12 tech leaders’ resolutions for 2012
Lose your love handles; call your Mom more often; get that promotion – if you’re like many of us, you’re already thinking over some New Year’s resolutions that will make you a better “you” in 2012. But how are the tech industries’ thought leaders approaching the new year? We asked 12 of them for their resolutions, and will publish one a day starting on December 27th and running until January 7th. Check back here to watch them unfold and get some advice from some of the tech industry’s most well-known names. Images courtesy of Flickr user eschipul (Mary Lou Jepsen, CC-BY-SA), Mercedes McAndrew (Caterina Fake), Jefferson Graham (Dave Morin), Drew Altizer (Max Levchin, CC-BY), Brian Solis (Elon Musk, CC-BY www.briansolis.com and bub.blicio.us).
Loft Resumes
Jan. 6th CEO Corner: Delivering Results with the Flexible Workforce Msquared Blog | Msquared Blog
With the growth of the flexible workers comes the need to manage them. It’s true that the flexible workforce can help reduce costs and keep companies lean. But there is no point in saving money if the work doesn’t get done, or doesn’t get done right. With this in mind, companies must first provide justification for hiring independent consultants and then use hard success metrics to track progress. Because of the high profile of mission-critical initiatives, hiring managers will have to demonstrate tight oversight of work streams and deliverables. Accountability at all levels is enhanced when independent professionals with solid project management skills are chosen for important assignments. In 2012 society will realize that the world of work has profoundly changed. Share
Business Card Websites, part 2
3 months ago I launched my Business Card Website (coining that term). The reactions varied from extremely positive to people saying they didn’t understand the purpose of it. Here’s a brief recap of what happened since then. People have been writing / tweeting about it, people have been analyzing it. Can I use/buy it? Besides people blatantly stealing the original design, I was surprised by the amount of emails I was getting (and am still receiving) of people asking if they could use, or even buy the design. A change of mind I looked back at the site, the code behind it, and made a list of changes that needed to happen so that there was some space to customize it. Inspired Another reason I made this decision, is that people started making their own BCW’s (sounds cool, huh?). As I said in a comment on Safetygoat.co.uk: I’m really honored by these ones, as they are somewhat tributes to my original version. If there are more, link them up in the comments! Conclusion
Personal Branding – Discovering the Authentic You
Everyone has a personal brand, but not everyone acknowledges it and manages it proactively. Some people don’t like the term “personal brand” as they feel people aren’t brands. Some people think that it is a thinly veiled term for self-promotion, publicity or image management. In fact, your personal brand is so much more. The personal branding process enables you to: Discover who you are, develop a consistent image and make it visible both in person and through your web presence to provide value for your audience. Why is personal branding important? Personal Branding Process Having a strong personal brand is important to your success or the success of your small business. Helps you to clearly and consistently project who you are, what you do and why you do it; Is a promise of value to those with whom you work; Answers the question what makes you different and why; Allows you to focus on your strengths and follow your passion. Passion, Purpose and Personal Branding ©2012 Masterful Marketing.
Five Common Strategy Mistakes - Joan Magretta
by Joan Magretta | 1:15 PM December 8, 2011 I just finished a two-year project looking at Michael Porter’s most important insights for managers. Connecting the dots between his classic frameworks (the five forces, for example) and his latest thinking (the five tests of strategy) gave me a new understanding of the most common mistakes that can derail a company’s strategy. In a previous post, I focused on the fallacy of competing to be the best. Mistake #1. Correction: A value proposition isn’t the same thing as a strategy. Correction: Building on strength is a good thing, but when it comes to strategy, companies are too often inward looking and therefore likely to overestimate their strengths. Mistake #3: Pursuing size above all else, because if you’re the biggest, you’ll be more profitable. Correction: There is at least a grain of truth in this thinking, which is precisely what makes it so dangerous. Mistake #4. These mistakes are both common and costly.
Courage in the C-Suite - Harvard Business Review | Share on LinkedIn
What you don’t do can hurt you. Missed opportunities lead to later regrets. Nokia could have innovated its way to dominance in smartphones. The SEC could have acted on early whistle-blower tips about Bernard Madoff’s scam . Doing nothing seems easy. Courage makes change possible. Moral courage enables people to stand up for a principle rather than stand on the sidelines. Lack of courage stymies positive change at all levels. In troubled companies, I’ve observed a familiar pattern. Courage doesn’t imply absence of fear. Practice, passion, and colleagueship support courage.
Executives Share The Best Advice They Ever Received
5 Things I Learned About Entrepreneurship From Y Combinator's Paul Graham
Paul Graham (PG) is one of the most prominent figures in Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial community, and his reputation is well-deserved. He's an honest leader, a talented computer scientist, and has an uncanny passion for entrepreneurship. Most importantly, he’s an entrepreneur himself. The first time I met PG was in the summer of 2010, when my cofounder and I were selected to participate in Y Combinator (YC), the startup accelerator program PG founded that helped to create many successful companies, including Reddit (acquired by Conde Nast), Heroku (acquired by Salesforce), OMGPOP (acquired by Zynga). 1. There is no question that PG is highly intelligent. Why? The nature of taking on the difficult challenge of starting a company is that sometimes your best-laid plans will be crushed. That’s why PG is quick to remind even the most IQ-heavy teams that genius is not enough to succeed. 2. 3. 4. One of the most common causes of death for a startup is running out of money. 5.
