Pass the Hatorade, Please

Just came across this interesting dicussion thread on Slashdot, and thought I'd share. Apparently employed IT folks hate recruiters.

I have to admit, reading through some of the ideas make me chuckle. Others made me a little worried about the sanity of the people that posted the ideas. :o

Facebook: The LinkedIn Killer

As some of you may already know, there's a big hoopla over what happened yesterday at 3pm in San Francisco. What am I talking about? The Facebook Platform Launch, an event that elicits comparisons to Steve Jobs and his keynote sessions for Apple (it's funny to hear other people say that Mark Zuckerberg was "channeling" Steve Jobs at this event...).

The most evident thing at this event? Facebook's undeniable ambition to become the #1 most visited site on the Internet...which also leverages its community in a manner that will allow it (and many partners) to build unprecedented services and applications for the semantic web. The most striking comment in this event? That Zuckerberg and company are "targeting Google next." Joking or not, I think it's safe to say that even making a comment like that speaks to their ambitions of taking Facebook to the next level.

So here's something I'll throw out there. Facebook is already stickier than MySpace and LinkedIn. The fact that they now have 70+ applications under way for the site only means they have the potential for getting more sticky as it expands its user base. Indeed, nearly 50% of its user base is 25 years or older. I can believe this statistic because I'm one of them...

My bold claim: Facebook has the potential of disrupting LinkedIn's model...and the model of many other social networking sites. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Facebook begins to play on the same fields as some of its other peers such as LinkedIn. What if Facebook created a professional networking forum within its site? It's feasible, given its current growth rate of non-college students...

For the time being, I don't think LinkedIn has anything to worry about since it has a handle on its demographic. But if they're not careful...and if they don't constantly innovate...I wonder just how much staying power it will have.

Digg Marries Monster...Meet TalentSpring

So I have this dilemma that everyone else has (at least, anyone that spends a lot of time on the Internet)...keeping track of the semantic web/social networking phenomenon. I swear, a day doesn't go by that I don't hear of at least 3 or 5 new sites that have "interesting" twists on current sites.

I only wonder how many of these have staying power...how many of them are "sticky" enough to create communities that keep coming back. But it'll be a few years before we know the answer to that question, so in the meanwhile, here's a new site that has yet another interesting premise.

If Digg and Monster were to be mashed up, I would imagine the result would be similar to TalentSpring. Read on from Techcrunch:

Like traditional resume marketplaces, TalentSpring is database of resumes from those seeking work or looking for new employment opportunities. Where as tradition resume marketplaces are generally search driven databases, categorized by user submissions based on location, experience etc, TalentSpring uses a ranking system to rate resumes so that top resumes float to the top of TalentSpring whilst lesser resumes drop. Resumes are ranked by other job seekers. Upon signing up and submitting your resume, to have your details included on TalentSpring you must score 12 sets of other candidates in your own professional area. The voting system is a one resume or another proposition x 12. Users are presented two resumes side by side and must mark which candidate they feel is better suited for a position in that particular field. ...Costs for the service are highly competitive, starting at $195 for a single position with various unlimited use packages also available.

So...check back here in a few years to see if this latest site gains traction. ;) At $195 a pop, it doesn't seem like such a bad deal if TalentSpring can actually get a decent collection of resumes. Which makes me wonder: how long is Monster going to take before they roll out any Web 2.0 initiatives of their own?

This Isn't a Tribute to Star Trek...

So after months of waiting, I finally got my invite to Spock. It's one of many new "people search engines" that is debuting on the web right now. It's still in invitation only beta, so if you want to check it out you'll have to sign up and wait for them to come calling you.

I've been playing with it thus far today, and I have to admit, I'm beginning to believe their claim of having 100 million plus profiles on their site already. I've gone through a good portion of my own hiring team, and haven't found one yet that ISN'T indexed in this site.

