Business & Technology Reinvention

My favourite Nova Scotia business things

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 15 May 2011 15:26:00 -0400

Innovation is a key to increasing investment values and Innovation comes when there's R&D and new product development. In these regards Nova Scotia is unique in the world....it facilitates innovation and business success and everyone should know this.

As proof these are a few of my favourite Nova Scotia business things that enable your success:

Atlantic Time Zone - means you can do business with Europe and the West Coast in the same work day

Halifax Stanfield International Airport - the only US customs preclearance in Atlantic Canada. Productive same day trips to NYC and Boston - only 2 hours or less away by plane - http://www.hiaa.ca/

Life Science Research Centre - a new facility - life science and biotech business incubation and R&D all under the same roof - http://fm.dal.ca/lsri/index.php

Halifax Marine Research Centre - launching this month - marine and oceans business incubation and R&D all under the same roof - http://www.dal.ca/event/oceansweek/events/2011/06/02/hmri_public_launch.html

Nova Scotia Agricultural College - a leading agricultural learning and research institute, with agribusiness incubation and R&D under one roof in the Atlantic Centre for Agricultural Innovation and Atlantic Bioventure Institute - http://www.nsac.ca/

Superior work force - 67% of working age popluation has a post secondary degree, dipoloma or certificate - the highest in Canada

100% broadband access in Nova Scotia - http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/policymonitoring/2010/cmr.htm

Amongst the lowest cost areas to operate a business - http://www.competitivealternatives.com

Nova Scotia Business Inc. - I work for this organization. Sole mission is to expand business activity in Nova Scotia through trade development and investment - we can make a difference for you - http://www.nsbi.ca/

Innovacorp - early stage incubation, mentoring and investment - http://www.innnovacorp.ca/

These are amazing competitive benefits...so what are you waiting for?

You're not my mommy!

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:08:00 -0400

For a short while this morning I was accidentally put into the Twitter stream of a few very successful Mommy Bloggers. It turns out that my wife was tweet blogging an event but with my Twitter id.

The tweets were coming so fast and furious that I lost count...I got more @Mentions in the short 15 minutes or so than I did since started Tweeting in 2007!

Honestly, it was impressive. The high velocity, real-time conversations made me truly believe that the 99 Theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto have become a reality!

Click here to read Cluetrain

+44° 39' 1.29", -63° 39' 18.85"

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Tue, 8 Mar 2011 09:00:00 -0500

In response to a press release sent to national media by my food blogger wife, an editor emailed saying "...you are too far a field for us to cover your event". The release was about one of the longest continuously running online foodie events reaching a very cool milestone.

This editor concluded the event was a physical gathering and not a virtual one. The precise GPS location where my wife blogs (home) is: +44° 39' 1.29", -63° 39' 18.85" and I can just imagine what it would be like to actually host thousands of foodies every Friday night at our home!

But seriously, this reinforces the words of Matthew Ingram that Newspapers Need to Be Of the Web Not Just On the Web. In his article he quotes Emily Bell (the director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University) who said:

"The secret to online success for newspapers doesn't depend on the choice of technology, or decisions about content, or even specific kinds of knowledge about the web. All it requires", she says, "is a firm commitment to be of the web, not just on the web."

In my opinion this doesn't just apply to newspapers and their staff but to all organizations. Being of the web means more than having website, using email and Blackberries. Being of the web means reinventing the way you do business to align with the web, to understand it and use it and realize the benefits the web offers.

I'm of the Web...are you?

Dealing with the Difficult

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Tue, 1 Mar 2011 10:00:00 -0500

I admit it - I'm following media coverage of a top Hollywood comedic actor's words and actions. I'm definitely not into gossip or celebrity websites nor am I writing to make a value judgement. I am interested strictly from a business point of view....to answer a question:

How should an organization handle a difficult but extremely valuable employee?

In this Hollywood case study, the actor is the highest paid on TV. Year over year his show is consistently amongst the highest rated. Yet his non show related persona, has been labeled as bad behavior by many.

