Seth Godin is one of my favorite writers. I don't always agree with him, but his perspectives are often stirring and compelling. In his latest post he looks back to an article he wrote a while ago about planning for the future, and with 2010 looming, I thought it would be good to echo his thoughts and add my own.
Howard Behar, former COO of Starbucks and author of It's not about the coffee once said "When you don't know where you are going, every road looks like a good one." He was talking about the need to have goals. If you don't have goals, then how can you be upset if, after a period of time, you have achieved nothing of value? It's a simple concept, but very powerful.
Both Seth and Howard are saying the same thing in different ways. You must have goals, no matter how simple. You must write them down. Date them. Review them periodically. Assess how well you are proceeding toward them. Decide if they need to change. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
If you do anything different this year, consider this. When you look back on 2010 a year from now, what would you like to say about yourself differently than you can right now? What would make you proud to achieve? How would you like to see yourself and your accomplishments?
Got 'em? Ok. Good. Write them down. Date them.
Those are your goals.
Now go make it happen!
20091219
Happy Holidays!
I hope everybody out there in Cyber-land has a great Holiday season. There is a lot of crazy stuff out there, good and bad, and the world is more chaotic now than ever before. But each year we stop, pull our heads up from our desks and computer screens, and take a breath. Look around, see your families, friends, and loved ones. Realize why you work so hard. Realize what you come home to each night and why you get up in the morning. Take stock. And give thanks.
Here's hoping we all realize just how lucky we still are in this county to have the opportunities we have. All we need to do is capitalize on them, and never give up.
Have a great Holiday, however you choose to celebrate it. But do celebrate. Come January, it's back to work!
Here's hoping we all realize just how lucky we still are in this county to have the opportunities we have. All we need to do is capitalize on them, and never give up.
Have a great Holiday, however you choose to celebrate it. But do celebrate. Come January, it's back to work!
20091204
Marketing 101, CrunchPad-style
If you have been watching the news about the "apparent" demise of the CrunchPad, you have been witness to what appears to be a mess. How could Mike Arrington, the visionary behind this fabled device, have messed up the management of the media so badly? Or did he?
Admittedly, Arrington looks sort of like a goofball right now, with his design partner, Fusion Garage, apparently running amuck and about to hold their own press conference next Monday. But consider this. What if you really didn't have enough money to complete the project? Or what if you simply wanted to whip the media and other folks into a frenzy right before you came out with something in order to stimulate initial sales? What if you needed to divert attention from the fact that you really weren't delivering exactly what you said you'd deliver for the price you initially said you would? If any of these scenarios were true [and I'm not saying they are, wink-wink] then you might just concoct this type of media circus. And believe me, Arrington is just the guy to pull something like this off.
So we'll see. We'll see if my predictions are right or wrong. We'll see if someone actually ships a robust tablet that costs $199 $299 $399 or, as they are saying now, "$399-ish"...which in my book is more like $499, which is exactly my bottom-end prediction for the Apple iTablet. Now a company like Arrington/FusionGarage might just be willing to sacrifice margin early-on to get market share, so I would not be surprised to see initial pricing pretty aggressive. But I stand by my predictions.
This may be as it appears. It may simply be a bunch of buffoons stumbling around messing up a good idea because they are letting their emotions get in the way. They may be incapable of balancing hype and reality. They may actually be practicing What Not to Do. Or, it's just possible it's all part of the plan. If so, they are not messing up. It's simply Marketing 101.
For now, we'll simply have to wait and see.
Admittedly, Arrington looks sort of like a goofball right now, with his design partner, Fusion Garage, apparently running amuck and about to hold their own press conference next Monday. But consider this. What if you really didn't have enough money to complete the project? Or what if you simply wanted to whip the media and other folks into a frenzy right before you came out with something in order to stimulate initial sales? What if you needed to divert attention from the fact that you really weren't delivering exactly what you said you'd deliver for the price you initially said you would? If any of these scenarios were true [and I'm not saying they are, wink-wink] then you might just concoct this type of media circus. And believe me, Arrington is just the guy to pull something like this off.
So we'll see. We'll see if my predictions are right or wrong. We'll see if someone actually ships a robust tablet that costs $199 $299 $399 or, as they are saying now, "$399-ish"...which in my book is more like $499, which is exactly my bottom-end prediction for the Apple iTablet. Now a company like Arrington/FusionGarage might just be willing to sacrifice margin early-on to get market share, so I would not be surprised to see initial pricing pretty aggressive. But I stand by my predictions.
This may be as it appears. It may simply be a bunch of buffoons stumbling around messing up a good idea because they are letting their emotions get in the way. They may be incapable of balancing hype and reality. They may actually be practicing What Not to Do. Or, it's just possible it's all part of the plan. If so, they are not messing up. It's simply Marketing 101.