On top of that, I've been giving it a run through with the current project I'm working on...and it seems to be holding up pretty well. Granted, it's far from perfect. Many of the profiles have only the most basic information about individuals (city, sex, company, title, etc.), so as a Talent Researcher one still has to do some legwork to uncover more information. But if you're just starting your search on a particular individual, it's a good start.

I'll be interested to see how this site evolves as it draws nearer to a "Go live" date. Until then, I'll continue tinkering around...and giving updates on my blog whenever I find something new.

The Top Brand?

So apparently, the meteoric rise of Google doesn't seem to be slowing down all that much. A new research study on brands by the WPP Group has ranked Google as the most valuable brand.

The crazy thing? It happened in about a decade.

Just more proof that the business landscape is getting faster with globalization. As walls begin to come down between countries, communication across barriers becomes less inhibited. More communication...facilitated properly of course...often times leads to faster innovation. Hence what you see occuring with Web 2.0 firms right now.

Web 2.0 has officially gone...mainstream

It's pretty safe to say that once a "trend" has entered the ad-world, it's gone mainstream, right? After all, inserting something that used to be cutting-edge isn't so effective as a communication piece to the masses unless the masses understand the context.

Well, I came across this quirky and amusing advertisement (although, whether or not this is a real ad from the company is still up for debate) today, and just had to post it up on the blog.

...yes, I realize that it's been 3 months and counting since my last post. Let's just say that I have been extremely (and still am!) with so many different projects that I hardly get time to write anymore. :( Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things and start posting consistently.

Christmas Thoughts

...Tom Peters manages to do it again. For me, at least.

Here's a recent post from him.

Perhaps the reason it feels so close to home is that this is what leadership is all about. And yet, it's lost on so many people day in and day out...including me. Fortunately for me, I've had occasional epiphanies where I've been able to witness how doing a small thing like this can make a HUGE difference. On your co-worker. On your team. On your business unit. On your organization.

Thanks, Tom.

Powersetting Your Search

New search engines on the Internet are a dime a dozen nowadays. Or so it seems, right?

I ran across this new search engine today called Powerset. But before I had a chance to roll my eyes at yet another search engine...I realized that this thing is definitely getting the hype machine treatment in techdom.

Part of the reason is the "who's who" of supporters behind this thing. On its list of investors includes Eric Tilenius (former CEO of Answers.com) and Esther Dyson (techdom's queen), among a slew of others. It's even got a few heavy hitting VCs behind it..

So what's going to make Powerset so special compared to all the other search engines getting created out there in cyberspace? It claims to be a search engine based on "natural language processing." By focusing on the structure and nuances of natural language, Powerset has its sights set on breaking search free of traditional keyword confines. Or something to that extent.

It shows promise. Unfortunately, it's not available to the public yet. Claiming that it's operating in "semi-stealth" mode for now, it looks like those of us wanting to get a glimpse into the "future of search" will have to wait until Powerset's creators are ready for prime time.

I for one will be very interested to see if Powerset can live up to all this hype.

Microsoft rolling out another social networking site?

Hmmm...some interesting bit of news I came across today. It appears Microsoft is trying to form another IT community site.

How it differs from The Hive, I have yet to determine. Right now Aggreg8 is so bare bones that it's hard to tell if this thing is going to take off.

I do have to say that as it stands now, Aggreg8 is definitely not ready for primetime. It may have some interesting things here or there, but nothing substantial that would tantalize any user.

More to come as I uncover...

In the meanwhile, I will be posting more frequently!

Using Online Lead Generation Firms for...Recruiting?

So it's been a very long time since I last posted on my blog. I guess I can't complain too much...things have been extremely busy for me, which is normally a good thing when it comes to business. I think. ;) My only worry is if I begin to routinely start off each one of my new blog posts with "it's been a long time since..."

So I came across a very interesting firm the other week. The name? Root Markets, founded by Seth Goldstein. The idea behind the firm? Create an online marketplace where people can trade...Internet leads. The idea goes like this: instead of being at the mercy of marketers and advertisers, let consumers regain power by controlling their own online data. Oh yeah, and make money doing it.

