We just got a new thermostat in the house from EcoBee. Their claim to fame is that instead of one sensor (at the thermostat), you can put temperature measurement devices around the room or space to generate a better picture of the living environment, be more comfortable, and save energy. Pretty cool, new solution to an old problem: how do we allocate expensive and scarce resources (in this case, heat), more effectively?
I wonder what business problems could be solved by moving from a single point of measurement to multiple measurement points. The sensors have to be cheap (either embedded into a process already done or solved with cheap technology). Instrumenting various other parts of the organization might lead to allocating expensive and finite/scare resources more effectively?
Author and activist Valeria Kahn has spoken that her passionate advocacy being her sword and her law degree being her shield.
Others might consider their looks their sword and their sense of humor their shield. Others might list their customer relationships as their sword and their technical training as their shield.
What is your sword and shield?
"You've got to be demanding, otherwise you'll be blamed." - Grace Coddington, Creative Director, Vogue
If access to information makes you smarter.
If being smarter and better informed allows for better or faster decision making and better utilization of resources.
If better decisions, lead to better outcomes or results.
And better outcomes lead to the creation of wealth
Then, LinkNYC, with its broad distribution of broadband internet to the streets of New York, might be the largest wealth creation experiment in recent history.
As you prepare for some well-deserved R&R at the end of the year, you might want to catch up on some leadership reading. Besides the perineal favorites like Seth Godin and the ever-prolific HubSpot blog, here are a few you might want to add to your reading list in 2017.
- Leadership Freak
Dan’s provocatively-titled blog focuses on servant leadership principles. - Lolly Daskal
Lolly’s writing focusing on self-awareness in leadership - Brian Solis
Brian writes about the intersections of technology and user experience with unique editorial - Conversation Agent
Valeria is a thoughtful writer who brings an academic bent to the broad-reaching topics related to communication and branding. - Heidi Cohen
Heidi prides herself on actionable marketing insights and she has some great data and infographics on content marketing. - Grow Blog
Mark has assembled a great team of contributors to his blog and the insights there are pithy and interesting. - Michael Hyatt
I personally like Michael’s quote card images (but you know I am a sucker for these). - John Maxwell
John’s posts are short and thought-provoking. - Skip Pritchard
Skip writes about leadership from a practical perspective. - Leadership Now
As an avid business book reader, I appreciate Michael’s summaries of new publications worth checking out. - Great Leadership
Dan and his guest collaborators, cover a range of topics from employee development to conflict. - The Context of Things
I like Ted’s style, which mixes trend watching with leadership with a dose of self-depreciation. - Leader Chat
David, who works for Ken Blanchard companies, publishes a mix of articles that are how-to for managers, especially those dealing with difficult issues. - Berger Leadership Blog
Dan is with the National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) and he writes from a practical perspective about the challenges and rewards of leadership.
Here is a few more from marketing vendors who write about topics of particular interest to marketers.
- https://radius.com/blog/
although focusing pretty narrowly around Radius’ predictive tools, they provide some great round-ups, so when you are done with this list, check theirs out as well! - https://mention.com/blog/
Mention provides a range of services, but their blog is a treasure-trove of specific how-tos related to digital marketing and media monitoring. - https://www.semrush.com/blog/
semrush is another tool-kit maker and their blog is practical and action-oriented for marketers looking to up their digital game. - http://www.roojoom.com/blog/
The Daily Lead is about storytelling on digital platforms. - http://www.oktopost.com/blog/
Oktopost is a service provider who offers great content on B2B digital marketing techniques and best practices.
Okay for those keeping count at home, there are more than 17 on this list. There is simply a lot of great material out there and if you are interested in being a better leader in 2017, we can always use more inspiration.
According to Jeremy Duimstra from MJD Interactive, research shows that 77% of people like "Hi" better than "Hello."
Jennifer Davis contributed to "Forecasting the Top Trends of 2017" by Kirsten Nelson, originally posted on Systems Contractor News.
Why don’t the makers of hybrid vehicles take a playbook from the wearables and fitness apps space and gamify their cars so that you can compare your mileage to others and compete with your friends to be the most green driver? Would that create a network effect that might drive more brand loyalty in the space, as the options for hybrids and electric cars continue to grow.
Read more about companies can take inspiration from other industries to grow their businesses. Download the free eBook “The Payoff of Paying Attention”.
