tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78432802024-03-24T07:09:46.673+13:00Leadership<B>To lead others, first you must lead yourself</B>.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.comBlogger351125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-21347958318375682302007-01-13T16:10:00.001+13:002010-03-29T22:24:00.420+13:00Announcing Mad Young ThingIn 2007, I'm getting focussed and integrated. That means I'm writing around tighter topics of personal interest to myself. It means concentrating on work I can do well, and playing to my strengths.<br /><br />It also means no more posts to Leadership Issues! I'm integrating my blogging activity into one, centralised blog: <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/">http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Please join me, and enjoy a whole range of topics, ranging from the nature of reality, to the odd arty photo, to musings on storytelling, and of course the odd rant about leaders and what they do.<br /><br />Although I won't be making any new posts, Leadership Issues will remain here on the web, so you can access the fascinating archives at any time.<br /><br />Adios muchachos! See you at <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/">Mad Young Thing</a>.<br /><br />Update: see some posts on <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/search/label/leadership">leadership</a>, <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/search/label/philosophy">philosophy</a>, <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/search/label/world%20issues">world issues</a>, <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/search/label/management">management</a>, <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/search/label/economics">economics</a>, <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/search/label/engagement">engagement</a> and <a href="http://madyoungthing.blogspot.com/search/label/marketing">marketing</a>.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1164789864776557172006-11-29T21:38:00.000+13:002006-11-29T22:45:55.620+13:00Financial security vs. creativity<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3231/48/1600/156861/photo_01_thumb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3231/48/320/120739/photo_01_thumb.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />"Financial security is the greatest inhibitor of creativity that mankind has ever known"<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0513790/">Jeff Lipsky</a>, co-founder of October Films and director of Flannel Pyjamas, interviewed on <a href="http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tb">KCRW's The Business</a>.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1164610294799304642006-11-27T19:51:00.000+13:002006-11-27T19:51:34.820+13:00The best workplace - your home office?An interesting observation on kiwi tech blogger <a href="http://www.drury.net.nz/2006/11/26/innovation-time/">Rod Drury's</a> blog.<br /><br />He quotes an article which says life inside Google may not be as cool as Google's image may suggest. The real fun - and wealth - may be to be had (is that grammatically correct??) in distributed workplaces.<br /><br />He quotes Jason @ Loveplum saying:<br /><blockquote><br />The companies have put together [fewer than] 10 person teams that make products they love and so do their users. All while everyone involved makes a better than good living with a much higher overall quality of life (both at [home] and away from work)<br /></blockquote><br />...and then adds about NZ:<br /><blockquote><br />This is our sweet spot. We know how to do small teams well. We have lifestyle. We understand real business problems. Putting that model together with moderate funding is where our software industry should shine.</blockquote><br />Not just software, but art, books, movies... just about anything. New Zealand - what an exciting place to live and work!Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1164610148145751282006-11-27T19:49:00.000+13:002006-11-27T19:49:09.653+13:00The best workplace - your home office?An interesting observation on kiwi tech blogger <a href="http://www.drury.net.nz/2006/11/26/innovation-time/">Rod Drury's</a> blog.<br /><br />He quotes an article which says life inside Google may not be as cool as Google's image may suggest. The real fun - and wealth - may be to be had (is that grammatically correct??) in distributed workplaces.<br /><br />He quotes Jason @ Loveplum saying:<br /><blockquote><br />The companies have put together <>...and then adds about NZ:<br /><blockquote><br />This is our sweet spot. We know how to do small teams well. We have lifestyle. We understand real business problems. Putting that model together with moderate funding is where our software industry should shine.</blockquote><br />Not just software, but art, books, movies... just about anything. New Zealand - what an exciting place to live and work!Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1164232942544974522006-11-23T10:30:00.000+13:002006-11-23T11:02:23.513+13:00Worldview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/Photo%20285.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/Photo%20285.