Here's a scenario of how a typical transaction might occur on Root Exchange, the online marketplace set up by Goldstein's firm: 1) Using an add-on to Firefox called Attention Recorder, you literally keep track of your personal searches on search engines, sites you click on, etc. 2) You store all this tracking information in a private online vault that you'll be able to share selectively with others. 3) Online firms, such as Mortgage providers, can pay you money if you allow them to know that you just ordered the latest book about purchasing homes from Amazon. 4) This signals to the online firm that you might be open to "pitches," such as loans for a home.

So what's the big deal?

What if Root Exchange (which currently is doing mortgage leads, auto loans, and insurance) becomes an online marketplace for recruiters?

In a sense, this is what agencies and staffing firms have already been doing for quite some time.

Except, it's translating it into a Web 2.0 (yes, had to use it...can't think of something else to call it) experience. And that's the key. It's an experience for the user. Which is why the potential for it blowing up "could" be real. If you don't believe that experiences are the way of the web right now...just read the news about the latest deal that Google made with YouTube. The main appeal of YouTube is the experience. And apparently it's worth $1.6 billion to some firms (I'm depressed at the fact that I didn't execute against the idea of a video sharing site sooner...but I digress...).

All I know is...I would not be surprised at all if some recruiting firm has already talked with Mr. Goldstein or is trying to put something together like this. And if they haven't...what's the holdup?!?!

Needless to say, you can bet I'll be looking into this matter myself. ;)

For All You Bloggers Out There

Every once in a while, I'll come across some useful bit of information that makes me want to post up on my own blog. This is one of them. Neil Patel describes how bloggers can leverage Digg and Netscape to their advantage...and drive traffic to their sites as a result.

Very cool information.

Now if I could only find out how to increase my 24 hours in a day to a nice round 30 in order to do some of this stuff I keep reading about...

From Vision to Great Groups

You started with a vision to create an innovative culture within your recruiting function, HR department, or entire organization.

You decided to leap with it.

Now what?

You need a Great Group, as Warren Bennis calls them.

Hopefully you're not one of those individuals who believes that one person can always out-innovate a group of people. Remember that old saying you learned as a kid? "Two heads are better than one?" They created that saying for a reason. If you think about nearly every great innovation that changed the rules, a group of people were behind it. Not a single person.

Enter the Great Group. Great groups are often the difference between an idea...and an idea that's actually executed. A group of committed, aligned, and passionate people is a very powerful thing. When groups like this get together, cool things happen. Cool things like:

1) The Disney team that created "Snow White," the first full length animated film.
2) Apple and its vision of toppling Big Blue (IBM)...which ultimately led to the creation of many things, least of which is the iPod.
3) Google's team that created Adwords, one of the most successful advertising inventions in the Internet era.
4) The invention of the personal computer by Xerox PARC.
5) The formation of General Electric, perhaps the most valuable organization in the world, from Thomas Edison's original group of 14 scientists.

You get the idea. All these things (and many, many more) were created through the efforts of Great Groups.

So this begs the question: how can I go about creating this Great Group? And what if you're literally the department within an organization? What then? In my next post, I'll talk about these things.

Until then, I'll leave you with this quote from Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

As far as I can tell, Margaret Mead was talking about Great Groups. ;)

Visioneering: The Who

After a long hiatus from my last post on creating an innovative culture within your organization, I'm back. I'm beginning to discover the challenge in having a full-time job and also blogging every day. :) So without further ado, let's continue the discussion around the first step of my innovation framework (The "IF").

With every revolution...every movement...every change...a champion is needed. The "who," in other words.

Typically, a vision (remember...visions are solutions to problems) originates within an individual as a concern for something. In my experience...those individuals who begin to listen to this concern more and more...begin to feel like the vision is some sort of moral imperative to do. And as a result, this imperative compels them to action. This is the power behind vision.

And guess what? If the vision starts with you...well, don't look around for anyone else to lead the charge. You ARE the charge. The spark plug. The catalyst for your organization for this particular vision.

