January, 2010

January 01, 2010

Hi Colleague,

Good Grief! 2010. Okay, we've passed over the magic line. The economy is going to sky-rocket now that it's the new year, right?

That's the way some have portrayed what's going to happen with our economic recovery. Do you buy that? Perhaps you are not predicting a "hockey stick turn around," but still, the beginning of a new year seems to be reason for hope and optimism.

Besides an "interest" article below, I've tried to put together some resources for you to help find cash, new leadership ideas and interesting reading. There are two book reviews one to help answer some questions on managing change and one to help guide those (like me!) who are trying to figure out all this Social Media Marketing stuff. Does it work? Read and find out what you're missing!

Here, then, are some ideas and resources to get you started on "cranking up" for the New Year. And here's hoping that 2010 is a happy, healthy and prosperous year for each and every one of you.

Dave Kinnear

CEO, dbkAssociates, Inc.

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Synchronicity

Or, as some would have it, "when I believe it, that's when I will see it."

I'm not sure what is going on in the universe, but it's a bit spooky sometimes. I won't bore you with all the details, but let me just quickly say that a "discussion" came up in my family about the terrible style faux pas I made in slipping on my sandals the other day - over my sox! Apparently, that's a huge "no, no." You could have fooled me, seemed logical. The floors were wet from a bunch of Thanksgiving cooking and I didn't want soggy socks. But anyway, in the middle of all this back and forth on style, I was reading a book on Social Media Marketing and lo and behold, there was this statement: "Don't write pitches in the comment area of a blog post, podcast listing, or video. Like socks with sandals, this is just plain tacky." Huuummmmmm. A message from the universe? All I know is my kids are likely laughing hysterically now.

And then there's the issue of thinking about the ethics behind some of the science around genetics. I had gotten into a discussion with a colleague about science and how it takes time, but eventually, humankind comes around to accepting new views of the world based on empirical data. Like so many of "these topics" my mind started wondering around and settled on the genetics thing. This happens most often when out jogging. Even if I'm listening to my favorite podcast, my mind will work on what it wants to work on and sometimes - epiphany! What if genetics started finding significant differences, explained by science, between genetic groups? What if, say, we found that yes, hobbits are not only smaller in stature, but less intelligent than elves? And what if we can point to genetic markers that "prove" it. Good grief, what if my genetics are inferior? I have no solution, and that's not the point anyway. I'll just share that I came to the conclusion that our society is headed for some tough ethical decisions about science, genetics, political correctness and medicine. Then, the Economist hit my mailbox. Yep, you guessed it, one of the articles in the special edition on 2010 and science was an article about "The looming crisis in human genetics." In the article, there was much discussion about how genetics is not paying off in the "solving intractable disease category," but also there was this: "In 2010, GWAS [genome-wide association studies] fever will reach its peak. Dozens of papers will report specific genes associated with almost every imaginable trait—intelligence, personality, religiosity, sexuality, longevity, economic risk-taking, consumer preferences, leisure interests and political attitudes. The data are already collected, with DNA samples from large populations already measured for these traits. It’s just a matter of doing the statistics and writing up the papers for Nature Genetics." Uh Oh! What if your favorite bigot is proven right - or wrong? I see lots of angst about what is and is not politically correct around this topic. HR types will be working overtime on how to make sure we aren't profiling based on some sort of predictions around genetic traits.

Okay, so once is interesting and twice is eyebrow raising. But three times inside of one week? So I was speaking with a colleague about a favorite topic - "what really motivates people, specifically employees?" I've long maintained that money is not really a motivator. At best, we get a "spike" in appreciation, motivation and loyalty. Then things wear off and money becomes a negative - meaning if it isn't there, it de-motivates. Ever experience the gloom from employees when their bonuses this year are less than last year?