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Ever had a conversation that just wasn't right?<br /><br />It's hard to put your finger on just what isn't right, but I think I've got it. Assumptions.<br /><br />We all have a worldview, whether it's thought through or not. At the heart of each worldview are basic assumptions about life - assumptions which drive everything else further down our thought path.<br /><br />So, when you're in a conversation talking about "things further down the thought path" it can be quite confusing if you're not aware of the other person's worldview assumptions. Or your own.<br /><br />Lately I've been reading <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0842318089?tag=thesimonyoungsit&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0842318089&adid=1Z3ZHZ9WAHGY8F4W51D0&">How Now Shall We Live</a>, a fairly comprehensive introduction to the Christian world view. I've been a Christian for most of my life, but I often haven't thought deeply about the implications of that belief.<br /><br />Obviously, I'm not relying on one book to tell me what I should believe because I'm a Christian. Instead, I'm using it as a thought starter, to really comb through my beliefs.<br /><br />I believe it's a good exercise for everyone, whether you're an atheist, Muslim, kaballah-ist, or confirmed agnostic. It's not only good for you personally, it's a ticket to entry in a multicultural world.<br /><br />If you're not now, you will be working with people of different world views. Instead of responding with fear or stereotypes, start by listening, and not assuming the assumptions of the other person.<br /><br />It's a good place to start.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(end of useful bit, beginning of rant)</span><br /><br />I find it ironic that in largely liberal New Zealand it's fashionable to characterise Christians - particularly American Christians - as intolerant bigots who can't handle diversity. The experience of a Christian in New Zealand is very different. If anything, Christians and other religious people have to examine their own beliefs, and adapt to the "real world" more carefully than do the majority of the population.<br /><br />It bugs me when I hear people stereotype Christians while pretending to take the moral high ground by being - whatever they are. But I've realised the only way to deal with it is to ... hello, walk the talk, turn the other cheek, and get on with life!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(end of rant!)</span>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1164066097592801662006-11-21T12:16:00.000+13:002006-11-21T12:41:38.490+13:00DesignDesign is becoming a key component of management and leadership. So it's interesting to read <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/109/open-debate-extra.html">this debate in Fast Company</a> between the well-informed, sensible Joe Duffy and the elitist, old-fashioned Andrew Keen.<br /><br />(As you can tell, I've picked sides on this debate!)Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1162760892143177462006-11-06T10:02:00.000+13:002006-11-06T10:14:21.066+13:00Semi review: Flags of our Fathers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/fallmovie_guide_Flags.hmedium.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/fallmovie_guide_Flags.hmedium.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This is a semi-review because I'm only going to pick one tiny thing out of this story while ignoring the larger story.<br /><br />In <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418689/">Flags of our Fathers</a> the platoon sergeant Mike Strank is offered a promotion but turns it down because he promised that he personally would bring his men back home to their mothers. He knows it's a risky decision, and later pays for it with his life.<br /><br />The stakes are a little lower in the corporate world today, but there still is the issue that promotion often involves taking someone out of what they do best, and into something they may not be best suited for.<br /><br />It's an issue many people struggle with - are there answers to it? Does promotion always have to include moving further away from the front line? I don't know, but I'd be interested to find out.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1162588154429924572006-11-04T10:07:00.000+13:002006-11-04T10:09:14.446+13:00What Great Managers DoA quote from a podcast I recently listened to from <a href="http://hbsp2.libsyn.com/">HBR's Ideacast</a>:<br /><blockquote><br />"Great managers seek the right fit for a person's talent; they work to see he is rewarded for his performance and they endeavour to ensure his talent is developed through progressively more challenging and meaningful assignments."</blockquote>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1162586971583651852006-11-04T09:45:00.000+13:002006-11-04T09:49:31.606+13:00NZ not really that innovative after all<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/lightbulb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/lightbulb.