The fallen business star

I finished reading Confronting Reality, Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, 2004. I read their earlier book Execution some years ago and found their analysis and advice commonsensical and straightforward.

Confronting Reality is a quick read and challenges leaders to "confront reality." They then highlight several leaders who confronted reality such as Bob Nardelli at Home Depot, Jim McNerney at 3M and Richard Harrington, Thomson Corporation. None remain at these companies and the current reality is very different for Home Depot and Thomson Reuters. McNerney is now at Boeing. Nardelli's departure from Home Depot (disclosure, I'm a HD share owner) was notorious and well reported. He's now at Chrysler with a very different reality to confront. I wondered about all those business books celebrating the wise leader and cheering his/her accomplishment only to confront the harsh reality of losing that job. Most certainly the that list will grow as once celebrated leaders stumble.

Text as onscreen narration

Garr Reynolds Presentation Zen blog is a favorite. Here's an interesting presentation with a memorable twist to tell the story in less than two minutes.

The week in review

So we've learned this week:

• Apparently AIG and all of Wall Street do not have HR functions providing advice on the term "bonus." Google "AIG bonuses" = 2,270,000 hits. As a former HR practitioner, this troubles me and further sets the profession back further.
  
• Treat head injuries seriously. See Natasha Richardson's tragic head injury and death.
  
• Men, take the time to wipe up the pee spillage around the toilet in hotels as part of your pre-departure routine, per Tom Peters.
  

So much for my assumptions about digital natives

I was a guest speaker at a colleagues class at the local university earlier this week. My presentations was use of web 2.0 tools: wikis, shared work spaces, blogs, social networks, podcasting, Twitter; the usual tools. This was less than an hour with the usual class business overhead.

What was surprising to me is that they don't use this tools in aggregate as many of us do within our project work. Communication is texting rather then e-mail. Collaboration using shared work space was very sparse with a few Google doc users. Couple of bloggers and Twitterers. Most of this crowd use Facebook as expected. Shared this article from McKinsey, Six Ways to make Web 2.0 Work. To save you a read, McKinsey found mixed results across the study group, the need for a management champion, management/supervisory and employee resistance to the technology.

Best question, "Does business really see in value in these tools?"

It will be a journey.

Twitter, you do tempt me

From AdFreak, learned that Crispin Porter + Bogusky creative chief Alex Bogusky may have reconciled his differences with Twitter (reported in this blog and here) and may return to Twitterland. Whew, glad that distraction is cleared up, or is it?

My favorite twitterer du jour, he just speaks to me in such a clear and compelling voice.

One week to go

Down to one week before taking a certification exam. Tying to practice what I've preached in "skilling up" during the down times. I've been focusing my energy on this now unfamiliar process, almost 30 years since I had to apply memorization.

Twitter, jumping the shark?

AdFreek (an Adweek blog) reports that Crispin Porter + Bogusky creative Alex Bogusky is leaving Twitter.

Signing off twitter. Just not for me. I really enjoyed the time and it was fun to follow and be followed by such a lively group. Love, Alex

Alex did three months before bailing. I'm still undecided about Twitter and realized that it's been two days since I opened Twirl or went to my Twitter account. Haven't missed it. I've been busy with some projects, recruiting volunteers for ASTD Atlanta and prepping for a certification exam.

Will Thalheimer survey

Here's a link to Will's Will at Work Learning blog containing a survey of independent consultant/contractors.

SURVEY has been taken down 2 MAR 2009. I was late in catching up with the reading

Lots of chatter about the economy hitting the workplace learning profession hard, especially for independent consultants and contractors. Will is gathering data to see what's really happening.

I've been a reader of Will's work and participant in his "webinosh" web-based seminars. Good stuff available though his site: Will at Work Learning. Check out his catalog for other resources.