If you can come to believe that you have the time, the talent, and the skills to go through with this vision, then all you have to do is jump. As one of my professors at school used to say, "leap and the net will appear."

This is where most people stumble. They don't leap. In other words, they don't leap because they don't believe in themselves. I've seen people hesitate to make this initial jump for various reasons. According to Seth Godin, two of the most prevalent reasons are: 1) you don't know how to get your organization to actually do what you think should be done, or 2) you don't think you have any worthwhile ideas that people will follow.

Here's a thought. Every true vision that originates within individuals or organizations seems impossible at first. But this is precisely why visions are so powerful: they force individuals and organizations to align against a common cause...and when that cause is achieved, there is no better feeling in the world.

So don't let doubts derail your original passion. Don't let unanswerable questions quell your fire. Become the champion...and leap. The worst you can do is fail (failure is good for innovation).

What happens if you DO make that leap? What happens next?

That's what I'll write about in my next post. And this time, I'll try not to let a week go by in between posts. ;)

The End of the Job Interview? Seth Godin's Thoughts

Before I get back to writing about innovation, I wanted to comment on something Seth Godin wrote yesterday. According to Mr. Godin, organizations should destroy the way they do interviews. According to him we should:

1) Admit that we've got this whole interviewing process backwards.
2) Re-examine the "why" behind most hiring decisions.
3) Have a "guided tour" of our organizations and the opportunity in question ready to go for any candidates who apply or are recruited directly.
4) Abolish one-on-one interviews and instead place candidates in situations where they would actually be doing the work they're being interviewed for.
5) Like the person so far? Hire them for a weekend for 20 hours and see how they perform with regards to both outcome and process.

I like the idea. But like what many people have already said, I have to say that I don't think Seth Godin's suggestions are practical. Mostly, I think the business world as we know it isn't ready for something like this. I also think the landscape is changing in such a way that tactic 5 would be a HUGE road block for attracting top talent.

The process that Seth Godin wants to put into place would work...IF and only if the interviewing process within an organization was already pretty good to begin with. For instance, how many organizations have dived deep into their positions? How many of these have figured out what makes someone successful for that particular role vs. someone who is just an average performer? Have they learned how to identify these success factors? And can you design an interview that shows managers these success factors within the people they interview? Most organizations that I've interacted with don't even keep track of the types of questions their hiring managers are asking. Related to this is the fact that many organizations don't look to see that hiring managers are being consistent from one interview to the next (like asking the same questions to be as objective as possible).

The second thing is...I truly believe the business landscape that we're operating in is changing towards a talent economy. In other words, an economy where organizations can only survive by "getting" the whole talent thing. As more and more organizations realize this (and as more and more Baby Boomers retire), I think we'll see an increasingly competitive environment for talent of all varieties. So the question becomes, can you realistically make candidates work for free for 20 hours over the weekend when they're getting hounded by a handful of your direct competitors? My answer is: no.

However, you have to hand it to Seth Godin for at least trying. And trying in a fresh way. So before you're so quick to criticize (me included), just know that revolutionary ideas often stir up emotions (angry or otherwise) precisely because they are...revolutionary.

Sometimes it just takes a while for these ideas to "stick."

Recruiting with Blogs: A Short-Lived Trend?

Well, it looks as if blogging may take a turn towards more privacy. Blog site Six Apart has launched Vox, a blogging and social networking site "with highly customized privacy settings."

Among other things, bloggers can restrict access to their content according to "buckets" of readers..."friends," "family," or "the world," for instance. What makes this a little unique is the fact that users can mix and match within a single blog, meaning that bloggers can actually aim content at several different readers exclusively of each other.

What will be interesting to see is how blogging behavior changes with these available settings. Will more people opt to allow only select readers enjoy their content? Or will bloggers stick with the "open to the whole world" format that we've become accustomed to?

If you're a recruiter who has been using blogs to identify talent...wonder what will happen if this channel gets shut off?

