When I started my business in January of 2008, the decision was made to write a business blog as part of the whole process. Little did I know then that it would become an integral part of my operation.
The commitment was made to keep it strictly business, and to specifically add value to the markets I served: Print, the Book, Family-Owned, Sales Growth, Strategic Planning, & Executive Mentoring. Because much of on-line material is poorly written & self-serving, I was also determined to be brief and to the point; hopefully a 3-4 minute read would be the maximum.
Talking to those who are readers now, remembering back on how I felt, and looking back at that first post, it seems to have developed accordingly. What has been a surprise is the way in which I have been able to use most of the postings after the fact.
Issues develop, within all markets, and they are made up of multiple pros & cons. These make for good blogging topics. In looking at them objectively, if I decided to write about them, a good deal of preparation was required. In researching them, there has been unexpected learning on my part, which has enabled me to use these issues to add value to current & potential clients. Threads of content, best business practices, and sound advice resulted, almost by accident. With high standards, while putting my thoughts on paper, they became more refined, better organized, and have provided more value to the client.
I also began to use them in public speaking engagements and magazine articles. They were also reprinted in article format and used for marketing pieces that established & supported not only that with which I was competent, but gave insights as to how it might be accomplished. As I have stressed all along, how we perform is often more critical that what we actually do.
During the Holiday Season, the pace slows for some of us. Accordingly it might be a good time to page back & review those you may have missed. There are at least 8articles on Digital Print (such as Digital Print & the Future of the Book 2/14/08 & Twilight of the Books 2/27/08); 8 on Sales issues (such as Energizing Sales in Tough Times 1/29/09 & Sales Turnaround in 30 Days 4/1/09); 5 on Family-Owned (such as 10/15/08 Getting Family Owned Businesses Right: Ten Principles that will Make Everyone's' Lives Easier 10/15/08 & Subjective Dynamics of Family Owned Businesses 6/29/09).
There are also 11 on the Book & it’s future (such as Bill Gates & Textbooks 6/27/08 & The Kindle Achilles Heel 9/15/09); 13 on Executive Mentoring (such as Executives & Fierce Conversations 9/10/08 & Accountability - An All too Rare Gem 6/23/09); 6 on Strategic Planning (such as Is Your Growth Random, or Planned & Focused? 4/24/08 & Discovering the Value of Strategic Planning 9/8/08); and 9 on Difficult Economic Times (such as Navigating Through the Perfect Storm: A Counter intuitive Approach can Strengthen Your Emergence 12/5/08 & EQ - Emotional Intelligence: Its Importance to Economic Recovery 3/24/09).
As always, let me know your thoughts; they help define who I am, and who I hope to become.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Business Side of On-line Communication
At the risk of seeming older & “frumpier”, I feel the need to state some of my concerns surrounding Face Book, Twitter, & texting and e-mail in general. Certainly, it’s OK to have the right & need to communicate & express ourselves on-line, especially as a younger person. What we often fail to see, however, are the consequences to family, & other friends. When peers, clients, & suppliers come into play in the business world, it’s even more complicated.
Here’s the problem: When we are face to face with another person, why would we want to spend time communicating to others who are not present? The issue is the same if a businessperson is reading his e-mail on his Blackberry while in a committee or customer meeting. In this case, multitasking is not a strength. Our “in person” attention, when given to another, is a gift. It is also much more effective.
For years now, I’ve witnessed managers spending most of their day immersed in e-mails instead of venturing out of their office to be WITH most of the senders! These folks are not ignoring others directly when they over-rely on their e-mail, but they are ignoring them nonetheless.
Here are some suggestions:
1) Do your texting, Face Book, & Tweeting when you are alone, not even in front of others, let alone when you are supposed to be interacting with them.
2) To accomplish #1, budget a certain amount of time for your social networking; then stick to it. Don’t allow it to take more of your time than you wish.