Today I was in Fairfax, Virginia for my first Leadership Search Committee meeting (technically an orientation for my official term which begins in January and extends through 2019). It was wonderful to learn more about our impressive AV industry trade association that I thought I knew and to see how I can be a part of making it even better into the future by helping to identify leaders for key volunteer roles in the organization.
You'll see me out and about at industry events wearing this name badge. I'd definitely encourage you to learn more about the organization, especially if you are interested in audio-video technology and how digital content and physical space combine to create communication experiences.
"A person who won't read has not advantage over one who can't read." - Mark Twain
Stay curious, my friends.
In today’s ultra-competitive business landscape, a strong brand is essential—and digital signage can be a powerful ally in that effort. Not only does digital signage attract customer attention, but it can also build business and customer loyalty. Indeed, one survey found that four out of five product brands that use digital signage increase sales by up to 33 percent. Another found that moving from static posters to digital signage when advertising outdoors can boost monthly revenue by as much as 800 percent. And we have seen similar results in indoor implementations as well.
The reasons for this are simple. Digital signage creates eye-catching and often interactive experiences that engage consumers and help them remember your brand, your product, how it made them feel, and what compelled them to share their experience. And most people enjoy digital signage, viewing it as “a cool way to advertise” and a “good way to learn about sales and events.” As Nancy Fletcher, president and CEO of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, puts it: “Consumers are paying attention to the information presented to them and acting on it, whether they are drawn to a location featured on an ad, discussing the ad with friends and family, or attending an advertised event.”
The good news is that digital signage keeps getting better. Thanks to the latest innovative technology, digital signage is becoming ever more impactful, immersive, and versatile. Consider the following three trends that can be applied to the next generation of digital signage:
Video installations are getting bigger. Whereas just a few years ago, businesses used 55- to 65-inch displays as the basis for digital signage, today organizations are creating digital signage from displays as large as 98 inches. In addition, an increasing number of companies are taking advantage of seamless video wall technology and affordable prices to combine multiple displays into large video walls that make a huge impact — especially in public venues and places where crowds gather. The result is that what was once a medium for individuals has evolved into an ever-more powerful tool that can attract entire groups at the same time.
Digital signage is becoming interactive. From vibrant touch screen solutions to real-time body and face tracking, digital signage has becoming increasingly interactive, allowing companies to create highly immersive and customizable experiences that build brand loyalty. For example, retailers are installing interactive kiosks that offer coupons and rewards to repeat customers. Airports are implementing interactive way-finding stations that help travelers quickly find the services they need. Public venue installations can enable crowd-sourced, curated content submissions and social engagement. And advertisers are building digital signage that can sense who’s viewing it, offering up customized ads based on factors such as the viewer’s age and gender. Ultimately, interactive digital signage can give consumers the information they need, right when they need it—improving brand loyalty.
The opportunity for creative applications is growing. While many organizations are installing video walls, in today’s world, there’s no reason to limit oneself to the four walls of a building. From ceiling and floor installations to counter tops, digital signage can enhance almost any surface. Companies can design see-through installations on glass surfaces, overlaying text, images, and video onto physical objects that sit behind the glass. They can build captivating 3D installations that people can view in virtual reality using lightweight glasses. And they can tile displays into non-traditional shapes to create a mood or atmosphere that complements their brand. Taking this a step further, NBC Olympics, a division of NBC Sports Group, built a series of huge video walls featuring finish carpentry, which masked the walls into organic shapes, in their coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Similar approaches were also used at the Woody Gutherie museum. Likewise By tapping into these technologies and creative installation design, businesses can generate highly memorable experiences that elevate their brands above the competition.
These are just a few of the ways organizations can use digital signage to attract customers and build brand loyalty. And with today’s advanced technology, the sky’s the limit for creating unique, highly inspiring installations. To learn more about how digital signage can strengthen your brand, please attend my keynote, “What leading brands are teaching us about interactive digital signage,” at Digital Signage Expo 2017. I hope to see you there!
Jennifer Davis will present Seminar 13 entitled, “What Leading Brands are Teaching us About Digital Signage,” on Wednesday, March 29 at 4pm at DSE 2017 to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more information on this or any educational program offered at DSE 2017 or to learn more about digital signage go to www.dse2017.com
This article was originally published on AVNetwork.
Looking back in the early days of my career, I think about the lessons I learned that have helped me throughout my career. Now that I’m the CMO of Leyard’s international business and vice president of marketing and product strategy at Planar, I’m sharing those lessons in the hopes they will help new employees as they enter the professional workforce.
