Zuckerberg's Hoodie

I’ve watched with interest the controversy in recent weeks regarding Mark Zuckerberg’s continued wearing of ‘hoodies’ during the lead up to the IPO of Facebook. The question was raised – is what he chose to wear disrespectful to financial institutions?

I choose to wear red in my capacity as Founding Director of RedBalloon – some would say that it has become my ‘trade mark’. (Quite frankly it makes it really easy to shop for work clothes – it is simply a uniform.) Is the offending hoodie merely a uniform, as was Steve Jobs – black polo necks and jeans?

I think a more interesting trend that this ‘simple dress sense’ by entrepreneurs may well be part of the ‘dematerialization’ and ‘demonetization’ trend as discussed in the book Abundance- Diamandis and Kotler’ s book, (I simply could not put this book down – and it is the sort of book I want to read with my teenagers. I can highly recommend it.)

The authors argue that the poorest people in the USA – have more services than were available to the richest person 100 years ago – and that we all have access instantly to more information than the US president did only a decade ago – hence we live in a time of abundance. What this means is there is a massive shift in what the ‘trappings of success’ look like. And many possessions are becoming increasingly less important. The most precious resource of all is time – and no matter how rich you are you get given the same 24 hours as everybody else.

Recently an article appeared in CBS news describing ‘The 10 behaviors of the hyper successful.’ To para phrase if you are ‘successful’ you:…..

• Carry less things. Perhaps just a phone or two…
• Return phone calls less often. Someone else does that for them.
• They are difficult to reach. Someone else does that for them.
• They spend little time at a computer. Someone else does that for them.
• If they do write an email it is short. Or someone else does that for them.
• Social media is not their thing (except for celebrities – which their publicists use).
• They are not interested in pop culture or gossip (again, except for celebrities).
• They watch less TV
• The more non-leisure stuff they do that’s not directly related to their business (charities, boards, outside investments).
• They read the papers or someone else does that for them – and they get the summary.

Much of these traits are all about ‘saving time’.

This further supports the notion of dematerialization. Zuckerberg has signed up to the Gates-Buffet plea to have all American billionaires give away at least half of their wealth for the greater good of the planet before they die. (Apparently 69 of the 1000 billionaires in the US have so far agreed to participate) – for the first time in history we have people with the resources to tackle solvable problems that governments (need to be re-elected) corporates (shareholder returns) or NGOs (fundraising) cannot achieve. (read more about this)

I see the ‘hoodie’ as a representation that there is a new way of looking at success… it is not about what we have – but what we give (our time being the most important of all) – and that material possessions will continue to become less important – as the ‘average’ person screams out ‘I’ve got too much stuff’.

Peter Diamandis co-author of Abundance speaks at TED.

Ernst & Young Sydney Office Managing Partner, Lynn Kraus and I at the Olympics fundraiser

Not sure exactly where last weeks blog post on ‘Coming Up this week’ went. I was in Sydney all week and I had a highly productive week as we head towards the end of the financial year.

There was my philanthropic activities – Best Buddies board meeting – Sydney Sings session (more welcome – Tuesday nights from 5.30 – 7.00) and also attending the Olympic Team Farewell dinner which is a fundraising event.

In addition we had Bronwyn Sheehan – from the Pajama Foundation come and share her story with the RedBallooners (and we all wore our PJs – which I think was just a big excuse to be comfy at work – so funny we are interviewing for new Customer Experience executives and the interviews were on the same day as we were ‘swanning’ around in our jimjams – who knows what they thought.) The Foundation is committed to providing angels to kids in foster care throughout Australia (there are 39,000) to read with them at least once a week… she has currently recruited 900 volunteers – they match with kids locally. So if anyone is interested in being a volunteer – it is a training and selection process and then you are away. (click here)

I did speak at the Eastern Region E&Y  2012 finalists breakfast – as well as finished one of my own personal promises (as part of this trimesters – Edge of Glory theme – just waiting for my medal to be delivered).

Coming up this week

Monday: One on One’s
Tuesday: Adelaide – for the Proteus Leadership Centre
Wednesday: RedBalloon board meeting And Speaking for the CBA at and event in Homebush
Thursday: Attending the E&Y Driving Growth Lunch
Friday: Working on my personal promises.

