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Set Your Own Rules
It's much more fun changing the game.
My friend Chris Guillebeau did the honors this week by celebrating the fourth anniversary of this blog. He graciously agreed even though he is about to come to a city near you for the launch of his first book The Art of Non Conformity (Amazon affiliate link). Buy it and read it, it will change your life. read more
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That got me as well.
Right before why can large bonuses make CEOs less productive?
Good questions both, why?
As a strategist, I'm paid to ask why a lot. And like Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics, I ground that question into research data and observation of reality. You got it, this is a book review. Instead of covering the whole book, as I usually do, I will take one slice of this book and apply it to social media.
Are you with me?
The book is The Upside of Irrationality (Amazon affiliate link), which I purchased in my recent trip... read more________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Organizations are in need of a reboot.
Many of the old hierarchies and rules are holding them back -- way in the past -- when it comes to adapting to the new market realities. The disconnect between a stubbornly siloed internal culture clashes with the networked approach that the external conversation demands.
Culture defines a lot of things in organizations. How problems are tackled, priorities, rewards, and thus behaviors.
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The media tides have turned. And many marketers still make
the mistake of seeing the raising numbers of those getting on Facebook,
Twitter, and on blogs and lifestreams as one big market for their big
idea. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In this new media reality -- what Greg Verdino calls the era of microcontent and microcultures in his new book microMARKETING (Amazon affiliate link) -- the biggest marketing opportunities lie not in the one big thing, but in lots and lots of small things.
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In thinking about metrics, it seems to me that the difficulty is not
so much in measuring -- there's plenty you can measure online. So much,
in fact, that the conversation needs to be about what to measure, and
why. Why is especially important.
Measurement has become more important for marketers in recent years, especially with the increased fragmentation of media.
With digital media, once you know your objective and goals, your strategy can have measurement built right into it -- from the get go.
How do you optimize the myriad ways you could execute a program?
In his book about Social Media Metrics: How to Measure and Optimize Your Marketing Investment (Amazon affiliate link), Jim Sterne talks about... read more________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ten Books that Stand the Test of Time
There are two kinds of books I hold onto:
- those with a personal and special dedication from the author
- those where I wrote furiously in the margins
Writing a book is hard work. Writing a book that teaches you something different, that literally rewires your operating system through the ideas/actions of the authors. Ideas and actions that are now built into you in the way you think and behave [thank you, Peter]... those are keepers.
I thought it would be fun to share ten books that jumped out at me from my bookshelf as standing the test of time -- still as useful today as when they were published. These books taught me something different in a way that rewired the way I operate in business. read more
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The Power of Pull
Have you ever wanted something so much that you spent all your waking
hours working towards it and your dreams uncovering new avenues to
pursue it? I've always been very interested in achieving our potential
as individuals and as businesses.
Up until quite recently, this was done mostly with organizations that could forecast needs and then design the most efficient systems to ensure that the right people and resources are available at the right time and place using carefully scripted and standardized processes. In other words, through push. read more
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Switch
Dan Heath and Chip Heath do it again. They unpack the complex set of
systems that conspire to undermine lasting change efforts and make us
aware of a few levers we can use to move the needle in our favor. In Switch, they identify three components to
understanding change and use metaphors to illustrate a framework you can
affect.
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Flip the Funnel On Customer Acquisition
Many organizations have become really good at streamlining customer support and service processes. Yet, as co-managing editor of Consumerist.com Ben Popken reminds us in the foreword to Flip the Funnel -- processing is not solving.
Putting in place a good customer retention strategy is a good business move. It's also a smart branding move.
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Book Review: The New, New Rules of Marketing and PR
Even before we had our conversation here, David Meerman Scott has held a special place on my bookshelf. His practical advice and no nonsense approach will help you break the rules -- and drive buzz, product feedback, sales and more.
The second, expanded, edition of the book starts strong with Robert Scoble's own story about Microsoft, and grows richer with tips and case studies from Meerman Scott's own experience.
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No Limit for Better
I agree with Dan Pink, there is no limit for better. How do you get there? In his latest book, Drive, Pink suggests you do that by taking an approach that has three elements to it:
1.) Autonomy - or the desire to direct our own lives
2.) Mastery - the urge to get better and better at something that matters
3.) Purpose - the yearning to do what we do in the service larger than ourselves
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3 Social Media Marketing Books for the Holidays
Now that we're basking in the quiet moments of the holidays, I've had a chance to do a deeper dive on some of the books I've been wanting to read and share with you.
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I cannot say enough good things about this book. It is actionable from page one to the very last page. If you buy it and use it (please use it) in combination with Web Analystics one Hour a Day, which I bought about a year ago, it will get you a long way to understanding and measuring actionable metrics.
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Escape from Cubicle Nation
This is a case of a book emerging from a successful blog, and a topic
that has interested me intensely for a number of years - ever since Dan Pink published Free Agent Nation.
