The Tipping Point and relationships

What do shoes, fashion, epidemics and smoking campaigns have in common with social networking?




A lot when viewed through the eyes of Gladwell in The Tipping Point.

This is a remarkable read on the power of relationships and networks. By mixing observation on life with hard facts and analysis you are taken on a journey from how epidemics occur, the impact of a few, what makes an idea persist (sticky) and the importance of context.

What makes this book stand out in my mind though is not only does it present the ideas but suggest how it might be applied to current problem (e.g. health campaigns or marketing buzz)

This book is a must-read for any networker, marketer or students of people and relationships. Chapter Two alone on "The Law of the Few: Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen offers a fresh look at what motivates different types of networkers in live.

Beg, borrow or buy a copy. Be warned, you'll never look at a pair of hush puppies (shoes) the same again.


(Expect my thoughts on BLINK, another of Gladwells books in a future post.

Great post from InsideCRM - Blogs of 2008

There is a great post from Chris Bucholtz over on InsideCRM summing up his pick of CRM blogs in 2008. You may not agree with all his choices but the list contain some great reading.

John Jantsch Duct Tape Marketing is a personal favourite, great mix of CRM, marketing and enterprise

Give it a look, it will introduce you to some thought leaders in crm (in its broadest sense)

Understanding Influence, and Making it work for you

Is technology levelling the field for the moderately connected individual, see if you agree?




I finally got around to reading the CNET Networks article on "Understanding Influence, and Making It Work for You", you'll find the full text here

It investigates the whole are of Influence and the research blows away a few myths. The full text is worth a read (9 pages with a few diagrams). The points I took out of it were as follows:

• The idea of a few highly influential individuals concentrated over a mass of other does not hold (someone better tell NIKE ans Gillette)
• Weak Links, those informal relationships between groups, are more powerful than we thought. The reason is that they allow different clusters to interact with the person in between acting as an idea pollinator
• Technology matters, it's mush easier to build and maintain a network when you have the tools that can scale.
  
• The pyramid model (highly influencer at the top) has given way to a diamond model of the moderately connected majority.
• Getting asked for advice and giving it greatly accelerates the growth of your network
• Influencers tend to be active contributes and hunters of unique and trusted information. Which in turn makes them authorities.

I initially thought that the survey was biased because of its survey pool (all technology subscribers) but then I had a thought, maybe the moderately connected majority are becoming more influential because of technology. The "soft-skill" that was networking can now be compensated for with technology tools. Now we are being judged by our actions and discoveries rather than our communication skills alone.

Fast food Relationships

"A Savage servility slides by on grease" - Robert Lowell





I recently read Eric Schlosser expose on the fast food industry, Fast Food Nation. It's a shocking and compelling read on many levels, especially given that fast food is such an integral part of our culture

One of the many thoughts that struck me while reading it was that some of the problems could have been avoided if working relationships had not been let deteriorate to such an extent over the years as the fast food business rushed towards lower cost, higher margins and standardisation.

It is very easy for organisation, from large corporation to mom-and-pop shops, to loose their way in the pursuit of profits when there is no sense of loyalty, commitment or empathy with the people who have to live with that organisations decisions.

It's not all doom and gloom and there are glimmers of hope throughout the book and in every case you see that it's because relationships with individuals, society, nature and the environment have been respected and developed. It is also encouraging that individuals (that includes us) can make a difference.

The irony is that the fast food industry are actually experts in developing relationships with their
customers, franchisees, suppliers and employees (ask any 6 year old child who Ronald McDonald is!). Its just that these are very often exploited for short term gain rather than nurtured for mutual benefit

I recommend you read it. I don't know if you will agree with my observations on relationships in this instance but you will not be left without food for thought.

To get both sides of this story I have also got John Love's McDonald's - Beyond the Arches on the shelf. It might be an old one but I know it will be a interesting one.

What I'm Reading - From Acorns..how to build your brilliant business from scratch

If you want to pick up a trick on great business relations ask an entrepreneur.






Just finished reading From Acorns...how to build your brilliant business from scratch by Caspian Woods. I posted a brief review on Amazon but what readers of this blog might find more interest is the motivation behind my choice.

I admire entrepreneurs for a variety of reasons but mostly it's for their unconventional think. Let's be honest, they wouldn't last very long in the business world if they did the same thing as the guys already ahead of them. This gives rise to all sorts of ideas in their writing, ideas that you and I can very often apply to our situations.

As well as having to be great sales people they also have to be excellent at networking. This book has a few great ideas on both topics and the author, through excellent design, makes them easy to find. The book is worth a read but the genre (Starting a Business) is always worth exploring what ever your interest.

Linking your calendar to your goals

Lessons from GE's Approach to Personal Productivity.




