A Letter To Bad Bosses

Are you a bad boss? You know who you are – you are probably just in denial about it or worse…. you know you are and frankly, don’t care.

Here’s some advice - Cut it out. Seriously, cut it out. It’s costing you time and money.

Now this seems like common sense but it seems to me lately that there has been a spike in the bad boss industry and it’s not cool and before you get all defensive, there is a difference between TOUGH and BAD. I’m a fan of tough bosses, you will learn the most from them.

So, I’m not sure at what point these bosses forgot that a LARGE part of their job is mentoring and inspiring their staff to do their job well – but they did and it is really frustrating to hear over and over again.

Why should you care? For the simple reason, you will not accomplish your business and personal goals if you don’t have a loyal staff.

Here are some quick refreshers for all bosses:

• You have a responsibility to your team.
• They look up to you.
• They look to you for guidance.
• They need to know that you have their back and that you will provide them with constructive criticism when needed and depend on you for sharing your own growing experience with them.
• You are showing them how a great boss operates.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you need to be their best friend and go all soft. There is a fine line here, but recently I’ve seen a dramatic uptick in the “all about me” curve with these bad bosses.  They manage up well… I’ll leave it at that.

So who are these people?

The Fake Listener: This boss is great, because they are super nice, get along great with everyone (team members, colleagues and ESPECIALLY senior management). Downfall – they don’t do anything with the information and there is no follow up.

The Credit Monger: Doesn’t need much explanation – you do the work, I’ll take the credit and give you none.

The “You know better than to come talk to me” Manager: You have a project dilemma. You have analyzed and implemented all possible solutions to the best of your abilities but you fear you have missed an option. Natural solution would be to discuss options with your boss and see if there is anything else you might be missing. But no, you can’t do this because they make you feel like a piece of crap when you do. So you don’t based on fear. You convince yourself it is better to potentially fail than put yourself in the dreaded “belittler machine.”

There are many other types that are out there (and combo packs too) but I can’t get into all of those personality types…

My point here is that I’m not saying that you have to be the nicest person on earth. Find the balance - I’m a huge believer in understanding who your team is, what skills they bring to the table (you hired them - at least most of the time) and acknowledge that they are all different.

Figure out their strengths and help them through their weaknesses in a positive way. 

Don’t have the time? Make it.

That’s what you get paid for. If you can’t do it, hire someone that will. This is a key part of your success otherwise you will lose people year after year.

Again, I repeat - this is a part of your job.

A very important part of your job that will define your success outside of the walls of your company. Remember, managing up is no longer an easy out to not managing down well. With the social networks, word gets out – it will affect your recruiting, your street cred and it will eventually catch up with you when the time comes for you to look for a job.

Now, playing the fair card here - Some folks just aren’t made to work for each other and that is something that both of you need to figure out for yourselves but that is also part of being a good boss - address it. But before you point the finger at your team member or use the “that’s just the nature of the business” excuse, take a look at yourself and be honest. Have you been a fair boss? Have you set accurate and clear expectations?

For those folks that are struggling and do need to keep their jobs until they can find something else, I came across this link on tips for managing your bad boss.

Again, this goes for both ends and it takes both parties to meet half way.  I just really wanted to comment on what I’ve been seeing and hearing lately and it seems like a simple win that is being ignored in company retention and loyalty and perhaps folks need to be reminded. 

On a personal note, I did not write this because I have a bad boss. In fact, I’m on the opposite spectrum which is why I felt compelled to write this. The bosses that I have had, truly guided me with their experience and mentored me well, even the tough ones.

Still not sure if you are a bad boss?

Take a look at your retention rate and talk to your people… you will find your answer pretty quickly.

Here’s hoping for a downtick in the bad boss curve in 2012 and uptick in retention!

For more fun reading:

Lessons from Nightmare Bosses

Bad Boss Cartoons

or just google bad bosses :)

Google +1 - Quick Facts & 101

Ok so what’s Google +1 and does it make sense?

Whether you are a marketer or just an average Internet user you've seen or heard about the Google +1 button.  Basically, +1 acts like the Facebook share or Twitter tweet button with some slight additions - it affects search rankings. A pretty important differentiator.

So think of +1′s as votes. Whenever someone +1′s a website, it counts as a sort of recommendation and shows up next to the page in Google’s search results. The more +1 in your contact circle the higher the ranking in the search results.

Why should I care?

What Google is trying to do is make the search more relevant to you. If your friends have +1 something - you are more apt to click on that link because your friends have already validated the link and it will show up higher in the search rank.

How does it know me and my friends?

You must be logged into your Google account in order to use Google +1. Yes, you need a google account, of course. It basically then pulls from your contact list.

So how is all this information relevant to me? 

Well, if you’re just the average Google user then this information probably won’t help you. If you were simply curious about all these obscure +1 buttons showing up everywhere, you now know what they do and there is no reason for you to carry on reading.

