage the business, he brought in Lisa Thomas, a bookkeeper for his brother's foundry. Grateful for her involvement, he made her a co-owner of Kali's, with 50 percent of the stock.

Erickson doubts he would have been successful with Clif Bar without the education he received at Kali's. "Your entrepreneurial M.B.A. begins when you start your own business and sign a check, hoping it doesn't bounce," he says. "If Kali's had never happened, I'd probably still be working for a bicycle company."

Of course, that job in the bike industry was another ingredient of the Clif Bar cocktail. "I was involved in industrial design and manufacturing there," he says. "I ran a facility with 40 people. I knew how to manage a P&L. So none of that scared me. And I understood the market that PowerBar had developed, so it wasn't hard to visualize that I could draft off their wheel, as we say in bike racing."

Bike racing was the last part of the cocktail. One weekend in November 1990, a friend invited Erickson on a 125-mile ride that turned out to be 175 miles. He had brought six PowerBars with him. After he ate the fifth one, Erickson found a 7-Eleven, where he devoured half a dozen powdered doughnuts. Right then, he had an epiphany: He knew he could make a better-tasting product.

Erickson spent the next 15 months developing his energy bar while Thomas looked after Kali's. Working with his mother in her kitchen in Oakland, he tried various flavors and used his bike-riding buddies as taste-testers. Meanwhile, he found a bakery that had the necessary equipment to make the bar and was eager for the business. Once he had figured out the bar's size and shape, he went to work on the packaging and kept at it right through the trade show in September 1991, which was a big success. More than a thousand bike shops expressed an interest in carrying Clif Bar.

It took another five months to launch. By then, Erickson had two distribution agreements in place, but his expectations were modest. "PowerBar was doing probably $6 million or $7 million a year at the time," he says. "I'm thinking, Gosh, if we could grab 20 percent of their market share, we could get to $1 million, maybe even $2 million, and laugh all the way to the bank."

In February 1992, Erickson shipped the first 30,000 Clif Bars to his distributors -- and the product took off. Sales totaled $700,000 in the first year and $1.2 million in the second. In 1994, he blew past his initial goal of $2 million in sales. And around that time, he discovered his first costly mistake. It involved his two distributors. Erickson felt their performance was faltering, and he wanted to bring distribution in-house. The problem was, he didn't have a contract with either company. Out of naiveté, haste, or reluctance to spend money on a lawyer, he had done both deals on a handshake, and the distributors' understanding of what they had agreed to was different from his. He wound up settling with both of them at a total cost of $2 million.

The second mistake took a longer time to reveal itself and was much more serious. In launching Clif Bar, Erickson had neglected to set it up as an entity separate from Kali's. As a result, he and Thomas each owned 50 percent of the stock. The full consequences of that decision -- or nondecision -- became apparent in 2000, when Erickson turned down an offer of $120 million for Clif Bar.

Thomas wanted to accept it, and as an equal partner, she could have brought down the company if Erickson didn't accede to her wishes. In the end, parting ways with Thomas cost him more than $80 million, including interest, legal costs, and noncompete fees -- all for a mistake that could have been easily avoided in 1991.

"I could have left her as 50 percent owner of Kali's and told her this was a new business, which it was," Erickson says. "Instead, I just rolled Kali's into Clif Bar."

Lessons in entrepreneurship don't get much more expensive than Gary Erickson's -- at least not for people whose companies survive. Despite the burden of the buyout, Clif Bar managed not only to survive but to prosper. This year, Erickson expects sales to top $200 million. Succession is the big question on his mind these days, although he does wonder about the possible impact of a third recession in 18 years. Somewhere, after all, another start-up could be taking aim at Clif Bar, and a recession might be just what it needs.

Joke of the Weekend XXVI

Happy to provide from a friend from downunder . . .

YOUR YEARLY DEMENTIA TEST

It's that time of year again, time to take the annual senior
citizen test.


Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles.
As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't
use it, you lose it!

Below is a very private way to gauge your loss or non-loss of
intelligence


Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or
not. The spaces below are so you don't see the answers until you've
made your answer.
OK, relax, clear your mind and begin.


1. What do you put in a toaster?



Answer: 'bread.' If you said 'toast,' give up now and do
something
else. Try not to hurt yourself.
If you said, bread, go to Question 2.