So I turned to a book that I read recently ‘Small Giants’ by Bo Burlingham – to the chapter that he writes about customer intimacy.  The author quotes a business that says “I have an intense, nearly neurotic interest in seeing people have a good time.” He then quotes Tom Peters from In Search of Excellence ‘that great companies are usually founded by people with a not totally stupid obsession around which they build their business’. Burlingham goes on to explore the construct of the customer transactions, but ultimately the customers ‘experience of connection’ will greatly impact on his or her concept of service.

“For lack of a better term, we might refer to the process as building a sense of community – that is, a sense of common cause between the company, its employees, its customers and suppliers. That sense of community rests on three pillars. The first is integrity- the knowledge that the company is what it appears and claims, to be. It does not project a false image to the world. The second pillar is professionalism- the company does what it says its going to do. It can be counted on to make good on its commitments. The third pillar is the direct, human connection, the effect of which is to create an emotional bond, based on mutual caring.

Companies that succeed in developing such a sense of community with their customers and suppliers find themselves in possession of one of the most powerful business tools in the world.”

So if I review this particular customers email against these three pillars – I can hand on heart say that we fulfilled on them all. The reality remains that I did not agree with his request. Does that mean that customer intimacy will forever be illusive? Or does it mean that this one just got away. But if I  have an almost obsessional focus on listening to customers and then responding (because that is what made RedBalloon what it is) – how can I possibly achieve this for everyone?

Trust takes Time... and also the ability to be oneself at work - The RedBalloon corporate team - I wonder what teenagers would say if this was their first experience of work.

I have teenagers – their friends are beginning to get part time jobs… I am fascinated to watch them learn and discover the world of work. The experience that they have with these businesses my well determine what ‘work’ looks like for them.

Trust is paramount in every employment relationship – without it, it is really difficult to achieve great things.

So imagine a young person – his first work experience job – 5 days in total he has been told that he will receive $20 per day. He is happy with this because it covers the cost of his bus and lunch. At the end of the week no one mentions it – he leaves with out his $100… feels unable to say something to someone… and is quite hurt that they said one thing and did another. To a 15-year-old $100 is a lot of money. What is his impression of work so far?

Simon Sinek told us at his presentation this week that the biggest abusers of trust are organizations. (And large organizations the worst.)

“Trust is a feeling, it is a human experience” he said – our instincts tell us when things are not right. So much of business is now conducted ‘online’. The Internet is an amazing tool to connect people around the planet (and locally) to spread the word quickly and also to massively increase the speed of transactions…. but what it is not good at is building relationships. And an employment relationship is one of trust. Negotiations for instance are emotional activities – and as are better done face to face. Let’s not confuse technology for a relationship builder – email is ideally used to confirm the facts rather than a vehicle for emotional thoughts.

Trust takes time – as do all relationships. It is something that is given not earned. I said recently to all RedBallooners – “you have my trust – it is not something you need to earn – it is implicit” – that is I trust my choices in those leaders around me, I trust those leaders to fulfill on and live and honor our values – and that everyday they encourage and develop those around them…. first of all you have to trust yourself and your choices. There is no power in blame.

As employers though our role is to lead by example. I was saddened that one of my children’s friends, who had been so excited when they got an interview and then two ‘trial shifts’ at the local store… was not only not paid for their time – but the employer did not even give them feedback if they were good enough… they simply never called with another shift. What is that young persons experience of work… how easy it is to create a ‘them and us’ attitude. At $12.50 per hour for the sake of a total of $50 this young person would have respected, and perhaps even trusted the employer…  Now some other employer at some other stage is going to have to rebuild that persons trust in authority.

Trust is the very premise of all relationships – and the first employment relationship is critical. Leaders please give your people a reason to trust.

Mentoring weekend participants... fun.

Last week I learned a lot – things about mobile and eCommerce. I finished reading Abundance by Diamandis and Kotler… which I found completely inspiring. We had our company meeting which was hosted by the marketing team – and they chose a ‘Thank you’ theme… letting each team know how we all contribute to our marketing effort. (It gave me a chance to talk about the upcoming book.)

I did a presentation to RAMs and met the CEO, Melos Sulicich last week and was surprised to bump into him again at the end of the week during his ride in the Tour de Cure. (feel free to donate if you choose) The ride this year will raise another $2 million for cancer research. It is a fascinating how a bunch of Lycra clad individuals can come together with a single sense of purpose and create something so significant. When purpose meets action anything can happen.

