Seven Secrets of Networking

I recently came across an article called: "Seven Secrets of Networking"
Basically, the author talks about lessons he has learnt over the years-

1. Have an honest intent to help others. If you have a genuine desire to help others, this will be immediately picked up by your contacts. What are you doing to demonstrate that you have their interests at heart?
2. It’s a process, not a transaction. Relationships develop over a period of time. It’s better to have the relationship already developed than trying to build it at the same time as you need to influence the other person.
3. Give to get. It is far easier to get others to spend time with you if, in the past, you have helped or provided value for them.
4. Be provocative. Don’t be a yes man or woman. People are attracted to those who have a new angle, new ideas and a different point of view. The top executives in one of my clients constantly seek out a particular senior manager, as he is always able and willing to offer interesting, innovative and inspirational ideas.
5. Connect others together. I recently organized a meeting between a client of mine who leads a team with a wide variety of backgrounds, with a US expert on managing diversity. The meeting was successful and both thanked me for bringing them together, even though I wasn’t there.
6. Keep in regular contact. Little and often is the best way.
7. Don’t watch the clock.

With the advent of tools like LinkedIn and other online Social Websites, networking has taken a new meaning- and I am beginning to realize that one should go beyond their standard network and reach out to people beyond their  zone.  Whilst one can get a lot of insights & inputs from the people within their network, one should consciously approach the broader world and build a bigger connection- one never knows what one misses otherwise.

 

 

Announcing my new blog

I have at last moved! After thinking about how to do it, I figured out the steps required to move from a hosted site to my own domain. 

I will update my blog at www.hajasheriff.com

Do visit.

PS: this is the final update in this blog. I do not expect to be updating this going forward. 

Classic STOP Smoking Ad

 

Stop Smoking Ads are so completely bland, that I don’t think there is anyone in the world who takes them seriously anymore.  And who can blame the Ad Agencies for not wanting to spend time & their creative juices trying to come up with something that needs to be unique – where the target audience just does not care!

So when I came across this Brazilian ad targeted at creating awareness in a truly unique way, I was super impressed.  Creative, catches the imagination & gets the message across in a very powerful way!

I found this very innovative and a great way of using the world as it is today (thanks-Ex-Prez Bush), that it arrests the eye and thought, and gets the message across in a simple,effective and powerful way. 

Now the Zillion dollar question… If you are a smoker- will it stop you?

Does your email have a life of its own? GTD Methodology to get control of your email

 

email is the preferred mode of communication today and most of us get more to-do’s (or Go-do’s, if from the boss or bosses boss) by email than by any other mode.  With many such delegations coming our way, and with our own sets of goals, it becomes a task by itself to manage all these activities effectively –without dropping the ball. 

Getting Things Done is one pioneering effort in helping folks come to terms with how to work the email system to get a control of your life! Actually, his book is more to do with life in general, but the software version is designed for working with Outlook- which makes it a super effective way of keeping track of your actionable mails.  My good friend Ganesan gave me the first peek into a mailbox which was well and truly empty- which meant that he had taken care of all his emails – either responded or put it in a way by which he could get back to it later.  I was super impressed, and tried various ways to get to that position- but was not very successful. 

Browsing the net got me to David Allen’s book and the software (from Netcentrics), which has helped me immensely.  Reading the book first will give a lot more clarity on the working principles, that applies to one’s time management skills in general.

Here is a brief write-up of the methodology – and the links are further down (in case you decide to pick it up).

A basic premise for David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology is to define the next action that must be taken with any item (stuff) that arrives in your inbox. The action should drive whatever you are trying to accomplish to successful completion. Once you have defined the next action, you put the item into a trusted system—a system that keeps the item off your mind and allows/prompts you to access the item when you need it. At the appropriate time, you can take action on the item and get it done.

Courtesy: David Allen: Getting Things Done

So, when an item arrives in your inbox (be it physical or electronic), you must first decide if it is actionable.

If you cannot take action, you have three choices:

1. Delete it
2. Incubate it, saving it to act on at someday in the future (e.g., take that landscaping class) or 
3. File it for reference in a system where you know you can easily access it whenever it may be useful

If you can take action on the item, then

-  Are there multiple steps that must be taken to achieve a successful outcome?

• If so, define a project—the result of several individual next actions that need to happen to achieve a successful outcome—or put the item within a current project. When you go to work on that project, break the item into individual next actions that you can take. Process them as indicated for single step items below.
• If not, process as indicated below.