BUT if you are corporation or organization you should take note and consider implementation because let’s face it, natural SEO doesn’t work very well and Google’s algorithm isn’t always fair. So play the game, leverage automated tools and stick to what works.

So what are some con's?

It is still gaining steam - so the verdict isn't in yet, but these are some of the issues I see:

Confusing: We already have "Like" for Facebook, "Follow" for twitter, "digg" for digg and now one more to add to the bunch with +1.

UX (User Experience) Issues: When reading an article and you like what you are reading - the natural reaction is to Like the button - not +1 it - the naming on +1 is not that intuitive - so adoption may be slow.

Limited Reach: Your +1's are only shared with your gmail contacts. Not anyone else - so this is very limited and if folks really want to endorse content, they are more likely to use tools that have a wider reach (via Facebook, Twitter etc.)

Shareability: When you +1 you are not really sharing content. So what I mean is clicking on Facebook "Like" will get you the updates about the page on your newsfeed. +1 just goes to your Gmail profile which nobody looks at. So it's not shared, it's deposited in your profile, ick.

So in summary +1 is not all that user friendly and may not make complete sense to the individual user. Where I see the benefit though is for companies implementing the widget on their site so that their ranking will increase in Google search.

Still confused - here's a video that explains it more visually!

Oh and if you are in the mood - don't forget to +1 this page for me :)

                   

Having A Personal Board Directors

Does it make sense?


Yes, especially if you are one of the many trying to have a healthy balance between a career and family. While in this post I am focusing on career and family, this relates to everyone that is mastering the juggling act in your own life!

Harvard Business Review had put out an tip last year stating just as corporations have a board of directors, it's equally important to have a personal board of directors.

Of course this makes sense. We all have them, you just didn't realize they had a title!

These folks are your "go to" people when you are making decisions through out your life. They represent various areas of your life: family, financial, professional etc. They may change overtime as you go through different phases of your life and you may even have some special guest advisors that make appearances time to time. But once you hit your late 20s, your board starts to take shape.

I'm not going to cover all my areas and board members but I wanted to share some thoughts around one area of life that I'm currently experiencing as a parent and while working full-time.

This post is for both men and women. We are no longer in a society of where women just need to figure this out (though I do find us struggling more than men). I would argue that men too are struggling with the balancing act. Family, relationship commitments, work, extracurricular activities, health the list goes on.

So read on men :)
We can all learn from each other - that's why you are reading this right?

So even though I'm probably not on your board of directors, I wanted to share with you some great insights I have received from my board of directors along the way and some great mentors that have shown me that being able to do it all is all possible, by not just talking about it, but actually doing it and doing it damn well!

So being a new mom of two under two while being an SVP at a top advertising agency hasn't exactly been smooth sailing. It's a juggling act to say the least! I'm fortunate though to have fantastic role models in my industry that have knowingly or unknowingly shown me the way and served as my inspiration recently. Two in particular in the last three years.

Pam Hamlin, President, Arnold Worldwide, mother of two
What I learned from Pam:
Sh*t happens - deal with it and kick a**.
Pam heads up one of the largest ad firms in Boston. She worked her way up the corporate ladder and through the ranks. She had children along the way, raised them well and then a few years ago Pam learned she had breast cancer. 
Crap. 
One of those life changing events that makes you question everything and all that you are currently doing. So what did Pam do? Throw the towel in? Hell no.
She did what she has been doing all these years. 
She kept being a mom, she still came into work and led the company as a President, she went through chemotherapy, rocked a wig with pride, beat the cancer and life went on. Lesson learned.

Karen Kaplan, President, Hill Holliday, mother of two
Like Pam, Karen too has worked her way through the ranks and now heads up one of the largest ad firms in Boston as well. Karen actually started as a secretary at Hill Holliday. She worked hard to get to where she is today and in the short time that I have gotten to know her, she has inspired and enchanted me with her confidence, charm and sense of humor.  
She is a mother of two and speaks often in forums on the balancing act as how to be an involved parent while climbing the corporate ladder and maintaining a leadership role. 
She has helped me navigate the questionable waters of "am I doing the right thing staying in my job or should I be at home with my children?"

She recently gave a talk and shared the content with me and I wanted to pass it on to you:

First of all, no one expects you to be perfect.

Second, don’t try to figure anything out for the long term. Just put one foot in front of the other and take it one day at a time.

Third, it gets a little easier every single day. I promise.

Fourth, you learn to live without sleep. When I had kids I discovered that I actually need very little of it, and that it’s difficult to get anything meaningful done while you are asleep anyway :)

Fifth, when you question if you are doing right by your kids, take a step back and look at them as objectively as you can. How do they behave? How do they make decisions? What’s in their hearts? How kind are their souls? I’ve done this just about every day for 21 years, and I can honestly say that I have raised two very impressive human beings that anyone would be proud of.

