Sep 0922
I have a rule when it comes to food: you have to try it before you render judgment. This is a rule that my husband and I have impressed on our son from the time he was little. My mantra: Don’t tell me you don’t like it; you have to try it first. In fact, I say this a lot when it comes to just about everything: food, places, experiences. So imagine my surprise when CJ turned the tables on me and started saying, “Just try it, mama!”
I had purchased Rock Band for the PS3 a few months ago after borrowing the game from a friend and falling in love with it. Even though I know I’m not good at it, I love to sing, so my natural inclination was to sing. For weeks, I would practice singing and even taught CJ to sing a couple of songs (Eye of the Tiger and Tempted). One day, CJ said, “Mama, you should try drums.” My immediate reaction was, “No, thanks, I like to sing.” Then CJ said, “Mama, just try it!” Read the rest of this entry
Aug 0927
I was on LinkedIn yesterday and the LinkedIn search engine helpfully recommended a couple of people for me to add to my network. The list included a couple of people who currently work at Matrix Group. While it’s every CEO’s dream to have a large network, I did not invite the staff to get linked up. Why? Because I think that for bosses, managers,and CEOs, there are unwritten rules of netiquette. Here are some of the rules I abide by when using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks.
- Except for a few direct reports, I don’t invite staff to be my friend or get linked up. I imagine that some staff would view an invitation from me as wanting to know too much about them; at the very least, it could be awkward if they don’t want to get linked up and they have to turn down a request from their boss.
- I do accept invitations from staff to be my friend or get linked up. If they’re staff, they’re part of my extended family.
- I don’t accept an invitation to get connected unless I actually know the person. Even on LinkedIn. Random strangers are NOT going to get access to my network just because they want to link to me.
- I do ask staff to follow this blog because I’m communicating with their clients through the blog and it’s always good for staff to know what the boss is broadcasting. :-)
- I do ask staff to follow or fan the company’s pages on the social networking platforms. I’m not asking for them to friend me, but I am asking them to support our social networking efforts. Read the rest of this entry
Aug 0911
I was working with a prospect recently and lamenting to my team that the organization felt like a bunch of stovepipes, with the VPs competing for resources and influence. I said something along the lines of “Arrgh, this organization is too small to be so silo’d!”
Then it hit me: the company had gone through a fairly large downsizing recently. The corporate culture was one I was more likely to find in a much larger organization because the culture had not adjusted to the new realities of the smaller organization! Ick. Read the rest of this entry
Jun 0916
I hear it all the time from clients and prospects. “My boss isn’t ready to make a decision and I don’t know why.” “We are delaying our decision-making.” “We are not ready to move forward and don’t have a timeframe.” “We’re just gathering information, we don’t have a timetable.”
At first blush, it just doesn’t make any sense: organizations expend time and effort needed to put out an RFP (request for proposal), participate in meetings and demos, review proposals, check references, yada, yada — and then sit and don’t make a decision.
So why doesn’t the CEO just make the decision? After many years of selling to organizations of all sizes, in all industries, here’s why I think CEOs don’t/won’t make a decision their staff is dying for them to make.
The initiative doesn’t have support from the top. Sometimes, the initiative to redesign a Web site or put in a new back office has a lot of middle management support, but not top support. Middle management has the okay to research and evaluate but no commitment from the top that resources will ultimately be made available. So if you’re asking your boss if it’s okay to research new phone systems, you need to know that your boss believes a new phone system is needed, has money in the budget and will make a decision. Otherwise, he’s just humoring you when he blesses the research effort.
The CEO doesn’t think he needs to make the decision right now. This is a tricky one. Your CEO might believe with all her heart that you need a new membership database, but she isn’t convinced that the issue is urgent, which means she can delay a decision. You need to make the case that a decision is urgent and necessary. Prepare a cost-benefit analysis, point to pain points, and illuminate the work arounds you’re living with.
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Apr 0923
I’ve been thinking about the terminology that we use to describe our relationships on various social networks. I “follow” people on Twitter and people “follow” me back. I have “friends” on Facebook. I am “linked” to people on LinkedIn. The “follow” relationship is the one I find most fascinating.
When you “follow” someone, you:
- Accept them as a guide or leader
- Imitate or follow their example
- Watch their movement or progress
While I understand that my “followers” on Twitter probably don’t see me as a leader, there are certainly people on Twitter who I “follow” because I consider them thought leaders and I want to know what they’re reading and thinking. Think about it. We never say that we “follow” a Web site, company or newsletter, but we do say that we “follow” someone’s blog. I know I consider it a high compliment when someone tells me that they “follow” my blog.
In the book Tribes, marketing guru Seth Godin tells us it’s human nature to want to be part of a group that shares a common passion and recognizes the same leader; in other words, most of us want to be part of a tribe. Further, Seth believes that using the Web and social networking tools, everyone can now find or assemble a tribe and lead it.
