Casual Fridays

I missed blogging last week. There’s a story behind that.
I play basketball at 5:45 AM every Tuesday and Thursday. It may sound crazy to play basketball that early, but it allows me to do something I enjoy without interferring with my family time in the evenings.
Last Thursday I didn’t feel very well after [...]

You’ve probably heard of the prodigal son, and you probably also know it originates from a story Jesus told. (you can read it here)
What you probably don’t think about is how it relates to your company.
Oh boy, does it.
Here are lessons from this story that we can apply to business today:
1. The son wanted instant [...]

I had a conversation with someone who was venting about her boss’ rude behavior.  He berated her for being late (even 5 minutes), overworked her during the day, and failed to ever show appreciation.  This person is a hard worker, so I trust she’s not exaggerating.
My response to her was, “Respect for people is respect [...]

Do individuals need institutions, or do institutions need individuals?
Addressing that question, johnmoore of Brand Autopsy snagged a nice find of a Dan Pink article recently published in Ad Age.
Dan Pink states:
That big agency or marketer needs you a lot more than you need them. I mean, what do you need now to reach potential clients? [...]

This would have been perfect if it were chocolate milk (see below).
Two experiences this week that caught my attention.
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First
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My family came by the agency to eat downstairs at Gina and Guiseppi’s. As we struggled to commit the kids to a drink selection, the waitress suggested chocolate milk (which wasn’t on the menu). She was [...]

Many people feel like they don’t make what they’re worth. The problem is you shouldn’t be paid what you’re worth.
1. Companies can’t afford to pay you what you’re worth. There’s an issue of margins.
2. If you are bent on being paid what you’re worth, then you’ll only consider yourself worth what you can [...]

If you follow the concepts of the Wisdom of Crowds, the Generous Web, Mosh Pit Innovation, or Harvesting Collective Genius… you believe in the power of ideas “bubbling up.”
Yet, few companies create an environment conducive to idea sharing. In fact, most companies, bosses, and even employees TRAIN individuals NOT to share ideas by shooting [...]

DUST!N
So, we’re segueing into your book, Warriors, Workers, Whiners & Weasels and you have an accompanying blog with that, which is blog.warriorsandweasels.com. Can you tell me a little bit about the book?
Tim
Well, it’s a management philosophy that I’ve been working with for some time and thought I’d put it down on paper. Basically, what [...]

Two posts by Big-Time Gurus recently addressed the same point.

1. Tom Peters:

Old story. But never an old story. I went to Whole Foods and Starbucks back-to-back yesterday afternoon. No holes: Every (EVERY—perhaps 6?) staff member was pleasant, chatty, informed, etc.

I remain amazed.

2. Seth Godin (read the post to get context)

Sure, she was an annoying nut. But she was passionate about containers, certainly. Smart hiring goes a long way.

Duh, you say? Yet how many businesses really hire people because they’ll be pleasant, chatty, informed, and PASSIONATE (specifically about your core offering)?

Via the Tom Peters! blog, I was introduced to a great NXTBook (yeah, I had never heard of that either) by Rajesh Setty, Personal Branding for Technology Professionals. It’s a great resource for identifying and promoting your personal brand. Not a technology professional? No problem. There are some examples and points [...]