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />A study has come out that sort of shatters the myth about NZ being a world-leading innovator. Well, that's if the study is well done, which a leading academic doubts.<br /><br />I wrote an article about it for Idealog magazine and you can read it <a href="http://idealog.co.nz/ip-page/features/nz-scrapes-by-on-innovation-report-card.html">here</a>.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1162228671080768672006-10-31T06:10:00.000+13:002006-10-31T06:17:55.213+13:00Review: The Devil Wears Prada<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Some people say it's a great movie if you're a teenage girl, but this bloke in his thirties really enjoyed <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458352/"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Devil Wears Prada</span></a>.<br /><br />It's a typical Faustian tale of temptation and the high price of success. Andrea (Anne Hathaway) takes on a job as PA to the fearsome fashion editor Miranda Priestley. At first it's just a job, until Andrea reaches a crisis point and must decide - will she fit in with her job's impossibly high fashion standards and cater to her boss's every whim, or will she quit? She's not a quitter, so she becomes part of the landscape.<br /><br />It's a good film to watch and think about:<br /><ul><li>toxic working environments</li><li>abusive bosses</li><li>the close relationship between ambition, fear and no imagination</li><li>entrepreneurship as a necessary way out from the madness!</li><li>the importance of our small moral choices - they all add up to big choices</li></ul>Of course, most of us won't face situations so dramatic as Andrea's situation, but it's a good moral exercise to put yourself in her Gucci shoes as you watch this entertaining comedy-drama.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1158814004849132132006-09-21T16:30:00.000+12:002006-09-21T16:46:48.460+12:00Leadership resources you can watch again and again<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/WintersRichard58.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/WintersRichard58.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I've been watching <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.hbo.com/band/landing/currahee.html">Band of Brothers</a> again, having never seen it in its entirety when it came on TV. It's compelling drama, and chock full of leadership lessons.<br /><br />It's worth viewing again and again, if only to figure out who all the characters are! And when you do start to recognise distinct characters, you'll see how cleverly the whole series is put together.<br /><br />Each episode focuses on one character's journey - my favourite is Crossroads, which shows Capt. Winters (above, played by Damian Lewis) dealing with his face-to-face confrontation with a young German soldier. As you get to know the characters, you see the foreshadowing of their journey in earlier episodes, such as Lynn "Buck" Compton's (played by Neal McDonough) slow but definite slide into post traumatic stress disorder.<br /><br />Band of Brothers has obviously inspired many people since its release in 2001, as evidenced by the tributes and leadership resources around the place.<br /><br />Just one word of warning, though. Watching three episodes in a row just before going to sleep is a bad idea, unless you want to be dreaming about death. The realism in this mini-series is superbly done. Because of that, it doesn't glorify war. It does glorify courage, and in the process makes us ask: how can I be courageous today?Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1158529255352519732006-09-18T09:34:00.000+12:002006-09-18T09:40:55.383+12:00Who says women aren't powerful?Whether you're a well-adjusted consumer, a brand slave or a foaming-at-the-mouth anti-corporate type, you can't deny the power of marketing and PR in today's world. Every day we're influenced by carefully-crafted messages from governments, major consumer brands, lobby groups and "the media".<br /><br />So it's interesting to find that roles in those areas are largely made up of women. The latest <a href="http://www.johnbishop.co.nz/writer/articles/art150906.shtml">survey from PRINZ</a> (Public Relations Institute of New Zealand) shows 73% of PR professionals are women, and that's set to grow. A recent <a href="http://diyfilmschool.blogspot.com/2006/08/kiwi-journos-are-french-speaking.html">survey of New Zealand journalists</a> shows a similar, if not so extreme, female skew. As for marketing, I don't know statistically, but I do know anecdotally, there are a lot of women out there.<br /><br />Of course, it brings up the question, are these women really that influential, or are they merely doing the bidding of higher executives who are more often men?Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1158523725415846502006-09-18T08:00:00.000+12:002006-09-18T08:08:45.433+12:00Comment on civilisation from a dream guy"A civilisation based on comfort and convenience won't survive hard times. It will become brutal. A civilisation based on something deeper will produce people who are able to teach the survivors."