We’ve always networked socially. It is an inherent characteristic of being human. It’s in our genes. We are communication animals…from around the campfire to Twitter. Connecting is the foundation of human culture. Different generations simply do it differently.
Joshua Michele Ross, a social networking luminary, stated it this way in Forbes Magazine: “Human beings are innately social. We are designed to share and connect with others. Period. What's more, we are born into cultures that provide a blueprint for how to communicate and organize.”
Josh believes we are seeing a democratization and acceleration of communications. Everyone has a broadcast tower that is real-time across the planet. Since communication is the foundation of government, business, and culture, when you scale up communications, you change the world.
If you want a new, creative idea every nanosecond about social and generational impacts on modern day culture—meet Lance Dublin (www.dublinconsulting.net). Lance is one of the few over 50-somethings who understands generational differences in terms of how people communicate.
Boomers are One-to-One Communicators. Telephones, network TV, CNN pushing the news 24/7, are examples of how Boomers are comfortable getting information from reliable sources. The communication (cultural) revolution that changed their world was CNN getting and reporting the news during the first Gulf War.
Gen Xers are One-to-Many Communicators. Blast emails, webinars, webcasts, You Tube, and other web-based outlets are preferred modes for getting and using information for this group. Google and Wikipedia are children of the Gen X Web-based revolution.
Millenniums are One-to-Many-to-Many Communicators. When Capt. Sullenberger crashed US Airways 1549 safely into the Hudson River, the news spread through social networks like wildfire. People learned what happened long before Charlie Gibson summarized the day.
The trick is to understand your target user's medium of choice—and to try and tailor your communications and communications style with that medium.
Social networking is a cultural and generational revolution. People are choosing to get and share information not just from an expert source nor only from the people they know and trust. They are getting it from social networks of thousands of people they may not even know.
It’s not about the technology. It’s about the commonality among these generational differences and the need for human connection. There will always be a new technology—that’s inevitable. Therefore, the technology itself is not what this revolution is all about. How we use new technologies to communicate, to keep in touch, and to stay connected is what it’s all about. New ways we think and communicate with each other is the essence of how cultures transform.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Five Compelling Reasons to Invest in Training for Your Workforce During the Recession
Friend and colleague, Jim Kennedy of Technically Speaking (http://www.technically-speaking.net/) and I met to discuss why smart companies are investing in training now—even in this recession. Jim pointed out that his clients are investing now because they realize that this business slump is not going to last forever (see my May 4 Blog post).
An expert and sought-after trainer in all aspects of management and workforce training Jim’s clients are telling him there are five good reasons they are compelled to invest in upgrading the skills of their workforces now.
1. Many have had to downsize and they are cross-training the employees they retained to do multiple jobs. Fewer people may have to work harder, but it’s important to give them the skills to work smarter as well.
2. In these tough times, it is important to protect margins. It is imperative to train your sales people to have good negotiation skills to get the best deals while maintaining your customer base.
3. Morale can sink during times of stress and potential hardship. Sales are completed by teams. Build team cohesion by focusing on how teamwork can enhance sales and build morale.
4. Conflicts arise when workload pressures and resource limitations cause competition between departments. Train your managers in conflict resolution.
5. Customers can be demanding because they know everyone is scrambling for business. They expect higher levels of technical expertise in sales people. Train your technical people in sales techniques to enable them to be an integral part of the sales team.
These areas of focus for training now will help you in the short run. When times get better, these enhanced skills in your workforce will put you at the front of the pack.
An expert and sought-after trainer in all aspects of management and workforce training Jim’s clients are telling him there are five good reasons they are compelled to invest in upgrading the skills of their workforces now.
1. Many have had to downsize and they are cross-training the employees they retained to do multiple jobs. Fewer people may have to work harder, but it’s important to give them the skills to work smarter as well.
2. In these tough times, it is important to protect margins. It is imperative to train your sales people to have good negotiation skills to get the best deals while maintaining your customer base.
3. Morale can sink during times of stress and potential hardship. Sales are completed by teams. Build team cohesion by focusing on how teamwork can enhance sales and build morale.
4. Conflicts arise when workload pressures and resource limitations cause competition between departments. Train your managers in conflict resolution.
