I heard the oddest piece of advice yesterday in regards to office politics. The advice was: "Don't worry about it." It was an awfully simple thing to say but perhaps the most true.
There should be a large distinction between using tact in your business relationships and worrying too much about your reputation because the latter can create too much distance and perhaps mar the quality of those relationships. Too often, we think too much about the money at stake and this can create barriers in developing strong, authentic relationships that build for example, your customers' loyalty to you and your brand.
The same goes for networks. If you're at a networking event, it's better to stay positive, exhibit confidence and show interest in both your specialty and shared interests with your counterparts. In other words, be your best self and don't worry so much about what other people think.
I've been thinking a lot about this lately because when I was in Montréal, Quebec, people in general seemed to converse more naturally than we do in Silicon Valley. They are less distracted by Blackberrys and a glass of wine and good food is enough to inspire conversation. Again, I know I am generalizing, but what I've learned from Montrealites is that they don't acknowledge you as a business contact or a social contact but simply they acknowledge you as a person and stay self aware of the subjects of conversation.
Before I start to lose focus on all this, it is food for thought. We have a lot to learn from a traditional culture that still values face-to-face communication and interaction. When things revolve around money and politics, the world gets to be quite odd. So maybe that is why art and humanities exist in the world--so we can remember we are human beings after all.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Relationship Marketing
Monday, January 7, 2008
Ocean's Twelve in the Office
Here's a perspective on Ocean's Twelve that got me really excited. I'm not sure if the screenwriters meant to write it as an office culture and interpersonal dynamics sort of movie, but it's a cool twist on a conventional action/thievery film. Some say that Ocean's Twelve abides by the "Sequels usually suck" principle but I disagree.
Maybe it's more obvious for anyone who has worked a full time office job. George Clooney and Brad Pitt did an awesome job of playing two company CEOs of a professional thievery consultancy but really the thievery could be a metaphor for any company since we're all rooting for Ocean's Twelve when we watch it. You've got all the aspects of business involved.
Barriers to Entry: Catherine Zeta-Jones is the talented detective Lahiri who wants to prevent Ocean's Eleven from succeeding at their task
Competition: Thanks to the talented and arrogant young thief, Francois Toulour, Ocean's Eleven can't get to their objective without Toulour attempting to get at it first.
Partners: You've got your business partners, and in this case one guy who makes their holographic egg.
Stakeholders: Terry Benedict plays the sinister stakeholder who wants his money and fast, so he is as invested in Ocean's Eleven's success as much as they are although their motivations are different.
International relations: There's international business travel, Shen as a rather talented business consultant, and the scene itself in Italy and France. Also, they know a ton of people, have a huge network and worry about their reputations so that they can continue working in the business.
Rookie/Entry-level thief:
My favorite one is the portrayal of Linus Caldwell, the rookie. He's new to the game, wants to play a larger role, stammers when he begs Rusty Ryan for more responsibility. He's got the skills, the motivation and a new-generation respect for morality. It's so comforting to get to know Linus in Ocean's Twelve, because I can relate to him and know that anyone in business is going to be embarrassed once in a while. I loved one of the beginning scenes where they meet Matsui for a job because it is so true: when you go to a business meeting for at least the first few times, everyone else might as well be speaking a different language. That changes, of course, once the rookie is acclimated to the industry language. The movie is awesome and great inspiration on how to run a good business, but mind you, Hollywood is the only place where they can use thievery as a metaphor for corporations.
I'll post a few lines of the movie soon that really hint at the business culture slant of this film.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Bring It, 2008
New year, new thoughts and new resolutions. I cannot predict what will happen in 2008 but they say that thought and determination can create amazing results. In the last year, I learned a ton about social media and geeky technology news.
Richard McManus lists his top 10 stories on ReadWriteWeb and amazingly, some of the same stories mentioned (plus more) have been floating around in Silicon Valley came about in conversations during my vacation in Montreal this year. Not all of them are about Silicon Valley but many are telling of the way Bay Area technologies are changing how people live, talk and interact. Some of my favorites:
Yahoo!
American Idol
All Dig Down
In Politics and Society
Welcome 2008!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Blog, Vlog, Glog
As I was browsing Techcrunch today, there was an article on a new company called Glogster where you can create a vanity poster on the web without downloading any software.
First, I disagree with Arrington's review of Glogster where he says it's like Geocities in a bad way. I mean, it's true that when we had Geocities, it didn't really create a lot of traffic--it was a bunch of people trying out how to use the internet. But I think it's great because it's a nice place to create mini works of art and who knows? Maybe you can get some mini celebs who are really great artists or just like playing around with design. I suppose we are in an era of super production, where everything is made to increase productivity and efficiency, but I don't think it's such a bad thing to have a goofy creative outlet to test out your ideas and have them hyperlinked.
Glogster is a vanity product. After the world-conscious Millenial Generation, comes the vain "me first" Generation Me. It may just well be a pull market product where the consumers will shape the product capabilities.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Blood Diamonds for Christmas Anyone?
I saw Blood Diamonds on my Netflix last night and Leo DiCaprio did a phenomenal job of picking up a South African accent but moreover choosing to do this film is commendable. I'm going to start obsessing over this film with all the inane details since I can watch the short documentaries that came with the DVD.
After seeing this movie, it really hit me that a lot of people could be dying because of greed, craziness, and vanity. I don't think there are many people who could purchase such things with conscious knowledge of the conflicts that occur. Worse, it's hard for us to discern between a conflict diamond and a hard-earned one. It's a classic case of market demand and supply with a good dose of Maslow's hiearchy theory mixed in. I mean, we are talking about basic needs like hunger and survival and higher needs like vanity and peer recognition. It is insane.
Africa is one of the most frustrating continents in the world psychologically, socially and economically. I feel sorry for the children who are kidnapped and taught to kill.
Better buy local techie gifts for the holidays. iPod is good, because who doesn't like music? or better yet, get a Creative Zen or one of those $40 USB mp3 players. Screw status--look what it did to African children.
The Creative Zens are are most likely better priced on peripheral products and they will have FM radio which iPod does not. My 3rd generation Nano has a fragile screen according to CNet and the most annoying thing about it is that mp3 cases are overpriced. 1st and 2nd gen nano cases now cost about 5 dollars. I'm not a big fan of Apple's pricing strategy...not sure about other companies but Apple does not really show love to their biggest fans, the early adopters.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Let's Get Together and It'll Be All Right
Whether born-and-raised or adopted, NorCal-ites have to make social connections with all kinds of people because it’s intrinsic to having a productive life here. We may do our networking in jeans, but it’s business as usual in a geekified, non-conventional way. That's what I love about this place. People here really know their stuff.
I have a couple of friends out on the job hunt and the ones who have trouble are reluctant to tap the hidden job market or unaware that it exists. Mostly recent college graduates (grad and undergrad) the conversation usually goes like this:
Objection: “I’m not that kind of person who likes to make small talk”
Me: "Yeah, it can be hard to do."
And I do understand this sentiment it's easy for people to stay in their comfort zones and I'm certainly no expert when it comes to being a socialite. The way I think about it though is that it is no less frightening than the various times I had to start a new school as a "corporate brat" moving from country to country. I'm an extroverted introvert, so my homebody self is not accustomed to crowds. Even so, I’ve earned the reputation of being the crowd cheerleader, because I like to get people together and watch the sparks fly.
The moral of the story is if there are so-called "monsters in the closet", if you go and meet them, they could turn out to be your advocates in life and you’ll root for those who inspire you as well.
Why we are online
Things that could have proliferated the internet in web 2.0 in no particular order:
What else?
