Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
Short takes: Derek Silvers “Anything You Want”
I’m a little wary of touting the work of “success gurus” (I can’t help flashing on the Chris Farley SNL motivational speaker character Matt Foley) but I make a few exceptions — Derek Silvers is one of those and he has a great trailer for his new book, “Anything You Want” published by fellow guru Seth Godin’s Domino Project.
Related articles
- Leadership Through Stories?! – with Derek Sivers (mixergy.com)
- Anything You Want (sethgodin.typepad.com)
- Lessons From the Mafia for Entrepreneurs, Managers (cnbc.com)
- Short takes: different types of “creative metropoles” (decipheringculture.com)
- Keep your goals to yourself (@ DerekSilvers.com)
- Dancing Guy as a lesson in leadership (@DerekSilvers.org)
Short takes — The changing face of social media (3)
Image via Wikipedia
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PING, I-Tunes leap into social networking starts off with a tiny hop:
An email sent to iTunes users this morning touted its Ping music social network which “lets you follow your favorite artists and friends to discover the music they’re talking about, listening to, and downloading.” Unfortunately many independent artists are still left out of the conversation. That same email from Apple stated that just over 2000 artists were on Ping. This low level of artist participation is not, however, usually by choice. (from Hypebot.com)
Related Articles
- Apple’s “Ping” Social Network Is Doing So Badly Apple Is Sending Emails To Remind People It Exists (AAPL) (businessinsider.com)
- Apple Throws the Rule Book at Music Stars [Ping] (gizmodo.com)
- Apple Introduces iTunes 10 with Ping (apple.com)
- iTunes Ping: The missing thing (cnn.com)
- What is Apple’s Ping? and What Does it Mean for Musicians? (themusiciansguide.co.uk)
- Apple Publishes a Band’s Guide to Ping (mashable.com)
- Apple Updates Ping, Makes Its New Social Network More Useful (readwriteweb.com)
- Ping? Is Anyone There? (capturetheconversation.com)
Thinking about Research — Short Takes (4)
(1) Insights often come from (or are repeated by) unlikely sources. This is the case today with a blog post from Dan T. Cathy of fast food chain Chik-A-Flik based on a point made by author Stephen Covey, author of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (a self-help/business book I admit to checking out years ago). The insight is on the importance of knowing where you’re going when embarking on any project, whether it’s a new spicy chicken sandwich or a research project — the projected outcomes of the latter may be more open-ended but the basic principle still applies. Below is a short excerpt from Why the End Matters at the Beginning
… no journey should start without a clear destination in mind. No adventure should begin without a tangible definition of what the point is. You need to know your true north before you even take your first step..
(2) And then there are the likely sources — a recent study by the Cambridge Group delineates the strategic role of internet and mobile in developed and emerging economies. It’s a changing world (read the study report on nielsenwire).
SUMMARY: Consumers around the world are hungry for access to information and communication, especially in countries with a growing middle class. Defying classic economic models, the demand for communication (cell phones) leads traditional media growth, signifying a global, disruptive phenomenon. The demand for information via the Internet follows slower, more predictable growth patterns. The implications for marketers: lead with mobile advertising in high-growth, emerging economies. (
“Every Life Has a Story” — Employee Education meets Art meets Responsibility
I’m blown away by this video, reportedly produced by fast food chain Chik-fil-A as an employee education tool. The company wanted to encourage its employees to see customers and co-workers as people first. Many companies state their commitment to making life better for their employees and their communities but then fall short. Chik-fil-A may be the real deal. The blog of company President and C.E.O. Dan Cathy, LIVE, LOVE, LEAD is worth checking out. Here’s a sample:
Jun 22
It’s All Personal
“It’s just business, it’s not personal.” You hear that sometimes when people have to make unpleasant decisions or do things that are a little uncomfortable. And it’s a nice phrase to make things feel a little better, but I’ve learned over the years, as both an employee and an employer, that it’s simply not true. There’s nothing in life that is “just business.” Everything we do is personal on some level. Any decision that involves people is by nature personal.
Keeping things personal is one of my biggest jobs as a member of the Chick-fil-A leadership team. As fast and as full as life gets sometimes, it’s tempting to break things down to “just business.” It’s a lot less messy to deal in Excel spreadsheets and categorize employees and customers as numbers. They’re just data. You just need to get XX amount of employees to serve XX amount of customers XX amount of food each day. End of story.
But that’s not true. Those employees aren’t numbers. They’re not just data. They’re moms and dads. They’re college students with dreams. They’re high school kids learning the value of hard work. They’re people just like me with hopes and fears and goals and friends and family. Same with the customers.
The customers are never numbers. They are dads taking their daughters out to dinner on date night at Chick-fil-A. They are moms who need a playground and a healthy meal for kids on the go. They are friends who camp out with me overnight for the grand opening of a new Chick-fil-A.
There are a lot of ways you can keep things personal at your business, but my favorite is to get out from my behind my desk. I like to be behind the counter. I like to serve someone a sandwich or help an employee make a milkshake. I find that dirty hands make it hard to see people as just numbers.
If you’re looking for me on most days, you’ll find me at a Chick-fil-A. Because it’s not just business. It’s not just data.
It’s personal. It’s all personal.
Deciphering Culture
Deciphering Culture 