Just do it!
Another thought occurred to me as I watched the Cirque Shanghai: Bai Xi that I mentioned in Leading Like an Acrobat: There was no talk. For the 90 minutes of a constantly shifting show, there were no words. There was music and movement, gymnastics and dance, but no talk. I have noticed that many organizations tend towards the opposite, like an inexorable slide to mediocrity. Talk replaces action. Nike,...
June 27th, 2007 by ssh
Leading like an acrobat
During a recent team building trip with Firefly Energy, we saw Cirque Shanghai: Bai Xi, and incredible exhibition of acrobatics and teamwork. As I watched the members leap and tumble, I noticed the synchronicity of their movements as a team, and they synergy of their roles. The members of the team would migrate from being the solo performer to one of a group to one that was supporting the others by...
June 26th, 2007 by ssh
The Cost of Leadership
In a comment to my recent post What’s Next? Varun mentioned that the new world that is arriving is one that is not affordable for some. That got me thinking about the concepts of affordability and value. The real question about any new technology or approach to leadership isn’t one of absolute cost, but relative value. If I told you that you could invest $10,000 with me and I’ll give...
June 18th, 2007 by ssh
What’s next?
The third stream was underlined yesterday in Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs’ keynote at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. It frankly surprised me that it seemed to take Apple so long to realize the obvious answer to the biggest complaint about their soon-to-ship iPhone: no interface for external development. The answer really was obvious and it’s what I have...
June 12th, 2007 by ssh
The third stream
I’ve mentioned two of the three technology streams that are vitally important for any leader to not only recognize, but to understand. They are first the evolution of web applications to include off-line access and second the expansion of web applications to include mashups that effectively integrate and expand multiple web systems. There is a third that will super-charge these first two. Its...
June 10th, 2007 by ssh
Is the Leader a Team Member?
Recently, a member of one of the on-line teams I lead made an interesting comment: “You don’t communicate like you’re part of the team.” There was more to it than that, but let’s take a look at that single statement. My communication is often an effort to find common ground, contribute my thoughts, encourage brainstorming and collaboration, and generally to develop synergy...
June 6th, 2007 by ssh
The Mashup stream
In my recent post on Technology and Leadership, I mention that there are three evolving streams of technology that are going to have a dramatic impact on how people interact, how people work, and how we lead. The first one is the evolution of web 2.0 applications to include the off-line components to that web applications become truly and completely mobile. In addition to the Google technology that...
June 2nd, 2007 by ssh
I wasn’t there!
Although I managed to touch base with a few of the InteropLabs folks in Las Vegas the week before Interop, I was with a client elsewhere the week of the show (and had been in the French Alps during Hot Stage), so I missed it this year. What about you?
June 1st, 2007 by ssh
A Philosophic Approach to Leadership
Those of you serious about leadership owe it to yourself to spend some time with the Leadership Diamond and Peter Koestenbaum’s books. You can learn more at his Philosophy-in-Business site. In the Leadership Diamond, he outlines the elements of leadership that we learn to hold in tension: Ethics, Reality, Vision, and Courage. Through the site’s self-assessment, take a look at where you...
June 1st, 2007 by ssh