I bought Escape from Cubicle Nation after meeting Pam Slim virtually on Twitter and getting to know her through her blog, as well as through a personal introduction from a friend.
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More Agent, a Little Less Conversation
I wanted to introduce you to this gem from Tom Asacker, who's been an
inspiration through his work and in the comments to this blog recently.
It's called A Little Less Conversation - connecting with customers in a noisy world. It's written as a conversation between Tom and a business executive after an event.
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Why I Bought Meatball Sundae
Aside from the fact that I am a long time reader of Seth Godin - evidence here, here, and here.
Why talk about this book now, you may ask? While it published last year
and some of the examples may be considered old by those of us who move
at the speed of the Internet, let's face it - it's not old because it's
still too few who are doing it.Meatball Sundae
is one of the books... read more
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How The Numerati See Workers, Shoppers, Voters, Bloggers, Patients and Lovers
Read more
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Are You Too Accessible?
I just got the paperback in the mail from Debbie Aroff at Random House and I'm already a big fan. The Age of Speed by Vince Poscente
is filled with twists and turns and is a fast read. It's about learning
to thrive in a more-faster-now culture. Think about this, we want
things faster, but we don't necessarily want to do things
faster. According to Poscente, speed is the new change.
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Here Comes Everybody
I just finished reading Clay Shirky's amazingly useful book. Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing was accurate in describing the content - the book makes sense of the way that groups are using the Internet.
To me it goes beyond that to tell the stories of individuals who have made a difference thanks to the ability to use social media tools and networks to connect with like-minded people.
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How to Read the Groundswell and Increase Your Business Success Threefold
Want to increase your business success threefold? Tap into Groundswell. According to Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff a groundswell is:
A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations.
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25 Reasons Why You Need to Have a Whack on the Side of the Head
Many things go out of fashion to be replaced by others. One day they
are business imperatives, the next day they are gone and forgotten.
Amidst the buzzwords, awards, and puzzling fads we have seen develop
and fizzle, one trend stands tall as valuable - the ability to create.
How valuable? Think innovation, think learning, Creative Think. All of those are the currency of modern times, what we call the conceptual age. Roger von Oech is one of my favorite creative thinkers - an amazing writer, storyteller, conversation facilitator, and cultured journeyman. Read more
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Personality Not Included: Go Get Yours!
This is one of those books that works almost
like a blog post. It's cross-referenced and you can skip to the parts
you are interested in, because everything is organized so you can pull
content. We will see more books come off the press with formats that
borrow from social media - and not a moment too soon!
I have it from reliable sources, that although personality is not included, you can go and get yours. Rohit Bhargava was among the group at Blogger Social 2008 a couple of weeks back, and I've had the distinct pleasure of picking his brain on book writing and how he's launching his new book with a full social media conversation. Read more
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Career Advice from a Comic Book? Meet Johnny Bunko
I just received my copy of Dan Pink's new book (thank you, Dan), The Adventures of Johnny Bunko - The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need, and I am already writing about it. Dan and I corresponded about manga
at the time he went to Japan months ago. The impact of a comic book
that teaches lessons applicable to business did not hit me until now
that I have the book in my hands.
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Hardest Thing to Manage: Our Own Ego
Chance has it that my next book in the queue is The Art of the Start.
In the book, Kawasaki focuses on what's real and addresses the
frequently avoided questions (FAQs). This has everything to do with
managing our ego. What is it that we should work on and do today, this
moment, that can make a difference? The hardest thing of all to
starting anything is the starting point itself, where the ego does
battle with itself and finds many ways to avoid the hard questions. For
a taste you may also read the Change This book manifesto. Read more
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The Big Switch
It's very tempting to think that change will happen quickly. That's
probably because we seldom notice all the things that shift in small
and sometimes hidden ways to conspire for the change that will take
place.
As well, predictions are always long while time seems short. Yet, change happens and when it does in substantial ways, our lives are swept along with it as entire industries seem to disappear overnight.
[...] Utility computing, the main concept behind the book by Nicholas Carr, The Big Switch, is a flavor of the same idea. Read more.
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My Take on "Join the Conversation"
I'll say it up front for clarity-sake, I liked Jaffe's book,
especially the case studies and the section on partnerships. I bought
the book last year before my vacation so I could have the time to read
and digest it. I also liked Jaffe's writing style -- easy and (dare I
say?) conversational.
Rather than doing a chapter by chapter review, which many have already done or are in the process of doing, I will build on its premise and touch on a couple of highlights.
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Connection Kata: 5+1+1 Business Books I Gave Away in 2007
Every year I invest in the publishing industry by buying in bulk. There are books that are great to read, even better to share. Many of the books I share are new or newer releases, some are just classics for me. The criteria I use to determine what I give away are:
- I read it and learned something unique that no other book taught me;
- It contains potentially a life changing methodology or way of thinking;
- It speaks to trends in a way that is researched and requires some leap in attitude;
- It provides a great synthesis of insights and stimulates action;
- It's a new window into the journey of life and mind expanding.
