When I run my own company, I will run it with a very similar approach to the one Jason takes with his employees. It virtually guarantees you’ll have talented people wanting to work for you. (And tons of idiot’s too.)

“Employees come to the office if and when they feel like it, or else they work from home. I don’t believe in the 40-hour workweek, so we cut all that BS about being somewhere for a certain number of hours. I have no idea how many hours my employees work — I just know they get the work done.”

No, not every company can operate this way, but A LOT more can than currently do. Could yours?

But employees won’t do their work? Easy solution. Show them the door. If you hire the best employees it won’t be an issue. They’ll be empowered by the freedom and work harder, at hours you wouldn’t expect them to. Sometimes in a small organization or team this might mean the others pulling the weight until you find the right fit. It’s worth it.

“We rarely have meetings. I hate them. They’re a huge waste of time, and they’re costly. It’s not one hour; it’s 10, because you pulled 10 people away from their real work.”

There has to be some research somewhere to show that 95% of meetings are worthless. Lets sit at the conference table and tell everyone what we’re working on. I got an idea. How about a wiki? Google Doc? An E-mail? You don’t need that meeting. That one either.

“After lunch, I get a little lazy between 1:00pm and 3:00pm. I don’t feel that productive, so I’m usually screwing around, which I think is really important. Everyone should read stuff on the Web that’s goofy or discover something new. I hate it when businesses treat their employees like children. They block Facebook or YouTube because they want their employees to work eight hours a day. But instead of getting more productivity, you’re getting frustration. What’s the point? As long as the work gets done, I don’t care what people do all day.”

Here’s the rub. If your employees aren’t compensated well, if you don’t respect them, if you don’t trust them, they’ll find ways to waste time. End of story. I think the hour after lunch should be mandatory nap time (like Kindergarten) so everyone wakes up anxious to dominate the second half of the day.

Bottom line, I just thought it was a refreshing perspective from someone who’s been uber successful running a business.

What are your thoughts? How would you run your company? Would this strategy work in your office? Would people take advantage of it? With so many people looking for jobs right now, wouldn’t this be the perfect time to try something like this?

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“Complaining and haranguing people to work harder has a counterproductive effect. You must adopt the opposite style: Imbue your troops with the proper spirit through your actions, not words. They see you working harder than anyone, holding yourself to highest standards, taking risks with confidence, and making tough decisions. This inspires and binds the group together. In these democratic times you must practice what you preach.”

Do you work harder than your boss(es) ? Is the hierarchical tier in a company actually an inverse of the amount of work being done?

As regular readers of this blog know I consistently discuss and exchange ideas with a multitude of young employees in various types of organizations. I hear about it a bit less frequently in smaller organizations, but in the corporate world it’s virtually unanimous.

Why is this?

Is it a matter of perception?

Many times the type of work is different. While a front line employee might be analyzing trends, doing research, crunching numbers, writing copy, etc. their superiors might be having frequent meetings. Do entry-level employees perceive phone calls and meetings as easier work than the work they’re doing because it’s less mundane and tiresome?

Are those meetings usually good partnership opportunities and sales leads or is it a lot of posturing?

[Either way if a manager wants to get more out of their employees the work they do and the perceived value they create has to demonstrate to their subordinates that they are working hard, creating new business, etc. and not just bossing them around and exchanging war stories with leaders from other organizations. Yes?]

Have they earned the right to have an ‘easier’ job?

Aside from the explanation that the entry level employees just don’t ‘get it,’ and they don’t care, managers will also resort to claiming they’ve earned the right. And maybe they have. Wouldn’t you want to come in, send a few tweets, read a few articles, have a 2 hour lunch, review two quick projects and offer a tiny bit of advice, mix in a phone call and call it a day once you became a boss?

[If you’re reading this and nodding good for you, but I can assure you that your employees will have a lot more respect for someone that takes Greene’s advice. If Don Draper gave his junior copywriters a bulleted list of things he wanted to see in an ad campaign before they ever started, they’d certainly bring him something significantly better than if they operate under their own assumptions.

