More than a living

Transparency. It's not just for companies, anymore

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Is lying holding you back? Yes, yes, yes. “transparency” is a complete buzzword. I agree.

What’s a better word or phrase?

Honesty
Telling the truth
Not lying
Not fudging
Telling it straight
The real deal
That’s how I roll

You get the point.

But to be blunt, lying has become as commonplace in businesses as, well, breathing. So, businesses have come under a great deal of scrutiny. And, because of that, the public has made a seemingly simple request.

Tell the truth.

Well, you know what? It’s not just businesses that make a habit of lying.

You know what I’m talking about. Have you read your resume lately?

I mean, it might not be outright lying, but I think you see where I’m going.

“Oh, it’s just a little polish.”

Turtle Wax doesn’t have that much polish, my friend.

So why not try this? Why not try writing the exact opposite of what you’ve got right now?

So, if your current summary reads:

Motivated self-starter with extensive marketing experience. Detailed understanding of management. Very experienced with product marketing in a startup environment. Team player.

Rewrite it to read the opposite:

Unmotivated slacker with no marketing experience. I don’t understand management. I mean, at all. Little experience, if any, with product marketing. I don’t play well with others. Ever.

Seems a bit ridiculous, now, doesn’t it?

Well, so does the original.

And I mean, really, when it comes right down to it, would you want to work for a company that believed those lies? Oopie. I mean, polish.

Well, would you?

Posted in Honesty | 1 Comment

Define success

Posted on August 1, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Define success Two little words. But they can provide a whole lot of clarity.

“Define success.”

Say it to yourself. Say it to your boss. Say it to your client.

“Define success.”

Forming the response to this question does two, critically important things:

It forces you to consider what “success” really means for this particular case.
It sets a definitive objective for your effort.

So many times, “define success” is used on an amorphous macro level.

“Retire early.”

“Travel the world.”

“Spend more time with my family.”

But hammering on “define success” at a micro-level is even more powerful.

How are you going to retire early, travel the world, and spend more time with your family? Is that going to happen by tomorrow?

If not, how do you have to be successful tomorrow to keep you working toward that goal? Better yet, how do you have to be successful today?

Define success.

All I had to do to be successful with More than a living, today, was to write a post. Not solve world hunger. Not make it into the New York Times. Not increase the subscriber base.

Write one post.

And I don’t even have to be happy with that post. (I rarely am.)

Success? Write one post.

Define success.

Posted in Success | 5 Comments

You done lost all your [insert town here] privileges

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

You done lost all your Portland privileges So, I’m watching some gangster flick the other night. Basically any gangster flick. Pick one.

At some point in the movie, someone will go and do something dumb. And then the heavy will decide to spare the idiot’s life but revoke all of his “privileges” for a certain town.

Take Marsellus Wallace and Butch Coolidge from Pulp Fiction. Butch “done lost all of his LA privileges.”

Does this include Anaheim? What about the Valley? Is it more of a metropolitan-area thing?

I mean, seriously. Is this a real threat any more?

Well, it is to some people. Some people who think being somewhere has an intrinsic value to conducting business. To people who assume accountability is directly ascribed to where you park your tookus. To those who equate out-of-office autonomy with lack of focus.

You can’t come to my town.

You done lost all of your Portland privileges. Beaverton, okay. Portland, no.

Do you know what these mafioso types do when they get out of the life? These “take away all of your town privileges” types?

They move into middle management. (This is, in fact, what Tony Soprano was about to say when the screen faded to black, “I’ve decided to go into middle management.”)

And then, if you’re a contractor or employee, they insist that you work in their office day in and day out.

I’m serious. It’s exactly the same mindset.

What does location have to do with anything?

I mean, I can understand visiting the office for in-person meetings. Or planning to work in the office one day a week. Or if you’re in a high-touch business.

But let’s be frank. Most of us aren’t high-touch. Most of us are “behind the scenes.”

So having to be in the office, day-in and day-out? Who is that helping?

It’s ludicrous.

As ludicrous, these days, as losing your town privileges.

Posted in Accountability, Autonomy, Corporate Culture, Performance, Productivity | Leave a comment

Sound of one mouth yakking

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

I know. I know.