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Using Foresight to Provoke Strategy and Innovation
Every year, The Institute for the Future puts out a map of the future. To create it, they consider several trends through stories.
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Acts of Kindness: Make the Impossible Possible
[...] A few days ago I received an email
from Meredith McGinnis at Doubleday, Random House. Her email was the
best pitch I have received from anyone to date. She started by
referencing my post on Three Cups of Tea that made her decide to reach out and tell me about a book titled Make the Impossible Possible.
A book by Bill Strickland with Vince Rause. What Meredith described in
her email touched me because I had felt it in Bill's presence, hearing
his story many years earlier.
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Now is Gone - How Companies Can do New Media
While building a new media effort needs to follow the same rules of
relevance and effectiveness that marketing follows, you also need to
understand that new media has forever changed the rules of marketing.
This is part of the advice Geoff Livingston gives executives and entrepreneurs in his upcoming book Now is Gone.
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The Cluetrain Manifesto
"The cluetrain stopped there four times a day for ten years and no one ever took delivery." [Doc Searls about an acquaintance at a company that was free-falling out of the Fortune 500, The Cluetrain Manifesto, Apr. 1999]
Is this you? Is this your company?
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Economics 101: Who Gets What and Why?
According to Tim Harford this is what economics is about. In his book titled The Undercover Economist,
Harford provides the inside scoop on how the puzzles of everyday life
are part of a system, what we call “economies”, that endeavors to
understand people – individuals, partners, competitions and members of
societal organizations alike.
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The Age of Conversation
Today is the official release date of The Age of Conversation, an eBook co-authored by 103 authors from 10 nations. The permanent link and page to this group project on this site is here.
Preliminary press: AdAge and Social Computing Magazine.
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The New Kind of Business Hero
"This new kind of business hero... must learn to operate without the might of the hierarchy behind them. The
crutch of authority must be thrown away and replaced by their own
ability to make relationships, use influence, and work with others to
achieve results." [Rosabeth Moss Kanter, When Giants Learn to Dance]
I just finished reading the advance copy of GUST, The Tale Wind of Office Politics by Timothy L. Johnson. Tim blogs at Carpe Factum and was one of the very first people to welcome me to the blogosphere. Read more
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2 Weeks to a Breakthrough
Today I had the good fortune of spending a lot of time with Lisa Haneberg
and I can tell you that everything they say about her is true: she is
energetic, passionate and motivated to help you succeed. If you do your
daily practice, you are Two Weeks to a Breakthrough, too.
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Message Mishaps and Words That Work
These
are no mashups. Here we're talking about mishaps. When what you say
does not achieve the desired results, nor it reaches your intended
audience -- that's when your messages fall flat. In Words that Work, Frank Luntz talks about the importance of preventing message mistakes. Language is in constant flux, so the words you choose need to work in the context of your audience.
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The Narrative Fallacy
I've been reading The Black Swan
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I caution you this is a highly enjoyable
reading and not for the faint of heart. It will require more of you
than the casual ten point business book.
Taleb approaches the impact of the highly improbable
through multiple literary, philosophic and narrative references. I
worked for years in risk management. The topic fascinates me.
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Made in USA: Brand America
How is brand America perceived abroad? Back in December I did a post that built upon the opinions of Italian author Beppe Severgnini. Mike Wagner at Own Your Brand! left a comment about mistakes:
"The European view of mistakes is always interesting to me. It seems to me a disconnect from their appreciation of design. Their lack of creativity and risk tolerance seems to limit their new business development. They play it safe. How you can be creative in an activity without risking mistakes." Read more
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How Do You Go From Start to Success?
You pass by strategic quitting.
"Almost everything worth doing in life is controlled by the Dip." [Seth Godin]
The kinds of decisions you make as you start something will determine whether you will be successful or not. Starting is easy; it's knowing how to pull through the rough times that will bring you success. You've heard it before: someone who becomes famous all of a sudden, except it was several years in the making. It is not easy to identify a course of action, and to know the difference between what to pursue and what to let go. Read more
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The Results Are In
Remarkable wins -- The Big Moo. Even though this is a book written
by a renowned group of modern thinkers and practitioners and led by
Seth Godin, not everyone knows Seth, not everyone wants to risk sending
something unusual that people may not be ready to receive, etc.
And this part included a message on giving back to three deserving charities by virtue of accepting the book.
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Tuesday With Mavericks
Today is the official release date of Bill Taylor and Polly LaBarre Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win.
Bill and Polly will be in center city Philadelphia tomorrow afternoon
-- Tuesday -- with a few local mavericks. This is one of the few times
our fair city has been on the front lines of a conversation on business
innovation and the design of work.
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When It's Time to Decide
"The Go Point takes you inside the heart and head of people at their go point. And
from their experience and that of our own we will build a
decision-making template, the principles and tools for being decisive
at times when it really counts: Using small
steps to make hard decisions, building a network of counselors and
oracles for testing ideas, keeping options open until they must be
closed."
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