A Consultant's Chronicles

HELP! My Business Page Has Been "Timelined"

Today is the first business day where like it or not all businesses have had their page converted to Facebook's timeline format. The question then becomes, how can you maximize these changes to benefit your business? Rather than rehash it all, I am going to refer you to the folks at Hubspot because they provide an excellent  "cheat sheet" for dealing with this.

To give you some idea of what you will find, I have provided a quick peek at the main points here in outline form.

1. Set a new cover photo [the banner sized photo] bearing in mind that Facebook prohibits certain features that are sometimes found on websites like pricing, contact information ,references to any Facebook features/actions, or any calls to action
2. Set your new profile picture [a nice spot for your logo]
3. Next, time to organize views & apps
4. Now star, hide, highlight, pin items on pages
5. Enable messages to communicate  with your fans privately
6. Offset  & feature milestones & major accomplishments for the business

That's just the overview. If I were to offer one single guiding piece of advice, I'd say that the timeline format is much more akin to website design so don't be afraid to use it accordingly  & with every bit of the same creativity within the limitations set by the company. Here are some examples to help you to unleash your own timeline creativity.

Take-Aways For Business From This Year's Primary

Every time there is an election, I like to see what information can be mined for business. Like previous cycles there is no shortage of information to focus on but the one I've decided to write about today is one that repeats itself over & over again in both politics & business.

Treat Bad News Like Pulling Off A Band-Aid; Reveal It Fast

It's pretty simple. If you have news that you have to reveal that shall we say, paints you in a less than favorable light, get it out fast & get it out early [like pulling off a band-aid]. Why? Not only are memories short these days but if you do it this way, you get to frame the information instead of others doing it for you. In this case I am referring to Mitt Romney's coyness about his tax returns because he has paid such a favorable rate in spite of his enormous wealth. It unwittingly makes him the instant poster child for "Occupy Wall Street" [regardless of your feelings about the movement] because his taxes reflect the fundamental unfairness they have been shouting about. It doesn't even matter whether or not its true because its the perception that counts & that's powerful soup. In Romney's case, he has run for office so frequently & recently, that this is a galactic "unforced error." So when will CEO's & politicians finally learn this critical lesson? From the looks of things, I'd say not anytime soon.

Learning From Failure

Here we are in a new year so recently when I heard probably one of the best quotes for this time of year I just had to share it because it immediately rings true. As we all know, the new year is all about the perennial "clean slate" which we all frequently talk about in terms of our personal & business lives. Typically this is done by making new year's resolutions... resolutions that get broken quickly. However, listening to an interview with veteran sportswriter John Feinman, he shared a quote from one of my favorite figures in sports today, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski [better known as Coach K].

Why Failure Can Be An Important Tool For Success

According to Feinman because Coach K learned from failure, he has become the coach with the most wins in the college game surpassing some very big names. Feinman recalled sitting  in a local Denny's with the coach after a particularly bad loss early in his tenure at Duke & raised his water glass & said "here's to forgetting that game". What was Coach K's response?

"...Here's to NEVER FORGETTING that game...!!"

Why? Only by never forgetting failure can you learn from past mistakes & change the trajectory of experience in the future. Moreover, unless you pay attention to those less than stellar times, you will more likely than not, repeat the same mistakes.

 

In the interest of full disclosure, Ellen Gunty is a graduate of Duke University.

Lessons From Steve Jobs

That Steve Jobs was a visionary & creative genius among many other attributes has long been established but what about the rest of us "mere mortals?" Is there anything we can learn from him & his pioneering ways? The answer to this question seems to be a gigantic YES!!!!.

