So many times throughout my life I have heard about people who worked in organizations that didn’t recognize that with true success also comes failure. I believe that great leaders embrace failure as a way to get better. Thomas Edison has also been quoted “we now know 1000 ways not to create a light bulb.” What a positive view! Why don’t we take that approach in other things we do?
In my time in the Army I worked for great bosses who took a similar approach. They encouraged people to try new things. What they asked in exchange was to do a risk assessment to minimize the chance of someone being hurt and to learn from each mistake and not repeat it. How that was done can be applied in any business. Read the rest of this entry »
I recently wrote Santa and asked him for some leadership advice. Think about it, he has a well known brand and he pays nothing for advertising. Santa has a large staff and yet he has better security than any company or country. NOTE: I’ve heard Wikileaks is offering large amounts of money to find out how he makes the toys with no visible sign of revenue, where his workshop is located and of course, how he delivers all the toys in one night.
To my surprise Santa called me today and shared the following advice. Read the rest of this entry »
I participate in several twitter chats each week and even have had the honor of being a guest. Recently I participated in a chat that had a social media specialist from a major brand as a guest and they missed a great opportunity to engage with the participants. Instead they broadcast their message and alienated many of the participants. The following are some thoughts to help you be a guest that people find worth the hour they invest in the chat. Read the rest of this entry »
Imagine having an app on your phone that could do the same thing as a 2D Code (or QR Code) reader but with sounds. That app exists, kind of, and it is call Shazam. For those of you not familiar with the app, Shazam lets you listen to a song, click on the app to identify the song and then buy it. You can also share the song information on your social network.
USA Network and Shazam have recently partnered up to allow viewers of Covert Affairs to connect with other content. Read the rest of this entry »
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
Theodore Roosevelt
Thought: An empowered team with clear direction can achieve more than any individual.
As the size of your team grows you will not be able to be in all places at all times. As a battalion commander (the senior leader for a unit of 625 Soldiers) stationed in the Republic of Korea our unit was given the mission to support the deployment of an infantry brigade to Iraq. To accomplish this task the battalion would be spread out all across the country.
In looking at the plan we determined two things. Read the rest of this entry »
During the last two years I have worked with companies and individuals who want to gain a better understanding of social media and what it can do for them. The simple answer is, if you can’t be found it does nothing for you. In my presentation, Social Media Strategy in 9 Steps, one point I like to raise is that social media is not the field of dreams, you know, “If you build it they will come.” It doesn’t matter what brand you are, people don’t want to have to look for you, you need to be easily found. The best way for this to happen is to appear on the first page of a Google search. A better way is to appear numerous times on that first page of Google. Using my own personal brand, I would like to demonstrate how I have done this. Read the rest of this entry »
With a troubled economy, a still high unemployment rate and the stress of the holidays is it just possible that Klout is a contributing factor to holiday depression? Let me explain why I ask…
As I was enjoying a morning cup of coffee and reading through my Twitter stream I noticed that Klout was getting lots of comments, and most were not very positive. I went and looked at my Klout score. The results for the last week were rather interesting. My score was relatively constant between 51-52 until this morning when it dropped to 50. Today’s drop seemed to be in line with what others were experiencing but to a lesser degree. Read the rest of this entry »
The following are some thoughts for tonight’s #SocialChat in order to give me a chance to focus on answering participant questions and not spend the hour spewing a lot of details. I developed this website to share my experiences and I will provide a few links and additional comments that may help answer some initial questions and generate a deeper discussion.
What can a business learn?
I’ve heard it said “well that’s just the Army.” We learned many things that are relevant to business and here are a few highlights: Read the rest of this entry »
This is part 11 in an 11 part series.
Veterans have experience in cultures all around the world. While most people are only familiar with the deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan service members are stationed all around the globe doing all types of missions. These experiences not only teach them how to deal with people from different cultures, but in some cases help them see things in a new and fresh perspectives.
See my experience with mobile technology as an example. Read the rest of this entry »
This is part 10 in an 11 part series.
The military is an organization that has some of the most advanced technology in the world. From computers to airplanes service members get to learn how to use, maintain and repair equipment that in many cases is first introduced for military use. GPS is just one example. Read the rest of this entry »