If you just wanted to listen to me, you would have subscribed to hypocritical. I get that.

But, at least, this is more focused drivel from your truly.

Well, slightly more focused.

Rest assured, gentle reader, Amy and Toby are still working on articles. They’re still here. I haven’t locked them in the basement or taken away their publishing privileges or told them to be quiet.

They’re just a wee bit busy.

So bear with my soliloquies for a bit longer.

They’ll be back.

I promise.

Posted in More than a living | Leave a comment

Some weekend reading and thinking

Posted on July 27, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Thank goodness I don't have to leave my computer this weekend We like to think we’re pretty smart around here at More than a living. But reading and re-reading your own posts can get dull for even me. Sometimes.

When that happens, I like to venture out and do a little extramural blog reading. Being the kind soul that I am, and being how you are my favorite (and, quite frankly, always have been), I thought I might share the following:

The 5, 10, 20 year plan
“At the end of every interview someone inevitably asks ‘Where do you see 37signals in five years? Ten years? 20 years?’ My answer remains the same: ‘Still in business. Beyond that I have no idea.'”
How to Look for a New Job
“The answers to these questions can be difficult, sometimes painful to see written down in black and white. These answers, though, can go a long way toward helping you define whether you are on the right track in terms of developing the set of skills you need for a job into the passion that you have for a vocation.”
The 3 Laws of Online Personal Branding (with apologies to Marshall Kirkpatrick)
“Itâ€™s not enough to write prolifically, to have a great Facebook or LinkedIn page, to comment everywhere or be everywhere.”
Ten New Etiquette Tips for the Workplace
“The new etiquette is driven by the fact that young people who grew up online don’t know how to operate any other way except transparently. The good news is this means they have great social skills; the bad news is they have no idea that they’re breaking all the old rules.”
18 Practical Tips for Living by the Golden Rule
“I will admit that there are strong arguments against the Golden Rule, that there are exceptions and logic arguments that the Golden Rule, taken to extremes, falls apart. Iâ€™m not concerned about that stuff. The truth is, on a day-to-day basis, living by the Golden Rule will make you a better person, will make those around you happier, and will make the community you live in a better place.”
Wanna play work? (Hat tip to KnowHR)
It’s all about selling yourself (out)
“The problem with telling young people to sell themselves is that most of us donâ€™t have much to sell â€“ we lack experience. If you put us in the hot seat and tell us we have to have a vision and a concrete mission statement, weâ€™re going to spew BS like itâ€™s a congressional hearing. Is that what employers really want?”
Advice from top executives, presidents, and CEOs
“We wonâ€™t all be Steve Jobs, but many of us will be the top executives in our respective cities. I recently met with seven of the top Executives, Presidents and CEOs in Madison, Wisconsin. Here are their keys to business and leadership success…”
Evaluating a career opportunity with The Empire
Like I was going to get through this without one self-serving post?

Posted in Insight, Inspiration, More than a living | 1 Comment

People quit people

Posted on July 26, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Will this person manage me well? It’s been said a thousand times, so my saying it one more time won’t hurt. In fact, it may help.

People don’t quit jobs. People quit people.

Why do I mention this, today?

Maybe because I’ve been noticing a recurrent theme in some recent articles and blog postings. The theme that us older folk to really don’t understand how to manage these next few generations coming into the workforce.

I don’t think those articles are wrong. At all. They just gave me pause.

And they reminded me that, “People don’t quit jobs. People quit people.”

And then they go on and do exactly the same job, for different people. And if those people screw up, then the cycle starts all over again. And again. And again.

So, maybe, the next time you’re looking to move on, you can focus on the people with whom you want to work. Rather than the job.

And maybe if you’re running a company, you should spend some time focusing on the people, rather than the task.

Just a thought.

Posted in Leadership, Management, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Top 10 sites your next employer or customer will check

Posted on July 25, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Oopie. Didn't realize you'd find that. So, prior to our CSS search, the last time I had to do any significant due diligence on a potential co-worker was roughly two years ago. And then, I was hiring for a position on the other side of the desk. So, it was an employee, not a contractor.