<br /><br />That's a paraphrase of an interesting comment by Rev. <a href="http://www.jeremytaylor.com/">Jeremy Taylor</a>, a specialist in dream projective work interviewed on <a href="http://www.psychologypodcast.com/">Shrink Rap Radio</a>. He was saying that our dreams can help us get in touch with the answers we need to very real problems in life, especially forming meaning out of suffering.<br /><br />It's interesting listening, not just for the subject matter but to hear someone who really loves their job. Dr. Dave also shares some very valuable insights on staying fresh when you have to teach, present or deliver the same message over and over.<br /><br />Hear the MP3 <a href="http://m.podshow.com/media/77/episodes/25641/shrinkrapradio-25641-09-11-2006.mp3">here</a>.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1158135961754985952006-09-14T11:16:00.000+12:002006-09-14T07:37:23.403+12:00What's better than feedback? Good feedback!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/IMG_3011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/400/IMG_3011.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Okay, so negative feedback can open the door to improvement. Sure. But sometimes it is such a buzz to get some positive feedback, and it inspires you to do better.<br /><br />Marie and I have had a nice couple of weeks of positive feedback.<br /><ol><li>In a competition at Marie's work to garner good ideas, she won two MP3 players for the two ideas she submitted! (Her sister is very happy about the spare MP3 player)</li><li>Marie's second university assignment, an essay, got an A+!</li><li>I filed some stories late (a bad habit I'm working on!) and heard from two separate editors, "Thanks Simon, that story was worth the wait!"</li><li>One editor who hadn't liked my first filed story said, "Thanks for the way you turned that story around!"<br /></li><li>I did a presentation at the <a href="http://www.marketing.org.nz/">Marketing Association</a>'s Practical Email Marketing yesterday, and afterwards one of the co-presenters of the day complimented me on my quiet, calm presentation style.</li></ol>Great stuff, huh?<br /><br />But I'm not just posting this stuff to brag. My point is to gather up as much positive feedback as you can and use it as propellant. There are plenty of challenges ahead if you're going to do something worthwhile. We need constructive criticism, yes, but we also need positive feedback that lets us know what we do well.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">While I'm on the subject, I recently joined </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.trustcite.co.nz/TC423285">Trustcite</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, and if I've worked with you in the past, I'd welcome your f</span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.trustcite.co.nz/TC423285">eedback</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, positive or negative.</span>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1158135388939663902006-09-13T20:04:00.000+12:002006-09-13T20:16:28.970+12:00Company brand or personal brand?I just heard on the <a href="http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/">Duct Tape Marketing</a> podcast that <a href="http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/">Robert Scoble</a>, Microsoft's famous tech evangelist, has left Microsoft. The question for Microsoft now is, who can replace Scoble?<br /><br />This is something that I've puzzled over - not Scoble specifically, but the increasing crossover between company and personal brands that happens with the current shift in marketing.<br /><br />What current shift in marketing? (Which one?) I mean a general move towards high-touch, human-to-human contact. For example, Tom Peters' recent rant about tearing up scripts and letting individuals be individuals.<br /><br />After all, people relate to people, not brands. For example:<br /><ul><li>A company spokesperson or character used in advertising (for example <a href="http://www.asb.co.nz/section725.asp">Goldstein </a>for New Zealand's ASB Bank)</li><li>An editor of the company newsletter<br /></li><li>A retail shop assistant</li><li>A travelling sales rep</li></ul>The question becomes, who do people have the relationship with? The company or the individual?<br /><br />In most cases I'd guess it's the individual. Which is great for the individuals, but what should companies do?<br /><br />It's somewhat of a conundrum, and I can only think of one answer that's not really that helpful in the short term: hire really, really good people. People who like people.<br /><br />Create an organisation that these people are excited about, glad to be part of, and then just let them be themselves. If you've got the environment and the people right, customer satisfaction should look after itself!Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1157625079743760512006-09-07T22:31:00.000+12:002006-09-07T22:31:19.773+12:00Leaders know contemporary culture<a href="http://www.cultureby.com/trilogy/2006/09/advent_of_an_er.html">This Blog Sits at the: Advent of an era? Corporate America finally gets contemporary culture?</a><br /><br />Have you read this guy's blog? Witty, intelligent writing. It's a joy. Even when he has <a href="http://www.cultureby.com/trilogy/2006/09/blogging_mechan.html">nothing to say</a> he says it with panache.