Leave Your Mark
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20/20: was Salesforce’s acquisition of Radian6 good for New Brunswick?
Some would answer no. Me? I say yes.
Today, CBC reported that Salesforce.com would be cutting 200 jobs in the wake of a recent acquisition, ExactTarget, that has created more overlap with its MarketingCloud division, a big part of which is the former Radian6. If you’re a New Brunswicker, you know that Radian6 was founded in Fredericton and sold in 2011 to Salesforce for north of $300 million. You can read the story about the layoffs here but what I’d like to talk about is why we should still be optimistic about what the long-term opportunities that will flow out of the Radian6/Salesforce deal.
Many of the comments from readers on the CBC website sounded like people were pissed off at Salesforce. Give me a break. Did we really think that a company based in Fredericton was going to continue to grow its staff in a real way here, when the mother ship is a global company with headquarters in Silicon Valley? If so, I think we’re being a bit naive.
Here’s my view.
1. Without a doubt, it is a sad day anytime we learn that our friends are losing their jobs. But these things happen all the time… everywhere. There’s no geography that is completely immune to this sort of thing.
2. I believe that Salesforce is likely to honour whatever commitments it has with the provincial government. Maybe I’m naive but I doubt it. If there are contractual obligations, I expect they’ll be appropriately handled or dealt with.
3. I don’t think a guarantee of a few hundred jobs staying in the province is the value of Radian6’s sale to Salesforce.
The value is the money that flowed into the province as a result of a $300+ million sale. What’s going to happen with that money… fancy cars, mansions and boats? Absolutely! Who wouldn’t? But when those short-term itches are scratched by the founders and investors in Radian6, what do you think happens? Another, more important itch is going to need scratching…
I think they try to do it again… They look to be investors (now with more cash) in other new ventures. R&D receives a huge injection… Innovation climbs … More ideas get off the ground… start-ups get an even better lift. The entire entrepreneurial ecosystem expands. Next thing you know, there are dozens of new companies, each employing 5, 10, 20, 50 staff. And they’re going to grow… and grow… to 100, 200… what if there’s another Chalk Media or Radian6 or Q1 Labs among them. Silicon Valley wasn’t built in a day and Boston didn’t become a tech hub overnight.
There are smart people here in little New Brunswick and we’re in the early days of our own entrepreneurial revolution… This is still just the beginning of a very good thing. A deal like the Radian6 sale isn’t about maintaining a few hundred “good jobs” with Salesforce, it’s about the hundreds of new opportunities that arise from the wealth and capital that was injected into the region… that’s the value. And the possibilities truly are endless.
Yes, it sucks to lose your job but there are so many other opportunities and the ecosystem is getting so much stronger here (and so quickly) that I’d be surprised if everyone doesn’t pivot to something even better, in a very short amount of time.
Cheers.
Change… Degree of Difficulty? Ask 2 questions
You’ve just been approached about a new assignment, maybe by client or even within your own organization. They want your help in trying to implement a new travel & expense policy. They know you’re good at communication, engagement and coaching so they’re hoping the “change management guru” (you) will lead them to the promised land of success.
I like to boil things down to simple terms so here are two questions you should have answered to inform your decision of whether or not to accept the assignment:
(1) Does the “leader” treat his/her staff with respect and dignity today?
There are a number of ways to get at this one. I like to ask if I can review the most recent employee satisfaction survey results, related to the staff in question. These usually contain data that can help you answer the question. If you have an opportunity to interact with the staff directly, that can be a great way to get a feel (assuming they know you and would consider opening up to you). If you can ask someone else who has done work for this organization, that can potentially answer the question as well. Often times, though, you won’t have much opportunity to review data or interview people BEFORE accepting the assignment so you’ll have to resort to either asking your “client” a number of questions (around the topic) in hopes of triangulating to an answer. Beware: you may have to be creative as you’ll often not get an honest or completely useful answer, especially to a very direct question, like it’s stated above. Usually, your own perception and gut feel will have to come into play.
(2) If the answer is no, does the “leader” care?
You can go through several of the options above but much of this one will come to gut feel as well.
If the first answer was yes, the second was likely yes so this is a place that should be fertile ground for leveraging good “change management” (communications, engagement, coaching, training) to yield results.
If the first answer was no but the second was yes, it will be a difficult and painful road but there may be some hope because at least they care so maybe there’s a real willingness to do better (often, they’re not as willing as they’ll lead you to believe).
If both answers are no… in my experience, this is a bad assignment to accept, unless you’re in search of martyrdom or only in it for the short-term money. Very rarely will this environment be one that can make the transition. The only way they’ll be able to find any degree of success is through brute force, command and control style management. There’ll be lots of collateral damage and the results won’t be where they want them. And it will look badly on the poor change practitioner that couldn’t make it a success. My advice is to run! … If you want to help them, tell them precisely why you’re not accepting the work…
Most projects aren’t long or patient enough for even the best change management approaches or practitioners to be able to fix deep-rooted issues like a lack of respect, dignity, trust, happiness, etc. If the organization is a crappy place to be, they need a lot more than a change management “guru”.
Kids are making a significant difference
Last year, I came across this blog from Smartbrief (SmartBlog on Education)… the author Bill Ferriter, was writing about how to use digital tools to make a difference, especially the kind of difference that has wider reaching impact than delivering meals to homeless shelters or hosting a lemonade stand to help the thirsty, not that there’s anything wrong with those.