This actor is the very definition of difficult and he's publicly criticized others in his show. However he is also a key driver for the show's franchise. Apparently, for years this behavior did not impact the production of the show. Until now - last week the show's current season was cancelled.

Personally I think it's next to impossible to have a vanilla private life. Even if you're running for political office after going through a vetting process it's difficult not to have something leak out.

If you're a leader of people you know that things happen - divorce, critical illnesses, recessions, addictions etc... These things leak into the workplace. I think it's how we respond to them as leaders that makes people want to follow you.

In my opinion the answer to the question I posed above is - do nothing so long as they are doing the job and delivering results. I think it's much easier to get rid of a difficult person, than the challenge of helping to change the behavior.

Speaking about results - what happened to tuning past what a person's looks, their views outside of work to what matters most - the skills and the quality of their work? I think this holds true whether you're in Hollywood or in a corner office.

What did you do Mom?

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:00:00 -0500

"What did you do Mom?" was the comment a friend's daughter had posted on her Mom's Facebook profile. Mom had accepted a questionable app that quickly added ten unwanted statuses to her news feed.

I think that parents dread the "what did you do?" line from their child when it comes to anything that's online. Its not that adults are technically inept it's that their child's generation has been immersed in a tech lifestyle from day one...probably from the womb too!

For example, I know of a four and two year old that are extremely tech savvy. The four year old can operate a Windows PC, video game controllers and an iPhone. He has his own digital camera and takes better pictures than some adults. The two year old can already operate a PVR and select his favourite movies and new episodes of Dora and Diego from a vast list of recordings. He can also easily fast forward through TV commercials and assemble 48 piece puzzles (I couldn't resist that puzzle bit!)

In comparison, at seven years of age all I was able to do was play with a simple radio. The first time I truly interacted with tech devices (not counting experience with a Commodore VIC-20) I was 25 years old and that's because I had a full time job selling early IBM PC's.

Can you imagine what our kids are going to be like when they're in their 20's and 30's given what they can accomplish now?

Actually come to think of it I can imagine it - they will start revolutions that change the world!!! Click here for an example.

New CEO tells it like it is

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Tue, 8 Feb 2011 23:10:00 -0500

According to Engadget.com, Stephen Elop, the new CEO of Nokia (and ex-Microsoftie) recently issued a "burning platform" email to his employees. The "burning platform" he referred to is his companies smartphone strategy.

In the email Elop states: "The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don't have a product that is close to their experience. Android came on the scene just over 2 years ago, and this week they took our leadership position in smartphone volumes. Unbelievable."

He goes on to say: "How did we get to this point? Why did we fall behind when the world around us evolved? This is what I have been trying to understand. I believe at least some of it has been due to our attitude inside Nokia. We poured gasoline on our own burning platform. I believe we have lacked accountability and leadership to align and direct the company through these disruptive times. We had a series of misses. We haven't been delivering innovation fast enough. We're not collaborating internally. Nokia, our platform is burning."

This is gutsy stuff (provided the email is legitimate) The last tech CEO that took steps to shatter the status quo and reinvent their company was Bill Gates. I'm referring of course to his Internet Tidal Wave memo of 1995. That memo had a huge impact....I can't wait to see what Nokia will turnaround and deliver!

Click here to read Elop's email on Engadget.com.

Update - Nokia announces a partnership with Microsoft where Nokia will use Windows Phone 7 as its new smartphone platform. Click here for details

Are Virtual Teams Effective?

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Mon, 7 Feb 2011 14:01:00 -0500

Have you ever been part of a team where everyone is located in a different city?

I have. We used video and voice conferencing, instant messenger...whatever tool we could get our hands on to stay connected and manage the work. We delivered on time and achieved our goals.

But this only tells the half of it. On voice conference calls we talked over each other, none of our virtual meetings started/ended on time and I could hear my colleagues "multi-tasking" while in sessions. It was tough at times.

There were other benefits in that we eliminated travel costs and minimized our carbon footprint with fewer car and plane trips...but are virtual teams truly effective?

To get the answer to this question I asked the following on Quora - Must all founders be in the same city for a startup to increase the odds of success?

Click here to read what the experts say and draw your own conclusion on virtual teams.

