The 4 Intricate Disciplines

There are 4 Intricate Disciplines essential to professional success:
Planning
Execution
Fortitude
Positivity

...of course, there are a million other things that the readers of this blog can site as "absolutely essential" to success. Be that as it may, I would be willing to bet that any more specific skill set would fit in one of the 4 categories mentioned above. Today our mission is to explore the 4 intricate disciplines of professional success and to figure out how to put them into action. Sound simple? It is so very far from simple. Let's dive in.

Some people have amazing strategic planning discipline, others are very good at executing at the point of customer engagement, there are those who have an uncanny ability to persevere in lieu of failure, and some people just know how to find the best in every situation. Which of these areas best characterises your professional excellence? If you execute just one of the 4 intricate disciplines well, you will be successful. If you are able to execute all 4 intricate disciplines really well, every day, you will be a professional Rock Star!

Let's Rock!

All Points Considered
Aaron Levie the CEO of Box has an uncanny ability to articulate solutions in the enterprise with rapid fire precision. It might come as a surprise but Levie's admirable leadership is a result of introspection. The best talkers are not those who talk the most. People who speak well are well thought out. They spend more time preparing what they say than they do saying it. So, in fewer words they can articulate with greater precision.

Preparation is not just a matter of writing a check list. Preparation is the art of fact finding and differentiating a solution that engages personal relevance. The true visionaries rehearse every potential conclusion with the board of directors of their mind.

Showtime
I used to think I could get by on product knowledge and my ability to entertain. I assumed I could call myself an expert if I knew what my product did while possessing the gift of gab. It worked for a while but eventually people got tired of my bravado. I learned to slow down, ask questions, and share knowledge. It is about sharing not grandstanding.

Selling is not telling. You can no longer pretend your good looks and fast tongue will help you succeed.

Know your audience, speak their language, and make it look effortless!

Fall Down, Get Up
I remember getting upset when I heard Michael Jordan proclaim that he had failed more than he had succeeded. It was the point when I realized that there is no finish line. Every day presents a new challenge and those of us wired for success are always seeking a challenge. We are not willing to accept winning as an end point but rather an opportunity to do more.
 
Did you know Rovio failed 51 times before creating Angry Birds. This overnight success took 8 years to develop. Nothing comes easy! Everything that produces interest is a result of hard work and conviction.

Anger is Easy
Anger is a result of frustration. Frustration results from having all the tools but being unable to utilize them in the proper fashion. Everyone possesses massive talent. Most people choose to let their fear prevent their potential. Ultimately, the ability to develop momentum is permanently disabled. This produces bitterness.

The easiest thing in the world is to be negative. To sit on the sidelines with arms crossed, criticizing those in the game. Then there are those who have the moxie to get out there and make things happen. With every effort you are open to criticism, with every failure the naysayers nod in disgust, then you look up and you are on top of the mountain.

"Do or do not, There is no try" - Yoda 

4 Intricate Disciplines
Every day our world is advancing. What an exciting time to be alive. With progress comes competition and the need to do more with greater efficiency. No longer can you be good at just one thing. You have to be good at everything!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave          

Enterprise 2.0 - Part 2.0

Earlier this week, I wrote of the mind meld that is Enterprise 2.0. The Santa Clara Convention Center and the Twitter back channel was filled with awesomeness this week. Consultants, Entrepreneurs and Community Advocates from Major Corporations gathered to contribute their Thought Leadership in development of a strategic approach to Social Media.

As a Social Media Evangelist, I can say this conference was equal parts inspiring and alarming. We are always trying to use technology to support our companies and customers in the best way possible. We want to keep up with trends while protecting our public reputation. It's tricky!

I pointed out the superstars of the convention earlier this week. Today I have a few take aways to challenge those who believe in the power of social media.

The Art of Presenting
I've been to a thousand conferences.....Human Resources, Training, Coaching, Sales, Music Industry....whatever. The thing that differentiates tech conferences like Dreamforce, Tech Crunch and E 2.0 from the others is the matter in which people present.

Two Things to Consider:
1. It seems a lot of the population in the tech industry are young entrepreneurs who are programmers by nature.
2. The Tech Crunch Ethos has created a very narrow window for presenting.

The aforementioned pre-qualifiers make for presentations that are either really good or really bad. The Great Aaron Levie of Box gave a super-charged keynote that included a plethora of information at rapid fire pace. He was focused, fluid, and passionate about the topic he presented. The Twitter back channel seemed lost in his pace of verbosity.....but I thought it was the perfect way to present.

A few things Presenters should be aware of:
1. Don't Product Dump!
2. Don't Tell Us About YOUR company exclusively
3. Act like you are actually interested in your topic
4. Deliver your message with passion

I would consider presenting at Enterprise 2.0 to be a pretty big deal. I was surprised how many people were unprepared. Just kind of reading slides. I understand that not everyone is comfortable presenting in front of people. All you need is a little humor, some energy, and a message that your audience can relate to.

At Dreamforce I saw an Executive from a Fortune 20 get in front of the audience and talk about her company...on and on and on.....The fact that this person is a Millionaire is disconcerting. If I am in the audience to improve my organizational strategy, I don't need a case study on YOUR company's success. I need you to tell me how your strategy can enhance my company. Show me the WHY not the WHAT.

