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"Bad Leaders do bad things.  

They can turn a company upside down."

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    Monday
    Jan252010

    Bad Social Media Leaders

     

    Most of us can agree that the most misused word of the past year was: Twitter.  

    If I hear one more person use the word Twitter in a business meeting, I am going to throw them out of the meeting.  (Or the closest window...)

    It seems that ever since Oprah said the word "Twitter" …it is the word of choice with salespeople.

    -------

    This past week, I listened to a multi-million dollar company brag about their social media expertise and that they were "on Twitter."

    So, I checked them out.  Turns out they had less than 150 followers and had posted less than 100 tweets in over a year of being "on Twitter."  

     Extremely deep experience here.

    -------

    Actual quote heard from a salesperson in a sales pitch the other day:

    "We are experts at social media.  You know that LinkedIn thing?" (said with a sense of wonderment, like the audience should be amazed)  

    "...well, we linked in to that LinkedIn... and now we link in with others on LinkedIn.” 

    Right.  Sure you did.

    -------

    Of course, the silver lining for all of those claiming your company is an expert at social media…? 

    At this time, no one is an expert at social media.  

     

    What are your experiences with companies "claiming" to be social media experts?  Please share in the comments.

     

    Comment3 Comments |
    DateMonday, January 25, 2010 at 09:00AM
    Friday
    Dec182009

    Gary Vaynerchuk Speaks

     

    Monday night (Dec 14) I stopped by Gary Vaynerchuk's book signing.  He was in Atlanta promoting his NY Times bestseller "Crush It."

    If you are not familiar with Gary (@garyvee on Twitter) check out his book here and his WineLibrary.TV website.  For those who are Gary V fans, here are my quick thoughts and takeaways from his talk.  
    Some of the following are my interpretations of what Gary said...but I will try to keep close to his original thoughts:

    Find Your Passion and Pursue It

    If you are familiar with Gary and Crush It, you probably know that he believes the path to success and happiness is found by following your personal passion.  He states that it does not matter if your passion is coffee, gardening, or whatever.  You have to have passion about your topic.  If you do not, you will not be happy, and your audience will detect your insincerity.

    The Really Really Really Long Tail

    Gary talked about the fact that the marketing world is really shaken up right now and that most people really do not understand what is happening in the shift to online marketing.  He believes that "The Long Tail" is a REALLY REALLY REALLY long tail and that most people are going to make the mistake of underestimating the niche plays of the future.  He made the statement that the #48th player in a niche in coming years would be able to make $80K/year online.  Not bad for 48th place.

    Speaking of Niche

    Gary believes the future of business is niche.  It is not about price... it is about customer service.  He predicts a return to smaller businesses that provide higher levels of personalization and service.  Zappos was singled out many times as the current pinnacle of service over price.
    Gary said this is not going to happen overnight, but that he believes in his lifetime online business will be ruled by niche players.

    Getting Yourself Out There

    Responding to a question from the audience about how to get started, Gary said that the mistake most people make it simply posting content.  He said that you cannot just "post content" and expect your community to show up at your doorstep.
     
    Rather, he advocated that you should be doing a minimum to get your content out there.  You need to be finding and interacting with those that are in your niche.  This participation is what will build a community.  
    Gary stated you should be spending 10-20x the amount of time seeking out your audience than you do posting content.

    It is Hard Work... and Most People Won't Do It.

    It's hard... it is like exercise.  You build momemtum over time, but most people do not have the discipline to pursue and put in the hard work.

    You Don't Need Stuff (aka: It is Not All About Money)

    This was an interesting topic.  Gary was very blunt that too many people are "in it looking for big money."  He believes it is not about the money, it is about being happy and excited about what you are doing.  People overestimate how money and stuff make you happy.  True hapiness comes from waking up in the morning and being genuinely excited about your day.
     
    He stated that too many people try to buy happiness with gadgets, cars, etc.  You really don't need all that stuff.  People really need very little.  Family, friends, passion, purpose.

    No Other Time in History

    Gary pointed out that we are at an unprecedented point in history when it comes to starting your own business.
    Never has there been a time when the cost of entry or risk has been lower.  You can get online and start your business for almost nothing and you don't have to quit your day job while doing it.
    Gary pointed out that generations before us had to take immense risk in quitting their job to try and pursue their dream business.  You can now do it in your spare time.  
    He does not agree when people say that they have to give up their day job to start their passion.  He even advised getting a low paying or part time job instead of quitting the workforce altogether to work on your side business.