The power of Quora

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:00:00 -0500

What's the most effective way to upgrade business leadership knowledge? Go back to school, check out the web, or read some new books?

I thought that reading the leading business books would do it. So I bought the top 10 business best sellers thinking I could harvest the latest knowledge from "top" thinkers. I was shocked that this approach didn't work.

Most of what I read was a rehashing of the author's first breakthrough book. Others advocated concepts that define "common sense" and "conventional wisdom".

One book however impressed me - it was the story of a startup. It was motivational to read about the near death to success trajectory of a business and its founder. In the end the true voice of a real Entrepreneur transferred real knowledge.

But enough about old world approaches to knowledge....the new world has a much better way to quickly download knowledge and it's called Quora.

Quora "is a continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. The most important thing is to have each question page become the best possible resource for someone who wants to know about the question."

What kind of questions are answered? Here's a sampling:

What are the greatest challenges of our generation? click here for the answers
Which is more important to a business - innovation or efficiency? click here for the answers
What is the best business advice you have ever received in your profession? click here for the answers
What factors led to the bursting of the Internet bubble of the late 90's? click here for the answers

Users rate answers. In fact the last question I included above about the 90's Internet bubble was answered by Steve Case the former CEO of AOL. It's all quality content that will save you a lot of time and money!

Click here to go to Quora.

Inside the Back Room

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sat, 6 Nov 2010 09:21:00 -0400

Unless you're a participant of political back room strategy sessions you won't truly know who did what to who and why. Sometimes this gets disclosed in the politician's biography (official or not). But we voters live in blissful ignorance. Until now!

Toronto had a mayoral election recently and the Public Affairs Association of Canada put on a breakfast yesterday where principal campaign managers revealed what they did and why during the ten month campaign.

Reading about what was said at the breakfast here, here and here, made me think of how much political campaigns are like startup companies...but I think startups are more civilized.

It's Not Enough

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 07:50:00 -0500

This winter I had all my flu shots. Somehow that didn't make a difference because I caught a bug that knocked me out for 3 days and had me operating at half speed for close to 4 weeks.

On the worst day of this affliction (a work day) I went to a local walk in clinic. I expected to have to wait but instead was in and out in less than 5 minutes with a prescription in hand. The piece of paper led me to believe that whatever I had would get knocked down. The drugs helped for a time but it was clear there was no change to my symptom after taking the last pill.

I should have hedged by enacting the age old remedy for colds and flus - drinking lots of liquids and getting rest. The truth is that I didn't rest. The prescription and flu vaccines gave me a feeling of invincibility so I doubled down on the workload.

I learned a valuable lesson from this experience. You must always do more. I'm not just talking about colds or flus. This applies to business or personal issues. You can't rely on a thing like a piece of paper as the only solution to a problem.

It's all you need

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:24:00 -0500

When I first started my career in sales and marketing in the 80's the one tool you absolutely needed was an American Express Card.

Often I was dispatched to open up a new geography for my company. In those situtations having the card was great, I could buy air tickets, book hotel rooms, hire translators, rent cars, entertain (I mean negotiate) with customers and local partners. I could get things rolling without having to see my banker for an increase in my credit limit before each trip or project.

Today with video conferencing, the Internet, netbooks and devices I don't know if the card is as important. There's much less travel and entertainment and more online connecting for rapid business development.

Today, the one thing I absolutely need to do business is....my Blackberry! But hey, I still pack my AMEX card...in case.

NYT Year in Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:04:00 -0500

My favourite edition of the Sunday New York Times was published today. This is the article called The Year in Ideas. The piece is full of very cool ideas related to Business, Technology, Design, etc...

The idea I like the most is - Random Promotions, here's a quote:

“…we wrongly assume that people who are good at their jobs will also be good at jobs that are one rung up on the corporate ladder — so we promote them. But often the new job is so different from the previous job that the employee can't handle it. Now performing incompetently, the employee stays in place, dragging the efficiency of the firm downward. Eventually the entire economy becomes like the paper company Dunder Mifflin in "The Office" — clogged with incompetence. Is there any way to avoid this trap? Yes, by promoting people at random.”