<br /><br />Anyway, an interesting critique in the link above about why Tom Freston, former CEO of Viacom, is the former CEO of Viacom: he's out of touch with contemporary culture.<br /><br />Reminds me why I started this blog: to garner the lessons in leadership, business and otherwise, from the everyday examples of pop culture around us. Primarily movies, because I watch a lot of them and want to make them some day. But yes, there's leadership in music as well, if you look.<br /><br />I'd better start looking and listening! This is a call back to the roots of this blog.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1157624430363949392006-09-07T21:59:00.000+12:002006-09-07T22:20:30.383+12:00Yes, another post about Steve Irwin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/IMG_1885.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/400/IMG_1885.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I was going to, tongue-in-cheek, call this post "This Post Is Not About Steve Irwin". Then I was going to write the whole post basically about how <a href="http://news.google.co.nz/news/url?sa=t&ct=nz/0-0&fp=44ff483c24c4b001&ei=yO__RMH_KYP2owKyq43OBw&url=http%3A//english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp%3Farticle_class%3D5%26no%3D315972%26rel_no%3D1&cid=1109268382">Steve</a> <a href="http://news.google.co.nz/news/url?sa=t&ct=nz/0-1&fp=44ff483c24c4b001&ei=yO__RMH_KYP2owKyq43OBw&url=http%3A//service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0%2C1518%2C435635%2C00.html&cid=1109268382">Irwin's</a> <a href="http://news.google.co.nz/news/url?sa=t&ct=nz/1-0&fp=44ff483c24c4b001&ei=yO__RMH_KYP2owKyq43OBw&url=http%3A//www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0%2C21598%2C20356146-5005361%2C00.html&cid=1109336351">death</a> has been <a href="http://news.google.co.nz/news/url?sa=t&ct=nz/1-2&fp=44ff483c24c4b001&ei=yO__RMH_KYP2owKyq43OBw&url=http%3A//www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/localnews/storydisplay.cfm%3Fstoryid%3D3699795%26thesection%3Dlocalnews%26thesubsection%3D%26thesecondsubsection%3D&cid=1109336351">covered</a> in <a href="http://news.google.co.nz/news/url?sa=t&ct=nz/5-0&fp=44ff483c24c4b001&ei=yO__RMH_KYP2owKyq43OBw&url=http%3A//mmorpg.qj.net/tags/steve-irwin/9372&cid=1109330383">the</a> <a href="http://news.google.co.nz/news/url?sa=t&ct=nz/1-0&fp=44ffee4d9e1ab14b&ei=BfH_RPnqA4z8oQK_nPHKBw&url=http%3A//edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/06/death.irwin.greer/&cid=1109299231">media</a> <a href="http://news.google.co.nz/news/url?sa=t&ct=nz/7-0&fp=44ff483c24c4b001&ei=yO__RMH_KYP2owKyq43OBw&url=http%3A//www.dailynews.com/theiropinion/ci_4297360&cid=1109334338">all</a> <a href="http://news.google.co.nz/news/url?sa=t&ct=nz/6-1&fp=44ff483c24c4b001&ei=yO__RMH_KYP2owKyq43OBw&url=http%3A//www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/06/cnna.cousteau/&cid=1109316480">over</a> the <a href="http://news.google.co.nz/news/url?sa=t&ct=nz/3-0&fp=44ff483c24c4b001&ei=yO__RMH_KYP2owKyq43OBw&url=http%3A//www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C212600%2C00.html&cid=0">world</a>, and how I wasn't going to be adding to the cacophony. It was going to be all very ironic.<br /><br /><br />But that's the trouble when someone who makes people laugh and feel great dies. You can only think of them in terms of fun, when this man's loss is so tragic to his family, friends and community.<br /><br />But even though he's gone, he still encourages us. Tonight Marie and I talked as we often do about dreams and the future, about leaving the merely good in favour of the best. If there was ever anyone who truly let you know he was living his dream, 100%, it was that crocodile man, Steve Irwin. Rest in Peace.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1157495039965130952006-09-06T10:21:00.000+12:002006-09-06T10:23:59.986+12:00I am officially amazed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/mtouchsynth_tile.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/mtouchsynth_tile.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Maybe you will be too: <a href="http://videobomb.com/posts/show/3863">The Future of Computing</a>.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1157418913240511692006-09-05T13:12:00.000+12:002006-09-05T13:15:13.256+12:00Can you figure out youth?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/MM-150pxl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/MM-150pxl.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I can't. I only just discovered I wasn't one any more (at least, I don't think so, although they say 40 is the new 30, so what does that make 31?)<br /><br />Anyway, while I don't understand youth, I interviewed a whole bunch of people about youth marketing and wrote this month's cover story for <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.marketingmag.co.nz/">NZ Marketing Magazine</a>. You'll have to buy a dead-tree copy to read the article, but you can be teased a little by my <a href="http://www.simonyoungwriters.com/Section?Action=View&Section_id=35&Story_id=1482">teaser copy here</a>.