-Do it, if it takes less than 2 minutes. If it takes more than 2 minutes,

-Delegate it. Hand it off to someone else and Create a Waiting For task that lets you know you are waiting for someone else to accomplish the task and allows you to track progress.

-Defer it

• To a specific day and time (e.g., Friday at 1 PM).
• To a specific day (e.g., sometime on Thursday)
• To as soon as I can get to it—add it to your next actions so when you have available time, energy, and are in the proper place, you see it as an option of something you need to work on.

For the book – and completely worth the money!

 

For the Software version – the Outlook add-in here is the link-

https://gtdsupport.netcentrics.com/buy/?type=full

Try the trial version… you have nothing to lose.

Technorati Tags: GTD,David Allen,Getting Things Done,Outlook,email

Eye Donation Ad… How creative should one be for such ads?

 

This is a super creative ad.. but begs a question – how effective is this?

Advertising Agency: DDB Mudra, India, Published: December 2008

Questions therefore are -

• How much creativity is required for such ads?
• Who exactly is the target audience? Are these meant for securing awards or for getting people like you & I to donate our eyes
• What kind of response do you expect from the target audience? In this case, it is more of “wow- what an ad” rather than what one should be getting “This is so required.. I need to plan to donate my eyes”

Does this get there? For me- I rank this high on creativity.  Very low on effectiveness…  I am impressed, find the ad memorable for all the wrong reasons- and does not get me to respond in the way the client may have wanted me to.  

Maybe I am the wrong target audience… no one cares about my eyes ;-)

Thoughts?

Nokia entering the Netbook market – with Windows (as per announcement)

Nokia announced the launch of their Netbook – with 3G features- which further shows the convergence of the 2 technologies- Laptops moving downwards in the technology curve (the Netbooks were the first step in that direction) – and the Mobile phone moving up (Smartphones et al).

This could be the exciting first generation laptops with advanced 3G features coming from a company that makes phones (unlike Netbooks coming from companies that make computers). 

Here is a great video of the same! Have a look- I like the super cool finish & the typical Nokia touch for the ad.

The Booklet 3G should run for up to 12 hours on one battery charge, Nokia said. It weighs 1.25 kilograms, has an aluminum chassis and is slightly more than 2 centimeters think.

The device also has a 10-inch screen, and can connect to bigger displays using an HDMI port, according to Nokia. Like most other netbooks on the market, it contains an Intel Atom processor and will run Windows -- although Nokia isn't yet ready to say which version of the OS. <http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/170655/nokia_enters_the_netbook_market_with_the_booklet_3g.html>

More on this - "We are fully aware what has the margin level been in the PC world. We have gone into this with our eyes wide open," Kai Oistamo, the head of Nokia's phone unit, told Reuters.

"There's really an opportunity to bring fresh perspective to the PC world," he said, adding that Nokia would introduce extended battery life and continuous connectivity. 

The Nokia Booklet 3G, will use Microsoft's Windows software and Intel's Atom processor to offer up to 12 hours of battery life while weighing 1.25 kilograms.

Why? Research firm IDC expects netbook shipments this year to grow more than 127 percent from 2008 to over 26 million units, outperforming the overall PC market that is expected to remain flat and a phone market which is shrinking some 10 percent.

Will it do well? I believe so.

With the Brand Name, the marketing muscle, the distribution channel in place, it could be the best combination possible. However, the price will play a critical part.. and that in the end could make all the difference.

Corporate Citizen – Another example

Is this a good example of being a corporate citizen? Go figure.

Me? I like the Lifebuoy ad better than this…

H1N1 – and the role of Private Organizations

H1N1 in India is creating panic across the country. In a country of 1Billion (++), the knowledge of H1N1 is most definitely limited to a few people – that too  in the cities. A vast majority of the people in the smaller towns and villages may not have the complete picture yet.  And it is still early days!

The Government, moving as slow as they normally do, will surely take some more time to get their act together. Key messages required are on what H1N1 is and what precautions the people need to take. Though some messages are already coming to the press from the Government, it is still not comprehensive, and could be more thought through!