It dawned on me, this morning, how incredibly different the selection process was, this time around.

Not just because it was hiring a contractor versus hiring an employee, but because of the different landscape that exists, today, for due diligence.

And while it’s like fairly obvious to a lot of you, I thought I would provide a listing of the top 10 sites I used for due diligence during my search for a CSS contractor. And, just for fun, whenever possible I’ll provide a link to my results, so that you can get an idea of the types of information that’s sitting out there.

Google
Nuff said.
LinkedIn or JibberJobber or other “business related” social networks, like Biznik or Zoodango or whatever
While subscribing to some type of business network is far from a pre-requisite, it’s always an interesting indicator of the type of company the person keeps. Especially the “recommendation” section.
Zoominfo or other personal-profile aggregator services
Sure, this is the information they provided. But what does the Web history hold in store for me? Are there a bunch of random references to this person as part of their virtual breadcrumb trail?
Facebook or MySpace or other “personal” social networks
Sometimes more information than you needed or wanted, but always worth a look.
Flickr or YouTube or Viddler or other creative-sharing sites
Especially if you’re hiring for creative positions, these resources can be a valuable indicator of vision. Or, in my case, lack thereof.
Twitter or Pownce or other microblogging sites
These types of sites, like blogs (below), can be a really good way to get a feel for personality, pet peeves, cohorts, and the times that the person likes to work.
Google Blogsearch or Technorati or IceRocket
These types of services will provide a slightly different take. Not only will you get an idea of the person’s writing style, attention to detail, and views, you’ll also get an idea about who is blogging about them.
Del.icio.us or Magnolia or Digg or other bookmarking social networks
Opinion of personal or professional links, aside, these sites will give you a good indicator of what’s important to that person.
Upcoming or other event sites
These sites give you a good history of the types of events the individual attends. Lots of learning or lots of partying? A good mix of both? Or, in my case, no social life whatsoever.
Amazon or Shelfari or other book review sites
What types of literature does this person read? How insightful are his or her comments? Better yet, have they actually written any books? Been quoted or mentioned?
Last and certainly least, Monster or HotJobs or other resume sites
While these sites are becoming more and more useless as a means of finding employees and contractors, they are an exceptional source of historical documentation. Mostly, because people have outdated resumes that they haven’t updated for years. While a LinkedIn profile might describe the last two vice president positions this person held, it’s highly likely that the Monster profile will show you they were flipping burgers two jobs before that.

Oh my. Big Brother is alive and well, I’m afraid.

People hiring are going to be checking this stuff more and more.

Do you have some weeding and/or updating to do? Me, too.

Posted in Branding, Recruiting, Reputation, Tips | 3 Comments

Practicing what we preach

Posted on July 24, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Doing a little soft shoe I was just re-reading “Are you obsolete? Why not?” and thinking, “Man, this guy is completely full of crap. Who listens to this noob?”

And then I realized I had written it.

So, then I thought, “Maybe I should give an example. Practice what I preach. Put my money where my mouth is. Show where the rubber meets the road. Eat my own dogfood…”

And then I rattled off about 50 other platitudes, forgot what I was supposed to be doing, went to do something else, and then decided to read some blogs, when I happened upon a post called “Are you obsolete? Why not?”

Having come full circle, I thought I would provide an anecdote to prove that I do, in fact, try to follow my own advice.

So, this client calls me up, today. Someone with whom I have worked for quite some time.

And she asked if I had time to take on a small PowerPoint job.

I confirmed that I did, and she sent me the specs for the job. She also intimated that they were on an extremely tight timeline.

We got on the phone and started talking through the job, reviewing the existing PDF comp, and scoping the effort required to transform the PDF into an animated PowerPoint presentation.

And that’s when it dawned on me: For what they were doing–in the timeline they were trying to do it–PowerPoint was far from a necessary evil.

“You know,” I said. “The animation in this presentation is fairly unnecessary. It’s going to add time and cost to the project, and you’re working on a tight timeline and set budget.

“If you’re not married to the movement, you may be able to fake this, pretty easily.”