What’s more annoying than re-working something 15 times because you couldn’t get your superior to sit still long enough to read your draft? Or a middle manager telling you to change something after reading two sentences and then going back into their office and closing the door? I have an idea: READ THE WHOLE DAMN DOCUMENT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T AND I’LL FIX IT ONCE INSTEAD AND SAVE US BOTH FOUR HOURS AND SEVEN REVISIONS. Save the learning experience BS for better economic times when we actually have hours to waste.]

One day when you have your own company (or today if you already do) consider crafting strategy with an employee, and instead of just asking them questions to “get them thinking,” contribute your own ideas and insights; after all, you’re the one with the experience. If your entry level employees can write 2 proposals a day, try writing 3. If you’re the boss and you can write 3 not only will they respect you, but they’ll amplify their own efforts.

* I haven’t been in the work force long enough to state these claims with any definitiveness. That’s not the intention here. Rather t have a discussion and learn from one another. Do you perceive that the people above you do less work than you, particularly if you work in a big organization? If so, is it on account of one of the reasons above? If you’re a leader, what do you do to demonstrate to your subordinates that you’re in the trenches also?

Check out the slideshow and see what else you can learn from Robert and Fifty’:

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But in thinking about the nature of blogging lately I’m wondering if I should be blogging more often.

Why Should You Blog Every Day?

• It’s easy to see that many of the top bloggers post virtually every day. Of the bloggers I regularly read David Armano and Jason Falls are two of the exceptions. Seth says you should post every day. (Sure, you think he’s over-hyped and you’re tired of him and his books are too short, blah, blah… but he’s never steered me wrong.)
• I can take a quick glance at my stats and see that I get significantly more traffic on days that I put up a new post. In fact, I haven’t blogged much this month, and I’m having the worst month I’ve had in quite some time (since March) in terms of traffic. So by that logic I could really increase my traffic if I posted once a day.
  

• Something for everyone. Let’s face it, everything you write is not going to resonate with everyone who reads you’re blog, whether they’re loyal subscribers or not. By posting more frequently you’re ensuring that there’s more content on your blog for people to connect with and learn from.
• I suspect that if you were posting every day, especially if you’re not used to it, that you’re really stretching yourself to find new material and maintaining the discipline necessary to keep up such a torrid pace. (I understand that it comes relatively easy for most people that have been doing it – and also that the people that do it for a living have all day to read and think up posts whereas we have at best a couple of hours in the evening provided we don’t want to watch Dexter – It’s ALMOST as good as LOST.)

BUT, then I think about all the reasons why I don’t blog more often…

• Because I don’t think you should blog if you don’t have something important to say. And it’s hard to have something worthy of sharing some days. There’s already a large echo effect in our community. Just the past two weeks I think I’ve read eight posts about ‘context.’
• I don’t know about you, but I’ve unsubscribed from blogs that put out what I felt like was too much content. I’d way rather read 3 solid posts a week, than 10 with 2 being great, 2 being solid, and 6 being nothing short of mediocre. Reading garbage is time I’ll never get back. I try to have more respect for my readers than that. I had a good discussion with Matt Cheuvront and Monica O’Brien some time ago on this very subject. Monica’s opinion (I was inclined to agree) was that IF you could maintain the same quality of posts, then yes, posting every day would probably be beneficial for your blogging efforts.
• I already try to do two things every single day: 1.) Workout and 2.) Talk to pretty girls. I enjoy blogging, and it’s done wonders for my career and enabled me to make some awesome connections and ultimately friendships. However, there’s plenty of days when I’ve had a long day at work (I haven’t taken a vacation, personal or sick day in 10 months), and I’m TIRED and IRRITABLE. If blogging feels like a job and I’m not making as much as Darren Rowse is to do it, then I’ll pass. Because seriously, Dexter is awesome. So is running in the rain. And talking to my friends back in Texas.

So what do you think?

Would you want to see more content from me? Would you feel overwhelmed and chunk deuces? How many posts do you typically write a week? Why? Do you have a schedule? When you feel like it?
Holla atcha boy in the comments section.

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The long answer is: “I don’t know!”