It is at times like these that the Private sector companies have a unique opportunity to add value to be great Corporate citizens. Many private companies, especially those in the FMCG areas, have fantastic coverage that go across the country. Companies such as Unilever, ITC, etc, which cover the vast length and breadth of the country through their sheer breadth of products, can use their marketing arm to not just sell their wares but create awareness of such potential calamities that can help the Government reach out more effectively across the country.

Coming back to the ad, what do you think of this?  Is it right way to advertise or could it have been done differently?

My take on this- Unilver through this ad,  have lost a great opportunity of educating the masses on H1N1 and also offer a solution. What they could have done could have been use the opportunity to create a  genuine Public Interest Ad – and talked about the H1N1 virus and how it spreads. It could have shown possible ways of controlling the spread- and one of them could have been by washing their hands regularly – using Lifebuoy soap/ liquids.

I hope they (and other companies) start doing this more effectively. We are on the brink of a major health pandemic- and the more hands working on it, the better!

Quick link to one of the sites with a brief write up on how to protect your health:

Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners* are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.

Courtesy -  http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm

Take care!

Goals! By Keith Ferrazzi

 

I can teach

anybody how to

get what they want

out of life.  The

problem is that I

can’t find anybody

who can tell me

what they want.

- Mark Twain

 

 

How true is this? This is a great article from Keith Ferrazzi’s blog and I would be doing disservice to the writer, if I used my interpretation on top of that! So here is the article verbatim.

Part I: Look inside

1. Get your mind ready for a deep self-assessment. Some people pray. Others meditate or read. Some exercise. A few seek long periods of solitude.

2. Shift your mindset. Throw away the usual constraints you put around possibility – the doubts, fears, and expectations of what you “should” be doing. You have to be able to set aside the obstacles of time, money, and obligation.  (For some thoughts on whether following your passion will lead to better financial rewards, check out this post at The Art of Nonconformity.)

3. Create a list of dreams and goals. Some will be preposterous; others overly pragmatic. Don’t edit yourself at all right now. Next to that first list, write down in a second column all the things that bring you joy and pleasure: the achievements, people, and things that move you. The clues can be found in the hobbies you pursue and the magazines, movies, and books you enjoy. Which activities excite you the most, where you don’t even notice the hours that pass?

4. Start to connect these two lists. Looki for intersections, that sense of direction or purpose. It’s a simple exercise, but the results can be profound.

Part II: Look outside

1. Call on advisors and friends.

Ask the people who know you best what they think your greatest strengths and weaknesses are. Ask them what they admire about you and what areas you may need help in.

2. Discuss your self-assessment with them. Ask them to be candid about their reactions.

3. Make decisions. Use the information from your own review and what you got back from others to establish a mission statement and plan of action. For help in setting goals, see my earlier post

Click here for the link- http://www.keithferrazzi.com/blog/orient-yourself-toward-success-two-quick-exercises-to-find-your-blue-flame/

Netbooks – Primer and Pricing Trends

Netbooks – 18 months ago, one did not even know about this word – let alone having this as a family of laptops!  Today, this is the fastest growing market segment within the PC Industry.  Players who shunned this market, are making a beeline for this segment and get a slice of the pie – before it is too late!

Super quick primer-

Netbooks are for -

1. users who are looking for their Nth PC  – chances are he is scouting around for a “low cost” entry Level Laptop!
2. a user for who is looking at a PC with basic features- and a “mobile” home notebook.
3. a user who does not want to spend another $1000 for a laptop- which gets outdated the next day!

Netbooks do not come with any fancy gadgets or tools… they are more positioned as a really “personalized” notebooks at a super affordable costs.

- Atom processors from Intel are the defacto drivers of this product.

- More than 90% of the Netbooks sold run on Windows XP – and no- I am NOT making this up.  Data (shown below for you non-believers) show that the cost of a Netbook with XP is actually cheaper than that of a Netbook with some version of Linux.  And one is not talking of the ubiquitous “Cost of Ownership” that has been killed by most companies!

Netbooks are the future of computing- and in my personal opinion (Intel and Microsoft have made this possible).  Intel with their Atom Processor that created a new market altogether (this has to rate as one of the biggest marketing case studies). Microsoft with their adaptation of the OS – which is now the default in most Netbooks.

Here is some information that I found that is pretty interesting!

DealWatch: Price trends on Netbooks - dealnews.com-http://dealnews.com/features/Deal-Watch-Price-trends-on-Netbooks/292489.html?page=2

Compare the price with the Linux devices (though the pricing is not an apple to apple- the HDD option with XP actually gives a much better customer satisfaction with storage space than that of the SSD users. (Solid State Device).

