My Selfish Reasons for Blogging

I took a bit of a break from writing and blogging and I suffered because of it. I was less participatory on Twitter and on other people’s blogs, again, it was my loss. I could invent some excuse about being busy, but I will forgo the excuse route. My ego would like to suggest that in my writing I am imparting some kind of knowledge to others, the reality is that I do it as a focused way to dig deeper on topics. If others can learn a bit along the way, all the better. This actually causes me an issue, which I will try to correct in 2013. The issue is that my writing is too academic and often lacks practical ‘Now What’.

In 2013, therefore, my focus will be much more about advancing the ‘Now What’ discussion. In other words, we have been discussing the ‘what’ and ‘why’ for a good long time know, it is time to move on.. What will be hard to avoid will be some discussions and conversations that might appear to be a bit academic – like ‘Information’ versus ‘Knowledge’ or ‘Customer Experience’ versus ‘Social CRM’. In these types of conversations I am really trying to understand the perspective of a broader audience of people (CMO v CIO, for example), as we seem to have certain names and concepts stuck in our head and need to move beyond the names and do a bit of lateral thinking. Definitions are not the’ be all and end all’, but they do serve as a baseline. In way, they are like rules, there as guidance, sometimes in need of breaking.

For example, in my bit of research on the topic of ‘Knowledge’ versus ‘Information’, what I found missing is ‘Smarter’. That is actually my goal, to become smarter so when clients ask the tough questions I have a better chance of offering an an answer, or at least knowing where to look. If knowledge is putting information to use, then being smart is understanding when a particular bit of information is useful. Being smart is also knowing when you do not have nearly enough information to be knowledgeable, therefore the best course of action is listen a bit longer.

If I were to consider a word that described 2012, it would probably be ‘Social’. The word for 2013 is ‘Context’. Context will help (me at least) in the transition from what and why, to how. I will be spending a lot of time in 2013 working to understand the proper context of, data, information and timing; mostly to determine relevance. Bear with me, as I will certainly make a few mistakes along the way.

Happy 2013!

Time to hit the Pause Button

Thank goodness I do not have a title for this blog, as my posts have been, well, a bit all over the map lately. Not quite ramblings of a mad man, but close. This may give you the idea that I have random disconnected thoughts. Well, I do, and to make sense of them I write and often realize that there are connections. Here is the thing, writing  forces me to focus, think through the idea, put fingers to keyboard and see if it makes sense. Twitter fits into this category, as squeezing a rational thought into 140 characters that does not feel like a sound bite is hard.

A few weeks ago, I was away from work, away from Skype, away from email (well, mostly) and I tried to focus on nothing, intentionally. The Euro Cup was on, I tried to avoid social networks. At first, I failed miserably, yep, I missed the news, current events, technology gossip (Ciboodle was part of it) and watching the flow of information. After a few days, it was easy, I read a few fiction books, watched soccer, had a few drinks and did relax. I did not spend time writing either.

Here is what I learned:

• I am (many of us are) too connected, therefore I/we lose touch with people who are not as connected as I am (we are).
• Things (change, technology,…) are moving at a pace that borders on bizarre, caution advised.
• Keeping up with everything is nearly impossible, you will lose your hair trying; focus.
• I need to read more foundational works, not just others interpretation of them.
• Hitting the pause button gives a perspective that I think many people need right now. I know I did.

I will stop there before I get philosophical, then I will really get myself in trouble. Enjoy the weekend.

Time is not Social

Time is more Valuable than Money
People are more Important than Things
Friendships are more Important than Friends
Relationships are more Important than Re..<careful>
Spending Time with People is Definitely Cooler than spending Money on Things

Likes are Lazy
Fans are Fickle
Followers are <becoming> Disengaged
Retweeting (should not even be a word), is simply an Odd Duck
A Conversation Trumps a Comment, they are Different
Taking the Time to Comment, Converse and Engage is more meaningful than a flyby +1

Sharing is not Collaborating
Over-sharing is a bit Creepy, Caution Advised
Influence is not a Game, Though many Play
Email is a Tool, Use it Wisely
Listening is not the same as Hearing, Think before you Speak #justsayin

Social is not about Media, Nor Business – It is about Being Human
It is About the Journey, not the Destination…unless of course you are heading to the Slopes, the Surf or the Bar!
There are exceptions to every statement made; so be kind
Today, a title really would limit my thoughts

I call it Football, you call it Soccer – We are still talking about the same thing!

Well, maybe not totally true, but close!

It is World Cup time and I am sure that we will all happily put aside the debate on Technology versus Strategy, Social CRM versus CRM, Customer versus Social Customer and focus on the Americans winning the World Cup! Thanks for your support! Oh, you think they do not have a chance? Is that because of your sense of patriotism, or because your team, has better players, or a better strategy? I am sure, and it might even be fun to get a series of response regarding skill, discipline, philosophy, strength of one team or another. Talk about an abundance of experts, everyone is going to be a Soccer / Football expert come Friday! But, after some fun, it will come down to a subjective opinion of what you think and what I think.

Goals, Objectives and Strategy

The simple objective of any match played on the pitch of around 115 meters by 65 meters is to score more goals that the folks wearing the different color jersey. The strategy, well, that depends on the players available to the manager, no? Well, of course, different players on the field have a slightly different perspective. While, the goal keeper would love to score, his focus is actually on preventing the other team from scoring. Does this mean he is not in alignment with the objective? No, I do not think so. Even though their is a strong likelihood that all the teams on the pitch will have the same objective, the way in which they will attempt to reach that objective is likely going to be different? It depends upon what you have available to you!

People, Process and Technology

It seems simple, the people are the players, right? Well, kinda, works for now. The process; get me the ball, and I will score – ok, it is not that simple. The technology, boots, shin pads, goalie pads, the ball (which people are arguing about again this year), the pitch (natural or grass, lighting), diet and hydration. Ok, what is my point? The point is simple: If I were to spend an entire post talking theory, overlapping runs, playing from the back, set pieces, etc.,… I would get chastised for focusing on the wrong things. Someone would surely tell me that it depends upon my players, their strengths, the opponent, fitness…the list goes on an on. If I focused on fitness, diet, science of training, others would certainly point out that it is great for runners and track stars, but if they do not have the skills, who cares, why talk about it? That new striker who scored 12 goals in 20 matches, is he equivalent to the new shiny object?

All aspects are important

I have watched many a match with friends, at a bar, having a good time. Yes, we rib each other about one player or another, national pride takes over, we get louder as the match wears on (probably due to the locale).  Sure, as more people come into the bar, we want to make sure that everyone else knows which side we are for, and which we are against. For me, I mostly enjoy a good match, unless my boys are playing, then I am a bit more passionate. No, they are not international players 🙂 I have a love for the game, fair play and entertainment. I cannot stand extremely dirty play, not players who take a dive in the box. I have a love for the game, and all aspects play into the end result. Sometimes you are able to talk in generalities, sometimes you need to get specific. Sometimes, a new person comes to the table and they think Football is played by big guys wearing helmets, and we need to include them in the conversation as well.

The point

My request is that everyone stop beating up on people who choose to focus on one aspect or another. If I want to call it Soccer, because I grew up in the US, so be it. I do often try to call it Football, to make a connection with people I am speaking with, sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. It seems as though as opposed to trying to help people with what is right, and how different people are able to add to the conversation, too many people are focused on what someone did wrong. Talk about the strengths of your team, the strength of your approach not way the other guys is wrong.