What's your favourite?

Click here to read the entire article.

Hey are you there?

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

David [10:45 AM]: Hey do you IM?

I'm sure you do but do you Instant Message at work?

I do and I find it to be a productive tool. It works particularly when when all I need is a simple answer. So instead of composing an email, sending it and waiting for an answer, I Instant Message for info, get my answer and move on to the next task.

Simple right? Not really! Much like with email there are subtleties. For example I've found that there are two styles to initiating IM chats.

The first style is when people type their query and hit send. This is done Twitter fashion...that is to say the message is brief one or two lines saying it all - for example:

David [10:45 AM]: Rick, can you send me the link to that article on the Chinese market?

Rick [10:50 AM]: Yup here it is http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-telecoms-get-glum-reviews-from-most-analysts-2009-10-21

The other style is a two step approach. This is when the initiator says hello first then makes the ask. Here's an example of how this style would work:

David [10:45 AM]: Hey

Rick [10:50 AM]: Hi whats new? Did you see that episode of Trauma last night?

David [10:59 AM]: Wow when the helicopter went down...intense! But I was working on a deliverable while it was on. Can't live without my Bell Aliant PVR! Can you send me the link to that article on China?

Rick [11:30AM]: Here it is

Can you tell which style is my preferred mode?

Its the first one - I prefer to get the ask out up front. It saves time - I get the info in 5 minutes not 45. I admit that sometimes I do the "Hey are you there?" when I see someone's status is away or when I think they are really there but cloaked. But its rare.

I believe IM should be approached the way email is sent - get the ask into the first three lines of the email and use the rest for additional info or back up.

Now imagine if you were to get the "Hey are you there?" in an email. I bet your mind would first try to establish if the subject is something important or is the sender just going to ask me about last night's episode of Trauma.

I'd think the latter and hit shift-delete right away. Wouldn't you?

Real leadership is....

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:30:00 -0400

Real leadership is...

...working 20 hour days for weeks to ensure that your staff and their charges are safe

...reacting to a crisis with confidence, even when you're in a never imagined scenario

...sacrificing of yourself so that a long time tradition can survive for the next generation

Congratulations (you know who you are), you made it through and I'm so very proud if you!

Where are you from?

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 08:56:00 -0400

Being relatively new to Atlantic Canada I'm asked where I'm from. I'm asked this since I'm hard to place, given my mix of Toronto and Montreal backgrounds.

I think you agree that our backgrounds impact our attitudes and responses in every day life. But what about at work? How does a past experience guide us?

The writing of this piece was prompted by reading an article in the Wall Street Journal called "A Class of Generals" The article is about West Point's Graduating Class of 1976. West Point is probably the foremost military academy in the world. The class of 1976 produced 33 generals now in senior leadership.

West Point is a leadership crucible where knowledge and experiences is solidified. We all can look back on our careers to find similar pivotal experiences that formed who we are and in a way where we're from.

Excluding my university years I can think of two "where I'm from" moments. Early in my career it was my first leadership role at ADP - more recently it was working at Microsoft. Both contributed greatly to how and why I get things done.

What are your leadership crucibles...where are you from???

Click here to read the Wall Street Journal article (subscription may be required after the end of July 2009)

Click here for other posts about leadership

Send the CEO to Summer Camp

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Thu, 2 Jul 2009 09:34:00 -0400

I've lived in some of the largest cities in the world - Mumbai, Montreal and Toronto. As a result I'm used to noise, pollution and high population densities. Some city dwellers must escape from time to time. Not me. When on vacation I prefer to be in other big cities like NYC, Paris or LA. I'm a inner city type of person.

When I was a kid our family spent the summer in the city. Before I was old enough to get a summer job, my parents would send us to summer camp. Actually it was a day camp at the local Y. Our days would be spent playing baseball or swimming. But we were less than five blocks away and went home every evening.

A recent experience made me think of summer camp. My daughter is Director of a summer camp in rural Nova Scotia. It's a six week sleep away camp in the country by a lake. We visit frequently. But yesterday was the first time we were there on opening day. Opening day is the day that campers arrive and get settled into their cabins and bunks.