DealWatch: Price trends on Netbooks - dealnews.com -http://dealnews.com/features/Deal-Watch-Price-trends-on-Netbooks/292489.html

Food for thought… How is it impacting some companies? Here is a nice article on what is happening to HP…an article from Bloomberg!

Gartner's Hype Cycle of Emerging Technologies Special Reports

 

Gartner’s 2009 Hype Cycle of Emerging Technologies was recently announced. 

If you were like me (or I suspect a significant majority of the folks out there in www), chances are you have not heard of this… here is a 1 paragraph primer on what this is -

Gartner introduced the idea of the Hype Cycle in 1995 as a commentary on the common pattern of human response to technology. Since then, the use of Hype Cycles has expanded both within Gartner and by its clients, as a graphical way to track multiple technologies within an IT domain or technology portfolio. Gartner's Hype Cycle characterizes the typical progression of an emerging technology, from over enthusiasm through a period of disillusionment to an eventual understanding of the technology's relevance and role in a market or domain. Each phase is characterized by distinct indicators of market, investment and adoption activities.

The 2009 Hype Cycle looks like this -

Figure 1 - Gartner's 2009 Hype Cycle Special Report Evaluates Maturity of 1,650 Technologies -http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1124212

Some interesting thoughts that occurred to me while reading this (and going through the past views)-

1. I think this is a great way of keeping track of what happens in the technology world. It also gives individuals (it is without a doubt super useful to tech companies & their customers), an idea of the things happening in the technology world- and possible ideas on what to expect, what to focus on, and where to move (from an employment point of view)
2. The assumption that every new technology will follow the steps – (Technology trigger > Peak of inflated expectations > Trough of disillusionment > Slope of enlightenment > Plateau of Productivity ), in my opinion is flawed.   There are products that go through the Technology Trigger, Peak & move directly to a Plateau of productivity- example Solid state devices (which was in a downward slope from the peak (which I find it difficult to believe) – which has now moved directly to a Plateau of productivity (or possibly a Slope of enlightenment). Similarly, Smartphones. 
3. Then there are products that literally drop off through the Trough of disillusionment.  (Example- Virtual assistants).  Not all technologies that start off the blocks live through the cycles.
4. There are Stars and then there are Followers – Some of them bigger ideas need to be followed more closely than the majority of the ideas. 
5. Confusing a Company for a Technology- Microblogging for example is seen as Twitter. But there are other microblogging sites coming up- which could lead the revolution.  And Twitter’s success (or failure) need not be the Technologies success or failure.

Nett of it, this is a great view to the users.  However, keep your ideas at a higher level & use your judgment on some of these views. Not flawed, I know the level of study that Gartner does, but still always to be on the side of doing some ground work as well.

Here are the other views that could be useful to put this story together. I pulled together a couple of the earlier versions of the Hype Cycle – and below are 2 years – 2008 (Figure 2)  and 2006 (Figure 3).  That may help you piece together your own thoughts as well.

Figure 2 – 2008 Hype Cycle - Where Are We In The Hype Cycle? http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/18/where-are-we-in-the-hype-cycle/

Figure 3 - The Gartner Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle 2006 - http://fplanque.com/info-tech/it-business/emerging-technologies-hype-cycle-2006

In case you are wondering, figure 3 is not deliberately out of focus…. ;-)

Happy Hyping :)

Technorati Tags: Gartner,Hype Cycle,Gartner Hype Cycle,Gartner 2009,Gartner 2008,Gartner 2006

How to become a famous Blogger…

 

Simple yet profound :)

Courtesy – Dave Walker

Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian…Indian Airlines experience today :)

I took an early morning flight (6am) out of Bangalore- and had this truly interesting chat with one of the stewards in the Indian Airlines flight as he got ready to serve the food.

Steward: Sir- what are you? Vegetarian or Non-vegetarian?

Me: What are the options?

Steward: Sorry Sir, I was not offering options, I just want to know if you are Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian?

Me: What does that mean?

Steward: We have a problem at times because we have limited Vegetarian meals onboard- and if you are not vegetarian, I will give you a Non-Veg meal- which allows the other Vegetarians to have their veg breakfast.