He included a list of examples of kids who were making things happen and having a real impact. You can read his complete blog post here. These are really impressive stories. Take for instance, The Ryan’s Well Project. In 1998, Ryan Hreljac (age 6) learned that people were sick and dying in Africa because they didn’t have access to clean water. He started doing household chores to earn money so he could pay for a well to be built in Uganda. This turned into real fund raising and now the Ryan’s Well Foundation does a lot of good. And he still hasn’t yet graduated from college.
Another kid I like is Kid President… Check this “Pep Talk” out.
NYC Marathon Cancelled – Runners Give Back
Last week, Superstorm Sandy left much devastation in her wake on the Eastern Seaboard and beyond. Particularly hard hit were New York City and neighbouring New Jersey cities and towns.
Sandy was so harsh in New York that it caused a cancellation of the annual NYC Marathon, a destination “fall classic” for runners from around the world. A few local runners from my hometown were en route as Mayor Bloomberg made the call.
Yes, runners were disappointed. Thousands of them… no question about that. One door closes, another one opens. A group of runners, organized through Facebook by Dr. Jordan Metzl, decided to head out to Staten Island anyway (this is where the race starts every year) to begin their run. But this would be a different kind of run because this group (1,300 strong by the way) would bring supplies and good wishes to their fellow New Yorkers affected by the storm. Full story via CNN.com here.
November 3rd, 2012 wasn’t quite what anyone expected a week prior. Residents didn’t think they’d be under water, without power or worse… But thanks to 1300 would-be marathoners, their recovery from Sandy’s aftermath found a little bright spot on Sunday morning when there was a knock at the door, a smile and an act of kindness.
Good on you, Dr Metzl and your entire crew last Sunday. Your actions will leave a lasting impression on all those whom you stopped by to see.
Cheers.
The Boys of Summer
Finally here… the trailer for the U11 Premiership year end video…
First Lady Gets It
Without a doubt, I’ve swayed from left to right to left at different times in my life. In general, though, I think my soul aligns with historically liberal or democrat sensibilities, such as taking care of my fellow man. I have voted for conservatives, I have voted for liberals and will do so again. I vote for the person, not for the party. And I will say this — from the cheap seats north of the border… I don’t see how the Republicans can possibly be elected in November.
Someone posted Michelle Obama’s DNC speech on Facebook today (yes, I did miss it last night). I have one question – how can you not love her? Seriously… she gets it.
Truth about 21st Century Motivation
“There’s a mismatch between what science knows and what business does.”
Today, I’m revisiting Dan Pink and his book “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”. I posted about it a couple years ago after I’d seen an RSA Animate video about it. Since then, I’ve referred to the book several times in my life as a “change agent” and have seen or heard several of the author’s talks, available on the web. Pink’s research takes aim at many of the assumptions business leaders have held for more than a century in motivating their people. His central thesis is that in the 21st century, intrinsic motivators “autonomy, mastery and purpose”… not extrinsic motivators like rewards and incentives… are the building blocks in a better way of doing things — productivity, performance and engagement go UP… turnover and worker dissatisfaction go DOWN.
This makes so much sense — carrots and sticks may have worked in a world when we all blindly said “yes sir” to our supervisors whenever given an assignment or an “order.” But in the 21st century, a time when accountability reigns supreme, don’t you find that workers ask “why?” more than ever? That’s because they want to “add value”… they’re on the hook for the outcome… Their cred is on the line … We all want to understand why before we say ok to an assignment.
In this presentation from TEDGlobal 2009 in Oxford, England, Dan Pink focuses on autonomy … enjoy.
Barbers Give Back!
I read a great story today from Worcester, Massachusetts.
A group of barbers there are offering free haircuts on August 18th and 25th, as part of a program they’re calling Barbers Give Back. On August 18th, they’re inviting less fortunate adults as well as veterans to come in for a cut on them. The following weekend, they’ll be taking a little off the back for kids as they get ready to head back to school.
Lamar Watkins is one of the barbers participating and he’s featured in the story. I like his outlook… “I know a lot of people in Worcester are homeless or just lost their jobs. There must be a lot of families that can’t afford a haircut for a job interview or for back to school,” he said. “I wanted to give back to the town I live in.”
He’s thinking of others, not just himself. And with today’s economic situation, the world need lots of people like that. A big shout out and thanks to Lamar Watkins and the other barbers giving back to their community in Worcester, this Saturday and next. Cheers.
Here’s the link to the full story in the online version of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
Happy Birthday, Canada!
July 1. Or should I say 1 July? Either way… today is Canada Day. As has become our tradition since relocating here in 2005, we will spend the day and evening with a couple other families, savouring delicious barbecue and frosty beverages and sharing a few laughs while the kids run and run and run around the yard. Later, we’ll make the trek to the riverfront for [what else?] the city’s fireworks display. While it’s not of a similar magnitude to those we experienced while living in Boston, they’re ours just the same… quaint and humble, just like our town. Besides, kids enjoy sky bound explosions of fire, large and small [adults do too in my opinion].
For whatever reason, I love Canada Day… not so much because of the events and fireworks or because it’s a holiday but because it serves as a reminder of the great country that it is. A country marked by good people, whom are smart and humble. Have you ever met someone who said “Those Canadians, what a bunch of arrogant SOBs…”? Not likely. It’s quite the opposite. When I lived in the States and someone would pick up my slight (according to me) accent, the first thing they’d say after “Are you Canadian?” was usually “I love Canadians” or the simpler but more complimentary … “nice!”
So today, as your Canadian friends gather to celebrate “their day”, send them a text, write on their wall, or DM them to wish them a Happy Canada Day… or better yet, just say one word — nice!
Cheers.
Ambiguity is your friend 