Some Not So Secret Principles For Success From Steve Jobs

According to former Apple CEO & the man who once defeated Jobs in the boardroom, John Sculley said that according to Jobs:
1-Great ideas already exist; they are just waiting to be discovered
2-A world-changing product deserves a world-class brand campaign
3-Jobs [& about every writer] agree, its toughest to decide what to cut, not what to add
4-Simplify,simplify simplify; "user experience" counts for a LOT
5-Great leaders must transform their vision into something tangible & inspirational
6-Hire [or surround yourself with] the best & only the best
7-Failure can also be your instrument for success
8-Follow your passion

While there are many other lessons in business to be gleaned from him, no one can promise you that following any of these principles will guarantee success. I will say that at its core, this "blueprint of ideas" speaks to a lot of what Jobs meant when he said those crtical 2 words: "think different."  "

A Recipe For Sinking A New Business: 'It's Philosophy Stupid'

The political "silly season" of electoral politics is upon us again & something that's always displayed front & center especially in the primaries is "philosophy."  For example there are clear philosophical differences between the Democrats & the GOP when it comes to the role of government. Although it doesn't get nearly enough play, one's business philosophy is just as important. For this reason I find myself once again in disagreement with business blogger Penelope Trunk…well, sort of. She recently wrote a blog post asserting that the best way to launch a successful startup is for it to remain single-gender during this initial phase because not doing so is almost a guarantee of failure. I disagree. While I think gender issues &/or sexual conflict can certainly occur in mixed gender enterprises, I think the bigger problem is one of business philosophy. Why? The former can be overcome [nothing breeds forgiveness like the smell of success; i.e. money] but the latter can prove to be a tougher foe.

A Case Of Misplaced Political 'Incorrectness'

While I understand [& agree with] the larger point that she is making which is at this early phase of a business, what is needed is "relentless drive & laser beam like focus without distraction," I think the target of the problem she describes is "off the mark" & a weird case of misplaced "political incorrectness" run amok. By this I mean that there are a whole host of ways to dilute focus & sabotage a new business without pointing the finger solely at gender differences [which she maintains creates sexual friction &/or behavioral differences because men & women behave differently at work when stressed]. Now while I am the first to admit that this stuff happens, I think that when it comes to business, ambitious, driven, like-minded people can deal with it. Also, in the age of single-sex relationships & marriage, isn't it just logical to conclude that related problems could arise in a single gender business [at least insofar as sexual conflict is concerned]? It is the new millennium 'thing'; just sayin'. Now before someone's PC feathers get ruffled, I am not saying it would happen, just that it could. What I am saying is that I don't think that as Trunk maintains, mixed gender conflict is the new entrepreneur's biggest concern [quite aside from core things like having enough money which is probably the #1 concern of every new business].

When It Comes To Launching A New Business There Are Bigger Problems Than Gender

Based on my observations as a consultant, a lack of adequate drive on the part of just a few, or differences in business philosophy not properly vetted & aired at the outset, are much bigger problems. Basically these issues nearly guarantee failure if they are not resolved before "birthing" a new business. Instead of “fingering” gender differences, & conceding that anything diluting the essential focus on actual business is a problem, I think the better argument to make is that in the early phase of a business, all parties [regardless of gender] not only have to have relentless focus but they must be of one mind [the latter can be viewed as an umbrella term for a LOT of “real estate”]. Gender differences don’t necessarily have to be the “fly in the ointment” & can be overcome while intractable business philosophy & insufficient drive or ambition is much "higher mountain to climb." What do you think?

 

Reprise: 'It's The Economy Stupid' All Over Again

On the eve of the GOP debates followed by a long awaited speech on jobs & the economy by the president, I thought it appropriate to run a reprise of a post from 3/10/2009. Why does it seem appropriate to re-run a 2 year old post? In it I [like so many others] reminded the president that once again, "it's the economy stupid." I also said that all other topics on his agenda had to be tabled or passed along with perhaps the lone exception of healthcare because it's part of the same piece.Unfortunately, the president forgot to frame the debate on healthcare that way using much of his political capital on things the nation can't see or hear when they are out of work. This March post has proved to be prescient as things stand now; will anything change by week's end. This time, not only will the president have to answer questions about jobs & the economy but so will those who want to take his place.