2. Say 'silk' five times. Now spell 'silk.' What do cows drink?







Answer: Cows drink water. If you said 'milk,' don't attempt the
next question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat.
Content yourself with reading a more appropriate literature such as
Auto World. However, if you said 'water', proceed to question 3.


3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is
made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black
house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from?



Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said 'green
bricks,' why the hell are you still reading these??? If you said
'glass,' go on to Question 4.



4. It's twenty years ago, and a jet plane is flying at 20,000 feet
over Germany (if you will recall, Germany at the time was politically
divided into West Germany and East Germany ). Anyway during the flight,

TWO engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining engines

are also failing decides on a crash landing procedure.
Unfortunately, the engines fail before he can do so and the plane
fatally crashes smack in the middle of 'no man's land' between East and West Germany .

Where would you bury the survivors? East Germany , West Germany or 'no
man's land'?




Answer: You don't bury survivors. If you said ANYTHING else,
you're a dunce and you must stop. If you said, 'You don't bury
survivors', proceed to the next question.




5. Without using a calculator - You are driving a bus from London
to Milford Haven in Wales . In London , 17 people get on the bus; in
Reading, six people get off the bus and nine people get on. In Swindon , two people get off and four get on. In Cardiff , 11 people get off and 16 people get on. In Swansea , three people get off and five people get
on in Carmathen, six people get off and three get on. You then arrive
at Milford Haven. What was the name of the bus driver?





Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! Don't you remember your own
name?
It was YOU!!





Now pass this along to all your friends and pray they do better
than you.

PS: 95% of people fail most of the questions.

Involve Others

I really like the following post. When the chips are down, dont try to "go alone". Involve the staff, they have some good ideas! Many times, leaders think they have to make the decisions "top down", but the people on the front line might have more clarity to how an issue can be addressed.


How to Cut Budgets Without Destroying Morale
Posted by David Mammano

http://blog.inc.com/start-up/2008/10/how_to_cut_budgets_without_des.html?partner=rss

I am not sure if you noticed but budgets are being cut. My company, Next Step Magazine, gets most of its revenue from colleges, student loan companies and the military advertising. We've already seen the student loan companies disappear due to the liquidity crisis. As the recession deepens, we need to be prepared to feel the pain from other advertiser cuts as well.
So far, we're hanging in quite well. But just a few bad few months can reverse a small business's success. So what is a maverick small business guy to do? (Sorry, just wanted to say "maverick.") Cut the budget, of course. The last thing you want to do, however, is cut payroll and thereby derail the morale of your coworkers. The first thing to do? Engage everyone in the process.
That's what I did yesterday. We held a non-mandatory budget cut meeting. Since Next Step has an open book management philosophy, everyone knows every line item in the budget anyway. So about half the staff showed up to offer their thoughts on what we can cut.
They shared some great ideas and seemed to feel excited to be part of the process. They thought of things that I hadn't. Their ideas ranged from postponing new computer purchases to having the staff volunteer to bake birthday cakes instead of the company buying them.
My role was to shut up and listen. Of course, that was not entirely possible, but I think I did quite well!
Bottom line, I expect their suggestions to save us around $50,000 a year, which will be a real help. And it also helped that the staff was involved. Nobody likes heavy-handed, top-down decisions that don't allow for any feedback. Granted, you won't be able to implement every suggestion you get from your staff. But the environment you'll create by sincerely listening can make the hard times ahead feel that much less painful.

CEOs on the Global Economy

How bad is this economy going to get? Well, this Fortune article below, does not have a positive outlook. Cash is king now. We will get through this, i.e., weather this storm, but you need to make sure you have the staying power and focus on adding value for the price of your products.

Global CEOs brace for the worst
At a Fortune conference in London, top brass see a downturn that could last for years.
By Stephanie Mehta
www.fortune.com

http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/08/news/economy/globalbummer_mehta.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008100916

LONDON (Fortune) -- Forget bolstering consumer and investor confidence. Governments and central banks may need to figure out a way to boost CEO confidence, too.

At a Fortune gathering here this week, chief executive officers of large global companies and some of their top advisers expressed grave concerns about the state of the world economy, and are preparing for at least a couple hard years ahead.