As a new professional, you’re ready to take on a new set of challenges while working to build your manager’s trust and confidence in your abilities. Yet starting out on a new job can be daunting. Not only are you required to learn a new role, but you must navigate an unfamiliar company culture complete with a new set of processes, politics and personalities. As Michael Watkins, author of the guide, “The First 90 Days” has said, the first three months in a new job are both “fraught with peril—and loaded with opportunity.”* To do well in college, the professor gives you a syllabus and timelines for every assignment. The work world isn’t that way. You have to figure things out for yourself.
Here are seven lessons I learned early on in my career that can help you to embrace the opportunity, while avoiding the peril as you start on a new job:
1. Come prepared
A great way to hit the ground running is to learn everything you can about the company you’ve been hired to work for — before your first day on the job. Follow the company, its leaders and industry competitors on social media. Learn about the executive team. Read recent press releases, blog posts and news articles to learn about the company’s products and services, and where the business is headed. Having that background before you walk through the door will give you a significant head start, helping you to ramp up more quickly.
2. Dress appropriately
How you dress is a part of your personal brand, which combined with your work and behavior, defines who you are as a professional. Look at how the leaders in the company dress, and take clues from them. If you don’t know the dress code, the easiest thing to do is ask. And if in doubt, it’s best to err on the side of dressing more formally and more conservatively than what’s required, especially for young employees attempting to demonstrate their professionalism.
3. Take notes at every meeting
If I had to choose one thing to help young professionals demonstrate that they’re ready for the challenge, it would be pen and paper. By taking notes at every 1:1 and team meeting, you show that you’re prepared for new tasks. When you take notes, you communicate that you’re an active listener who’s engaged in the conversation and focused on taking action. And by documenting conversations, you establish yourself as a resource whom the team can rely upon to follow through on their commitments.
4. Listen and ask questions
Over the years, I’ve noticed that the new hires who adapt the most rapidly are first and foremost good listeners. By listening and observing, you get to know the different players and personalities at your new company, what their interests are, and how they interact. You also quickly learn the priorities of the company—including what has and hasn’t worked in the past. As a new hire, you should also take the time to ask questions. The first 90 days on the job are a grace period during which you’re not expected to know everything. By seizing this time to think strategically about the company and ask good questions, you demonstrate your curiosity while at the same time accelerating your learning curve.
5. Display a positive attitude
Studies show that that almost half of new hires fail within the first 18 months.** Interestingly, the biggest reason for this isn’t lack of skill, but attitudinal issues such as lack of coachability, low levels of motivation and the wrong temperament. By being humble, flexible, energetic and openly receptive to guidance, you will quickly establish a reputation as an employee who’s ready to work. Moreover, you’ll demonstrate that you’re a “can-do” person and a great team player.
6. Form the right relationships
Nearly every job has its share of gossipers and complainers. As you encounter these people, make sure to keep your distance. Instead, form relationships with productive co-workers who are focused on making a positive difference. Ask for guidance from those you respect. And take your co-workers to lunch to learn about the company culture and build a rapport.
7. Ask for feedback
Don’t wait for your manager to offer feedback. Proactively ask for it after you’ve spent a few weeks on the job and have had time to adjust to your new role. What’s going well? And what can you improve upon? By proactively asking for input from your manager, you make sure you’re moving in the right direction. And if adjustments are needed, you can quickly make them so that you exceed expectations in the long run.
With these guidelines top of mind, you will show your employer that you are ready and motivated to do your best work.
This article was originally published on Leaders in Heels blog.
"If you want to build a big business, solve a big problem." - Scott Cook, Intuit
Each year, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has a fixed number of games among a fixed number of teams. This means each season is a zero sum game. There will be equal number of wins and losses. Those wins and losses might fall on different teams each season, but still they are equal to the number of scheduled games.
Like other things that are fixed in this scenario, we have to optimize within those constraints or work around them.
This creative thinking lead to the development of fantasy leagues. When you pick players from multiple franchises and pit them statistically, you aren’t as limited to the same number of games or teams. In fact, a fan can have multiple teams, each created with different players and played with different strategies.
Looking back in the early days of my career, I think about the lessons I learned that have helped me throughout my career. Now that I’m the CMO of Leyard’s international business and vice president of marketing and product strategy at Planar, I’m sharing those lessons in the hopes they will help new employees as they enter the professional workforce.
