When growth becomes a problem …

Often, whether we address scaling issues or not depends on: What is the cost of addressing it? How soon do we expect to hit the problem? What is the cost we will pay for not solving it now? Is that a cost we can afford better?

I remember, at an early stage start up, my manager dismissing a product performance flaw. “If we get a million hits a day, it will be a really good problem”. Sometimes, it is best to wait for something to become a problem.

Where we usually mess up is when we do address the scale problem. Product teams often only think of it as a product issue. Solving for a million hits is not just a product issue. It is a value delivery issue. It is about scaling support, scaling operations, scaling communication, scaling processes, scaling metrics. It is changing the way things work.

Are we thinking of our growth problems holistically?

BHAG

It was a cliff in southern California.

I was hardly athletic, had never climbed rocks, and it seemed too steep, and too high for my long, thin, awkward limbs to scale.

My friends convinced me to try it. They walked me every step of the way, gently prodding me along the way, to move my right foot just a couple inches to the right to find that hold. I got to the top.

It took a lot more convincing for me to rap down. My friends, and almost every stranger below, gave me the will to trust, and to let go of the rock.

I will never forget the vast blue sky above me, and the sense of accomplishment.

Big Hairy Audacious Goals are accomplished one tiny step at a time. Steps that seem less daunting, and lead us just a bit closer to that vision.

The important part is that we don’t need to have worked out every step, just the next step.

On goals and thanks

Cheese and chocolate Iowa style

You all know what a goal focused person I am.  Some goals I manage to accomplish in a week, others in a quarter and some take years.  Still others take on a life of their own.

When you have very long term goals, it is important to regularly review them to see if they need to change or evolve over time.

On those rare occasions when you do have a multi-year goal that does not change, that retains the same shape and target outcome over the course of time — it is important to acknowledge its completion.

To take a moment and enjoy that sense of accomplishment that can only come from a really big hairy audacious goal that you saw through to the end.

Occasionally, when you have such a goal – others decide to share and build upon your goal.   Seeing  shared goals bringing compounded results are what we are all about here at TalentedApps.

For all our friends who are working through their own big goals, I wish you success, happiness and accomplishment — but most of all I wish you the experience of being part of a shared goal that is bigger than yourself.

On this Thanksgiving weekend, I want to express my gratitude — to Oracle for giving me the opportunity to think big, to my team (past, present and future) for turning dreams into reality and to our customers who have shown me the true power of shared goals.

Are you getting through?

Big companies have a poor reputation as workplaces. At big companies, one spends time on crap. Big companies have politics. Big companies are bureaucratic.

Yet, every small company that dares to dream, wants to become a big company one day.

Facebook tries to connect these two worlds by calling itself the world’s biggest start up. They want to be a big company, but one that feels like a small company.

Most bigger companies got bigger by being successful. They often make bigger profits per employee than start ups, and thus by some measure, have more productive people. The difference is not productivity (though it seems like that, when things relatively simple require herculean effort).

The real difference is that, in a smaller company, it is simpler to keep everyone on the same page, especially as the page turns.  In a bigger company, where information has to travel far, where it sometimes mutates as it covers that distance, smart people can, in good faith, easily make poor choices.

The successful people know this, and learn to communicate, not just speak. It is not what was said, it is what was understood. Learning the language of others can reduce that herculean effort a little.

Leadership Position

Leadership is such an over-used word, so often confused with power.

There is no such thing as a leadership position.

Position gives us authority to make things happen. Leadership is when people do something – not for us, nor for our position – but, for the outcome that they believe will come from doing it.

Leadership is the ability to lay out a vision, and instill the confidence that it can be done. The only thing a position can give us is the audience to listen.

This is our fourth birthday!

Yes, it’s been four years since Mark, Meg, and Amy started this blog. The last year has seen the biggest changes in contributors – several of our longtime members started on new adventures and their writings will be missed dearly. That loss has been ameliorated by having several new and brilliant members added. All-in-all this change is a good thing. It keeps new ideas coming through here while sticking with our mission, which is to inform and discuss issues around Talent Management in a hopefully entertaining and engaging way.

I think we’ve succeeded. Having new members contribute is one of the best ways to bring in new perspectives that come with a whole different set of experiences and educational backgrounds. We are so lucky to have people on the team ready to jump in and bring their valuable thinking into this blog!

We’ve had a very busy and exciting year with Fusion and we’ve continued to nurture and build relationships with the HR, Talent, and Social communities. It’s been very gratifying to be able to talk about our products and get feedback and insight in return. As always, our thanks go out to our readership, friends, colleagues, and family for their support. We look forward to the upcoming years working together on our mission.

Photo by: cygnus921

Do we share dreams?

Businesses don’t exist to make profit. Businesses need to make a profit to sustain and grow, but they exist for other reasons.

People who believe in the business are more likely to feel personally rewarded when the business achieves its goals.  They are more likely to bring their whole  self to work. They are more likely to make decisions that help the business succeed.

Do our employees get our business? Do we share dreams?

Do we know why our employees come to work?

Why do some people view work as a joy, and others as a chore?

Why do non-profits have volunteers, and for-profits don’t?

Why do some businesses pay more or less than others?

Why do some people defend their workplace, and others make fun of theirs?

Hiring an employee is like entering a partnership. The partnership is stronger when we share in each other’s desired outcome. Do we know why our employees come to work?