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Immediately after Bill Clinton was elected to his first term, he gave an in depth interview to Ted Koppel on Nightline. The one & only thing I remember from that interview was when he said, "I'm going to focus like a lasar beam on the economy." Whether you are the president of a country, the CEO of a large corporation, or own a small business, it is always all about the economy. Clinton's campaign mantra of the 90's "it's the economy stupid" is back with a vengeance.

A Political Chef's Salad When We Want An Entree

Unfortunately, our current president is not communicating this message well. He has many big initiatives out on the table: the economy, healthcare, energy, education; it's a chef's salad when the nation is hungering for an entree. I understand that they are all critical issues but the net result is a diffuse message which is doing nothing to calm the frazzled nerves of the nation [& the markets] right now. With the singular exception of healthcare, perhaps all of the other issues need to be handed off to their respective cabinet members because we need the president's focus on the economy.  Why is healthcare the lone caveat? That's because healthcare costs are crippling business & their abilities to compete in the interbational marketplace so while it's a colossal issue, it is also related. We need lasar-like focus from this president & so does the rest of the world. It's called leadership in a crisis. That's my opinion, what's yours?

When Leadership Is M.I.A.

In the face of very tough economic times, real leadership is more important ever. Big business may be sitting on mountains of cash but small businesses are floundering in a "sea of red ink," in many cases, clawing & scratching to stay alive until things improve while Wall St. watches & waits. That lack of clarity has given "the Street" a wild ride of late. However, right now holding out for such clarity seems akin to "waiting for Godot."  In a time when most employees feel lucky to have a job & live in fear of losing it, they look to the leaders of their companies in new & more compelling ways. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd put her finger on the phenomenon when writing about Barack Obama this summer but what she wrote applies to anyone in a leadership position today. About him [& leadership] she said:

"...you can't look like you are 'phoning it in' when the nation is dialing 911..."

'What's Good For Barack Obama Is Good For 'Business USA'

What's true about Obama is true about business CEO's. CNBC's Wall St reporter Maria Bartiromo summed it all perfectly when she said  something I am always telling my clients, which is that in order to drive change, people need to understand your vision [read: see a real plan] about where you want to take them. While everyone is busy complaining about Obama, I am also waiting for those business leaders who appear on the talk show circuit, "to stop phoning it in" as well. There is nothing that will positively impact our financial status more than an effective jobs plan & for that we need the public & private sectors working together. Right now while the public sector is in the process of being pared to the bone, the private sector is simply nowhere to be found. Still dialing....

 

Women, & 'Upspeak:' What Message Do You Want To Send

Effective communication is an essential part of business especially in this very tough job market. However, as a coach, lately I have encountered the same faux pas over & over again; unfortunately as much as it grieves me to admit it, women, including those who are smart, well-educated, & professional are the main culprits. It's a common communication phenomenon called 'upspeak' or the tendency to pose statements while making them sound like questions. For example, instead of saying the sentence, "this is my blog" it's actually said as a question [with major emphasis on the last word] "this is my blo-ooggg??? Basically, it's like turning a flat line upward. When I first heard it back east, a California friend told me "it's the way California high school 'valley girls' used to speak [maybe they still do?]." I guess the saying "as CA goes, so goes the country" is true because I hear it everywhere now except not only in high school students but in grown, professional women.

'Upspeak' Sends Others Negative Messages

What's so horrible about this style of communication? It tells the listener a lot but nothing good. It screams: "don't trust me; I don't have confidence in myself [& constantly need validation from others]; or I am not really sure of myself or what I am saying."  All of those messages are detrimental to a professional & sounds completely ridiculous when it comes out of the mouth of a summa cum laude attorney from an Ivy League school. It also sends the message that the speaker requires constant affirmation from the listener which is oxymoronic if you want to be in any kind of leadership position. As far as I am concerned it is one of the many reasons why there is still a "glass ceiling." Who is going to hire a woman as their CEO if she comes off as so unsure of herself no matter how competent she may really be? It is simply the kind of thing that undermines credibility. Not coincidentally, whether it's by nature or nurture, it is the exact opposite of how professional men sound. Please do not misunderstand. I am not saying that women should act like men. [Thankfully], men & women are different & therefore behave differently but one does not have to act or sound like a man to appear poised & self-assured. What message do you want to send? Do you want to tell people that you are well informed, poised & confident or something less flattering? What's your view?