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1157326552985551452006-09-04T11:16:00.000+12:002006-09-04T11:35:53.003+12:00Other peopleSome great links about working with others in this morning's email from <a href="http://unlimited.co.nz/unlimited.nsf/bestplaces/54803503A9BF315ACC25702000772014">Unlimited's Best Places to Work</a>.<br /><br />First, a <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/107/playbook-getting-ahead.html">Fast Company story</a> about how having a best friend at work makes work more engaging.<br /><blockquote>When people leave an organization after a short time, they often talk about how they weren't able to connect with someone. On the flip side, there is something about those relationships that keeps people in jobs, too. We talked to a woman who was an executive at a nonprofit. She decided she was going to quit. That Sunday, her best friend from work called and talked about how much he valued her friendship. She ended up staying there several more years.</blockquote>We crave connection; that's why MySpace, YouTube and Blogger exist.<br /><br />The other story, from the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/employment-news/excuse-me-i-am-trying-to-work/2006/08/18/1155407990232.html">Sydney Morning Herald</a>, quotes research that shows we lose two hours of productive time each day because of technological and people annoyances.<br /><blockquote>Once your attention span is disrupted, it takes time to recouple yourself to your previous train of thought. If you are interrupted while trying to remember what it was you were meant to be doing, you might as well call it quits. The University of California study found that more than 20 per cent of interrupted tasks were not resumed the same day.</blockquote>Holy crap. That's terrible.<br /><br />While the first story makes me maybe wish I had a "normal" job, the second story gives me hope that - if I can stop distracting myself! - I'll be much more productive working here from home.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1156793974517259622006-08-29T07:39:00.000+12:002006-08-29T07:39:34.626+12:00Constant innovation, constant disruption<a href="http://xplane.com/bblog/index.php?p=1962&c=1">This article</a> or rather the one it links to, says the increasing pace of change is normal in the new economy.<br /><br />Quote:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Innovation is disruption; constant innovation is perpetual disruption. ... [R]obust growth sustains itself by poising on the edge of constant chaos." </blockquote><br /><br />If this is true, then the skills of self-management become ever more important. Knowing and defining your own career path, whatever your role, is going to be a crucial success factor in coming years (in fact even now).<br /><br />What does this mean, though, for those who struggle to get by? The people who genuinely can only cope with a day-to-day, 9-to-5 job? How can Unions and Employers help people in this new world?Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1156714719767534592006-08-28T09:24:00.000+12:002006-08-28T09:38:39.786+12:00The Open Hearted CEOI'm reading <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743258398/thesimonyoungsit?creative=327641&camp=14573&adid=1E3V6QPCC5K48JFFBAYS&link_code=as1">One Billion Customers</a>, a book full of the harrowing cross-cultural misunderstandings that happen as Western companies try to do business with the most populous country in the world, China. <br /><br />It's full of amazing characters on both sides who show the kind of leadership that's needed when reaching out to a completely different culture.<br /><br />One such leader is - or rather was - Austin Koenen. He was arguably the most successful CEO of the embattled China International Capital Corporation (CICC), the first joint venture between a government-owned Chinese enterprise and a foreign company (Morgan Stanley).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">One Billion Customers</span> describes Koenen's approach:<br /><br />"Chinese who worked with Koenen often used the same word to describe him: 'openhearted'. They meant they trusted his sincerity and believed that he genuinely cared about their careers and lives. Behaviour imperatives in Chinese culture are extremely negative and fairness isn't a hallmark of the society. Parents motivate their children by focusing on their faults and inadequacies. The government rules through control, shame, and a ubiquitous presence.<br /><br />Worries about retribution for making mistakes guide the actions of most employees. Thus CICC's employees were extremely receptive to genuine kindness, sincerity and coaching from their new boss, whose competence was without question. For many, it was the first time in their lives that somebody in authority had treated them kindly."<br /><br />Koenen also implemented systems and procedures to help the double-headed monster turn into a single entity, but his human kindness probably was his greatest heritage.<br /><br />Sadly, Koenen died of a heart attack in 1998, and the CICC joint venture split up in 2002. Unfortunately, sometimes it an individual really does stand between success and failure.