Of course, we won't know the answer to these questions for the next couple of years. It's highly unlikely that behavior will change that drastically in several months' period.

Of course, with the Internet, you can never be too sure...

Visioneering: The Why

So you've decided that your organization, business unit, or team needs a little innovation. A little spice. Something that will help stave off irrelevance.

Congratulations. You've taken the first step: admitting that you're missing something.

Now for the hard part: taking that thought and executing against it.

Before you can set out and create a world-class organization that gushes with creativity, innovation, or ideation...you need VISION.

What is vision? It's the ultimate why. As in, "why should we care?" "Why should we do this?" "Why is this so important?" ..."Why should we follow you?" "Why should we trust you?"

Aristotle once said, "the soul never thinks without a picture." That's what a vision is: a clear picture of what could be...what should be. (Incidentally, for those curious about the origins of the word itself, vision in Hebrew roughly translates to "a dream from God.")

Why have a vision to begin with, you ask?

Because there's a problem.

And a vision...is the solution to that problem.

But let's back up here, because this is the part where I feel like a lot of organizations screw up the process of visioneering. They don't properly define the problem. It's the classic problem that consultants are confronted with when they start engagements. They have to help clients properly define the RIGHT problem. In some cases, this means correcting previous definitions of what was originally thought to be the problem.

Identifying the problem has an added benefit to the process of visioneering: it engages the minds of the people you're trying to cast the vision to. In fact, the degree to which you can enable people to see the world as you see it...that is the degree to which they will be willing to listen to your solution to the problem.

In other words, by not successfully defining the problem, you can never effectively cast a vision that people in your organization, business unit, or team will follow. After all, why should people even bother if they don't really see the need?

And therein lies, as I've already stated, one of the main purposes of a vision: giving a clear picture of what could be so that people will rally around it and help create what should be. People need to be willing to follow the vision that you cast...otherwise, you will never be able to effectively enact sweeping change.

So...what does visioneering, or the process of creating a vision, have anything to do with ideation?

Because if you ever wish to successfully create a revolution...a movement...a mantra...in your organization, business unit, or team, you MUST first align them to your vision for ideation.

Without a vision, they won't know the problem. (We're bordering on becoming irrelevant)

Without a vision, they won't see the need. (Our competitors are re-inventing themselves)

Without a vision, they won't know the solution. (We need to re-imagine ourselves)

Without a vision...they won't care like you do. (We're AREN'T fine the way we are!)

And this brings us to the other thing that vision does for all of us: it weaves four (a BIG four) things into the fabric of everything that we do.

1) Passion
2) Motivation
3) Direction
4) Purpose

It's these four things that vision incorporates into our daily routine that makes us care enough to help deliver the solution.

By now, hopefully you have begun to get the idea of "The Why" behind visioneering.

Tomorrow, I will cover "The Who" of visioneering.

The IF: An Ideation Framework

I wanted to start off my framework for ideation by acknowledging those people that helped pave the way for my ideas and thoughts on this matter. After all, I will be the last person to claim that I have created an ingenious roadmap for organizations for decades to come. Rather, I have simply taken what these thought leaders have written/spoken about and added a dash of my own ingredients (analysis, insight, experience, and of course...creativity).

Ideas always start from a foundation, and hopefully I can give credit to those who helped create that foundation. Many don't know who I am today...but hopefully someday I'll have the honor of meeting them. ;) Tom Peters, Warren Bennis, Tom and David Kelley, Seth Godin, Joey Reiman, Andy Stanley, God, and my family are just some of the people that have helped create this foundation.

Hopefully this framework will help you and your organization...and help revolutionize the HR and Recruiting industries in the process.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing the first step in "The IF," or The Ideation Framework. I decided to call it (tentatively...if everyone hates it I might be tempted to change it;) "The IF" for this simple reason: creating an organization that constantly innovates is only possible IF you actually do something about it. Otherwise, it's just another thing you read and don't internalize. Another thing that sounds nice but is never used. And that's what I don't want to see...

