HEADLINES:
Facebook's #1 Priority -- "become a mobile company" - the best remain great
because they know how to articulate and focus their entire organization for 18
to 24 months on the chokepoint in an industry or their company. Notes Fortune
in their latest cover story "What Zuckerberg did know was clear: Facebook's
first priority needed to be figuring out a wireless strategy. He was maniacal
about it. In December 2011 he reorganized the company to embed mobile engineers
in all product teams. In June 2012 he began Facebook's annual all-hands meeting
by explaining that the company's most pressing priority was to become a mobile
company. He told Facebook's army of coders and salespeople and recruiters and
designers that they could help by trading in their iPhones for Android devices."
Take 4 minutes to read how Zuckerberg is executing on this priority - lots of
important lessons/ideas. Then decide what hill your company needs to climb next
- and maniacally take it!!
Execute 2X Faster
-- and when it comes to execution, Jim Collins' notes that technology is a key
accelerator. The challenge for CEOs is having a tool to help them drive
accountability throughout the organization, their #1 job. Take 2 minutes to hear
Steve Tamasi, CEO of
Boston Centerless, share how he was able to speed up his company and get his
objectives done in half the time. Key lessons:
- Slow down to figure out the right metrics with "SMART" Criteria - Know what success looks like
- Review metrics and priorities weekly
- Use a system like Rhythm to help "A" players be accountable and get priorities done 2X faster.
Hiring Sales People
-- they need to be courageous, competitive and hungry, according to my favorite
blogger, Ben Horowitz of Andreessen Horowitz (best "VC" in the world right now).
And the process for hiring sales people is significantly different than hiring
engineers, he notes.
Take 3 minutes to read through his blog post, especially the edgy interview
snippet he shares. Then find a local Objective
Management Group (OMG) partner to help you screen sales candidates for the
attributes that separate the winners from the whiners -- the only two types of
sales people on the planet - followed by a 4 hour Topgrading interview of the
final two or three candidates to choose the winner.
Contagious
-- Chip and Dan Heath's book "Decisive" continues to top the book charts - thus
no surprise that one of their protégés, Jonah Berger, has one of the hottest
best-sellers himself. Choosing to also own (dominate) a word - he used his own
algorithmic prowess to pick "Contagious" as the title of his first book.
Released last month, I apologize for being slow to discover this book which
claims to show which half of Malcolm Gladwell's ideas in Tipping Point
are wrong. And surprisingly, Gladwell is supportive, given the academic
prominence of Berger. This is a serious book on how things become viral. If you
want a 7 minute overview of Berger and his ideas (yes, it's a fairly lengthy
piece), scan this
Fast Company article.
Why My Child Will Be Your
Child's Boss -- first, you have to love the title. But are we seriously
failing to develop the leadership skills of our children? Take
three minutes to read why you should give your 3 year old a saw and stop
walking your 4 year old into school - practices pushed in Switzerland where they
also have "forest" teachers.
London Next Thursday
-- EO London is hosting me to lead an open enrollment
one-day Rockefeller Habits workshop.
European Summits
-- Amsterdam 22nd May; Barcelona 23rd May - all the keynoters are serial
entrepreneurs and authors -- John Mullins (Getting to Plan B); Margaret
Heffernan (Willful Blindness); and John Warrillow (Built to Sell).
For more info.