3) Just as you should develop an e-mail routine while in your office, create one while traveling with your Blackberry. Both should be accomplished in private & take a finite amount of time, otherwise, why would you spend the time & money to travel?
4) Evaluate the benefits of all your time spent communicating, including written, electronically, and face to face. Your methods should be accomplished from a decision based on not only what you need & want, but what your family, people, suppliers, & customers want.
Please understand. I believe electronic communication has not only entered our world permanently, but for the better. We just need to control it for the greater good, like much of the rest of our lives. People, real in-person people, and our relationships with them,
will still remain the most important ingredient in our happiness & success.
Here’s the problem: When we are face to face with another person, why would we want to spend time communicating to others who are not present? The issue is the same if a businessperson is reading his e-mail on his Blackberry while in a committee or customer meeting. In this case, multitasking is not a strength. Our “in person” attention, when given to another, is a gift. It is also much more effective.
For years now, I’ve witnessed managers spending most of their day immersed in e-mails instead of venturing out of their office to be WITH most of the senders! These folks are not ignoring others directly when they over-rely on their e-mail, but they are ignoring them nonetheless.
Here are some suggestions:
1) Do your texting, Face Book, & Tweeting when you are alone, not even in front of others, let alone when you are supposed to be interacting with them.
2) To accomplish #1, budget a certain amount of time for your social networking; then stick to it. Don’t allow it to take more of your time than you wish.
3) Just as you should develop an e-mail routine while in your office, create one while traveling with your Blackberry. Both should be accomplished in private & take a finite amount of time, otherwise, why would you spend the time & money to travel?
4) Evaluate the benefits of all your time spent communicating, including written, electronically, and face to face. Your methods should be accomplished from a decision based on not only what you need & want, but what your family, people, suppliers, & customers want.
Please understand. I believe electronic communication has not only entered our world permanently, but for the better. We just need to control it for the greater good, like much of the rest of our lives. People, real in-person people, and our relationships with them,
will still remain the most important ingredient in our happiness & success.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Books & the Triple Whammy
It seems like just a few months ago . . . the Book Industry was believing that printed books, as we have known them, would pretty much endure for ever. Even despite the periodical economic fluctuations and the new threat of the e-books, it seemed sacred.
Some of us, at the risk of being zealots expressed concern (see my blogs: 2/13/08 Kindle Evaluation; 2/14/08 Digital Printing & the Future of the Book; 2/27/08 Twilight of the Books; 4/10/08 In Case You Haven't Noticed. . .; 6/27/08 Bill Gates, PC's, & Textbooks) Some ignored it completely; most were in between.
Enter an unprecedented economic collapse in 2008, in the midst of growing Kindle & other e-books use. Follow that with electronic delivery of intellectual material, and throw in a $40 million multi-year contract, for a computer-based teaching system, between Houghton Mifflin Harcourt & the Detroit Public Schools, and there is realization that the Book is in crisis.
The economic problems will moderate at some point, but better minds than I (PRIMIR) say that the "handwriting is on the wall." The Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization (PRIMIR) states that the e-book is already affecting the College textbook market as is the electronic delivery of content. Now with the Houghton contract in Detroit, the way is shown to drastically affect the El-HI textbook market.
Printing Industries of America (PIA) has recognized this & is sounding the call. Book Manufacturers Institute, of which I am a member, has accepted the importance of the entire digital workflow. They are establishing a Digital Roundtable where members may gather to share their questions, answers, and other information on the whole workflow. I was fortunate enough to have been asked to facilitate this endeavor, and look forward to assist in creating our new future.
Where does this leave us? Well, as I stated in the "Twilight of the Books", almost 2years ago: "...we should be willing to change ourselves, & the way we look at things, and do them. Why? Because it is the right thing...and the status quo will kill us."