5. Customers can be demanding because they know everyone is scrambling for business. They expect higher levels of technical expertise in sales people. Train your technical people in sales techniques to enable them to be an integral part of the sales team.
These areas of focus for training now will help you in the short run. When times get better, these enhanced skills in your workforce will put you at the front of the pack.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Get Ready for the Upswing: Manage Your Values-Driven Culture
If you heard Warren Buffett on the news this morning, he said we’re out of the quicksand; but we’re a little bruised from ropes that were needed to pull us out.
Point is: there are positive signs this economic crisis won’t last forever. There will be a sustained business upswing—there always has been and likely always will be. We don't know when it will turn around but my advice is not to wait too long. Get prepared now.
It’s long been known that if you manage your culture effectively, it will have a positive impact on your bottom line. (Do a Google search for corporate culture and performance.) Consider these research findings:
· Almost one-half of earnings are attributable to how much employees “buy into” the company’s corporate culture.
· Companies that manage their culture have revenue increases of 682% vs. 166% for those who don’t.
· Stock prices for companies that manage their cultures increase by 901% vs. 74% for those who don’t; net income increases compare 756% vs. 1%; and ROI increases twice as much.
· In another generally poor economic climate (1972-92) five top-performing companies were those that managed the culture of their workforces well.
It's easy to lose focus under the stress and pressure of tough times. Here are five ways to manage your culture now.
1. When in survival mode, it’s easy lose sight of your market focus, your core values, and who you are. Now is the time to reestablish your company’s critical uniqueness.
2. Conflict and stress rear their ugly heads when business pressures increase. Rumor mongering, passive aggressive behavior, open interpersonal conflict, and other ill effects undermine team cohesion. Now is the time to root out dysfunctional behaviors and reward values-based expected actions.
3. Tough times increase self-interest vs. team collaboration. Now is the time to revitalize your team, clarify company ground rules for behavior, and do everything you can to keep your best people.
4. When threatened (and these are threatening times) people circle the wagons, horde information, and stop sharing openly. Now is the time to promote trust and facilitate healthy communication.
5. Fear diminishes creativity and the organization becomes risk-averse. Now is the time to revitalize innovation, stress adapting to change and encourage creativity without the fear of failure.
Prepare now so you can reap all of the bottom-line benefits of a well-managed culture with a positively aligned workforce.
Point is: there are positive signs this economic crisis won’t last forever. There will be a sustained business upswing—there always has been and likely always will be. We don't know when it will turn around but my advice is not to wait too long. Get prepared now.
It’s long been known that if you manage your culture effectively, it will have a positive impact on your bottom line. (Do a Google search for corporate culture and performance.) Consider these research findings:
· Almost one-half of earnings are attributable to how much employees “buy into” the company’s corporate culture.
· Companies that manage their culture have revenue increases of 682% vs. 166% for those who don’t.
· Stock prices for companies that manage their cultures increase by 901% vs. 74% for those who don’t; net income increases compare 756% vs. 1%; and ROI increases twice as much.
· In another generally poor economic climate (1972-92) five top-performing companies were those that managed the culture of their workforces well.
It's easy to lose focus under the stress and pressure of tough times. Here are five ways to manage your culture now.
1. When in survival mode, it’s easy lose sight of your market focus, your core values, and who you are. Now is the time to reestablish your company’s critical uniqueness.
2. Conflict and stress rear their ugly heads when business pressures increase. Rumor mongering, passive aggressive behavior, open interpersonal conflict, and other ill effects undermine team cohesion. Now is the time to root out dysfunctional behaviors and reward values-based expected actions.
3. Tough times increase self-interest vs. team collaboration. Now is the time to revitalize your team, clarify company ground rules for behavior, and do everything you can to keep your best people.
4. When threatened (and these are threatening times) people circle the wagons, horde information, and stop sharing openly. Now is the time to promote trust and facilitate healthy communication.
5. Fear diminishes creativity and the organization becomes risk-averse. Now is the time to revitalize innovation, stress adapting to change and encourage creativity without the fear of failure.
Prepare now so you can reap all of the bottom-line benefits of a well-managed culture with a positively aligned workforce.
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