Wer 'Free', das neue Buch von Chris Anderson ('The Long Tail') kaufen möchte, denn das gibt es nicht 'for free', sollte vielleicht zuerst dies "Malcolm Gladwell: Chris Anderson Is Wrong About 'Free'" in AdAge lesen, um zu entscheiden, ob der Kauf immer noch Sinn macht.
> Der Original-Artikel Gladwells: "Priced to Sell Is free the future?".
UPDATE
> Und nun: Seth Godin versus Malcolm Gladwell: "Malcolm is wrong".
Viel Vergnügen!
Im April hatten wir hier Gerd Gigerenzers Buch "Bauchentscheidungen - Die Intelligenz des Unbewussten und die Macht der Intuition" vorgestellt.
Es lohnt sich, in den Artikel hineinzulesen und auch das Buch zu inhalieren. Gigerenzer ist kein 'spinnerter Sozialwissenschaftler', sondern leitet seit "zwölf Jahren ... den Forschungsbereich Adaptives Verhalten und Kognition am Max-Planck-Institut für Bildungsforschung in Berlin", wie das Handelsblatt schreibt.
> Wer mehr über Intuition erfahren möchte, kommt an zwei Büchern
nicht vorbei: Für mich bewegt sich 'Bauchentscheidungen' zwischen "Bas Kast : Wie der Bauch dem Kopf beim Denken hilft - Die Kraft der Intuition" und "Gerald Traufetter : Intuition - Die Weisheit der Gefühle".
> 48 weitere Book Reviews gibt es in der inspiration/leader Rubrik "Reviews".
> Hunderte Buchempfehlungen gibt es in der rsc // library for mental wealth.
Das Internet ist die Zukunft. Ohne es - und auch mit seiner Zensur - fallen wir zurück in Zeiten, die die wenigsten (eben all jene, die das Netz immer noch nicht in Ansätzen durchdringen und in ihm das sehen, was der Bauer nicht frißt) sich zurückwünschen.
Deshalb zwei Artikel aus der Zeit zur Reflexion: Pro ("Geistesaristokratie") und Contra ("Das Netz als Feind") sozusagen (bitte in umgekehrter Reihenfolge lesen).
Man genehmige sich eine eigene Meinung.
Nachdem hier schon die neuen Räumlichkeiten von Lego und (bei der mediaclinique) die Kawasaki-Photos der Google Deutschland Zentrale gezeigt wurden, folgt nun das Innere des Guardian nach Thomas Knüwer.
Bemerkenswert sind seine letzten beiden Sätze: "Und all das ist ein gewaltiger Unterschied zur Situation in Deutschland. Mir war kalt, als ich ging".
1 - brachte genau dieser letzte Satz mich dazu, Post und Photos hier zu empfehlen und
2 - nochmal hier klar aussprechen zu wollen, wie wichtig das Design eines Offices, Departments, Unternehmens für die Qualität, Geschwindigkeit und Offenheit der Kommunikation in diesem Unternehmen ist, wie wichtig dies für Innovation, Kreativität und Zukunftsfähigkeit, für Motivation, Engagement und Kultur, für Freude, Spaß und Zufriedenheit, für Effektivität und Produktivität, für Relevanz, Inspiration und Nutzen der Menschen und Marken im Unternehmen ist.
Im folgenden habe ich die Empfehlungen, die das DrewBlog für das Rebranding von Marken aus der Obama-Erfolgsstory ableitete, auf die erfolgreiche Führungspersönlichkeit in Leben und Management verlängert.
Obama für Manager, Obama für Marken. Manager und Politiker müssen
doch irgendwie auch Marke sein. Authentisch, inspirierend. Nicht jeden Tag
gleich, nicht jeden Tag anders ...
Stand for Something
"Obama combined a simple, rational message - Change, with an emotional and empowering call to action - Yes we can." Und was ist Ihr Mantra? Wofür stehen Sie? Welchen Unterschied machen Sie zu all den anderen auf den Gängen und Fluren?
Das sollten Sie so schnell als möglich herausfinden, denn darauf kommt es an, um nicht unterzugehen in der grauen Masse.
Capture and Empower Your Fan Base
Wer - und vor allem wo - sind Ihre Fans und Anhänger? Wer würde Ihnen folgen? Durch dick und dünn? Innerhalb und außerhalb des Unternehmens? Auf wen können Sie vertrauen? Wer kennt Ihre Meinung? Wer schätzt sie und Sie?