… Which is precisely why I’m asking all of you to weigh in on this dilemma.

I know I’m not the only blogger who consistently struggles with whether or not I should define my niche. I started really accumulating subscribers for the first time when I wrote primarily about Gen Y topics, but to be honest I didn’t want to get typecast in that niche. I realize the irony in that statement considering I continue to put out the Top 10 Gen Y Blog list on a bi-monthly basis.

I re-evaluated my approach and determined I wanted to do with relationship marketing what Richard Millington is doing with community building.

I did that for all of about two posts when I realized that I write the best content when something I read or experience gets me fired up to the point that I just sit down and the words flow.

I dislike the name of my blog. RyanStephens.com was taken by some C++ developer, and I couldn’t think of anything clever. In fact, Jackie Adkins asked me today if I thought up the name all by myself. (Actually no, an Internet Marketing Guru who thought I was his apprentice suggested it. Don’t ask.)

Ideally, I’d have some clever name that I could eventually transform into an LLC one day, but for now I don’t mind it because it doesn’t box me in. I can essentially write about whatever I want (provided there’s a hint of marketing in there I guess.)

I realized I like my blog best the way Penelope describes it: “Your blog is intellectual exercise for you—to keep yourself thinking in a disciplined way about things that interest you.”

That’s what Ben does. And Carlos. They’re two of my favorite bloggers.

But all the best bloggers have carefully defined niches you exclaim…

Do they?

Chris Brogan writes about social media. But that’s an expansive topic that enables him to explore any number of things including trust, collaboration, content marketing, etc.

Brian Clark writes about… well writing. But not just writing copy for sales pages, but thousands of things that will make you a better writer.

Darren Rowse doesn’t just write about affiliate marketing. He writes about countless different ways to make money blogging.

Seth’s Ideavirus talks about Geoffrey Moore’s notion of Crossing the Chasm.

I think a lot of social media marketing people often get caught up writing for each other. After all, those are the people that are leaving you comments, right? The ones to the left of the block. The thing is those people are the early adopters. They’re not the majority.

We can spend our time pontificating on stuff that makes us sound smart that only a handful of industry professionals will even understand, or we can write for the Layman.

Again, I guess it depends on your goals.

I think the point is that most people don’t even know what you’re talking about when you say augmented reality so let’s dial it back and write some stuff that will help Sally Small Business Owner (Business is her maiden name) and Chris College Student, as opposed to the Vic the Visionary.

What are your goals? How carefully have you crafted your niche? How hard do you try to stay within the confines of what you’ve established? Do bloggers put too much emphasis on the importance of writing within a niche? You tell me.

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Slides: What’s the Future of Business – Jermiah Owyang (Web Strategist)
This is a short, but solid slide deck that will give you some insight into the role emerging technologies will play in the future of business. It includes how this affects leadership, communication, organizational structure, and more. And it also provides a nice introduction to the Altimeter Group.

Jim Collins & Charlie Rose Discuss Business & Great Companies – Mitch Joel (Twist Image)
I don’t watch many videos over 3 minutes long, but this one was definitely worth it. Collins discusses the undisciplined pursuit of more, how hubris leads to obsession of growth, and the truth about the ambition of those in power.

Essential Reading for Building Online Communities – Rich Millington (FeverBee)
Citing the fact that there’s not a definitive book out there yet on online communities, Rich recommends 10 of the best books regarding online community management.

Smart Targeting: Influencers or Fans? – Jeremy Epstein (Social Media Explorer)
Jeremy pushes back against traditional wisdom that going after influencers is the best strategy. He “humbly suggests that the ROI on identifying, cultivating, and activating your Raving Fans would be much higher.”

5 Ways to Market Like a Psychotherapist – Melissa Karnaze (Copyblogger)
“Don’t think in simplistic terms of selling products or services. Find the ideas and attitudes that you are really trying to sell. You’re not manipulating people to buy; you’re presenting them with ideas and attitudes that they can choose to adopt.”

My Icons – Ben Casnocha
Ben made a black-and-white portrait of nine people whose ideas or life-paths loom large in his life. I thought it was a cool exercise and enjoyed reading the quotes from the people who have influenced him along the way.