Thanks Karen and Pam. Simple words but this is what we all need to hear from time to time to get us to that next moment.


We have become so good at questioning everything and hearing words like these do help us or at least me get through on the days when I might feel doubtful.

Of course a lot is easier said than done and ultimately you need to do what feels right to you but it helps to have mentors and that personal board directors to help you along the way. 


I have many advisors that I lean on and many mentors and I want to thank you all! 
So who is on your board?

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Visit my site www.utopia46.com for more UX info!

QR Code 101

Ok So Do QR Codes Make Sense?

Forget about the question do they make sense – I think the more common question might be what is a QR code and should I care?

So here’s my quick QR 101 on what it is, where you might see one, what it can do and some best practices and some examples in use. Hopefully it helps you figure out if it makes sense for you to consider them in your marketing mix.

What is it?
QR (Quick Response) codes are those funny looking boxes that have started popping up all over the place that look like something that belongs in a PacMan game. Yes I’m dating myself with noting PacMan, but I digress. They are similar to barcodes used by retailers to track inventory and price products – the big difference though is the amount of data they can store or share. Bar codes are one dimensional and can hold up to 20 digits and QR codes are multi-dimensional matrix barcodes that can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters of information.

So what does that mean? When you scan a QR code with your camera enabled smart phone (you need to download an app to do this like Scan Life or Red Laser) you can link to content on the web, activate a phone number, email, IM, SMS etc. immediately.

So where might you see a QR code:

• T-shirt
• On a shelf
• Products
• Print
• Online
• TV
• On a Building
• Receipts
• Business Cards
• On a Rock – really? Yes.

Ok I see the code and I scan it my phone... will it do my laundry? No.
What will it do?

• Drive to a Coupon
• Send a Text Message
• Drive to a Personalized Website URL
• Drive to a YouTube Video
• Call a Telephone Number
• Email Message
• Send a Vcard
• Drive to a Google Map
• Drive to a PayPal Buy Now Link
• Enable WiFi Login
• Drive to Itunes
• Drive to Social Media

and many many other things you might be able to come up with!

Ok so now you’re thinking perhaps you should investigate QR codes a little more and integrate into your marketing plan - What should you keep in mind?

• Make sure the code is in a visible location – not buried in a brochure – billboards, posters, covers of brochures, walls are great places
• Have QR content strategy in place – ie make sure the code links to a CTA or compelling content experience (liking a page, signing up for promotions, etc)
• Make it clear near the QR code what the customer can expect if they scan it – if its not clear, folks won’t scan and those who do won’t know what exactly it is they are looking for and you will lose them
• Make certain your site or landing page is optimized for mobile sites. Most of the folks scanning QR codes are coming through their smart phones – if your site is not optimized for mobile... Not cool!
• Test away – this is one of those apps you want to test the hell out of to make sure it works on all smartphones and make sure you test on a number of different scanning programs (ie RedLaser, Scan Life)
• Track the analytics so that you know which CTA’s are resonating the with your target – remember QR codes are relatively new so don’t get bummed if you see low numbers initially.

Need some examples to understand this concept better?
See how Polo, Brooks Brothers and TomTom used QR codes here!


So that's my skinny on QR codes - now you go ahead and figure out if it is right for you!

Listening to Your Customers Can Cost You

What do you mean a company can get in trouble by listening to their customers?  That doesn't make sense!!


Actually it depends on the question that was asked. So when does it make sense to ask your customers & when does it make sense to watch them?


Phil Terry & Mark Hurst recently wrote about Walmart & I thought I would join in on this discussion because it’s quite relevant in our marketing world of constant testing & surveying customers to see what they like & dislike. 


It’s great these days, we never seem to really go to market with a hunch – we test the hell out of everything before we put it in front of the mass media.  This way we know whether or not something jives with the general public or may fall flat. 


But what are we testing? Who are we testing it with? Do they truly represent the mass population? And lastly, is what they are telling us truly what they want? I thought this cartoon conveyed this the best:

The answer is a tough one. I would venture to say perhaps some early testing just to gage direction would be nice but I would also say that more importantly, many times it’s how you position the concept to the user & how you ask the question in the survey.

So let’s take a look at what Walmart did back in 2009. In a world where everyone loves the simplicity behind the Apple branding, many brands are trying to follow suit and simplify their brand & product. Walmart takes notice and decides that perhaps their customers need a more simplified shopping experience in their stores that is less cluttered & easier to navigate. Makes sense right? Maybe.... Err... Maybe not....

They do what most smart brands do... Survey their customers first to make sure this is what they are looking for & they ask the question “would you like Walmart aisles to be less cluttered?” 


They say YES. 


Great, customers have made it clear that this is what they want. Of course they do. Who wouldn’t?