Sprechen Sie regelmäßig mit ihnen - statt zu ihnen. Seien Sie erreichbar und verfügbar. Leben Sie eine Politik der Offenen Tür - für jeden im Unternehmen. Das gelingt übrigens auch virtuell, um all jenen ein Forum zu bieten, die nicht so einfach in Ihr Büro kommen können.
Turn on the Videos
Zeigen Sie sich. Zeigen Sie Ihr Gesicht. Wenn Sie nicht regelmäßig alle Mitarbeiter besuchen oder sehen können, machen Sie Videokonferenzen oder senden Sie Videos. Sorgen Sie für direkte Feedback-Möglichkeiten - dafür muß nicht jeder selbst ein Video drehen!
Lighten Things Up
Auch in Zeiten der Krise sollte man nicht alles bierenst und tiefschwarz sehen. Man kann Dinge auch mal leicht nehmen und mit Humor. Wir sind Menschen und brauchen soziale Bindungen, gemeinsame Erlebnisse und ein wenig Sonne.
Touch Your Target
Mit einer lockeren Art kann man am ehesten seine Zielgruppe für sich gewinnen und seine Ziele erreichen - ohne sich zu verbiegen. Werden Sie empathisch und verstehen Sie, was in den Menschen um Sie herum vorgeht. Gehen Sie individuell darauf ein!
Measure Green, Make Green
Während die meisten nur darüber reden, sollten Sie handeln. Fangen Sie mit den einfachen und kleinen Dingen des täglichen Lebens an. Setzen Sie Zeichen. Seien Sie Vorbild. Vereinbaren Sie die neuen grünen Regeln: Licht und Computer werden abends ausgeschaltet, der Müll getrennt, die Energiesparlampen eingeschraubt. Fragen Sie, was der Einzelne noch tun kann und möchte. Starten Sie einen Ideenwettbewerb für Büros und Produktion.
Do Well by Doing Good
Erweitern Sie den Wettbewerb von Grün auf 'Alles'. Welche kleinen (und großen) Beiträge des Einzelnen, des Teams, des Unternehmens machen das Unternehmen sozialer, effizienter, erfolgreicher?
Define your Value
Hier schließt sich der Kreis: Während Sie oben noch definiert haben, für was Sie stehen, sollten Sie nun auch wissen, was Ihr Wert ist. Für die anderen! Warum sollten diese anderen Sie vermissen? Was tragen Sie Einzigartiges und Wertvolles bei?
Spend it if You’ve Got It
Halten Sie mit Ihrer Botschaft, Ihren Aktivitäten nicht hinter dem Berg! Geben Sie nicht an, seien Sie aber auch nicht zu bescheiden. Tue Gutes und sprich darüber. Nur wenn Sie Ihre Botschaft säen, kann Sie wachsen, gedeihen und sich ausbreiten. Nur wenn Sie als Vorbild erkennbar und identifizierbar sind, kann man Ihnen folgen!
> Hier der Original-Text, der sich, wie gesagt, mit dem 'Marken-Rebranding nach Obama' beschäftigt, aber nichtsdestotrotz interessant ist.
> Hier ein älterer Text des inspiration/leader zum Thema: "Von Obama Führen lernen!".
After two exceptional books as 'Tipping Point' and 'Blink' were, it is quite a challenge to write the next bestseller. I fear Malcolm's 'Outliers' didn't make it. It will be a bestseller, but not of this unique quality the one's before had.
At page 115 the book abruptly stops to be needful - but there are 300 pages altogether!
Let us stay with the first ones:
Outliers are humans like Bill Gates, like Canadian premier league hockey players, like violinists, composers, painters, which had an extraordinary career, earning to be called unique.
Malcolm explains in detailled and colorful stories how they achieved to become unique. What makes them extraordinary is not talent, but opportunity - or better: access, as I would like to call it.
Of all the talented they were the lucky girls and guys, which were fostered, grew up in a better neighbourhood and family, were challenged more often to become autonomous and self confident, stayed with their likes and exploited their knowledge, shifted their borders.
They worked very hard to reach the top.
And Malcolm's theory that you need 10.000 hours of practice to become famous, etc. is vetoed by Seth Godin in his post "10,000 hours", which I follow without doubt.
Sorry, Malcolm.