Hitting the Bullseye of Success – Christopher Penn (Awaken Your Super Hero)
Chris tells a great story with a metaphorical bow and arrow about how both luck/opportunity and skill/effort translate into success, as well as how to go about enhance skills and finding more targets.

I Know Kung Fu – Stuart Foster (The Lost Jacket)
“Direct marketing is pure offense. Inbound marketing is channeling people’s energy and using their input to your advantage. Each can be used effectively and will get you results. The effectiveness of direct marketing will eventually stagnate though, where as inbound marketing is a renewable resource.”

Bringing ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ to the Screen – Saki Knafo (New York Times)
Not exactly a blog post, but an awesome read if you’re interested in the movie: “I realized only then that it happens millimeter by millimeter,” he told me. “If you compromise what you’re trying to do just a little bit, you’ll end up compromising a little more the next day or the next week, and when you lift your head you’re suddenly really far away from where you’re trying to go.”

The Hierarchy of Success – Seth Godin
The hierarchy is as follows: 1.) Attitude 2.) Approach 3.) Goals 4.) Strategy 5.) Tactics 6.) Execution — How many people/companies do you know start with number or after? Read the post for the explanations.

Non-Obvious Guide to Finding a Great Job – Auren Hoffman (Summation)
10 pretty solid techniques for employing a proactive job search. Some of these include applying to the company as opposed to the job, dumbing down your resume, and doing something nutty and unorthodox.

A Fixed Income is a Sucker Bet – Steve Palina
“When you receive a fixed income, you’re actually creating a variable amount of value, but the income generated by your excess value is being siphoned off to line someone else’s pockets. They’re profiting from your ignorance.”

The Platform vs. The Eyeballs – Seth Godin
“Compared to the cost of renting eyeballs, buying a platform is cheap. Filling it with people eager to hear from you… that’s the expensive part. But if you don’t invest in the platform, you’ll be at a disadvantage, now and forever.”

And these two have nothing to do with marketing at all, but I stumbled across them and thought they were pretty funny and worth sharing. The latter is probably not safe for work. Cheers!

Love is Funny: Awesomely Bad Engagement Photos – the_mean_bean (Guidespot)

Weirdest Questions Asked on Yahoo Answers – Nimda (Wild Ammo)

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15 Essential Blog Posts from Sept ‘09 — http://bit.ly/4i3O5Z

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What’s a fool proof way to showcase your laziness?

Thinking one solution works for everyone, for every client.

I get that you want to have a consistent entrée of services. That’s a good thing, especially when reinventing the wheel isn’t necessary.

It’s when you insist that what worked for IBM will work for Hewlett Packard that you fully illustrate your incompetence.

I don’t walk into Dillards and buy a size large Polo without trying it on just because that’s the same size t-shirt that I wear from Urban Outfitters. That’s lazy, and there’s enough of that to go around without your business participating in that sick cycle carousel.

Business is usually a simple proposition. People make it hard. It’s easy to see dollar signs and think that a one size fits all mentality will increase scalability, but typically it decreases retention.

Your clients want a form-fitting solution. And they sure as hell don’t want to see a competitor wearing the same prom dress.

If you do the hard work upfront, determine your client’s style and take precise measurements chances are they’ll be satisfied with your offering. Not only will they return, but they’ll also tell other people.

See how easy that is?

Photo Credit: Zen

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There are a lot of things that go on behind closed doors that you probably don’t know about.

You didn’t know the people at Enron were stealing. You didn’t know the financial sector was going to implode (or maybe you did), and you don’t know what companies are struggling right now.

Most of us are pretty good at posturing, especially around people we don’t know, our competition, etc. so why is it so hard to believe that when you get a bunch of these people together they’re not pulling one over on you faster than the producers of a reality television show?

And not just the bottom falling out either.

There’s plenty people of out there quietly cultivating their skill set, carefully making plays, saving money, getting their ducks in a row.

Sometimes that’s false humility. Other times it’s orchestrated manipulation. I’d like to think that most of the time it’s just people outgrowing the old and striving for the new.

