In the French novel Ipso Facto, by Iegor Gran, an ordinary French citizen is pushed to the margins of society after loosing his high school diploma. Without a diploma to provide the legal foundation for his adult life, his career, his marriage, and his sanity eventually crumble. Although this novel is in part fantastic, it provides a stunningly accurate satire of the French bureaucracy, which I have experienced first hand as an English teaching assistant in France. After three months in the employ of the French government, I am astonished when I come back to the United States and am able to accomplish simple tasks without paperwork.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Midways Time
On the Moneyed Midways, with its pick of posts from various business, finance, and management blog carnivals, is up at Political Calculations.
The Virtues of Schmoozing
I was raised to distrust schmoozing, the casual chatting and networking (awful term!) that are a natural part of business.
This bias was acquired in childhood. In my family, there was a clear distinction between workers and talkers, with the latter suspected of insincerity and a lack of substance. [One distant relative was held out as person who talked a good game but wasn't the sort you'd want to entrust with, say, your life savings.]
This anti-schmoozer prejudice is, of course, a mistake and can harm careers. It is not difficult to find people who didn't get promotions or business deals simply because they were relatively unknown commodities. The anti-schmoozers will groan, "You mean because they didn't kiss up to the boss or the customer!" That's not the case. We tend to select and do business with those whom we trust and like. Knowledge is an ingredient of each.
This bias was acquired in childhood. In my family, there was a clear distinction between workers and talkers, with the latter suspected of insincerity and a lack of substance. [One distant relative was held out as person who talked a good game but wasn't the sort you'd want to entrust with, say, your life savings.]
This anti-schmoozer prejudice is, of course, a mistake and can harm careers. It is not difficult to find people who didn't get promotions or business deals simply because they were relatively unknown commodities. The anti-schmoozers will groan, "You mean because they didn't kiss up to the boss or the customer!" That's not the case. We tend to select and do business with those whom we trust and like. Knowledge is an ingredient of each.
As a result of that hard truth, taking time to meet with co-workers and contacts is not an activity outside of work but is part of work. The question is whether it's done in a manner that contributes to the mission. Those of us who regard schmoozing as inherently questionable need to change our view of the job.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
A Clear Mission
As long-time readers of this blog will know, one of my favorite mission statements comes from the Phoenix Fire Department:
Prevent harm
Survive
Be nice
Everything essential falls under these simple categories and the statement is easy to remember.
I know of groups with more "sophisticated" and lengthy mission statements. Sometimes, I've asked their executives or managers to tell me, without looking at the sign on the wall or the document in a desk drawer, what their mission statement is and each time they've been unable to do so.
This doesn't mean any mission statement is magical. (One of the best ethics statements I've seen was from Enron.) Mission statements should be both a reflection and a guide of what the organization is about. If it is neither, all of its eloquence will fail.
Key factors are whether upper management leads by example and the values are enforced in a consistent manner. Other policies and practices must also mesh neatly with the statement.
That is the case with Phoenix Fire Department, which has achieved an admirable reputation in the fire service.
And, by the way, its mission statement isn't a bad personal one.
When Less is More
One of the classic mistakes in business is the optimistic use of "Chinese math":
An entrepreneur considers a potentially giant market and says, "Think of how much money we'll make if we can sell our widgets to just two percent of the population!"
Seth Godin explains why that doesn't work.
Modesty Update
If you are encountering some "interesting"attitudes among younger employees, this study may be revealing. It indicates that an old disease is on the rise: narcissism. An excerpt:
The researchers traced the phenomenon back to what they called the "self-esteem movement" that emerged in the 1980s, asserting that the effort to build self-confidence had gone too far.
As an example, Twenge cited a song commonly sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques" in preschool: "I am special, I am special. Look at me.""Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism," Twenge said. "
By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube."Some analysts have commended today’s young people for increased commitment to volunteer work. But Twenge viewed even this phenomenon skeptically, noting that many high schools require community service and many youths feel pressure to list such endeavors on college applications.
Read the rest here.
[HT: Arts & Letters Daily ]
Precious Images
A weekend indulgence:
Via Neatorama, Chuck Workman's Oscar-winning short film featuring clips from 500 movies...in seven minutes.
Top Books on Selling
Writing in OpinionJournal, Steve Cohn gives his top five list of books on selling.
I'm ashamed to say that I've read none of them.
Quote of the Day
Every time we began to form into teams we would be reorganized. I would learn later in life what a wonderful method this was to create the illusion of progress while causing confusion and demoralization.
- Petronius (First century A.D.)
- Petronius (First century A.D.)
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