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1156212110900881172006-08-22T14:01:00.000+12:002006-08-22T14:01:51.323+12:00Idealog hits the big time—from day one<a href="http://idealog.co.nz/content/view/231/50/">Idealog - Idealog hits the big time—from day one<br /></a><br />It's so cool to be associated with a winner! Consider this bragging by default.<br /><blockquote><br />"Official figures released by the Audit Bureau of Circulation today show <em>Idealog’s</em> total New Zealand net circulation is 12,221. This is a great result. It puts <em>Idealog</em> almost on equal footing with the weekly newspaper <em>National Business Review</em> in circulation, and significantly ahead of all our major competitors,” says<br />co-publisher Martin Bell."<p></p></blockquote>I'm glad that I ignored the little voice in my head that said there wasn't room for another <span style="font-style: italic;">Fast Company</span>-style magazine in New Zealand. Sometimes the little voice is helpful; other times it's a damned pain.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1155693342185270752006-08-16T13:54:00.000+12:002006-08-16T13:55:42.206+12:00Schadenfreude<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/Photo%20124.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/Photo%20124.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>My mum was reading my article in the latest <a href="http://idealog.co.nz/">Idealog</a> on bad design.<br /><br />"It's interesting," she said, "but there's a long word I don't know."<br /><span class="down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span><br />Puzzled, I asked what it was. "Some sort of German word..."<br /><br />Ah. <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/schadenfreude">Schadenfreude</a>. "To take pleasure in someone else's misfortune." Quite unlike the <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/61/52/G0075200.html">Gemutlich</a> stereotype of Germans.<br /><br />Anyway the fact that she hadn't heard of that word made me worried. After telling so many for so long that they needed to make their language clear and understandable, have I become an elitist pig?<br /><br />Then I remembered where I first discovered Schadenfreude (the word, anyway) - <a href="http://www.thesimpsons.com/">Lisa Simpson</a>.<br /><br />For the sake of clarity, avoid watching the Simpsons! It can really obfuscate your clarity!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(The above picture has nothing to do with this post) </span>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843280.post-1155610942962410222006-08-15T14:46:00.000+12:002006-08-15T15:02:22.980+12:00The struggle for balance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/1600/Photo%20141.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3231/48/320/Photo%20141.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Writing words for a living can really take it out of you. Especially when it comes to relaxing.<br /><br />Being a literarily inclined fellow, my leisure activities tend to consist of:<br /><ul><li>Reading</li><li>Watching movies</li><li>Listening to podcasts</li><li>Blogging!</li></ul>Trouble is, those so-called leisure activities eat up just the same brain cells that my "day job" does - particularly when I'm trying to do two of them at a time (a frequent occurence).<br /><br />So I'm not meaning to contradict my previous post on how noise bulks up your brain, but sometimes... after a few long work days and lots of interviewing... I just need a bit of:<br /><ul><li>music (instrumental)</li><li>walking and other exercise</li><li>cooking (although that's usually done while listening to a podcast!)</li><li>silent, reverent contemplation</li></ul>That last one doesn't come naturally to me. I've only been developing the habit of shutting up for a while after going to a church that practices it in its worship services.<br /><br />I remember sitting there at church one time contemplating the incredible light from a candle. I was thinking, "there's really good quality silence here".<br /><br />Crazy, isn't it? As a culture we need specific places to go to enjoy what's always available - for physical exercise, we run on a treadmill inside a gym. For contemplation, we go to a purpose-built church.<br /><br />Ah, it's not that crazy, really. Not when you consider the kind of world we live in now.<br /><br />I was thinking about prayer in the business world the other day. If you're not religiously inclined, just imagine I'm talking about meditation.<br /><br />The current "state of the world" demands we think of things in terms of currency (ie it's current, I don't mean money), scarcity and immediacy. That's why newscasts are so popular - and addictive.<br /><br />During the recent war in Israel and Lebanon I've had news from so many sources - but when I analysed it, I wasn't getting a better understanding of it at all. I was picking up the raw emotions involved - and that wasn't helping me, or the situation in the Middle East.<br /><br />So this week - simply because I feel I need it - I'm easing back on the information flow just a little, in that eternal search for balance.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657138758289333314noreply@blogger.com0