These campers are young kids, some of whom haven't been away from home before. Scary stuff for kids and their parents. The first day away is a real test. But fear not, from the minute the kids step off the bus they're immersed in tight community. Kids get over homesickness pretty quickly because there's so much to do.

It was an eyeopener for me. I always thought that summer camp was just about doing things you could only do away from the city. For example - learn how to paddle a canoe. But the true benefits to the camp experience are deeper.

Campers learn independence, social skills, problem solving...all without the 7x24 presence of a parent. This doesn't happen by accident. Camp staff work long hours to make the experience a memorable one. The team running the camp is qualified, well trained, compassionate and always engaged/connected to what's going on.

I was struck that this camp experience is similar to what you would get at five star hotel. The five star hotel attends to each detail, the staff knows your name, knows your preferences and makes your stay a memorable one. Minus the bunk beds of course.

I can't help but wonder how many hotel CEO's ever went to summer camp. I bet that some did. But if they haven't, perhaps they should arrange for a summer camper focus group to get the insight to reinvent their customer experience!

Tech Takes Over

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 3 May 2009 11:17:00 -0400

Parts of the tech industry are in growth mode in the midst of the current economic downturn. Surprising but true!

A recent article in the National Post by Karen Mazurkewich asserts that while Automotive declines in Ontario, technology takes over...particularly in Waterloo. Ontario is the centre of Canada's manufacturing sector and automotive in particular. Waterloo is situated about 112 km east of Toronto.

Here's a quote from the Post:

"Situated in the heart of the auto parts manufacturing region, Waterloo is the new tech capital of the country. In this former agricultural heartland, still heavily populated with stoic Mennonite farmers, the story is upbeat. The tech sector here generates more than $15-billion per year, and the employment growth rate is 7%, significantly higher than Ottawa or Toronto."

Wait, it gets better: "Technology firms in the Waterloo region employ 28,000 people, and there are at least 2,000 more jobs looking to be filled. The community now boasts 550 technology companies, including the region's anchors: Research in Motion (RIM), Open Text, the largest software company in the country; and Christie Digital Systems Inc., make of a high-end projection system, to name a few."

I imagine that Waterloo is now the envy of every other North American city! Click here to read the entire article.

What I Learned from Hollywood - Part 7

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 8 Mar 2009 08:07:00 -0400

Did you see that WALL-E won the the Academy Award for best animated film? For those of you that don't know WALL-E, it's a Pixar film about a robot that is left behind after mankind abandons earth.

Naturally for some people the message in WALL-E is an environmental one - save the planet! For others it's a love story. Yet others, including me, see the movie as an amazing example of what the talent at Pixar can produce. But what I really learned from WALL-E was something completely different...one person (or robot) can do the impossible!

WALL-E made me remember a time earlier in my career when I was on a high risk, long term, high impact, strategic project. Initially this project was a solitary pursuit, much like WALL-E's. In his story, he finds a plant during the course of his work. This plant appears after 700 years of cleaning the planet. This small live vegetation saves mankind!

I learned from WALL-E that one person (or robot) can do the impossible! So keep at it no matter what the odds and you will succeed!

Here are links to previous posts in the "What I Learned from Hollywood" series:

Part 1 - Heat

Part 2 - Scarface

Part 3 - Backdraft

Part 4 - Tin Cup

Part 5 - Jumping the Shark

Part 6 - The Last Starfighter

Making Lemonade from Lemons

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 1 Mar 2009 06:45:00 -0500

Seems like there are some interesting articles coming from the LA Times these days. One headline caught my eye - "About to do time? Meet your best pal" . Here's a quote:

"At a time when no job is safe, Levine is among a small but growing number of consultants who are poised to find work in the economic meltdown as prison life coaches to the perpetrators of Ponzi schemes, mortgage scams and financial swindles."

Levine is Larry Levine. He's an ex-con and consultant who bills six figures annually! He's the person to go to if you're a white collar criminal about to go to prison. But what does he provide that a top flight law firm can't? What's the value add?