Yesterday's Jobs Bill: Not The Solution To Today's Unemployment Problem

The fact that we need a jobs bill in this country is by itself, not news. With Washington "on vacation," there's lots of talk but barely a whisper of any kind of solution from today's pols. The one person who has actually outlined a jobs plan is pundit Chris Mathews who used to work as an aide to the late Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neal as well as speechwriter to former president Jimmy Carter. In other words, when it comes to the ways of Washington, he knows the terrain.  His jobs proposal sounds extremely pragmatic which is to go state by state, get a list of the bridges & roads that need fixing & basically challenge the House members to vote against such proposals when not only is it in their own personal interest [to bring jobs to their district] but an outright threat if those infrastructure problems present a credible yet unattended danger. Everyone who hears the Mathews proposal thinks it sounds good...except me.

The Solution Proposed Is Out Of Step With The Times

Don't get me wrong. I applaud Mathews for at least attempting to talk constructively about something that no one else seems to be addressing [including the president]. I simply think the solution he is shopping is out of step with the times. Why? Mathews is proposing this strategy to get people back to work making a good middle class income but recent history shows us that this is no longer how construction & repair jobs are done today. They are first privatized & then outsourced so that you no longer have Americans working these jobs [especially union workers who come with the unwanted "baggage" of healthcare, benefits, & safety concerns] ; additionally the jobs are no longer necessarily done with American material [also an engine for jobs]. Case in point: the San Francisco Bay Bridge has desperately needed to complete the retro-fitting & reconstructing required since it fell apart in an earthquake in 1989...1989!!!! It took the San Francisco & Oakland politicians forever to settle on a design, to put the funds together, & then to hire a company to actually do the construction. As they played politics year after year, the cost for the job kept going up. Therefore while this is essentially a classic example of what Mathews is suggesting, it doesn't exactly play out the way he has proposed even though it sounds promising on its face. Why? The job is being done by a Chinese company, employing Chinese workers & using Chinese steel [do we really need to import cheap Chinese steel when we have high quality Pittsburgh steel; constructing a bridge is not the time to cut corners]. This is just one example of why in today's market, the kinds of jobs that Mathews is suggesting will no longer address the unemployment problem of today.

 

Staying Relevant In Today's Tight Job Market

During the recent debt crisis the one thing I think everyone would agree on is that nothing would help to put us on better financial footing than getting people back to work. However, if you are 40 or older that is a task that sounds easier than it is to do which raises the question how do you stay relevant in today's tight job market when you are a "seasoned" [read: over 40] member of the workforce?" Oft controversial business blogger Penelope Trunk recently addressed this problem & while I frequently find myself at odds with her, in this instance, I agree with her suggestions 100%. She suggests 5 excellent points:

5 Ways To Stay Relevant In Today's Market

• Focus on building your network-it's not what you know but who you know
  
• Move from information "processing" to Information synthesis-information is out there & can be easily gathered; essentially you don't need to know everything; you need to know how to get everything learning to filter what's useful & what's "noise" along the way
  
• Bridge building-connections are everything
  
• Manage your personal brand-what do you stand for; are you promoting your "brand"
  
• Commit to lifelong learning-the world is changing rapidly; you need to keep up

Taking Control

She also cautions those in their 30's that it is important to establish your job credibility in your thirties or it will be extremely difficult if not impossible to get back on the job carousel in your 40's. Why? People hire & want to work with those who have a reputation for doing good work &/or people who are great to work with. One of the reasons for why doing these things is so important that she does not state is that while these points sound like just good common sense, they have the added benefit of enabling you to feel like you are being proactive by doing things to try to control your own destiny instead of being at the mercy of a weak & mercurial economy. While doing these things won't guarantee you a job, not doing them will increase your chances of remaining on the sidelines.