For now, we'll simply have to wait and see.
20091125
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope this Thanksgiving is one of peace and happiness for all. Please take some time out and simply "be" with your family and friends. It's OK...the world will still keep spinning.
tom
tom
20091118
Again we miss the point
Check out this post on Valleywag. It talks about a new study out that reveals that 80% of respondents say they will not pay for online content, and the other 20% are "unsure" of how they would pay. Wow. What a shocker.
Clearly, the folks discussing this issue are completely missing the point. Here's the real deal: When asked, of course anybody in today's Internet age would say "Heck no, I won't pay for something like news or TV or music or movies or stock quotes or ..." and the reason is...wait for it...BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO!
That's right. Every response on every poll needs to take into account the reasons, perceptions, and world-views of the respondents. That's why in most cases it is the critical interpretation of the study responses which is so much more important than the raw data.
Is it really a surprise that, in today's world, people would say that they will not pay for online content? Of course not. But the folks that conducted the study knew this; they merely wanted an "objective source" to cite to make their words sound more important. This is a common technique performed by savvy marketing organizations.
Check out who did the study, and why. Then check out the political pursuations of the folks picking up the story. Chances are, they are sympathetic to the cause. Take a look at the unflattering picture of Rupert Murdoch on the Valleywag page. Do you think they like him or lothe him? Do you think they would prefer to see his empire collapse in flames?
Given the choice, anybody would opt for something free versus having to pay for it. But consider this. Unless we want to continue shutting down companies, people need to get paid for their efforts. Unless we want to read articles written by folks with little or no skill or talent for writing, with no oversight, fact checking, or management, we need to seriously look at where our "less than free" culture may be taking us. There are a lot of people out there who are willing to do things for free [like me writing this blog]. There are lots of people in other countries willing to work for a lot less than people in the US. But we all can't support our current standard of living by working at Starbucks.
Where is this experiment going? And what will the US look like in a few years? Think about it. And by all means, let me know! Thanks for stopping by!
Clearly, the folks discussing this issue are completely missing the point. Here's the real deal: When asked, of course anybody in today's Internet age would say "Heck no, I won't pay for something like news or TV or music or movies or stock quotes or ..." and the reason is...wait for it...BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO!
That's right. Every response on every poll needs to take into account the reasons, perceptions, and world-views of the respondents. That's why in most cases it is the critical interpretation of the study responses which is so much more important than the raw data.
Is it really a surprise that, in today's world, people would say that they will not pay for online content? Of course not. But the folks that conducted the study knew this; they merely wanted an "objective source" to cite to make their words sound more important. This is a common technique performed by savvy marketing organizations.
Check out who did the study, and why. Then check out the political pursuations of the folks picking up the story. Chances are, they are sympathetic to the cause. Take a look at the unflattering picture of Rupert Murdoch on the Valleywag page. Do you think they like him or lothe him? Do you think they would prefer to see his empire collapse in flames?
Given the choice, anybody would opt for something free versus having to pay for it. But consider this. Unless we want to continue shutting down companies, people need to get paid for their efforts. Unless we want to read articles written by folks with little or no skill or talent for writing, with no oversight, fact checking, or management, we need to seriously look at where our "less than free" culture may be taking us. There are a lot of people out there who are willing to do things for free [like me writing this blog]. There are lots of people in other countries willing to work for a lot less than people in the US. But we all can't support our current standard of living by working at Starbucks.
Where is this experiment going? And what will the US look like in a few years? Think about it. And by all means, let me know! Thanks for stopping by!
20091008
The Case for Management
These are tough times for sure, and everybody is feeling the pressure. Even if you have a job [which most people still do thank God], you are constantly bombarded with bad news about people who don't. Or companies cutting back. Or depressing statistics about the economy.
The latest way companies appear to be slimming down, although on the surface not that crazy, does concern me however. Many companies advertise for "hands on" managers. This in my opinion could be a problem. It might signify that companies are trying to get away without adequate management. And that would be dangerous.
Of course, it is always desirable to have managers who know what the heck their employees are doing. Managers who understand a lot about the details of their employees duties are always desirable over those who do not have a clue about the work being done under them. And if this is what's meant by "hands on" then I completely and entirely agree with this goal. However, if this practice is meant to mean that the "manager" is simply another engineer who "likes to manage as a sideline", then most companies are in for a shock. I guarantee it.
Management is not a sideline. It is not a hobby to be practiced leisurely by someone who would rather be doing something else. No, rather it is a job. A full-time job. And much more.
It is a managers job to pull the absolute best business results out of all the people who report to them, while at the same time striving to make their reports feel great about their jobs and the company. This is not easy, and if anybody thinks it is, then please explain to me why there are so many folks out there frustrated with their jobs and their companies. The reason is simple. No one is focusing on management. And just like anything else, when you don't focus on it, you mess it up.
