Social Media Plus Insecurity Equals Distraction
23 June 2009
Behance Magazine has an excellent article on one of the consequences of Social Media; distraction. This ties in perfectly with one of my posts a few weeks back, “The Hidden Costs of Workplace Internet Usage“.
First off, I have to say that I take issue with their terminology. While they accurately discuss the root issue here, that of insecurity, they label the problem “Insecurity Work“. While constantly checking Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, e-Mail alerts, and Blog stats takes time and effort, it is the opposite of work/what you are paid to do/results.
That being said, check out the article: Tip: Reduce Your Level of Insecurity Work.
I have to admit that it’s a little painful to discover, or even worse, have someone point out, a weakness. The good news is that we have an opportunity to better ourselves and then help others. Isn’t that what management is about?
What will your legacy be?
22 June 2009
I came across this excellent post via an acquaintance of mine whom I follow on Twitter (@apsinkus) and since yesterday was Father’s Day, it is both timely and apt.
After seeing his daughter graduate from High School, Serial Entrepreneur Steve Blank took a look back and wrote Epitaph for an Entrepreneur.
At the core of his post is a list of “Family Rules” and I’m stunned to say I am in complete agreement.
No one says on his deathbed, “I wish I worked more”. In fact, many say, “I wish I spent more time with my family.” If you value your marriage and your children, read Steve’s post now.
Make Brainstorming Work for You
17 June 2009
The Heart of Innovation features this brainstorming primer. A post with two LONG lists; twenty-six brainstorming failures, then twenty-six antidotes/opposites.
Life is too short for negatives. Skip down to the positives. Creativity will flourish given constraints, focus, ground rules and conditions.
Why Planning is Counter-productive, Pt II
16 June 2009
In the planning fallacy, 37Signals reiterates something I blogged about last Fall; namely that despite our best efforts, and even with the knowledge that planning is often wrong, we still cannot plan accurately.
37Signals conclusion? “That messy planning stage that delays things and prevents you from getting real is, in large part, a waste of time. So skip it. If you really want to know how much time/resources a project will take, start doing it.”
Check out my earlier post, Why Planning is Counter-productive. It has better links if you’d like to look further into the planning fallacy. Also be sure to check out last month’s In Your Face, MBAs series.
Updated Links
12 June 2009
I’ve updated some of the Blogs I follow in the Sidebar. Apparently there’s a Wordpress bug which isn’t allowing me to put them into categories the way I’d like; they keep ending up in the “Creative Tools” category. (I’ll upgrade to Wordpress 2.8 over the weekend.)
To those of you following along via New Readers/Aggregators, be sure to visit the web site from time to time!
UPDATE – Wordpress v. 2.8 upgrade fixed the issue!
Organize Your Workspace for Maximum Productivity
11 June 2009
What a great Topic. Wait. Harvard Business Publishing? Really?
Oh, it’s Gina Trapani of LifeHacker guestblogging. Alles klar.
- READ the post.
- DO everything it says (thus leading by example).
- BUDGET so that your staff can do everything it says. (Especially the part about a good chair and monitor real estate!)
- TRAIN so that your staff can do everything it says.
- ROCK.
The Hidden Costs of Workplace Internet Usage
10 June 2009
Many weeks ago, Ars Technica discussed a bleak report on employee misuse of the Internet. While this would concern anymanager or business owner, creative businesses offer additional challenges.
The Internet is a pervasive part of creative businesses. “Connectedness” is part of our jobs. That being said, I’d like to point out the hidden (or potential) costs every manager or owner of a creative business must be aware of:
- Distraction. While the Internet is an incredibly powerful tool, allowing creatives to collaborate, research and find inspiration, I would argue that the Internet is every bit as much a threat to productivity and “human resources”. “Oh, I was just checking my e-Mail/Facebook/eBay sale/eBay bid/RSS feeds/the news, Twitter…” All of these can add up to hours each week or even within a single day! Salaries are your biggest expense. Do the Math.
- Bandwidth. Though you probably know how much your Internet connection costs, it is difficult to measure how much of your bandwidth is used for business purposes. Based on personal experience as an IT pro, I can make a good estimate. As a percentage, we’re probably talking single digits.
- Security of sensitive documents. This largely has to do with peer-to-peer File Sharing programs, the point of which is to make sharing files easy. Such programs intentionally subvert security measures such as firewalls and often lead to sensitive documents being seen or distributed. Think tax forms, client lists, bank statements and IP theft.
- Legal Exposure. These same peer-to-peer File Sharing programs also expose your business to liability for copyright infringement (if copyrighted materials are being downloaded and therefore distributed by your employees) as well as liability if sensitive client data is leaked or stolen.
The mere mention of an Internet usage policy will likely draw fire. Creatives tend to have an aversion to rules. Yet, those same creatives need to understand that protecting business assets protects their jobs.
We’ll look at ways to manage Internet usage in a future post. Stay tuned.
Lead. Don’t Manage.
9 June 2009
Great post over at Harvard Business. It says it’s about “being happy at work”. I say it’s about leadership. (That’s what happens when you put something on the InterWebs; you loose control as people can say whatever they want.) Skip the intro, head straight for the 7 ways to be a better leader, and ROCK your business.