Amazon-Partner-Link:
"A research review on the unique challenges and strategies involved in helping successful people get even better revealed some interesting findings, including: Successful people are much more likely to accept coaching from those whom they respect and whom they see as successful. Successful people are less likely to value coaching from those whom they do not see as successful. This phenomenon tends to occur even if the content of the coaching from less successful people is very similar.
This point was made even more clearly when Beverly Kaye, Ken Shelton, and I asked great thought leaders and teachers to describe a key event when they learned something that made a significant difference in their lives. This led to our book Learning Journeys. More than half of the respondents described a situation in which they had received coaching from someone that they deeply respected.
In many cases, this coaching did not come from someone in a formal coaching relationship (like a consultant, manager, or teacher). Interestingly enough, most agreed that the same message would not have had much impact if a different person had delivered it. This made us realize that, when dealing with successful people, the source of coaching can be as important as the content of the coaching.
Another clear finding of our literature search is that positive behavioral change is much more likely to last if the individual who is trying to change has a “support group” (or at least “support person”) who is assisting in the change process. In order for these supportive coaches to be helpful, there needs to be a “two-way” respect relationship. They need to respect us and we need to respect them.
In helping you achieve a positive, measurable change in behavior, your best coaches will not necessarily be outside experts (like me) who have credentials or training in this field. Your best coaches may often be people that you respect and who impact your life on a daily basis.
A common misconception about coaching is that your coach has to be an “expert” to be helpful. This is not true. A helpful behavioral coach can be anyone that you respect. Your coach can be anyone who observes your behavior on a day-to-day basis. Your coach can be a person that is part of any valuable relationship.
Your spouse, friends, or partners may not be experts on interpersonal behavior, but they may be experts at understanding how your interpersonal behavior impacts them! They can usually describe the behavior that you need to demonstrate so that you can become more effective (at work) or happier (at home).
Who should your coaches be? In selecting coaches, you may wish to consider the key people who are impacted by your behavior. This list might include your manager, direct reports, colleagues, customers, friends, and family members. A key guideline is: don’t ask for their advice if you don’t want to hear it! Involve the people who you believe can help you get better.
After determining who you want your coaches to be, it is important to gain their commitment to the coaching process. Have a one-on-one dialogue with each person whom you are going to recruit as a coach.
Ask them if they would be willing to spend a few minutes each month during the next year to help you achieve a positive change in your behavior. When they respond, look closely at their faces; don’t just listen to their words. Only involve people who are sincerely willing to try to help you.
Be honest and direct in these dialogues. Let them know that you are going to make a sincere effort to improve. Don’t promise that you will succeed. Be realistic - let them know that you will probably “fall off the wagon” during the next year. Let them know that you will be very sensitive to the value of their time in this process.
I have found that the answers to the three simple questions that follow can be great predictors as to their future success in being your coach and in helping you change.
1. Are you willing to “let go” of my past behavior and try to help me change my future behavior?
One of the great mistakes that we make when we try to help others change is to focus on the past, not on the future. How many times have we been “helped” by a spouse, friend, or partner who is able to impress us with their near photographic memory of our previous “sins”? How much does this generally help anyone? None of us can change our past; all we can do is change our future. Focusing on the past can be demoralizing. Focusing on the future can be energizing.
For better or worse, it is often useless to have a dialogue with successful people about what they have done wrong in the past. The successful person who “receives” the feedback often becomes defensive, denies the feedback, and tries to prove that the sender is “wrong” or “doesn’t understand”. The “sender” of the feedback may feel awkward, embarrassed, uncomfortable, or even afraid. Successful people tend to resist negative feedback about their past; they almost always appreciate constructive suggestions for their future.
By focusing on the future, the coach can usually “cover the same material” in a much more constructive way. Rather than focusing on “Let’s talk about how you made an ass of yourself in front of the executive team!” the coach can focus on, “Ideas for making more effective executive presentations in the future.”
Having your coach focus on the future will make this process a lot more fun (and a lot less painful) for you. Do you really want someone pointing out everything that you have done wrong? Wouldn’t you rather work with someone who is willing to “forgive yesterday’s sins” and try to help you get better tomorrow?
2. Are you willing to be a supportive coach, not a cynic, critic, or judge?
Successful people tend to respond very well to future-oriented advice that will help them achieve their goals. Successful people tend to resist advice when they feel that they are being judged or manipulated.