"For the last 3 ½ to 4 months I've been asking people to operate as if we were going into a recession," said Ian Livingston, CEO of BT (BT), the telecom company that ranks 116 on the Fortune Global 500 listing of the world's largest corporations. "I wasn't anticipating things would be as bad as they are."

Livingston, whose company provides phone, video and broadband services, says the company certainly will feel an impact from a sustained economic downturn: If people don't have jobs, they will spend less on communications services.

Same with smaller companies: no credit means businesses don't expand, which translates into fewer data and phone services for BT to sell. Livingston is even guarded when he talks about BT's bright spot, sales to corporate customers.

Though BT last quarter said orders from big customers remain strong, "if big companies get hit hard they will pull back," he acknowledged.

Sector by sector tsunami
Livingston's cautious view is echoed by dozens of CEOs interviewed by Steve Tappin, a managing partner in executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles' global CEO practice and author of The Secrets of CEOs.

Tappin says the chief executives he spoke with after the credit crisis materialized (but before the banking system really started to break down) were preparing for battle.

"There's a tsunami that's gone through sector by sector," Tappin said. "Many CEOs think this is going to be a multiyear downturn."

Some are expecting two to three years of hard times while others tell him "this is something we're not going to see again in our careers."

Even executives from still-growing emerging markets are uncharacteristically muted in their remarks on the global scene.

Girish Paranjpe, co-CEO of outsourcing giant Wipro (WIT), says growth in countries like India, China and Brazil can't for slowdowns in mature markets.

The emerging economies "will mitigate" the pain, he said. "I don't think they will offset it." For Paranjpe, who used to run the Wipro division that serves financial-services customers, the breakdown of the banking sector has hit particularly close to home. "I know many of the executives personally," he said, "and some of them are now unemployed."

Dream

If you have a dream or something that you always thought about doing, the best time to begin the journey is today . . . not tomorrow, or next week or next month or next year. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. So, what are you waiting for?

Sometimes as leaders, you make a decision based upon limited information that sets a path forward. However, the path is not the right one as more information is gathered. You can continue to take the path (make the best of it) or make a decision to reverse your decision, backup and do over. Yes, it might not be pleasant, but it might be the best path to move forward. I would caution that you don't have too many chances for do over's.

Fortune Cookie

I had a nice chinese dinner with my daughter when I was in Boston last week. At the end of dinner, as is tradition, we both received a fortune cookie. Now, they are usually silly and fun. They ususally provide a good laugh. My "fortune" was "Look forward to great fortune and a new lease on life!". Hey, that was a good one. Right, like this is really going to happen (plus, one new lease on life in a year is enough). Anyway, I have a great fortune as it is, healthy family, good friends, etc.

While this was silly, I have to admit . . . it made me feel pretty good. I know that this is not a "true" fortune, but it provided an uplift (okay, you can call me silly as well).

As I walked back to hotel, I contemplated why something so silly gave me positive energy. Was it that I was troubled and somehow this provided a diversion? Well, I thought it was simple (and for which leaders need to provide all the time), a vision of the future possibilities is uplifting . . . we often get so stuck in the weeds and troubles of today that we (or maybe it is just me) don't lift our heads up to see why are we doing what we are doing and what is ahead of us. Leaders, do not forget to provide that vision of the future (i.e., the Fortune Cookie for your unit) for each individual and the unit as a whole! It will be a rallying call (and positive energy) for the unit and staff who are working hard each and every day.

To Give, Is to Receive

I had an interesting experience this past weekend. No, it was not the #5 University of Texas Longhorns versus the #1 Oklahoma University Sooners football game in Dallas, Texas. Yes, we attended the game. Yes, Texas won 45 to 35. Yes, it was a great game with Texas now being rated #1 in the country (not sure for how long). No, it was the next day.

We decided to go to Six Flags over Texas, this is an amusement park, with lots of rids and roller coasters. As we were buying tickets, we had lots of options to optimize the cost with the number of people and since it is towards the end of the season, there were some additional options. Anyway, we figured out (through solid mathematical assessment routines) that if we bought three late year season passes, that we would get a free additional day pass for each season pass. We had a total of five people in our party. If you do the math, we had a free day pass that would not go used. So, what would you do? Save for another day, just keep it, give it away . . .