The answer is that he readies you for prison, coaches you on what to do and what not to do... before you go inside. It's essential survival skills for incarceration. In many ways prison "do's and don'ts" are similar to those for a corporate environment.

For example - don't lie, don't snitch, always show respect, strive for a better work assignment, etc... Well maybe it doesn't compare to all corporate cultures, just the harsh ones.

What Levine does has much in common with what consultants and coaches do - help solve a problem. Like any successful business consultant he's got the first hand inside knowledge needed. He's been there before and can help you fix your issue right the first time. In Levine's case heeding his consel could mean the difference between life and death.

When I sat down to write this I thought of taking this piece into the direction of analyzing a growth opportunity but I think there's a bigger story here -

In an environment of increasing uncertainty and upheaval it's very uplifting to see someone (Levine) create a successful business despite a bad personal story, many setbacks and challenges. We can all learn from Levine's making lemonade when life served him lemons.

Larry, if you're reading this...you need to know that you've got the makings of a great business book...go for it!!!

It doesn't matter

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 06:59:00 -0500

It's Academy Awards night and we'll be watching. I know, I know...in this dire economic environment, isn't there something less shallow and less celebrity oriented to write about?

We consider ourselves movie people. We would rather watch a movie than broadcast TV. So naturally we've got our thoughts on which of the latest movies should get recognized. But never mind predictions on who's going to win, there is a more interesting business story buried in the celebrity media buzz.

That story is the decline in TV viewership of the event and the plans to reinvent it this year to reverse the decline. The Academy Awards is considered to be recession proof by the sellers of advertising. Perhaps not anymore - according to the Los Angeles Times:

"The ABC network, in a move that reverses years of escalating prices and underscores the worsening economy, has shaved the cost of a commercial for Sunday's annual Academy Awards show, one of TV's most-watched programs. Once considered invincible to downturns, big events such as the Academy Awards and the Super Bowl, which attract tens of millions of viewers, can no longer command automatic rate hikes."

A graph from Nielsen Media Research (by way of TV by the Numbers) of Academy Awards viewership from 1974 to 2008 tells this story well:

Hmmm...it appears that a decline in viewership has been ongoing since 2001, including a resurgence in viewers in 2003 and 2004. All non-recession years. However, there were dips in recession years - 1981, 1987 and 1997. I bet that ABC would find that its ad revenues from those years' Academy events would have been even lower, much like this year's.

So what's causing the dip in viewership if the point of origin isn't the recession? The Associated Press via the Huffington Post say: "The worst-kept secret in Hollywood this awards season has been how first-time producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, in a bid to build buzz and bounce back from last year's ratings nadir, are keeping their Oscars overhaul plans a secret....The academy has a problem here. The show is way too long, and the films this year are not spectacular he said. If this year's ratings are down, it could be the tipping point and they will have to make changes."

I don't know if I agree...with the assertion that this year's crop of movies is not spectacular. I do agree that it may be a tipping point moment for the Academy Awards. But it really doesn't matter. Thanks to the global economic crisis efforts to reinvent the program through format changes such as new hosts and the elimination of monologues may not make a difference.

Maybe people are too beaten down by the economy to watch red carpet questions about the latest over the top jewellery or fashion designers. Maybe they'll watch a pay per view movie or DVD instead!

Planes, iPods and...Lawyers

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sat, 7 Feb 2009 08:23:00 -0500

This isn't about the iPod habits of lawyers at 30,000 feet! Occasionally I collect interesting news articles, with the intention of writing a post on each. Of course there's never enough time to write. So instead of having some of these links languishing on my personal task list, here's a sampling of three links that caught my eye and the insight to be gained from each:

Airbus A380 is a mixed blessing for LAX:

Summary: The LA Times writes about the giant A380 aircraft causing headaches at LAX. Here's a quote from the piece: "...the A380 requires special procedures because Los Angeles International Airport was not built to accommodate a plane of its size...Every time Qantas lands one of its giant Airbus A380s at LAX, parts of the nation's fourth-busiest airport come to a halt"
Insight: The A380 offers airlines improved fuel economy, longer range, better customer amenities. But one has to wonder what the true financial impact of this immense aircraft is. Impact to other airline flights in the air and on the group, their passengers and airport authorities operating expenses. Being the biggest may may not be better in this case
Click here to read the whole article.