Saying all the right things into the mic, in front of the lights, to members of the press works sometimes. It still works when that first rockstar employee walks. It still works the first time you step on someone’s back to hoist yourself up the ladder. If you’re good it still works when the handful of employees have success elsewhere. If you can prove profit and success consistently it might sustain throughout the duration.

Just beware of that tipping point. Sometimes pulling a small thread unravels the whole ball of yarn.

Reputation earns you the benefit of the doubt until it doesn’t.

What are you doing behind closed doors?

Photo Credit: Johnny Grim

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• Thanks to everyone who continues to make this list possible every other month. There were over 35 of you that submitted ballots this time around, and I’m confident everyone will find someone new to add to their readers.
• It could stop there if you want, but I urge you to get to know one another (and introduce yourself to me if we haven’t met), collaborate on projects, explore commonalities, challenge one another, and make some new friends.
• After you digest the list I’d love for you to stop by the comments section and have a dialogue with me (and others) on blogs you’d like us to consider for December’s list (and why), some of the blogs you’re glad to see make this list, who surprised you, what you think of the newcomers to the list, etc.
• Feel free to grab the Gen Y Top Blog Badge from Flickr and add it to your blog (with or without a link back to here.

AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO …

Also Receiving Votes:
The Writer Babe Series, Free Pursuits, Apocalypstick, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, The Curbside Marketer, Slacker Reform, Life Excursion, Just a Generalist, Entry Level Living, Valentina C, Sydney Owen, McKinney Oates Cereal, Life in Translation, Alex J Mann, Communications Catalyst, The Spinks Blog, More is Better, Politicoholic, Feverbee, Twenty Or Something, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Next Tier:
Justice For All, Jun Loayza, The Dating JungleThe Rest is Still Unwritten, Work Love Life, Ben Casnocha, Greg Rollett, Twenty Set, Live Uncomfortably, The 9 to 5 Alternative, Under 30 CEO, LAF

On the Bubble:
The Lost Jacket – A blog based out of Boston, MA (authored by Stuart Foster & Carla Blumenthal) focused on social media, public relations, marketing and brand management for businesses.

Modite – This blog gives career advice for a new generation of workers.

Wage Slave Rebel – Advice and insight for aspiring Wage Slave Rebels who desire to make a break from the 9-to-5 rat race and start taking control of their own lives.

Epic Self – Advice on how to live long, awesome lives. Awaken Your Mind. Strengthen Your Body. Refresh Your Spirit.

Brazen Careerist – Penelope’s blog is about career advice, and her of course.

Intersected – Jamie’s personal blog where she writes about everything and nothing at the same time; anything she finds interesting or worth talking about.

10.) Ophelia’s Webb – Musings and Ramblings from a no-so-average girl next door bumbling around the gorgeous metropolis that is Portland, Maine.

9.) Small Hands, Big Ideas – Musings and Inspiration on Technology, Career and Generation Y

8.) OwlSparks – Daily short posts on philosophy, marketing, social media, personal branding, love, friendship, questions, discussions and all that stuff.

7.) Exile Lifestyle – Home of location independent sustainable designer and lifehacker, Colin Wright.

6.) Life’s Like a Box of Chocolates – Stories and advice from the variety of things Sam’s discovered in her box of chocolates.

5.) Thrilling Heroics – Blog that encourages young professionals and entrepreneurs to pursue an unorthodox, exciting lifestyle and career, strive for excellence, and make a positive difference in the world!

4.) Life After College – Jenny’s mission is to provide simple, practical tips that help you focus on the BIG picture of your life…not just the details. Find tips and resources for life, work, money, happiness, productivity, personal growth and more.

Did I Mention There Was a Three-Way Tie for First This Week?

1.) Ryan Stephens Marketing – With a primary focus on relationship marketing, RSM focuses on building intimate business relationships, particularly as it relates to components of online marketing.

1.) Location 180 – Most of the topics written here are about some combination of Sean’s passions: travel and entrepreneurship

1.) Life Without Pants – The blog about everything and nothing: Without restrictions, without cause. The latest on Gen-Y, technology, philosophy, and more!