While reading the HBR Editors Blog last month I came across an interesting post called Lessons from GE's Approach to Personal Productivity. The pearl of wisdom I picked up from this article was this:

"Compare your calendar with the priorities. Label the purpose of every regular or recurring activity on your quarterly calendar and highlight those activities that are connected with your top five priorities. This simple exercise will reveal where you’re squandering your time."

Although this point is valuable for any busy manager I believe it is even more relevant to anyone who brings value to their organisation through contact with customers, suppliers or prospects on a regular basis. Your calendar will be a reflection of the relationships you are forming, building or neglecting and in addition to telling you where time is being spent (or squandered) you have a metric on which to measure your performance.

If you are in sales, how many 1st and 2nd meetings have you this week. Managers in support or services could look at how many existing clients they have "stayed in front" of through calls, meetings or mail. In partner management or procurement how many planning meetings or reviews have been done.

Take a look at each of your goals for this quarter and try to convert the "measurable" element to something you could see in your calendar, now look for the evidence. You will gain a great insight into your performance and you will also have a weekly/monthly measure of performance.

Never Eat Alone

This is a remarkable book on the topic of personal networking.

If you are even remotely interested in how to start, nurture and harvest the fruits of great relationships (business or otherwise) you must read this book.


What can I say, Ferrazzi's book hits home on so many levels. I read it about 6 months ago and from the opening chapter I was taking notes or should I say writing all over the margins (the ultimate sign of approval for me). If you want the "how to" guide on business relationship building this is it.

The reviews are at the extremes on Amazon but I would expect nothing less for a book of this caliber and genre. I found the story telling style and personal experiences interesting, others no doubt consider it egotistical.

I challenge you to read it and not be inspired to "connect" with an old friend or colleague.

A Brand You World 2007 Telesummit

2007 Global Telesummit - Celebrating a decade in personal branding


I have been listening recently to the recordings of the personal branding summit. Each of the broadcast was of exceptional quality. Each of the speakers was a leader in their own space and together they give you a great induction into Personal Branding. I highly recommend you check it out for yourself at http://www.personalbrandingsummit.com/.

Who should listen, anyone with an interest in developing their personal brand, on-line profile or professional image.

Why, you will rarely get as comprehensive an introduction to a topic. Short and to the point.

What I'm Reading - "Maverick" by Ricardo Semler

"The Success Story behind the Worlds most unusual workplace"

I have been meaning to read this book for years since I saw it on one of those top 50 books lists. Couple this with some amazing reviews and I was hooked. I'm glad I waited as I've gotten more out of it now, given my special interest in relationships in business.

So who should read it and why. Employees looking for inspiration on how to make things better. All employers not just in manufacturing (which is the industry Maverick is based in). I think anyone working in the public sector or in a heavily regulated environment will be particularly interested in it.

Why it's a great read. Where other business books will give you one of two ideas in the whole book, Maverick will give you that in a chapter . Written in a fast paced autobiographic style you cannot help but feel the energy and excitement that most have been present in Semco during the period the book is based in. The fact that this book is over 15 years old makes it all the more remarkable and a testament to the ideas that were implemented and the unique company they built. I challenge you to not get inspired to change at least something in the way you work.

What's it about, son (Ricardo Semler) takes over dads company and proceeds to redesign the way business is done. It is the classic case study in worker relations and the power of mutual respect and trust.

What I'm Reading and Listening to

I read and listen to a lot of material that may be of interest to some of you. So I will have a regular post on "What I'm Reading/Listening to".

It will not be a full review as there are plenty of sites already dedicated to doing this. I will highlight articles, books, MP3 or podcasts of interesting and why you might be interested in them. I will also indicate who might like them. Hope you find it useful.

The One Minute Relationship Manager

I just finished reading the management classic "The One Minute Manager "(Blanchard & Lorber) this week. It's a short book, 100 pages in a very light style, ideal for a day hop on the plane. It boils down to 3 tools of management

1. One Minuet Goal Setting
2. One Minute Praise
3. One Minute Reprimand

I recommend you pick up a copy for yourself. Like all tools the challenge is in using them correctly and consistently to achieve your goals.

After reading it I was left wondering is there such a thing as the "One Minute Relationship Manager"? What would the 4-5 things if done correctly and consistently would help them build and maintain excellent relationships and hence achieve their goals. Some suggestions:

Be of value
Figure out how you can be of service in each of the business relationship you have. It will be different for each and with every contact made you need to be checking that you have been of service and that they know it.

Keep Excellent Records
Establish a system of keeping excellent records on all your clients and use it. You may have a CRM package, a paper filing system or a well organised email system. The structure is your own choice but it must be well maintained and easily accessible.

Frequent Connect
Business Relationship are build on frequency of contact not necessarily duration, context or even quality. This is a fundamental difference between business and personal relationships. A quick call every few weeks can be as affective as a site visit once a quarter.

These are just a couple of suggestions. I will consider this idea further and see if I can come up with a better "One Minute Relationship Manager". If you have any suggestions please let me know