Some of us, at the risk of being zealots expressed concern (see my blogs: 2/13/08 Kindle Evaluation; 2/14/08 Digital Printing & the Future of the Book; 2/27/08 Twilight of the Books; 4/10/08 In Case You Haven't Noticed. . .; 6/27/08 Bill Gates, PC's, & Textbooks) Some ignored it completely; most were in between.
Enter an unprecedented economic collapse in 2008, in the midst of growing Kindle & other e-books use. Follow that with electronic delivery of intellectual material, and throw in a $40 million multi-year contract, for a computer-based teaching system, between Houghton Mifflin Harcourt & the Detroit Public Schools, and there is realization that the Book is in crisis.
The economic problems will moderate at some point, but better minds than I (PRIMIR) say that the "handwriting is on the wall." The Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization (PRIMIR) states that the e-book is already affecting the College textbook market as is the electronic delivery of content. Now with the Houghton contract in Detroit, the way is shown to drastically affect the El-HI textbook market.
Printing Industries of America (PIA) has recognized this & is sounding the call. Book Manufacturers Institute, of which I am a member, has accepted the importance of the entire digital workflow. They are establishing a Digital Roundtable where members may gather to share their questions, answers, and other information on the whole workflow. I was fortunate enough to have been asked to facilitate this endeavor, and look forward to assist in creating our new future.
Where does this leave us? Well, as I stated in the "Twilight of the Books", almost 2years ago: "...we should be willing to change ourselves, & the way we look at things, and do them. Why? Because it is the right thing...and the status quo will kill us."
When Should You Assemble an Advisory Board?
Recently a client of mine, knowing that I enjoy teaching & learning through reading, gave me an article on assembling a Board of Advisers. This is a topic many medium sized businesses should at least consider, Family-Owned and companies with unclear succession plans, especially so. Don't be lulled by our current down economy; times will change, and we need to systematically provide for our future, especially when questions surround it.
The question I'd like to put forward here is: Should we embark upon Strategic Planning (SP) before, or following, establishing the Board? When putting the Board together after SP, the Board assists and guides in the implementation of the Plan. The "what" has been decided; the "how" is what the Board addresses.
When the Board is established before SP, it will have a significant impact on new products and markets, expansion or contraction of existing ones, & even Succession Planning (SSP), depending on how it's empowered. Both the "what" & "how" are influenced by the Board. I say this because it has been my experience that SP leads to SSP, if that issue exists, which is often the case with Family-Owned businesses.
Often, within a Family-Owned Business, the direction (for future good or bad) has been set. If the business is healthy, all are comfortable, & in agreement, then the Board assembly issue can happen later, or not at all. If doubt and/or conflict regarding the future exists, then it may be time for at least a consultant, and perhaps later a Board.
The point of all this is to make a PROCESS (see 10/28/09 blog) of determining your future by considering and anticipating these issues. What worked in the past has no guarantee for the future; listen to those around you. If more experience is required, then summon the help you need.
The question I'd like to put forward here is: Should we embark upon Strategic Planning (SP) before, or following, establishing the Board? When putting the Board together after SP, the Board assists and guides in the implementation of the Plan. The "what" has been decided; the "how" is what the Board addresses.
When the Board is established before SP, it will have a significant impact on new products and markets, expansion or contraction of existing ones, & even Succession Planning (SSP), depending on how it's empowered. Both the "what" & "how" are influenced by the Board. I say this because it has been my experience that SP leads to SSP, if that issue exists, which is often the case with Family-Owned businesses.
Often, within a Family-Owned Business, the direction (for future good or bad) has been set. If the business is healthy, all are comfortable, & in agreement, then the Board assembly issue can happen later, or not at all. If doubt and/or conflict regarding the future exists, then it may be time for at least a consultant, and perhaps later a Board.
The point of all this is to make a PROCESS (see 10/28/09 blog) of determining your future by considering and anticipating these issues. What worked in the past has no guarantee for the future; listen to those around you. If more experience is required, then summon the help you need.
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