The great iPod migration:

Summary: Fortune Magazine on the 100 million migration opportunity at Apple - iPod to iPhone. An equities analyst (Bernstein Research’s Toni Sacconaghi) speculates what Apple will do to drive more revenue from its iPod install base
Insight: I don't know if Sacconaghi's proposal to compel the 100M iPod users to upgrade through introducing lower cost iPhones (without a data plan and/or launching a smaller iPhone) is in Apple's product plan. But what an amazing upgrade opportunity. Need to track this one!
Click here to read the entire article

Billable Hours Giving Ground at Law Firms:

Summary: The NY Times writes that billable hours at law firms are down thanks to the economic crisis
Insight: This is an excellent description of the problem facing all professional services firms (Accounting, Consulting, etc...) as a result of the downturn in the economy. These lawyers have some great ideas to cope - flat fees instead of billable hours, commissions on savings and even payment plans. If you run a PS firm you may want to consider these options also
Click here to read the entire article

10 Things I'll Miss about Trade Shows

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:00:00 -0500

Dean Takahashi's of VentureBeat wrote a post about Sony Electronics holding a virtual trade show. here. Virtual sales calls and seminars are being done via the Internet, so I'm thrilled that a cost effective solution now exists for trade shows.

A virtual trade show has to be more cost effective, time efficient and highly targeted for both exhibitors and attendees. Sure enough Sony says: "...the virtual trade cost less than 50 percent of a real world event, not to mention that most of the virtual trade show material can be reused."
I'm certain we'll be seeing more of these events in the future. So here's the list of things I'll miss about being an exhibitor at real world trade shows:

Carpet rentals
30+ minute waits for a taxi at the Javits, Moscone, or LVCC
Fifteen dollar hamburgers at concession stands
Hunting the show floor for a "big kahuna" customer
Traveling with a trade show booth...as airline baggage
Arriving to the show/conference and discovering that new booth signage with the new branding was forgotten back at the office
Checking out attendee badges without being obvious
Crashing a corporate suite party without an invite and meeting the "big kahuna" customer
Booth tear down after 7 straight hours of booth duty, then missing your flight home because of long lines at the official shippers office
Handing out materials, and discussions with hundreds, if not thousands of people. People who will never be a customer. Then discovering the result of the show is 5 qualified prospects after 3 days.

But the one thing I'm really going to miss the most is the Gospel Brunch at the House of the Blues in Las Vegas.

HP's Garage Rules

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 4 Jan 2009 20:49:00 -0500

A few weeks ago I wrote of a list of top performer competencies. When I read today's post on Wired's Epicenter Blog about the twelve rules that served Bill Hewlett and David Packard (and their company - HP) so very well, I thought there would be value in linking to those rules also.

Here's HP's Rules of the Garage:

Believe you can change the world.
Work quickly, keep the tools unlocked, work whenever.
Know when to work alone and when to work together.
Share tools, ideas.
Trust your colleagues.
No Politics. No bureaucracy.
The customer defines a job well done.
Radical ideas are not bad ideas.
Invent different ways of working.
Make a contribution every day. If it doesn’t contribute, it doesn’t leave the garage.
Believe that together we can do anything.
Invent.

In case you were wondering about the garage reference -- HP was founded in a Palo Alto, CA garage sixty years ago in 1939. Many assert that HP's very existence led to the technology powerhouse known as Silicon Valley.

My favourite rule is the first one....which one is yours?

The Importance of Social Networking

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 07:30:00 -0500

Over dinner with friends, my wife and I provided a social networking talk of sorts. Ruth is a leading Food Blogger and I've been posting on this site since 2005. Consider us as true believers and practitioners of the value of open online conversations.

We embraced social networking after reading the Cluetrain Manifesto back in 2002. Our friends are starting to explore social network sites to help their business and wanted to know more. In actual fact they're skeptical of the bottom line benefits of getting engaged in online conversations.