I decided to give it to the family behind us in line. You would have thought they won the lottery, they were so thankful. I try to explain to them that we got that one pass . . . free and it was no big deal. However, the mother of the family was just so thankful (I think we may be part of their extended family now).

It just shows you that what you may feel is of no value (or free) could be of substantial value to someone else. As this relates to this blog, there are little things that leaders can do (that might be "cheap" or "free", like a compliment when someone does a good job) but is seen as a tremendous value to a staff member. I am not saying that I am a super charitable person as I probably don't give enough as I should, but the feeling I got after we went on our way in the amusement part was a super feeling (and made my day). So, I got more, then I actually gave, which I think is a good thing and reminded me that to give, is to receive!

Joke of the Weekend XXV

Smith goes to see his supervisor in the front office.

"Boss," he says, "we're doing some heavy house-cleaning at home tomorrow, and my wife needs me to help with the attic and the garage, moving and hauling stuff."

"We're short-handed, Smith," the boss replies. "I can't give you the day off."

"Thanks, boss," says Smith, "I knew I could count on you.

Making Tough Decisions

All of us are faced with tough decision periodically. Well, I am faced with you (although this is actually easier because either decision that I make, will be a good decision, how often is that the case).

I found this article, which is a simple way to make decisions. It hit home to me, because many decisions are about you.


How to Make Smart Decisions in Less Than 60 Seconds
by Steve Pavlina
www.stevepavlina.com


http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/07/how-to-make-smart-decisions-in-less-than-60-seconds/

Sometimes we face tough decisions that involve one or more unknowns. We can’t know in advance what the consequences of each alternative will be. This is especially true of big decisions like quitting a job, entering or exiting a relationship, or moving to a new city.

When faced with such a decision, what do you do? If you can’t figure out the consequences, can you do any better than guessing?

Usually what people do in such situations is freeze. Even when you don’t like what you have, you may worry that the alternatives are worse. In a way every decision involves a choice between maintaining the status quo vs. making a change. When we can’t be certain a change will work out for the better, by default we stay put.

Let me give you a very simple method of making these kinds of decisions. In most cases it takes no more than 60 seconds to evaluate any particular path.

For each alternative you’re considering, ask yourself, “Is this really me?”

What you’re asking is whether each path is a fair expression of who you truly are. To what degree does each option reflect the real you?

Decisions are acts of self-expression

When we look at choices as being more than just paths — as being creative statements of self-expression — certain decisions become much easier to make. You may say to yourself, “This path isn’t going to be easy, but I know this is the right way to go because it’s who I am.” Or you may conclude, “No matter how I try to represent this to myself, I know that deep down this isn’t who I am. This just isn’t me.”

It’s very important to separate this evaluation step from the act of summoning the courage to act on this knowledge. It’s OK to acknowledge you’re in a place you don’t want to be, even when you lack the ability to do anything about it right now. The courage to act comes later.

Here are some ways you can apply this method:

Is this job really me?
Is this company really me?
Is being an employee (or enterpreneur or investor or business owner) really me?
Is this relationship really me?
Is this city really me?
Is this house really me?
Is this book I’m reading really me?
Is this shirt/dress/tie really me?
Is this friend really me?
Is this hobby really me?
Is this car really me?
Is this food really me?
Is this habit really me?
Is this spiritual or religious belief really me?
Is this level of fitness really me?
Notice that you can apply “Is this really me?” to decisions both big and small. This is something you can use every day, even when you’re just deciding what groceries to buy.

Say a few syllables

If you have trouble deciding if a decision is really you, just describe its attributes out loud. In the words of the Three Stooges, “Say a few syllables.”

For example, when you’re thinking about changing careers, describe the new career you’re considering. Is it safe or risky? Bland or exciting? Social or solitary?

Now consider whether those same adjectives could describe you as a person? Are you safe or risky? Bland or exciting? Social or solitary? Is this career really you?

Sometimes this can get a bit silly, but I’m certain you’ll gain some interesting insights if you just humor me and do it.

If you’re feeling bold, do the same for your your closest relationships. It will teach you a great deal about which people are the best fits for you. If your current relationship feels a bit off, this process will show you why. You’ll be able to see where your true self and your current reality are misaligned.