I know it's alluring to think a coder can also manage in his spare time. I know you think you can save money, and in the short term you actually can. But in the long term, you will pay in spades.
Don't agree? Let me know.
The latest way companies appear to be slimming down, although on the surface not that crazy, does concern me however. Many companies advertise for "hands on" managers. This in my opinion could be a problem. It might signify that companies are trying to get away without adequate management. And that would be dangerous.
Of course, it is always desirable to have managers who know what the heck their employees are doing. Managers who understand a lot about the details of their employees duties are always desirable over those who do not have a clue about the work being done under them. And if this is what's meant by "hands on" then I completely and entirely agree with this goal. However, if this practice is meant to mean that the "manager" is simply another engineer who "likes to manage as a sideline", then most companies are in for a shock. I guarantee it.
Management is not a sideline. It is not a hobby to be practiced leisurely by someone who would rather be doing something else. No, rather it is a job. A full-time job. And much more.
It is a managers job to pull the absolute best business results out of all the people who report to them, while at the same time striving to make their reports feel great about their jobs and the company. This is not easy, and if anybody thinks it is, then please explain to me why there are so many folks out there frustrated with their jobs and their companies. The reason is simple. No one is focusing on management. And just like anything else, when you don't focus on it, you mess it up.
I know it's alluring to think a coder can also manage in his spare time. I know you think you can save money, and in the short term you actually can. But in the long term, you will pay in spades.
Don't agree? Let me know.
20090921
You never really know...until you actually try
Many things in life are simply way more difficult to explain than to experience. You just can't communicate what it feels; you need to actually do it. Try to explain how ice cream tastes. Try to explain what music is without hearing it. Or, how about trying to explain what it feels like to be laid off and trying to find a job in one of the most difficult economic times since the great depression. As with all of these things, you may *think* you know what they feel like, but before you jump to that conclusion, check your ego at the door, and let's stipulate that you...just...can't.
Many recent events have made me think about things like this, but none is more telling than when I see my nearly 2-year-old daughter Sara coming toward me, arms outstretched, smiling from ear to ear. She could care less about all those pesky details of life. She is just happy to see Daddy.
I can't tell you how great that feels. But if you are a parent, I don't need to. You already know.
Enjoy the experience. It's what life is all about.
tom
20090919
Prismatic Fall Writer's Event
Great time today at the annual Fall Writer's Event sponsored by Prismatic. Bill Walker did a great job lining up a fantastic group of presenters and speakers, including folks like Joel Canfield and Jerry Kennedy. Superb way to wade into the tide of becoming an author. Lots of great information on how to self-pubish, the pros and cons, and comparisons to both traditional publishing and on-demand publishing. Jennifer Bourn simply blew me away with her presentation; literally a torrent of useful information on how to build your online brand and marketing platform. I also loved Stephanie Chandler's talk; super inspiration!
Some interesting facts:
1. 95-98% of all traditionally published books lose money! That means the other ones need to make a TON of money to make up for those losses...not very good odds.
2. If you go the traditional route, you will be lucky to make $1 for every book you sell.
3. In either case [traditional or self-publish], YOU will be responsible for ALL the work, including marketing.
4. The only real advantages of traditional publishing are a) credibility, and b) distribution.
5. The famous book One Minute Manager started out as a self-published work.
6. 93% of all books published in America sell less than 500 copies!
...Also, please check out the "I am happy" project. You can find it at www.Iamhappyproject.org.
Very cool stuff. Thanks guys!!!
tom
20090820
All I'm asking is: Just keep score
There are a ton of people out there on both sides of the health care reform issue these days. Here is one such article on the unintended consequences of health care reform.
I'm sure there are many, many issues here and no one person is an expert I agree. What I'm continually amazed at, is that we seem to be completely OK with not TRACKING or MEASURING our success or failure with regard to anything we do. It is no longer acceptable to Just Try Something and hope it will work. We need to know, and you do that by measurement.
It is a very simple concept. Figure out what is wrong [Health care costs are too high and rising too fast]. Determine a way to measure your problem objectively. Come up with a solution that is intended to optimize your result. Then try to determine any "unintended consequences" [like patient wait times cited above], and figure a way to objectively measure that too. After you have set up your measurement systems, designed the best system you can by discussion and determination, execute it in a small controlled environment [like a single city or state in this case]. Then watch your measures. See if you really do get what you want. Let your critics show you where you are going wrong. Make all the metrics instantly public, and, as they say, the Truth will Out.
Sounds simple, doesn't it? That's because it is. It is called the Scientific Method, and it's been around for a while, so empirical evidence indicates it works. We should try it.