This week:

Monday: Dinner with Simon Sinek – hosted by Business Chicks CEO Emma Isaacs
Tuesday: Simon Sinek Workshop with the leadership team, Lunch and learn with Sydney Sings founder Tania De Jong – and attend the first Sydney Sings session
Wednesday: Leadership Cooking Up a storm in preparation for the next RedBalloon painted picture document
Thursday: Attend CEDA Lunch
Friday: Work on personal promises

I attended a eBusiness round table this week… below is a list of things that I gleaned from the presentations

• LoSoMo = the trend towards Local Social and Mobile
• The internet represents a $50b contribution to GDP in Australia (the same size as iron ore exports.
• 36.7% of all music sales are now done online
• The Google campaign with MYOB ‘Getting Aussie Businesses Online’ was considered a success – now about 50% of all Australian small businesses have an internet presence.
• One in every 12 retail dollars is spent online (this number excludes travel and airlines and group buying.) Group buying is not considered eCommerce because they are selling promotional coupons
• 30% of eCommerce transactions go off-shore mainly to the US
• 50% of all purchases made in Australia are influenced by an online presence
• 25% of all searches are now done on a mobile device
• 2% of people who visit an eCommerce site will buy. (ie one in 50 visitors is a purchaser)
• By 2013 more purchases will be made on mobile devices than on desktop machines
• There are about 22million people in Australia and 27million mobile devices
• Google search results on a mobile device will prioritize in presenting results for sites that have a mobile version.
• Googleartproject.com

To be a robust technology driven economy Australia needs:

1. Infrastructure (NBN – it is all about speed)
2. People – build a culture of skilled innovators – invest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths)
3. Ideas – focus on the customer experience and the great innovations will follow

Fabulous Women creating amazing businesses

Last week was too busy to even write what was coming up – apart from all the great RedBalloon events and meetings, we held the inaugural mentoring weekend in the Blue Mountains.

Over the 2 days and three nights we worked through the ‘Entrepreneurial Cookbook’, had one on one sessions and challenged each other to ‘what could the world look like’. I completely enjoyed getting to know – and experience the thrill of being inside other businesses. I was truly fascinated by how their business models worked, and how passion and determination has had such a big hand in the creation of their enterprises.

I’m excited to see how each of the participants puts into practice what they learned, discovered and experienced… we are going to regroup in a few months so we can check in on each other.

This week

Monday: One on One’s
Tuesday: Company Meeting – Speaking engagement for RAMS
Wednesday: EBusiness conference in Sydney
Thursday: Final review of new book before printing
Friday: Work on personal promises (to participate in the RedBalloon On the Edge of Glory theme)

I'm sure Mrs Tomlinson will not be cooking his dinner tonight

Townsville is a long way physically from where I sit at my workplace in Sydney – but when I read a news article headed ‘Comments on Women create Furor’ which appeared in the Townsville Bulletin – I thought it is not just 2000kms away – more like a century a way.

“TOWNSVILLE identity Max Tomlinson is in hot water after declaring most women do not possess the drive and determination men ‘innately’ have.”

There are 7 billion people on the planet – half of which are female, and the ‘enlightened’ Max Tomlinson lumps every woman into one box – and states every man as a ‘go-getter’. I have met my fair share of ‘nurturing warm hearted’ men in my time – as well as ‘hard nosed’ women. If there is one thing that is sure – hormones alone do not predetermine a human-beings disposition.

Surely this man cannot be serious… has he not read anything about the changes in our community and the value different people bring to business. I wonder what he would think of  ‘The End of Men’ article.

I suspect that this must be a publicity stunt of some sort. (And I have probably just furthered his cause by highlighting it.) Simply it does nothing to add to the debate. Whilst we will all have a bit of fun naming Tomlinson as a Luddite – what it does do is distract from the real issues that need debating.

Who in our community is taking a bigger view of what the world could be like if we shifted our thoughts about how our post industrial revolution society is constructed.

I pose the question ‘what growth opportunities would be available to our economy if we could attract more women back to the work force in any capacity (ie flexible hours) because childcare was readily available and community based? What would happen if there was free childcare available to all Australian families?

