Google sits atop Fortune's list this year. Why? Perhaps, according to CNN.com, it's because the Silicon 
Valley wonder offers employees "free meals, swimming spa, and free doctors onsite. Engineers can spend 20% of time on independent projects."
Milestone: This marks my 200th post.
For several weeks now, I have been following online discussions around Bob Sutton’s book, The No Asshole Rule. Briefly, the point being made is that those he describes as "assholes" drag individuals and groups down, and so we just shouldn't hire them or hang with them in the first place, no matter their talents.
I argue this point a bit differently in my upcoming book, Lead With Your Heart, and in recent white papers. I call it hiring to fit the culture, which should be based on a firm and unforgiving set of values. Those don't fit well in values-based cultures, shouldn't be hired or elected in the first place. And, if by mistake they are, we should help them find employment elsewhere, as we did in the recent election here in the US. (Although I suspect we replaced them with more than a few cut from the same cloth.)
In thinking about this, I decided to create a list of places that need to implement the No Assholes Rule. Here is what I have come up with so far:
1. The House of Representatives (state and federal)
2. The Senate (state and federal)
3. The Administration (state and federal)
4. Schools
5. Businesses of more than one person
6. Religion
7. Executive, managerial and supervisory positions
8. Leaders
9. Public transportation
10. Airlines
11. Neighbors
12. Family
For this blog, I used general descriptions, but as I think more about this, I am certain that more specific examples will come to mind. Feel free to add some yourself.
For more, check out Bob's blog.
I remember the cubicle. Not fondly but a definite long-term memory. What I most remember about it and its cubicle surroundings was the stillness. There was no energy, no life, no passion. Proof of this office disfunction was the day I received an e-mail from a neighbor who shared one of my cubicle walls. Talk about an environment that kills human contact.
But this isn't really about the cubicle, it's about you and me and what we bring to the table.
You see, I decided several years ago that even a floor of cubicles can produce creativity, passion and interactivity. Because of the boxes, getting involved takes greater effort but likely produces greater effects because any improvement within that kind of dismal environment is a great improvement.
So I ask myself, why do we allow ourselves and others to show up in body but not in mind and spirit? We really can't blame manufactured office space. The space just sits their stupidly. Why do we do the same?
How much better would be our work lives and our business if we awoke every morning and told ourselves that today I will make a difference. I will touch someone with a smile or a good morning. I will challenge the status quo. I will test an assumption. I will produce a new idea. I will commit 100% to passion and involvement.
Can you imagine that kind of culture?
For a different take on the subject, check out The unlimited power of enthusiasm on Seth Godin's blog.
I struggled with categorizing this post, as I wasn't entirely sure in what category business cards serve us best. You may be surprised that I chose "Human Resources." Let me explain.
First, I don't mean the corporate definition of human resources; I am not talking about benefits, training, rules, hiring or layoffs. No, instead I mean real human resources--people and the results that come from building long-term relationships with those people, which in fact is the core purpose of this blog.
Taking it one step further, building long-term relationships is not only the core purpose of business cards, it also is the core purpose of contact lists and distribution lists. These tools are far less about sales and marketing then about relationship building, which leads to sales, marketing, brand building and everything a business says and does.
Long-term relationship building is about the people-side of human resources, including:
· Employees
· Customers and Clients
· Peers
· Competitors
· And nearly every person with whom we come in contact
This past Friday, I presented and moderated a roundtable discussion of 14 participants. Most had never before met, and only a few had exchanged e-mail. Each was a consultant who served unique audiences and offered unique services. We did not compete for audience or sales attention.
In addition to offering good advice, my goal was to get everyone's business card and begin the process of building long-term relationships. This strategy represents my primary ongoing marketing effort, where I invest the most money and the most time. My return on investment looks like this:
· People like to do business with people they know and like, and a solid long-term relationship creates that scenario
· People like to do business with people they get along with, and a solid long-term relationship creates that scenario
· And people like to do business with people they know can and will do the job right, and a solid long-term relationship creates that scenario when we show people that we do the job right
Building long-term relationships results in leads, referrals and sales because they result in:
· Increased visibility for us and our business
· Increased familiarity with us and our business
· Increased credibility for us and our business
· Increased trust for us and our business
Sharing our business card is a first step to building relationships based on trust and credibility. When we develop our human resources, we:
· build and grow our businesses through referrals and leads;
· build and grow our businesses through sales and marketing created and executed upon by people who know and trust us;
· build and grow our businesses because those relationships result in referrals and leads;
· build and grow our businesses because those relationships build positive word of mouth;
· build and grow our businesses because those relationships result in our ability to refer our clients to professionals who offer services that we don't, making our clients lives easier and enhancing our client relationships, which result in loyal customers and clients;
· build and grow our businesses because those relationships lead to opportunities we might not otherwise come across; and finally,
· build and grow a circle of peers, who often become friends, who can help us learn and grow and to become better people.
Lesson to be learned: The business card is not a sales or marketing tool, it is a human resources development tool. Use it often and spread it around liberally. It is good for us and for our business.
I've been reading How Would You Move Mount Fuji and I came across a fascinating study in one of the early chapters about how quickly we evaluate people. This link describes it well. In a 1993 study published in the...
Go with your gut! Tom Peters calls it passion and action. Read this and share your thoughts. I think this is information every business person should come to understand.