So what's the first step?

Visioneering.

What is it?

You'll have to read tomorrow to find out.

Non-Traditional HR Leaders

Before I get to my ideation framework, I wanted to write something that I read about over the weekend.

My thoughts stem from an article by Jack and Suzy Welch, which talks about elevating HR to the front of an organization. ...For those of you who don't know, Jack Welch is one of those executives who passionately believes that HR should be the most powerful part of any organization.

One of the more interesting thoughts presented in the article: getting someone to lead an HR organization who has experience leading a function OUTSIDE of HR. In Jack's opinion, these people truly get business...its "inner workings, history, tensions, and hidden hierarchies in people's minds."

This idea creates so much controversy on the conventional HR Management front that I almost want to say it's a GREAT idea by that fact alone. ;)

But in all seriousness, perhaps this is a good strategy to get more business-minded people to lead HR functions. Like in my previous rants, I think one of the biggest drawbacks for HR functions is the fact that they are often filled with people who have no concept of how business operates. They might contain people who have received their MBAs...but when's the last time an organization has allowed an MBA-only person take the helm? MBAs must be accompanied with experience, and this is precisely where traditional HR heads are found lacking. They've rarely had to lead other operations within the organization...and as a result, don't truly understand the P&L responsibilities, hierarchies, turf wars, etc. that might be going on within an organization.

So here's a thought: if you are thinking of making someone head an HR function, make it a prerequisite that they successfully lead another non-HR BU for a few years. My thought process is that if they can successfully lead a non-HR BU, then they can take those lessons learned "in the trenches" and truly understand how to leverage those insights within an HR capacity.

...I'll have to research this a bit more to see if any organizations currently do this already.

Ideation in Recruiting and HR: A Basic Framework

In my last post, I posed the question of whether or not creativity contributed towards the bottom line. We saw some interesting points of view from Robin Hanson and Richard Florida.

Regardless of which point of view you agree with, I think we can agree on one thing: in business, one can't afford to NOT innovate. It doesn't matter that you focus on the big idea or several "small" ideas...what matters is that an organization is constantly trying to improve itself. Without this, they go one step closer to irrelevance.

So here's my next question: how do you become an organization that is capable of constantly creating new ideas? More importantly, how can you become an organization that creates ideas that will be used?

In the coming weeks, I'll be posting some steps that organizations can take towards achieving this. Consider it a framework that organizations can adopt. The beauty of it is, it's a framework that can be adopted by business units within organizations....or a framework that can be adopted by an entire organization as well.

With that said, I'll be creating this framework with an eye towards recruiting and HR. I think out of a lot of internal functions within an organization, these are the two that don't have ideation built into their DNAs. And if you ask me...if these functions continue to NOT innovate from within, they will increasingly become susceptible to being irrelevant.

Does Creativity Contribute to the Bottom Line?

After a bit of a hiatus from my series on innovation and creativity in HR and recruiting, I'm back with a new entry.

My last entry spoke about firing your internal clients a la Crispin Porter + Borgusky. It was a good look at how thinking outside the box (for some, this was an example of thinking way outside the box) can sometimes be healthy for your organization.

Now for a completely different take on this debate.

Enter Robin Hanson of George Mason University. For Professor Hanson, there's a myth of creativity that has been overblown in Corporate America. Executives have been issuing this innovation war cry for the last few years..."pleading" with their employees to put their creative thinking caps on.

But for Hanson, this is all for naught. Among other things, Hanson argues that there are too many people focusing on "big ideas"...and not enough people focused on the "millions of small changes we constantly make to our billions of daily procedures and arrangements." You can read the whole thing for yourself here.

It's a very pragmatic view of this whole debate...and a very tempting stance on innovation and creativity.

Is he right? Perhaps. Can he be wrong? There's always the possibility, of course.

If you're interested in who might disagree with Hanson, look no further than Richard Florida. Click here for a full rebuttal to the above stated viewpoint.

Looks like a feisty intellectual debate!