Here is the kicker - you must measure your results BEFORE and AFTER the experiment to determine if you had the desired effect. This means, if lowering health care costs is your goal, then you need to objectively measure EXISTING COSTS and see if they are truly reduced. This should not be hard in this case. I'm told that, because 41 million Americans are uninsured, they must use hospital emergency rooms instead of a Primary Care Physician. This seriously drives up costs, since these folks can't pay and the costs to treat them are spread across people who can pay at each hospital in terms of higher fees. So measure these fees! If healthcare reform is successful, we should shift cost from hospital emergency rooms, which trickles down to us all in terms of higher hospital fees, to insurance premiums, right? All I'm saying is, before we do anything, put mechanisms in place to measure this cost reduction! If we actually do significantly reduce costs, then most people will be satisfied.
I think the major opposition to reform is caused by skepticism. People don't believe they will see a dime of savings. Oh, sure, they might believe that reform will significantly reduce hospital emergency room costs, but they are skeptical that the hospitals will pass the savings on in the form of reduced fees. They will simply use the money for something else. They wouldn't really do this, would they? No!
Bottom line is we need to measure what we do, and make the measurements objective and public. No one will ever trust government to simply Do the Right Thing. Prove it.
You cannot legislate one end of the problem, and hope the other end simply does the right thing. This will not work.
20090810
Blame technology?
Today Valleywag had an interesting post. You can read it here. It was in response to a NYTimes article discussing how technology is changing American family time. Yep, yet again another story on how big, bad technology is making victims of all the innocent people out there. Bad technology...bad!
But seriously, is there really anything new here? Or is this just so much filler designed to get people to read. We've seen it all too often: a Big, Bold headline with some kind of provocative wording [ "Modern Technology Destroying the Family as we know it"], which sucks us all into reading the first few lines. Then we read about some poor schmucks who are basically dysfunctional in some fashion. The description tells about this dysfunction in exquisite detail; painting a vivid picture of how it would be to be around these goofballs. After reading, we all take a deep breath and say to ourselves "boy, I'm glad I'm not as messed up as those people" or "I feel much better about my life now that I know about them".
But of course that is the entire purpose. From TV shows [Monk et al] to news programs, we all want to feel better about our own lives, and what better way than to examine others who are worse? This is digital voyeurism, coupled with a splash of trashy gossip, nothing more.
Why is this done? To sell papers, ads, programs, whatever. Bottom line: it WORKS. Admit it, you read the article, didn't you? Actually, it doesn't matter if you did or not, as long as you clicked the link to the article. After that, the rest is gravy.
So the article is about technology, but not really. It's really about us.
Good morning!
tom
ps - full disclosure - I love Monk!!!
20090429
Swine Flu - epidemic or hysteria ?
April 2009 - As of right now there has only been one confirmed death in the US from what is being called the "Swine flu"...yet the media is already winding up the hype machine. They have us thinking this could be the next global pandemic. It could sink our economy even worse than it already is and destroy any chances of a near-term recovery. Well, if they continue this literary hyperbole, they may just be right.
Fact: Thousands of people all over the world die of regular, old flu viruses each year. It happens. It's not news. No global economic implications. Therefore the media, which acts increasingly like a spoiled, attention-starved toddler, has no interest in discussing these deaths. They can't get you to tune in, log on, or in other words: they can monetize you with this info. So they don't care. I guarantee you, these deaths are no less significant to the people involved. They are simply not "news worthy".
Hogwash.
Now, since we have a "new", "interesting", and [most-importantly]...scary virus with a somewhat familar, catchy name ["Swine" flu - God who would want that?], we have something to talk about! So what that only one person has died...more could...right? Perhaps many, many more! Oh boy!
Come on, people. Let's examine the facts. Take reasonable precautions [like we all should do for everyday hygene]. And above all...as with most everything these days...don't believe everything you get fed by the media. After all, it's no longer their jobs to inform you, it is [and has been for a while] their jobs to make money by getting your attention. Period. Consider things from this perspective when you listen to the "news".
Fact: Thousands of people all over the world die of regular, old flu viruses each year. It happens. It's not news. No global economic implications. Therefore the media, which acts increasingly like a spoiled, attention-starved toddler, has no interest in discussing these deaths. They can't get you to tune in, log on, or in other words: they can monetize you with this info. So they don't care. I guarantee you, these deaths are no less significant to the people involved. They are simply not "news worthy".
Hogwash.
Now, since we have a "new", "interesting", and [most-importantly]...scary virus with a somewhat familar, catchy name ["Swine" flu - God who would want that?], we have something to talk about! So what that only one person has died...more could...right? Perhaps many, many more! Oh boy!
Come on, people. Let's examine the facts. Take reasonable precautions [like we all should do for everyday hygene]. And above all...as with most everything these days...don't believe everything you get fed by the media. After all, it's no longer their jobs to inform you, it is [and has been for a while] their jobs to make money by getting your attention. Period. Consider things from this perspective when you listen to the "news".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