So I say to each of you and your organizations: People want to follow, are you ready to lead?
Jan 0927
I had the pleasure of speaking at the ASAE Technology Conference, taking place until tomorrow at the DC Convention Center. My topic? Dealing With Big Trends in a Small Staff Organization. Here are the 5 big trends I discussed:
- Your Browser as the New Operating System. The Web browser is increasingly the platform for mission critical applications, like association management systems, intranets, document management systems and e-mail.
- Conversation is King. We used to talk about creating a communications strategy. Today, we need to create a conversation strategy because customers are interested in engagement, in two-way conversations.
- Unified, Integrated Data. I call this the Amazon Effect. Our customers expect us to know who they are, communicate with them in a personalized way, and give them personalized offerings. We can’t do this unless we have a unified view of their activities and interactions.
- Zen Tech Warrior. These warriors want information on specific topics, when they want it, on the device(s) of their choice. Take me, for example. I might want my magazine in print, news via e-mail, and alerts via text. Can your database handle these preferences and can you execute on this information?
- Green Computing. We all know that we need to do our part to reduce energy consumption and save the planet. Data centers represent 1.5% of the electricity demand in the US. Think green when you buy computers and peripherals.
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Jan 0914
At a meeting of my Vistage CEO group, I sat through a captivating presentation by Max Carey, CEO of CRD, a marketing and sales consulting firm. He asked each of us to describe what our companies do, which we did. Then he asked us a question that shook me: What business do your clients and prospects think you are in?
Max days that it doesn’t matter what business you think you’re in, what matters is what business your prospects and clients think you’re in. So I got to thinking. I say that the Matrix Group’s mission is to use the latest Web technologies to help our clients “be better.” When I pitch clients and prospects, I sell them a solution and an outcome. I want clients to tell us their goals and then we’ll work collaboratively with them to figure out what mix of products and services will let them achieve those goals in the fastest and least expensive way.
But what would my top 10 clients say if I asked them what Matrix Group does? I hope that on a good day, my best clients would say that we helped them: reach more members, sell more products, run a better organization, educate more people about their issues, save time, save money, yada, yada. But I bet a bunch would say that we are a Web design shop, some would say we’re a Web development firm, and still others probably see us a membership database company. Is this is the brand identity that I want? No, so what can I do about it? Read the rest of this entry
Dec 0824
This holiday season, we are encouraged to “give our time, not gifts.” I applauded the sentiment but then wondered just what it means to give time. Here are some ways I have found:
- Give List lists ways to support communities and causes this holiday season (and year-round for that matter) that don’t necessarily require writing a check. Ideas include: donating frequent fliers to soldiers so they can fly home and visit their families; send a note to someone who works for a non-profit and thank them for their work; and create a video about an organization or cause that is important to you and post it on YouTube.
- Volunteer to be on a Board of committee of a local non-profit. Organizations all over the country are experiencing a dearth of people willing to donate their time and expertise. Several years ago, I called the Executive Director of a non-profit that I admire (Doorways for Women and Families) and asked how I could become involved. Today, I serve on the Board and help organize two fundraising events. I have helped raise a bunch of money, but I have also learned a great deal about non-profit management and fundraising, experiences that have benefited me at work.
- Philanthropy.com put together a list of ways to support social causes without giving money.
- The Daily Green lists 20 ways to give without giving “stuff”
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Dec 0809
Whenever we start a project, especially if the project is related to branding or design, we ask for time with the CEO, Executive Director, President — the top staff person. It’s not always easy to get time with the CEO, and we often don’t get it. However, we have found that our most successful projects have at least minimal CEO involvement, especially in the early stages, when we define goals, users and organizational identity.
Here’s why I think your CEO needs to be part of your next Web project.
The CEO can best articulate why your organization needs to exist. Earlier this year, we were kicking off a project with a professional society in the military space. The Executive Director was discussing the mission and goals of the organization when he said “our members protect the world’s waterways.” A few seconds later, a staff member said, “I’ve been working here for several years and I’ve been waiting for that explanation of why we exist and what our members do.” Read the rest of this entry
Oct 0831
My favorite business guru, Tom Peters, blogged recently that “hiring is the most important aspect of business” and I couldn’t agree more. I know down to my core that if we hire the right people, they will take care of our customers, they will be passionate about our business, and they will always strive to do the right thing.
Why is why, in addition to interviewing well and having great writing/coding samples, candidates for positions at Matrix Group must have great references. Paradoxically, we’re less inclined to hire a person with a perfect track record and perfect references, you know, the person who has never missed a deadline, never gone over budget, and never had a project go south. Why?
Because top talent has experienced some serious screw ups and they have recovered, and they have seen the impact of poorly managed or poorly engineered projects.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to hear about one screw up after another, but I do want candidates to tell me what they have learned from their mistakes and those of others, and how their experiences will help them avoid FUBARs in the future.