Here are some of the points I used to convince them:

Connect with People (a.k.a customers) - Tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter allow a business person to connect with people, regardless of whether they are current or potential users of your product or service. These individuals are already online and having conversation with others, seeking advice and counsel to solve a problem. Being there at that moment will allow you to inexpensively convert that person into a loyal long term customer.

Get a Pulse for your Brand - Most conversations on these sites are searchable. You can very read what's being said about your company or its brands. For example you can word search on Twitter by clicking here.

Recruit - These sites are great sources for talented people to bring into your organization as employees. You can search candidates on LinkedIn for example.

Being there first (or second) - There is competitive advantage in being the first or second of your peers to build a beachhead in Social Networking. Customers already enlightened by Cluetrain will evangelize your product/service if you're part of the conversation. It becomes even more compelling as Social Networking crosses the chasm from early adopters into the mass market.

Many companies already have conversations with their customers and suppliers. Here are examples of companies getting in early by operating a Company Blog - Microsoft, GM, Google, Clorox, J&J. Or others engaged in Twittering - Carnival Cruise Lines, Jetblue, Dell.

Did we convince our friends of the many immediate benefits of Social Networking? I'd like to think so. But the reality is that for most business people, they see it as easier to invest time in more traditional pursuits with their customers. But for others, I expect that tools such as LinkedIn and Blogger will soon become as important to a company as their corporate websites, trade show booths or 1-800 numbers.

Judged by the Quality of Rivals

noreply@blogger.com (davdan) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:24:00 -0500

Quantum of Solace the new James Bond movie got me to thinking about leadership, when in it, Bond says - "you're judged by the quality of your enemies." Bond's enemies are evil villans, in the real world...in business, we usually are just rivals.

Would you put your rival on board your team? This past week there was a news leak that President Elect Obama is considering his rival Hilary Clinton for the position of Secretary of State in his cabinet. Many leaders wouldn't bring on their rival into their team. They'd see the rival as a threat, a risk, someone who would go rogue when it suited their self interest.

Perhaps. In the real world, I believe that roles must be filled by the most qualified person...even if that person might overshadow the leader. I subscribe to the "A's hire A's, and B's hire C's." A good hiring decision is defined when that new hire (an "A" type) excels in the role and is rapidly moved into challenging and highly visible assignments. When this happens it means you've done your duty as a leader!

So how can you identify an "A"? MiniMicrosoft - the famous anonymous Blogger nails the definition of an "A" by stating (in a recent post):

"They can own a room: they aren't warming a seat but rather can take charge of a conversation and represent such a deep level of knowledge that they gain respect for what they say and earn a good reputation. Their focus stays on accountable results and this person can bring resolution and closure together.

Expert: They are sought after to be in meetings, for instance, so that good decisions can be made.

Results-focused: they are focused on getting great results and don't entwine their ego to particular solutions. They don't get defensive if their ideas are revealed to have flaws but rather delight in being able to move to a better solution.

Leadership: pro-active leadership that convinces team members of the future direction and even helps to implement it. This is a big difference between those who can complain about the way things should be and those who can actually bring it
about.

Solutions, not problems: following up on the above, they aren't complaining about problems on the team but rather implementing and driving solutions.

Makes other great: the team benefits and grows from the person's contributions. Answers questions from the team, from support, from customers. Knows what the team delivers backwards and forwards. They are a good mentor.

Influence when they can, scare when they must: they have fundamental skills in influencing people, but if they need to flip into junk-yard dog mode, they can.
They don't give up and walk away but rather fight when they need to fight, escalating only when needed and with lots of justification.

Makes the boss great: if the team and your boss are succeeding because of you, of course you'll be succeeding too.
Not doing it for the promotion: if you're out for a promotion, don't do work specifically chosen to get the promotion. This is like meeting the Buddha on the road. If you come up with a pretty plan to justify your promotion, you've already lost it. Such plotting is obvious and actually detrimental to your career."

Well said!

Note - apologies to those of my former colleagues at Microsoft cringing at my quoting of MiniMicrosoft...sometime he writes inspiring stuff.