Improving an interpersonal relationship involves a two-way effort. If we work hard to change our behavior so that we can have better relationships with others, and we only receive cynicism or criticism, we will generally give up on the process. Why should we work so hard to improve our relationship with people when we feel punished for our efforts?
The person whom you are recruiting to help you needs to understand that your efforts to change behavior (over the next year) will often result in failure. We all have a tendency to revert back to old behavior. The more stressful the situation, the more likely this is to be true. If your coach does not give up on you when you fail in the short run, you will be much more likely to succeed in the long run. If your coach expects you to fail and says, “I knew you could not change,” your odds for successful change go down.
The people whom we respect can create either positive or negative self-fulfilling prophecies concerning our behavior. Optimism is a key ingredient in helping people change. If your coaches consistently communicate a belief that “you can do it”, you will be much more likely to succeed. If they do not believe that you can change, they may do more harm than good.
3. Will you commit to being honest with me when you give me suggestions for the future?
Coaches who are unwilling to be honest are generally not that helpful. If the coaches are unduly negative, the person being coached may become unnecessarily demoralized. If the coaches are unduly positive, the person being coached may be getting positive reinforcement for negative behavior. Neither option is useful. Just ask your coaches to tell the truth as they see it. Point out that they are the only people in the world who can accurately provide their assessments of your behavior.
In my corporate work, hundreds of my clients have asked their colleagues these questions. The huge majority of people say yes to all three. In some cases, people say no. Perhaps the relationship has been too strained too long for them to want to fix it. Perhaps they are uncomfortable providing honest suggestions.
Perhaps they are too busy. It doesn’t really matter. If they don’t want to participate, don’t force the issue. Just thank them for their honesty in telling you how they feel. In almost all cases, there will be more than enough people who are willing to help. Work with them.
Following-up With Your Coaches
After recruiting your support group of coaches, ask them for their ideas on how you can improve. This can be done either formally (through 360 degree feedback) or informally (through merely asking for suggestions for the future).
Identify the one or two behavioral changes that can make the most positive impact. Realize that these behaviors may vary with different groups. Ask them for ongoing suggestions for improvement in these behaviors. Do not promise that you will do everything they say. Do promise to listen to their ideas, to understand their perspective, and to do what you can. Stick with the plan and make sure that you keep following-up.
Results from thousands of people who have followed these steps demonstrate a clear pattern. If you recruit supportive coaches whom you respect, ask them for ongoing suggestions, listen to their ideas, and keep following-up, you will almost always achieve a positive long-term change in your behavior. You will also improve your relationships with the most important people in your world!
Life is good.
Marshall"
Von Marshall Goldsmith: "Getting the Most from Your Coach".
Auf MarketingVox wird eine Studie des weltweiten CMO-Council in Zusammenarbeit mit BCG zur Kompetenz von Marketing- und Sales-Verantwortlichen vorgestellt.
Die Ergebnisse bestätigen die Zurückhaltung der C-Level-Positionen bei Change-Programmen und Innovation, die wir aus Deutschland kennen.
"According to Miki Tsusaka, a senior partner and global leader for the marketing and sales practice of The Boston Consulting Group:
"Continuous changes in the global marketplace require that companies have a strong and ongoing developmental focus on improving their go-to-market capabilities.
To succeed, companies need all marketing and sales functions working together holistically.
Moreover, these functions must be closely aligned with an enterprise's corporate growth plan and strike the right balance of getting internal and external (i.e., consumer/customer/competitor) inputs."
Die Ergebnisse sind für den geübten Beobachter nichts Neues. Es ist für mich jedoch immer wieder von Neuem überraschend, wie zurückhaltend die Menschen in diesen bestbezahlten Positionen sind und wie wenig sie zum Erfolg des Unternehmens beitragen, ihn sogar auf gewisse Weise bremsen, wenn nicht verhindern.
Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse der Studie:
"1 - Slow transition from vision to action:
Though the vast majority of executives view marketing and selling capabilities as the most critical contributor to commercial success, many have not made the effort to take action by engaging in major or sustainable capability-building initiatives in the last five years. Two-thirds (66 percent) have undertaken fewer than four high-profile initiatives to improve their marketing and sales capabilities over the last five years.