FUN!
The most heated back channel discussion at E 2.0 involved Gamification. There are emerging companies that are using game theory to engage their employees. The crowd of ferociously competitive young professionals seemed put off by the idea that "work" would be a "game". Gen Y stereotype dispelled!

Gamification is a slippery slope. I have no issue with adding a creative way of bringing employees into a forum to showcase their degree of engagement. We got a peek at VMware's Niko Niko, a single-touch daily employee feedback function. There are other concepts of Avatar driven virtual rewards that employees seem to view as a waste of time. As long as the metrics of the "game" attach business critical behaviors to organizational directives a little creative design never hurts.

You Are Welcome   
As evolved as Social Media has become, it can still be a good old boys/girls club. In participating in Social Media people also submit themselves to criticism. The attendees at E 2.0 seem to be aware of this and were thus massively supportive. In a Twitter back channel of thousands of posts, I saw very little negativity. People were also willing to have in-person discussions. The mood was profoundly upbeat. There was not a feeling of competition but a Community of Collaboration. It feels great to walk into a conference with the willingness to share without being judged. Thanks to everyone who made me feel at home in Santa Clara.

Parting Message:
Adoption is Social Media's greatest challenge. People are apprehensive to participate in social media for fear they will have their message misinterpreted, will be judged, and will ultimately have their reputation (and the reputation of their company) damaged.

For those who participate in social media forums.
* Judge Not!
* Try to see all sides
* Be Positive

For those on the fringe.....as I stated earlier this week, Social Media is no longer the elephant in the room ~ it is a Fire Breathing Dragon! It is not a fad, it is not going away, and it will be a pre-qualifier for your next job! It is very important to put your predisposition aside and get your feet wet.

Know this, your reputation will not be damaged if your intentions are good:
a. Share in the interest of everyone
b. Don't assume people think a certain way by researching their profile/company
c. Don't be an asshole!

Collaborate!

Don't Forget to Remember!

- Dave Kovacovich

What Sucks About Conferences

Memorial Day Weekend is the introduction to Summer....which can only mean one thing....It's Conference Time!!! That's right....the time when your company sends you off to an exotic location to spend 3 days in a conference hall learning about the latest industry best practices. You rub elbows with the experts, make a few new friends, acquire a ton of knowledge....and return home with a hangover and a foam Gieco Lizard for the kids!

I have the pleasure of spending my summer weekends as a 'vendor', presenter, and attendee of several conferences in various industries. My time and practice have helped me develop a rhythm for maximizing quality information intake.

There are 2 distinct types of presenters at conferences:
Those who genuinely wish to educate
Those who grandstand in a effort to push their products

I love attending sessions with dynamic speakers! Those who can keep an audience engaged for 45 minutes and leave them asking for more. These masters of public speaking are few and far between at conferences. Far too often we are subjected to 50 powerpoint slides of bland information hosted by a guy in a suit behind a podium saying ummm every fourth word. This sucks!

Another type of presentation that brings me displeasure is a 'vendor' that sponsors the conference who is afforded an opportunity to present. The session is titled "Strategic Finance Management" - you walk in and see a vendor logo presented prominently on the screen. They proceed to spend 45 minutes going through an introduction of their finance management software.....there is no strategy, no relevant information, and you spend the session trying to find the Geico booth on the exhibit hall map.

There are special events at conferences: Happy Hours, luncheons, dinners, and boat cruises. You want to go back to your hotel and sit at the bar for a half hour before getting some well needed rest but your boss told you that you have to network. You board a crowded bus, get to the Boat, and are bombarded by more 'vendors' handing out logo-ed cups and flashing logo necklaces. As you grab some food and seek an uncrowded place to enjoy your first meal of the day. Then you are joined by 6 young men in matching t-shirts. They proceed to spend the evening telling you about how great their products are and how much they want to work with your company. They give you their cards and take yours.....time to catch a cab back to the hotel!!!!!!!

Then there is the exhibit hall. Your boss has asked you to find an incentive planning partner...there are 46 of them exhibiting. They all look the same and they all have the same approach. Scan your badge, give you a logo-ed pen, and say they will have a salesman call you as soon as you get back home.

After visiting 46 companies that look exactly the same, having your lunch ruined by networking 101 bravado, sitting through a product pushing session, and collecting 923business cards; you finally get to the Geico booth....they are out of foam lizards....FUCK!

As you finally make it to the airport you find an empty bar stool. A nice gentleman pours you a beer and offers you a shot for only $1.00 more. You accept. The thought that crosses your mind as you reflect on the conference...

DO THEY THINK I'M STUPID?

I've been gorilla marketed to the point that I will have logo sponsored nightmares for months. I sat through sessions that push products without consideration of audience interest. I've given my cards to 100 gel heads that will spam me for months to come....and I didn't even get a goddamn lizard for the kids.

Department Managers: make no mistake about it, sending your Jr Associates to conferences is very motivating! They will do everything in their power to move up the ladder so they don't have to go to that conference again next year!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave