by Karen P. Katz on December 3, 2009
Check-out the “Made to Stick” column that appears in the monthly publication, Fast Company. Brothers Chip and Dan Heath write cutting-edge commentary on entrepreneurship, innovation, and the integration of Web 2.0 tools. The November 2009 contribution “caught my fancy” with an irreverent approach to solving marketing problems.
The Heath brothers describe an intractable problem faced by a Procter & Gamble business unit. The group director may have invoked the famous words of Albert Einstein, who said: “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Unable to solve a problem within the P&G domain, the group director took the team on a field trip to the San Diego Zoo – looking for answers on another turf!
Observations of plant life and animal behavior sparked eight fresh approaches to the CPG problem, driving home the point that “…someone else may have a different perspective…problems that are difficult in one domain may be trivial to solve from the perspective of a different domain.”
The work of the Heath brothers promotes innovative thinking and problem solving strategies. Their clever and slightly irreverent metaphors drive home the point that solutions to problems may be “in-your-face,” and yet not visible through your own mirror. Clearly, the message is to search outside our own borders, beyond our own companies, and outside the paradigms created by our industries. Maybe it is time to bring back my own irreverent metaphor for those in career transition: the unicellular paramecium.
by Karen P. Katz on September 17, 2009
A new post on the Netshare.com newsletter offers yet another strong suggestion to employ S-W-O-T analysis as a job search tool. Since 2007, I have recommended this business analysis tool to my clients; now I am happy to suggest that clients check-out the S-W-O-T prompts posted by Katherine E. Simmons, President & CEO of Netshare.com. Ms. Simmons offers some fresh prompts that can help with brand clarification, e.g.:
Strengths:
* What advantages do you have? *What do you do better than anyone else? *What unique or low-cost resources do you have to offer? *What do others see as your strengths? *How do you help close the sale or reduce overhead?
Weaknesses:
* What areas can you improve? * What areas should you avoid? * What do peers in your market see as weaknesses? *Where do you fail when trying to close a sale or reduce costs?
Recently, I have recommend that candidates take the S-W-O-T analysis tool to the next level by applying it to their target companies. In other words, use S-W-O-T as the framework for company research, e.g.: [click to continue…]
by Karen P. Katz on September 10, 2009
A chain of posts through the Net Impact LinkedIn group led me to rant again about the disparity between the innovation that is taught in “better” business schools and the conformity that is foisted-upon new graduates.
Ivy League universities hire distinguished faculty to teach classes in “innovation;” these same professors rally around the need for change to compete in the global marketplace. Yet as students approach graduation and complete their exams, theses, and dissertations, it seems they are ushered into the back room to have the creativity beaten out of them. The Biz School back-room “whoopin” leaves new graduates wondering about their considerable investment of time, money, and faith.
Resumes must conform to a specific style to earn a place in the recruitment “book; ” cover letters may as well be automated, and networking is almost incestuous (maybe due to over-reliance on alumni). I shouldn’t complain, as many students seek the services of experienced career professionals to flesh-out their personal brand and manage their job search campaigns. (Look for CAN and other career strategists at the Sept. 17th PA Governor’s Conference for Women, as well as several MBA Career Expos and the November Net Impact Conference.)
The NetImpact group discussion led me to a related post by Matt Madden, a Presidio School of Management student who is writing a book tentatively titled Status Quo Values. The purpose of this project is to explore status quo value systems – economic, political and social values – and discuss the role these values play in our society’s aversion to change. The goal of the work is to define status quo values, discuss the historical roots of our institutional embrace of status quo values, examine the role our institutions play in promoting these values to individuals and investigate examples of institutions and individuals adhering to alternative value systems. Sounds like a continuation of the dialog started by Robert Reich in his Fast Company issue, Your Job Is Change. I’ll be looking for the book, Matt…
by Karen P. Katz on February 28, 2009
I love it when people can tell stories that make a point – like Aesop's Fables… My father was great at this – unfortunately, I'm not. For this homily, let's borrow from Seth Godin and his "The Panhandler's Secret."
Seth's post is a simple story that reinforces a truism of sales training – talk features and benefits. Career changers and job seekers are selling themselves – selling their unique value proposition – their brand.
So be sure you know the features and benefits needed by your target organization – be sure what they need is in your "tool bag."
Karen P. Katz
by Karen P. Katz on February 17, 2009
It is possible to make lemonade…A familiar ingredient in the refreshing alternative to economic woe: the Business section of your local newspaper…
- Today it is the Philadelphia Inquirer that offers a glimpse into what's happening in the regional job market. The article that attracted my attention refers to the Information Technology (IT) efficiencies that are funded in the 2009 Economic Stimulus Package. Read the full article in the Philadelphia Inquirer to learn more about the $2 billion in loans and grants, plus $17 billion in Medicare reimbursement for health-related IT spending.
- So what, you may ask…WIIFY (What's in it for you?) - Good question… These funds are targeted to go to doctors, medical practices, and hospitals – those who need to adopt the IT efficiencies called for to improve our health care system. These are small businesses who are likely to hire outside consultants to implement these changes to their business models.
- Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D., Phila) wrote the new legislation that steered the funds toward practitioners rather than insurance companies. Financial incentives to doctors and hospitals will be available as early as October 2010, so these small businesses will be looking for guidance ASAP.
Another ingredient in the lemonade is networking: conduct online and off-line networking to find partners, perform competitive analysis, and identify links to decision-makers…
- Lots of information available is available on this topic – see the archives of Career Acceleration Notes, as well as recommended websites and blogs
- If you missed-it, read or listen to the NPR Marketplace report on Social Networks and Layoffs
- A few key points from the NPR program: * Hyper-networking combines online and off line networking *Jobs are not being posted *Decision-makers are using Google in-place of gossip to vet prospects
Posted by Karen P. Katz