2 - Short-term over long-term:
In attempts to strengthen their business, many high-ranking executives seem more focused on near-term operational challenges than on building advantage over a longer time horizon. Most of the executives surveyed said they were focused on selling effectiveness and account management (43 percent), while placing less importance on longer-term capabilities such as customer data capture, integration, mining and warehousing (15 percent). Improvements in channel management (14 percent) or multifunctional selling teams (11 percent) also ranked relatively lower.
3 - Insufficient training relative to other talent investments:
Most respondents (56 percent) said investments in people (talent and performance management) would be key to enhancing go-to-market performance over the next three years. Yet relatively few (24 percent) are planning to improve their existing teams' skills and capabilities via increased training and development.
4 - Attention focused inward vs. outward:
Though most marketing and sales professionals (58 percent) strive to be considered best-in-class, few are prioritizing analysis of competitors' strengths and best practices. Less than 8 percent ranked looking at best practices externally or internally as a top priority.
5 - Resting on the "tried and true":
Companies appear to be relying on traditional metrics such as revenue growth (85 percent), acquisition and retention (53 percent), market share (49 percent), and margin improvement (47 percent) for evaluating go-to-market performance. Input and insight from consumers and the channel are lower on the list of priorities."
"To the extent that they are striving to enhance their go-to-market skills, many companies seem to be focusing largely on small and near-term problems instead of tackling larger strategic, operational and organizational issues," noted Donovan Neale-May, Executive Director of the CMO Council. "This shortsightedness can have broad and negative ramifications for enhanced efficiencies, revenue generation and profitability."
(alle Zitate MarketingVox)
> MarketingVox: Ineffective Go-To-market Capabilities of Marketing and Sales Execs
ein sehr interessantes interview mit obigem titel findet sich in der wirtschaftswoche vom 10.09.2007. der psychologe und mitgründer von rheingold, stephan grünewald, spricht über die manager-generation der 40-jährigen.
leider, ja, leider, muß ich ihm in allen punkten recht geben.
während der interviewende journalist noch versucht, die manager positiv darzustellen, beschreibt stephan grünewald die realität in den management-etagen da draussen in unserem lande. trostlos.
aber das wissen wir ja. niemand riskiert mehr was, sondern läuft nur altbekannten trends hinterher, denn die sind sicher, niemand ist mehr engagiert, denn er macht sowieso nicht den job, der ihn ausfüllen würde, niemand hat zeit, sich selbst oder seinen job infragezustellen, niemand ist sich über seine schwächen klar, sondern jeder versteckt sie nur (unzureichend), niemand identifiziert sich noch mit seinem unternehmen, niemand hat eine vision vor augen, sondern jeder nur den nächsten karriere-schritt, alle sind austauschbar geworden, weil alle das gleiche studieren, lesen, reden, sehen ...
man muß sich halt die zeit nehmen, um an sich zu arbeiten, um erfolgreich zu werden, in leben und management. das lernt man nicht an der uni, und nicht im job. das kann einem nur das leben beibringen, das man nicht lebt, weil man auf die falschen leute gehört hat, sich die falschen ideale zu eigen gemacht hat und nur den symbolen des status hinterherläuft, statt sich selbst einen status aufgrund seiner leistung und seiner individualität zu erarbeiten.
das ist nicht der weg des geringsten widerstandes, deshalb wird er auch so selten beschritten, aber es ist der erfüllendste, befriedigendste und am nachhaltigsten erfolgreiche weg.
er fordert den ganzen mann und die ganze frau.
er ist der goldstandard.
also, die aktuelle wirtschaftswoche (no.37) besorgen, das interview lesen (der städtetest gehört eher in den 'focus', siehe auch "wie gut ist meine stadt?" bei mediaclinique.de) und dann auf romeo sierra consulting // challenge & coach nachlesen, wie der neue weg gegangen werden kann. bis dahin.
another small, but great (like strengthsfinder 2.0 below) book you will find in chris widener´s 'the angel inside'.
it has been very simply written by chris, but it gives you all you need to "follow your passion and find the work you love", as he puts it. and that is all one needs.
please, invest two hours, and you will know what happened while you were dreaming someone would come and save you from the rat race: nothing, you just lost another year or two.
chris: "there comes a time in every person´s life when they must decide whether they will what they want for their life or what someone else wants for their life!"
'the time is now', as roisin murphy sings, while being a part of moloko.
chris explains wisely what has to be done. and shortly. it is easy to understand, but hard to put into practice.
start today! this is the first day of your life's remainder. questions will follow. i'll be there.
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