A personal example - shopping for a desk

Three weeks ago Erin and I moved to a new house, and I wanted to get a new desk for my office. (My old desk was 14 years old and so worn down that charities didn’t even want it. I opted to use it for martial arts practice until it was a pile of sawdust.) This time I wanted a high-quality desk that would last me a long time instead of the particle board special I bought for $99 after college.

I made a detailed list of criteria for what I wanted, took measurements of the available space, and gave myself an unlimited budget. I browsed through many local furniture stores and searched through office furniture web sites, but nothing really grabbed me. I started thinking maybe I should have a custom desk built, but that seemed like overkill. I started to get a bit frustrated, and my new home office remained deskless for several days. I thought to myself, “This should be an easy problem to solve, especially with no fixed budget. I must be making this harder than necessary somehow.”

Eventually I stepped back and asked myself if there was a better way to find the right desk. I didn’t want to settle for something I didn’t like, but I realized that instead of trying to find something that met my far-too-anal list of criteria, what I really wanted was a desk that would suit me, something that would reflect the kind of person I am.

So I decided to make the decision by looking at each candidate desk and asking myself, ”Is this really me?” I went back to the same local stores, and it was an amazingly different experience. Instead of looking for what I wanted, I looked for who I was. I looked around for something that was me in the form of a desk.

Yeah, I know that sounds weird. In fact, I actually wanted to find a desk that was a bit weird. If it wasn’t a little weird, it wouldn’t be me. When I saw a desk that I thought anyone would appreciate, I knew it wasn’t for me.

Normally I hate shopping, but I actually enjoyed the experience this time. I’d probably enjoy shopping a lot more if I always did it this way. I’d look at a very ornate and classy desk, and I’d say, ”That’s not it. I’m not an ornate and frilly person.” I’d see a heavy, solid desk that only Superman could lift and say, “That one is too heavy. I’m lighter than that.” I’d see the cheap particle board furniture and think, “Nope. I’m more durable and tougher than that.”

That sounds a little like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, doesn’t it?

Eventually I sat down at an unusual desk that caught my eye. It was an elegant mix of glass, metal, and wood. It felt almost familiar when I sat down, but in an alien sort of way. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. It definitely wasn’t love at first sight, but there was a compelling infatuation. I became very curious about it.

This was a desk I’d previously bypassed because at a glance I could tell it didn’t fit my initial criteria. This time when I asked, “Is this me?” the answer didn’t come back as an immediate yes. I had to think about it. I described the desk to myself. I said, “This desk is clean, efficient, organized, transparent, flowing, intelligent, creative, and well-constructed. Some people would love this desk, but others would find it rubs them the wrong way. I’m not sure if I like it, but it certainly grabs my attention. I could never be bored in a room with this thing.”

I soon realized this was the right desk for me because I was describing myself. Having used it for a couple weeks now, I’ve grown to really love it. It’s just so me.

So here was a decision that was important to me – I’ll use my desk a lot, so it’s worthwhile to get a good one — but I was making the decision way too complicated. Asking, “Is this me?” cut through the complexity and allowed me to figure out my true criteria. Every desk I considered helped me converge on the final solution.

Again, I fully realize this must sound plenty weird to someone who’s never tried it. So don’t be someone who’s never tried it.

Positive reinforcement

When making decisions via the “Is this me?” method, you’re using an idealized version of yourself for the comparison. This is your best self. It’s who you are in your dreams and goals, who you want to be.

What happens when you begin to fill your life with people, places, and objects that reasonably reflect your true self? By osmosis you’ll begin to take on more of those qualities yourself. Just sitting behind my new desk makes me feel more organized, efficient, and creative. It’s a constant reminder of the kind of person I strive to be. Even when reality falls a bit short, I keep coming back to this daily positive reinforcement. I don’t even have to think about it. For further thoughts on this line of thinking, see the article Environmental Reinforcement of Your Goals.

I’ve been using this “Is this me?” method a lot lately. I recently taught it to Erin, and she’s been telling me how much she likes it too. When we go furniture shopping, we’ll look at a piece and say, “Is this really us?” So far we always seem to be in agreement. It’s a great way to make sure we’re on the same page.

Look around you. What can you say is really you? What isn’t? What can you do about it?