Me: You mean, I really don't have a choice? I should eat Non-Veg if I am not vegetarian  - in general. Is that what you mean? (lucky I am wearing a seat belt- lest I fall off my seat).

Steward: Sorry but Yes sir. (big smile).

Me: Ok, I am Vegetarian! (Yeah!).

And he served the Vegetarian food to me and walked away – and achieved what many other employees have  done before to Air India – lost yet another customer!

And just to end the story on a positive tone- I took Jet airways from Kolkata to Guwahati and back. They upgraded me (one way without me asking – and the other way by me asking). 

I am a Jet customer for life! What can I say? 

Did I miss the bus?

 

The Indian Stock Market has taken off like a ROCKET.

I was, like thousands of other Indians waiting for the “right” time to invest.

First hurdle was the Elections – that  came  and went  by.  Catching a lot of people by surprise, it brought a lot of cheer- and the markets took off. I waited for the markets to come down again waiting for the inevitable “Correction” and for the jubilation to die down… and boy! was I wrong…

The Indian juggernaut is at it again- and looks like there is NO looking back! In a world where there is very little optimism, the Indian market is oozing with it.

Here is an article in The Economic Times that says it all “At 5.8%, growth hits the fast track”

• Markets welcomed the news that signalled a pause in the country’s economic slowdown with Sensex gaining more than 300 points on Friday.
• The rupee too strengthened to Rs 47.23 versus US dollar on the news.

India’s good show and expectations contrast with the world economy, which is expected to contract by 2.6% in 2009, according the United Nation’s mid-year update to its World Economic Situation and Prospects 2009 report released on Wednesday. This indicates a deeper global financial crisis than earlier feared as the original report issued in January saw a drop of 0.5% in a worst-case scenario.

Brings me back to my original question….. Should I wait for the correction Or Have I really missed the bus?

Let me mull it through!

Top 25 Social Network and the emergence of Twitter

 

This is a very interesting view of the top 25 Social Networks out there today. 

Facebook has sustained itself and have moved from the 2nd position to the top. This comes as no surprise, and with the way they are moving forward, it is another Google in the making :) 

The interesting element, which I have been pointing out to anyone who will listen, is the emergence of Micro-blogging and what twitter is doing is proof of that.  It has moved from a rank of 22 to the 3rd rank- which has to rate as one of the highest in terms of growth.

Look out for more analysis from a host of people on figuring out a sustainable business model for Twitter!   However, it is not a question of if but how one leverages Twitter. 

 

The Indian Election gets set for the End Game…

The Elections are over, at last.  The largest, longest ever elections the world has seen- and at last the last few hours before the counting starts.  However, the main action is yet to start!  With a hung parliament expected, the horse trading will begin anew- and all the electoral debates et al will be forgotten to get to the magic figures to start the Government.

Looking forward to the results and that is part of the excitement, that is the Indian Elections.

Chat with all of you tomorrow :)

New World Talent Search- an Employee perspective

 

Back in circulation after a long time. (no excuses for that - but the oldest excuse in the world does really apply - too much travel on work and not enough time to build it).  However, time has come to focus on this- again!

I came across this article (click on the article name for the link to read it) and found it immensely interesting. Why?

In these troubled times, I am sure every employee across the world is looking at his job with renewed focus! To be without a job at this time can be a huge challenge. 

Or is it?

This can also be the time to explore new opportunities -things that we wanted to do, but did not have the time (or the Guts) to do.  Looking at it through an "Opportunity Glass" may make it look much more rosier than it really is...  There are a number of opportunities out there - maybe not in your domain- but beyond! A huge market out to be tapped.

Specific to Resume's and getting that "traditional job", one has to move beyond the modus operandi of a "standard" job hunt now.. the resume is a "one-to-one" tool that talks to only those people who look at it. There are more people in the market than jobs (at least the good ones).  We need to move to something that offers a broader "brush' that covers more people! Something akin to Internet Marketing- that covers the same offer to a huge audience!  Targeted message on the product (the person/employee/ his skills) to a targeted audience (Employers, influencers, Talent scouts, headhunters etc) through a focused medium (Internet is too broad- but a vehicle that gets it across- e.g Linkedin).  That is the need of the hour.  People should start looking at creating an image of themselves that is more "complete" than just the Job Description & the "key achievements" that come with it! 

I suspect this is the begging of the Next Wave.

Are we ready for it?

Me? It is work in progress!