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You are DEFINITELY getting lucky tonight. You’re wearing your sexiest lingerie, or your lucky boxers. You did your make-up perfect tonight, or you’re wearing the best smelling cologne ever. You’re having a great skin day, or an awesome hair night. You’re on a mission and you won’t be successful if you come home alone.

Presuming you don’t look like Jennifer Aniston or Brad Pitt how’d that one work out for you?

[Stop lying and just tell the truth.]

That’s what I thought. You tried entirely too hard, sounded like a desperate floozy or a timid creeper and came home to a carton of ice cream and Friends re-runs.

You will NOT get lucky if you’re trying too hard.

You will NOT sell your product or service if you’re trying too hard.

WAIT. Before you get discouraged you still have to go out, you just don’t have to wear that ridiculous Affliction T-shirt. Part of selling yourself or any product or service you’re affiliated with is letting people know about your product. If you’re sitting at home playing The Sims you won’t get lucky.

The key is finding the happy medium where you’re not acting desperate and trying too hard, but where you’re still showcasing your best aspects, your own unique selling proposition.

How many times have you been pitched by a salesperson claiming, “We’re really, really prepared to go the extra mile for you. We feel confident that we can provide value starting today. We can even package our services into this extra special discount for you.”

How many times have you been on the receiving end of the 7th e-mail after you politely declined the first one, and haven’t responded to the next five?

How many times have you said, “I really appreciate you showing me your product, but it’s not a good fit for me,” only for the salesperson to come back with, “But, let me just tell you abouthow we worked with… … who is a lot like your brand.”

We’ve all been there; many of you are probably guilty of at least one of these, if not all three.

Think about it from a potential client’s perspective. They’re thinking to themselves, if they are this desperate to sell their product, if they’re already coming off the price, then obviously it’s a sub-par service that we can probably get elsewhere.

Ladies, how many guys have you dated that just would not take a hint and leave you alone?

Gentleman, how many stage-five clingers have you tolerated for more than a few days?

So what’s the solution?

Here, so you don’t have to scroll back up:

The key is finding the happy medium where you’re not acting desperate and trying too hard, but where you’re still showcasing your best aspects, your own unique selling proposition.

If you’re a guy and you have a muscular frame, and wearing schmediums is your thing, do that. (Or maybe not.)

If you’re a woman and jokes aren’t your thing, don’t dress like Sarah Silverman and act like Kathy Griffin. Hit up the dance floor.

Understand what your best features are, and then do your best to demonstrate those to the people you’re trying to “get lucky,” with.

It’s the same with your product or service.

Stuart wrote a great post today on direct marketing vs. inbound marketing. If you’ve read any of my other posts on sales you know which one I’m a proponent of. (Hint: Stu and I think a lot alike.)

You have to leave the house, but you don’t have to follow someone around all night. And you don’t have to shove your product down anyone’s throat.

Find out what your potential target wants and see if you have something of value you can provide. Better yet, just demonstrate all the great things about your product and/or service, and the potential targets will form a line waiting to talk with you.

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There are three types of clues: the way the product works (functional), the sensory presentation associated with the product (mechanic), and behavior and appearance of service providers (humanic).

For an iPhone the functional clues are probably the most important. But your experience at a restaurant is largely dependent on all three, the taste (functional), the smell of the food and aesthetic of the restaurant (mechanic), and the service of the wait staff (humanic).

The clues each play a different role in consumer experience; they affect various calculative and emotional perceptions in a distinctive fashion. One type of clue typically can’t stand on its own. Most products and services need all three to be successful.

But which is the most important?

For most companies, humanic clues are the most important.

Yes the product has to work, and yes the food has to taste good, but consumers expect that. Where your brand and your company can set itself apart is by enhancing your customers’ experiences via humanic clues and exceeding expectations.

This is why service recovery is such a great opportunity to acquire a lifetime advocate. This is why great salespeople can sell anything. And this is why I write a whole blog geared towards relationships.

Your other clues might entice a one-time purchase, but it’s your humanic clues that keep people coming back for more – building affinity and loyalty.

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