So Walmart  moves forward, they clean house, cut down the amount of brands they carry.... Sales start dropping, people start complaining.... But what happened? Isn't this what they wanted? Our customers lied!!

No. 


See, the question that was asked was very leading. As Mark points out, Walmart made a common mistake. They asked a question they already felt they had the answer to. The question they should have asked was: What do you like about Walmart? What might improve your shopping experience?

They focused on what the customer said vs. what they actually did. 


Walmart customers thrive on low prices. What drives low prices? Variety & brand competition. When they cut down on the variety, the price fluctuation disappeared. So when you lose the variety, you lose competitive pricing & Walmart customers are suddenly no longer happy campers.

So bottom line – remember that while it is important to hear what your customers are looking for, there is a fine balance between surveying customers & watching what they are actually doing. And if you should ask them a question – make sure you are asking the right question or it could cost you millions. Literally.

Two Powerful Words

THANK YOU...

Maya Angelou wrote “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Forget about creating a powerful brand for a moment and think about the last time someone gave you a heartfelt thank you. It felt great didn’t it? 


Where did it come from? Your boss? Family member? Friend? A brand?

I experienced this at the simplest, most surprising moment the other day. It came from a 20 month old, my daughter. I gave her a sippy cup and she exclaimed “thank you mumma” with a huge grin on her face. It was the first time I had heard those words come out of her mouth (and hopefully not the last!) but what it brought to light was that it made me feel good. 


Two small words invoking such a powerful feeling.

I know what you are thinking. Big deal, she said thanks. Well, it is a big deal and people should pay more attention to this dying art of saying a genuine thank you and the power within those two words. In a world where you can get everything at the touch of a finger, you cannot buy feeling good.

Saying thank you to someone at the right time is worth millions and will go a lot further than you think.

So now, bringing it back to the brand.... The brands that are the most successful out there are the ones that pull at your emotional strings... They strike a chord in you that was unexpected. They elicit a reaction you weren’t expecting. This sweet spot is what every marketing campaign strives for.

So what are some good examples of thank you goodness?

Heineken thanking their Facebook fans offline.

Ikea thanking their staff by giving each and every one of them a bike.

Now you may not have the money or manpower to do what these brands did but there are simple things you can do on your site on your thank you page. Don’t miss out on that opportunity.

Lastly, you don’t have to be Oprah or a big brand to make someone feel good as evidenced by my little girl. So go thank your friend, colleague, family member or even your pet.... I guarantee you, that thanks will come back to you at some point, just as unexpected. 

Stoke the Twitter Fire

Twitter can make sense IF you let it.

Twitter is misunderstood many times. Naysayers (you know who you are) believe that it is just a way to promote your daily rants to a group of followers that you may or may not know.

Twitter is so much more if you allow it to be and here's how.  

First ask yourself these questions to figure out where you stand in the twitter sphere:

1. Do you want to hear what's going on out there?

2. Do you want to be heard?

If you answered yes to the first question and just want to hear the buzz - then you should be on twitter and become a follower of those you are most influenced by (friends, companies, colleagues, professors, authors, leaders etc.) Pretty simple. Try it and see if it works for you.

If you answered yes to the second question and want to be heard - twitter is your wing man. But you need to stoke the twitter fire in order for it to become an effective marketing tool for you. BTW, answering yes to question 2 also by default answers yes to question 1 (that's just common sense!)

We are all brands. We all represent something. We all stand for something.  Twitter has become a critical part of marketing strategy for the largest brands on this planet. It comes down to this - write a good enough one liner tweet and you'll get the followers who will soon convert into customers. Much easier said than done given a tweet needs to be 140 characters or less. The main point is to make short impactful brand impressions over time. This requires a bit of posting strategy though so keep that in mind if you are a big brand.

But most of us aren't big brands. We are representing ourselves and our message. Here's how twitter is helping me on a day to day basis:

1. Networking: It helps me connect with leaders and influencers that I would normally not have the opportunity to do so with.

2. Knowledge: It sheds light on what influencers are reading and what is shaping their knowledge.

3. Sharing: It allows me to share my thoughts with folks that I would normally not directly market (thank you retweet).

These are just a few reasons why I'm a fan of twitter - there are many more out there. I'm not saying everyone needs to be on twitter but there sure is a lot to be learned by it. But just to reiterate - you need to stoke the twitter fire to make it work for you, if you don't, it will fizzle out.

Time Magazine recently posted the 140 Best Twitter Feeds. The list is broken up by categories including companies, JetBlue and Amazon are on there, find out why. The list is comprised of all the folks leading the conversation around the world. Worth taking note.

As for me - well you can follow my tweets @PSCommonSense - I'm still more of a follower than contributor at this point :) You have to start somewhere right?

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Visit my site www.utopia46.com for more UX info!