Long ago I came to believe that we as leaders and managers cannot motivate people. We can inspire them, but motivation comes from within. Okay, so what "self motivation" can I inspire as a manager? What do I have to do to get the employees interested? Again, my "subconscious mind" has been working on this topic on and off for several years. I came to the conscious conclusion that all we can do is provide an environment, a culture if you will, that allows people to succeed, to try new things, to be safe in making mistakes (once!), and to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. I thought back to my own career in the semiconductor corporate world and in construction during my youth and realized that the reason I enjoyed my career so much was that I had a sense of accomplishment more often than not. At the end of the day, I could often look back and say, wow! we got some work done today! I explained all this to my colleague who remained, it seemed to me, a bit skeptical. "They only want more money," he stated. Yep, you guessed it, the Harvard Business Review hit my mail box and there was the article - "What really motivates workers? Understanding the Power of Progress." Okay, now this is getting a bit scary.

You may well ask, "so what?" What does all the "mean?" The lesson may be different for you, so I'll only speak for myself. No, I don't believe there is anything the universe is trying to tell me. I believe that contrary to the usual saying of "I'll believe it when I see it," the more accurate statement is "I'll see it when I believe it." So I think that finding corroborating data/articles/text that supports "my" view is not all that difficult. The timing is, I admit, a bit interesting. However the point for me is that my instincts - hard word for me, being so left-brained logical - were correct. They often are - that's not an ego statement, rather a kind of surprised acknowledgement of anecdotal data. So why do I find it so hard to follow my instincts/intuition? What's with needing to have yet another piece of data to corroborate my instinct before I'm willing to act? Do you have that challenge, or are you more comfortable recognizing and acting on instincts?

Okay, so my new year's resolution is to be more attuned to and to follow my instincts more often than I have in the past. I think that the best leaders in business and in other walks of life are those that use all the faculties at hand - including and maybe emphasizing instinct and intuition. So I promise myself to talk more about what I "feel," to be present to my own "instincts" and "intuitions." And even though I suspect when the genetic science is in I will somehow be related to Spock, I will find a way to be more human in 2010.

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Reframing Change

By Jean Kantambu Latting and V. Jean Ramsey
How to deal with workplace dynamics, influence others, and bring people together to initiate positive change.

I have been asked many times if it’s possible to change the corporate culture of a company. After discussing a definition of what corporate culture is – It’s the way things get done around here – we generally conclude that if you can accomplish any difficult change in a corporate environment, then you can change the culture as well.

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Friends with Benefits

By Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo

A Social Media Marketing Handbook

Despite the whimsical and provocative title, Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo have produced a serious and useful handbook for Social Media Marketing. Written in clear “layman’s terms,” the authors take us through the “what is and why social networking” questions and then on to which ones, how they work and which markets each one might best address.

In addition to explaining how the reader might go about getting social network ready, the authors go about explaining some very interesting points about “netiquette.” I’ve been around the web for a long time and this particular section was of interest to me. It confirmed many of my own hard earned beliefs and went onto point out a few new ways in which I might change what I do so that I avoid unintentionally put off others. Since the point of Social Network is to provide value to others, it makes no sense to offend.

Read the rest of this review . . .

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What's up with Zerbe and other interesting, useful topics . . .

Where in the World is Zerbe?

So, it's been a while - what is Dean Zerbe up to? The latest post on the alliantgroup website says Zerbe has been busy trying to decode the code - tax code that is. But that's not all! Dean is active in Orange County as well. Here's an opportunity provided by alliantgroup to meet with Dean Zerbe and Mark Everson. If you want to get a real feel for what's going to happen in 2010, you'll want to sign up soon. And, the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) is also sponsoring Zerbe. This meeting is January 28th at California State University Fullerton (CSUF) at 7:30 am.

Where in the world is the Pilgrim on the 405?

Will Crist drank the cool aid. He's in to giving incredible value to his network. I think we've all figured out that it's "small business that will save the day and what few jobs will be created in 2010, they will very likely come from so called "small business." So many of my colleagues are trying to figure out how to help our colleagues find cash, opportunities and outstanding "A Team" employees.

Will has put together a great seminar for those trying to figure out how to get some stimulus money. Hey! The "fat cat bankers" got some, and the failed auto guys got some, why not you? Check it out and attend if you can. Stimulus Package Funding Seminar. January 20th at the University Club on UCI campus. There is limited seating and I know many have already signed up. So you might want to jump on the registration ASAP.