Congratulations—you’ve graduated and landed your first professional job! There are still many lessons to learn, even if you are starting your career in the discipline you studied. While every office environment is different, there are some things that are important no matter where you work. Here are the top four things I wish I would have known on my first day on the job so I could have done my best work every day, from the very first day.
You are there to do a job
Unlike some roles in which you trade your time for a paycheck even when customers aren’t present, an office job is different. Even if you work hourly, you are expected not just to be there, but to accomplish real work every day. If you are unclear about your job responsibilities and what is expected of you, ask your manager. Observe the respected leaders of your company and their approach, and see how you can model your behavior and habits after theirs.
One of my first jobs was in a retail clothing store, and my boss was an exceptional mentor. She taught us the old retail mantra: “If you have time to stand, you have time to sweep.” The same is true in an office environment. Don’t wait to be told. Find out what you are responsible for and keep yourself busy and focused on the goals of the company.
Understand how your work matters
It’s not enough to just keep busy. You must also understand how your work contributes to the business. Learn who benefits directly from the work you do, what internal and external customers need, and how the business makes money. Having this context will motivate you to excel in your responsibilities, make better decisions and make everyone (including yourself) more successful.
A chief financial officer once told me that even if you do not have an interest in finance and accounting, it is important to know how the score is kept in business. Not knowing would be like playing in a soccer or softball game and not being able to read the score board. Learning to read the score board and how your own activities put points on that scoreboard will help you better understand the value of your work to the company.
Work at the office
Even if your employer has a flexible work-from-home policy, I would advise you to show up to the office. While it may be convenient to avoid the commute, it’s important to get to know your co-workers, for them to get to know you, and to learn from your peers. It is too isolating to be at home, even in today’s modern world. Out of sight is out of mind is something you want to avoid while building your career.
The exception to this is if you are in a field that requires working at the clients’ place of business. If being on location is the best way for you to satisfy customers and grow the business, then by all means, do your work there. Just be sure to regularly connect and update your manager and colleagues so you can continue to build those important relationships even when you are out of sight.
Early in my career, I made a point of visiting my boss at the beginning of every day to check in and tell him my plans for the day. This won’t work with every manager, but if you have a relational boss, this kind of face time could have a positive impact on your productivity and the trust you build with the team.
You build relationships in the office
Get to know your co-workers by showing genuine interest in them. Ask questions. How long have they worked here? What are their responsibilities for the company? Do they have advice for you as you start out on the job? If possible, find a mentor who can serve as a resource for understanding the company and its specific job roles. Building your network within the organization will help you to quickly learn and establish yourself as you work toward your first promotion. Just be sure your interactions aren’t distracting—hanging out at the water cooler all day will not help develop your career!
Following this advice will help you to quickly become a valued member of the team. It won’t be long before you are no longer the new person in the office and you will be in a position to show hospitality and help other employees get to know the organization and their colleagues.
This article was originally published on the Leaders in Heels blog.
"You don't want a theory about the customer. You want to really know the customer." - Norman Winarsky
You can imagine the excitement of the first tribe to learn to control fire. Maybe the remnant of a lightning storm or perhaps the spark from a flint tool, it was probably lauded as the greatest invention of the age. “Better than sliced bread,” the patriarch announced. “What is bread?” replied his confused, but adoring family. Anthropologists claim that the discovery was a turning point in the cultural aspect of human development and it is no wonder. Fire has a lot to teach us about innovation.
It’s intuitive.
Professor Chris Dede from Harvard commented in a seminar recently that fire is a wonderful technology, because you can get warm just by standing beside it. It’s purposes are obvious.
Intuitive interfaces and natural technologies are very important to modern technology advancements as well. The best products tell you how to use them using only the basic human senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch. Buttons are meant to be pushed. Tones to be answered. Doors handles opened. At my company we make electronic displays and video walls, and some of the best innovations we have invented are things that can be appreciated simply by passive observation. The displays simply look better.
It is multi-functional.
Fire can be used as a source of heat on a cold day, a source of light on a dark night, and as a way to cook food. It is also a useful weapon unto itself and can be used to forge weaponry. It was and still used in ceremonies, religious and secular. After all, what is a prayer service or a birthday cake without candles? Even the sight or sound of it can be a source of comfort (as evidence by the cable channels that present a virtual, crackling fireplace). The product manager for fire, didn’t have to spend time doing in-depth research or SIC code analysis to determine the target market or problem it solved. In the ancient world, fire solved them all.