Let’s be outrageous ourselves – (given that the Luddites are) – and challenge our governments to consider the idea of free childcare. . (Though I do note that I have been invited by Tanya Plibersek to a public forum on 3 May at Annandale Public School to debate current issues in childcare in Sydney, I’m only invited because I live in her electorate and she is inviting all residents)

I am in the privileged position of meeting many people – and whether male or female – as soon as the conversation turns to children, the juggle and struggle stories are shared. I think it is time that we let others know what it is really like; that is the cost to the community and the growth of the economy of having to battle with childcare.

We are about to launch a website so that people have a place to leave their story – when people unite to become one large voice – those in power will listen to that voice.

If you have a moment and a story you would like to share about how you manage childcare – Please add it the FreeChildcareAustralia site.

We cannot let the Luddites keep us in the last century.

Andrew Carnegie: ''The man who dies rich dies disgraced.''

I was chatting with a friend yesterday and we were talking about how to teach our children the value of money. I remembered a presentation I attended years ago when the woman likened money to water… it has a need to flow – there is clean money and dirty money, sometimes it get’s damned up – but spread freely and evenly allows the world to prosper.

My friend said that he has set aside some money to support community programs or charitable works. His family including his children together debate how it is to be spent. Every cent however must be donated or given away in the pursuit of making the world a better place. A great life lesson for children to learn about giving and contributing to others.

We both lamented the importance of role models and how much of our media is full of so called ‘celebrities’ who are not good role models for our children. My friend reminded me of Gerry Harvey’s comments back in 2008…

Mr Harvey said giving money to people who “are not putting anything back into the community” is like “helping a whole heap of no-hopers to survive for no good reason”….

“You could go out and give a million dollars to a charity tomorrow to help the homeless. You could argue that it is just wasted. They are not putting anything back into the community. “

Now Mr Harvey may well have been taken out of context or changed his tune. But the damage has been done – and his comments remain in print. It is really hard to admire someone as a leader if his or her motivation is the accumulation of personal wealth or if they have no consideration for wanting to make the world a better place.

Recently the Sydney Morning Herald article ‘We’ll be richer if our last cheque bounces’ states that

“Only six in 10 of the wealthiest Australians give money to charity and philanthropic causes, according to a 2008 report by researchers at the Australian Centre of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies at the Queensland University of Technology”

Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett are world famous for not only their charitable contributions but in urging other wealthy people to ‘give back’ to society. As Buffet said (though I did hear George Clooney utter this very line in the movie The Descendants)

”.. a very rich person should leave his kids enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing”

In fact one does not have to be wealthy to contribute. Australian’s are by nature generous – think of the massive support in recent years to the Brisbane Floods and the Victorian Bushfires. Australia topped the 2010 World Giving Index of 153 countries in terms of people’s willingness to give money, and was third most generous in 2011.

The Employee Engagement Capabilities Report that we undertook earlier this year found that time off for volunteering was the activity most likely to improve an employer’s engagement score – as long as all the other basic employee services are in place.

It is not difficult for every employer to add value to the community – and both will benefit as a result. I wonder if Harvey Norman employees get a day off each year to volunteer somewhere… perhaps someone could enlighten me.

It did make me lament that not all people have this opportunity. My colleague Philippa who is permanent part time and the leader of our communications effort – juggles her hours so that she can have full days with her children and them in holiday care for only a few days –not all employers are like this – but RedBalloon has always been a truly flexible business

I wonder how many parents don’t get to holiday together because with 20 days leave a year each parent must take leave to look after children. Something does need to happen to support parents and the endless juggle.

Margie Hartley and I have made the FreeChildcareAustralia.com website live last week (though we have not launched it yet)… we need more individual stories on how people manage their childcare juggle… what are the costs; both financially and the opportunity cost? Please take a moment to share your story.

This week it is all about the corporate team and planning. I am enjoying the work that I am doing with our clients – it is such a privilege to be invited into businesses to work with them on their programs – whether it is incentive programs or recognition systems.

Our engagement capability workshops are about to start in Melbourne this Wednesday – as we tour the country – my colleague James Wright will be delivering what we discovered with AltusQ in the research we did at the beginning of the year. Let me know what you learned – if you have have a moment to attend.