At which point, I talked her through the “full screen” option for Adobe Acrobat.

“To the audience, no one will be able to tell that you’re not presenting from PowerPoint. And that way you won’t waste all the time getting the presentation into PowerPoint. Once your designer is done, the presentation is done.”

She decided to take that recommendation back to the team.

And guess what? I lost the project.

“We’re going to use the full-screen option,” she said. “So there’s nothing for you to do.”

Ta dah! I made myself obsolete.

And the client gained some much needed time and saved a good chunk of budget.

But, fear not, gentle reader. This isn’t some sad foreign film. No, no. There’s a happy ending. It seems there’s another PowerPoint project that may have my name on it.

Go figure.

Posted in Accountability, More than a living, Results, Truth | 1 Comment

Management tip: Top 3 ways to express your gratitude to employees

Posted on July 24, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Communication is key Management, listen up.

You’ve got some good employees working for you. Yes, I know. He is a screw up. You’re right. But the rest of them? The rest of them are diamonds in the rough. The leaders of tomorrow. Pure gold.

But you’re losing them.

Right now, as you read this, they’re busy reading want ads, networking with friends, trying to find ways to get out from under your oppressive and dogmatic regime.

Oh wait. That was a little harsh. Likely true, but harsh.

They are considering their next gig, though. Trust me.

What to do? What to do? Those are some really smart folks, and it would be a shame to lose them. Without them, you would be all alone in a sea of imbecility.

If only there were some way that you could reward those employees for their effort.

Don’t go all white. This isn’t about money. It’s not about a raise. And it’s not really about benefits.

In fact, here’s the shocker: money doesn’t even make the top three.

So, what are these mystical, magical rewards your employees want?

Actually expressing your gratitude.
If you have an employee who has been doing exemplary work, why not do something completely random. Like actually telling them they’ve been doing good work. Employees need feedback. Without feedback, your employees are guessing. And likely guessing incorrectly. This guessing exacerbates their ignorance. Ignorance breeds fear. Fear breeds contempt. And pretty soon, you’re scratching your head wondering why your star has decided to move on to greener pastures. So tell them. Whether they ask or not. Tell them.
Assigning meaningful and challenging work.
Yes, yes. We all realize that someone has to take care of the scullery work. But that doesn’t mean it all has to be ditch digging. Got a really good ditch digger? Why not try expanding that employee’s horizons with more challenging work? Like reporting on the latest ditch to the executive team, allowing them to launch an innovate ditch-digging process, or encouraging them to begin training and managing other ditch diggers? Even better yet, why not ask them what they would like to try doing? Maybe your star ditch digger isn’t–horror of horrors–interested in digging ditches her whole life. Maybe, if you asked, you would find some other projects on which you could focus her. Projects that would give her a sense of fulfillment. Make her feel like she has some meaning in the organization.
Letting them know what’s happening in the rest of the company.
How much do you like it when everyone knows a secret and they won’t tell you? Not very much, I bet. This is how it is working for most managers. They go to meeting after meeting. Absorbing interesting things from other departments. Learning about screw ups. Finding out about successful projects. And yet, when you all-too-well informed managers meet with your employees, what do you do? You ask for even more information. How about a little quid pro quo? Cough up the details. Dish the dirt. Part of feeling like a team is having a common lexicon, a common folklore, and sometimes, just sometimes, having a common enemy. So let your employees know what you know. All of it. As often as you can.

Sensing a theme here? No? Well go back and read it again, then, jerky. I’ll wait.

Okay, how about now? Sensing a theme?

That’s right. It’s all about communication.

Good. What else? That’s right. It was a trick question. There are two themes.

Don’t give me that look. What else?

That’s right, trust.

Trust and communication.

And that is what keeps employees happy. Before raises. And before perks.

Posted in Management, Tips | Leave a comment

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More than a living

Transparency. It's not just for companies, anymore

Top 5 posts for July 2007

Define success

You done lost all your [insert town here] privileges

Sound of one mouth yakking

Some weekend reading and thinking

People quit people

Top 10 sites your next employer or customer will check

Practicing what we preach

Management tip: Top 3 ways to express your gratitude to employees

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