Most technology advancements since fire have had to pick a problem (or few) to solve. The need for relevant information drove the printing press, newspapers and Twitter. The need for better return on marketing investment has driven innovations as far flung as the questionnaire to Google Analytics. The needs solved by our modern inventions, like the smart phone or cloud storage, solve multiple problems. But at the core, the best technologies offer their users multiple ways to use the technology.
It scales.
Fire is infinitely personalizable. You can collaborate at a bonfire or you can use a personal lighter on your cigar. You can ignite a gas burner on a stove to make yourself a pot of tea or you can use a grill to cook food for a crowd. The same fire that creates the fearsome scene of a forest fire blazing out of control is the same in the fireplace where you sit and rock your sleeping infant.
As we think about technologies that have impacted our world, they also can scale up and down. They can improve individual lives and the experiences of groups. This is a holiday week in the US and I am reminded that airplanes, such an amazing invention, started in the early 1900’s by moving a person or two (either the Wright brothers or the New Zealand farmer, Richard Pearse, or the Brazilian, Alberto Santos-Dumont, living in Paris, depending on which account you read) and now allow families to be reunited across the continents. And yet, this same technology is used by aviation enthusiasts individually and many of the aerodynamic concepts forms the basis of today’s drone technology and helps fuel innovation in our space exploration and automotive industries as well.
It changes lives.
Being able to control fire allowed the expansion of human activity to the darker and colder hours of the night. It wasn’t a technology just for those who learned to use it. It was a technology the changed lifestyles, which changed lives, which changed the course of history.
The technologies that I think the most fondly of are ones that changed my life. My RIM Blackberry (and the Palm Pilot before that) changed the way that I waited and communicated. Uber has changed the way I move about a city and think about material assets. And business to business innovation changes lives as well, enabling new business models, customer connections, and efficiencies never before possible. I am sure you have similar examples of how technologies, both consumer and commercial, have changed your life.
The smart phone alone has changed so many things about our lives. Your elementary school math teacher would tell you that you need to learn long division because “you won’t always have a calculator with you.” Boy, we proved her wrong!
It can be used for both evil and good.
Fire can be used to warm and comfort or burn. Seven people die each day in home fires (National Fire Protection Association Report 2013). According to the US. Fire Administration (did you know there was such an agency?), the risk of dying in a fire was 10.7 per million in 2014. Strangely, the highest risk states of fire death is Mississippi, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and the highly urban Washington DC. It seems no one is safe. There is even a special name for intentional fire starting (arson) and experts attest that most fires are caused by children just playing around. Even in a world where we control fire, it can sometimes get out of control, if we mean harm or aren’t careful.
The guiding principle of physicians – primum non nocere or “first do no harm” – illustrates that innovation or knowledge in itself is no enough. It must be accompanied by ethics. Whatever the intervention, medicine, or procedure, the person who knows more has an obligation to use the technology for the benefit of the patient or mankind. “Don’t be evil” was famously the corporate motto of Google. It is said to have been suggested in an employee meeting on corporate values. According to the founder’s letter in their pre-IPO filing in 2004, the motto prohibited conflicts of interest and required objectivity, and perhaps the elevation of long-term good, over short-term gain.
I think the recent US election coverage illustrated how technology can be used for good and evil. How many of breathed in the noxious fumes of fear, misinformation, or tragedy in our social media feeds? Often without taking the time to put out the fire or at least check to see who started it (and why). And messages can resembled a fire in so many ways. Both the good (as information illuminated or revealed) and evil (as lies spread like wildfire or good ideas or even relationship were burned, or at least singed).
It is taken for granted.
Earlier this year, LiveScience published a list of the top inventions of all time. The top of the list was the wheel. Strangely missing was fire. Although both the nail and the internal combustion engine (both made possible by fire) made the list. The light bulb was included (which for many applications, including street lighting and the Easy Bake Oven, replaced fire). It does make me wonder what other technologies or innovations we are inventing today that will be so ubiquitous, so understood, and so taken for granted that they won’t make tomorrow’s list?
This article was originally posted on LinkedIn Pulse.
Potential customers will lie. They don’t mean to, but they can’t help themselves. Find a way to test customer behavior, not customer opinion. Then you will uncover the truth.
To become great you need to compete against the best.