    Summary

    Gary Vaynerchuk oozes passion.  His material is extremely motivational.  His book "Crush It" give you the instructions and tools to pursue your passion.  If you have not seen his show, go to WineLibrary.tv.  If you haven't read his book... go get it right here, right now. :)

     

    Comment1 Comment |
    DateFriday, December 18, 2009 at 05:53AM
    Monday
    Dec142009

    Why Tiger Woods Got Fired

    I am thinking this will be the last post on poor Tiger Woods.  I have already discussed Tiger's issues with the the Truth here and here.

    But, I wanted to answer the very simple question, "Why did Tiger Woods get fired?"

    Accenture has announced they are canceling their spokesman contract with him.  Gillette and AT&T have also started to distance themselves.

    It is pretty simple.

    Tiger got fired because he didn't do his job.  

    Just like lots of other people who lose their employment, he did not do his duties.

    Without even discussing Tiger's right to privacy, etc., Tiger did not emulate an image that was appropriate for his spokesman duties.

    End of story.  End of job.

     

    Comment1 Comment |
    DateMonday, December 14, 2009 at 05:31AM
    Wednesday
    Dec092009

    Tiger & the Truth 2 - "The Truth Doesn't Change"

    Things seem to keep getting worse and worse for poor Tiger Woods. 

    As I discussed in the "Tiger & the Truth - 3 Lessons," good leaders know that the quickest resolution to a crisis is "the Truth in an expediant manner."

    Tiger neither came forward quickly (some would argue that he has yet to come forward), nor has the truth been revealed.

    What I want to discuss today is...the Truth doesn't change.  Good leaders know that when stories change, it is not the Truth.

    And the bottom line is... Tiger is losing the Truth war.

    ----------------------

    Tiger has yet to come forward with any version of the truth.  His tactic at this point has been to hide and hope this all goes away.

    Unfortunately, for him, it will not go away.  Nor will the media.

    So, he will have to re-emerge at some point.  And by delaying it, his is only making things infinitely worse.

    By waiting, he is letting the public believe:

    • That he is dishonest
    • That the truth has yet to come out
    • That things are probably much worse than has been revealed

    ------------------------------

    The bottom line is... The Truth Doesn't Change.

    And when it does... it is a lie.  The details surrounding Tiger have changed so much that everyone knows that the Truth is not out there.

    A Navy Story...

    When I was an officer in the Navy, one of my sailors did not show up for work one day.

    He was eventually tracked down, he was at the hospital with a broken arm.  The immediate story was that he had fallen down a set of stairs.

    When he got to work, he had scratches on his face and hands.  It was pretty obvious that his injuries did not appear to be from a fall.

    When asked about the details, it did not take long before the story took a major turn.  He did not fall down the stairs...  

    Actually, a motorcycle fell on him.

    "Excuse me?  It fell on you?"

    "Well... My friend was showing me his new motorcycle and it fell over on me."

    "Where was this?"

    "Well, actually, we were at Tommy's friend's house."

    "Why?"

    "Well, it was a party."

    "When?"

    "Well, it was around midnight... and um, we had been drinking all night."

    "And what happened then?"

    "Well, I was sitting on the bike.  And I was showing off by revving it, and I accidentily put it in gear and it took off."

    "And?"

    "Well, I lost control of the bike and ran into a brick wall.  The bike was pretty damaged."

     

    So which version of this story did you believe?

     

    1. Fell down the stairs
    2. Looking at motorcycle and it fell on him
    3. He and friends were drunk and he ran his friend's new bike into a brick wall 

     

     

    3 things Good Leaders know about the Truth

     

    1. When little details change... you are not getting the truth.  Especially listen for small changes in initial versions of a story.
    2. If it sounds too improbable...it probably is.
    3. The shortest version of any story is the truth.  Tall tales are long tales.  The longer and more detail that is added probably means you are not getting the straight scoop.

     

    What are you best examples of Truth stories?  Please share...

     

    Comment1 Comment |
    DateWednesday, December 9, 2009 at 06:34AM
    Tuesday
    Dec082009

    Good People Quit Bad Leaders

    Have you ever quit a job because of a Bad Leader or boss?

    Most people have.  Studies show that the #1 reason that people will most often leave a job is due to their direct supervisor.

    Bad Leaders are good at driving people out of an orgnization.  But, for the wrong reasons.

    Is your company losing its good talent due to Bad Leaders?  When this occurs, the hidden costs to the company in terms of turnover and lost skills are often incalculable.

    Sometimes trends like this will go on for long periods without notice.  This is especially true in companies where leaders are not held accountable for their team turnover.

    Amazingly, some Bad Leaders will even try to take credit for the massive turn in their teams.  "I was cleaning up the talent pool."  Umm, not really.

    Does this occur at your company?  

    And remember, people tend to quit Bad Leaders not bad jobs.

    Comment2 Comments |
    DateTuesday, December 8, 2009 at 06:05AM
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