Rage Against Simon Cowell

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

40950 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2009/12/23/rage-against-simon-cowell/Rage+Against+Simon+Cowell2009-12-23+19%3A07%3A53Nathaniel+Rottenberg

It’s almost Christmas, which for most people (those who celebrate Christmas at any rate) means spending time with family, eating too much, and, of course, eggnog. But for Jon and Tracy Morter of England, Christmas time means defeating Simon Cowell.

Jon and Tracy organized a Facebook Campaign which attracted nearly 1 million followers and helped launched Rage against the Machine’s 1992 hit, Killing in the Name, to the No.1 Christmas song in the U.K. They used Facebook to capitalize on young people’s growing unhappiness with cookie cutter pop, with which Cowell has become synonymous. Cowell’s new act, Joe McElderry, was heavily favored to reach the number 1 spot but was defeated thanks to Jon and Tracy’s campaign.

How perfect is this? Rage Against the Machine, the iconic anti-establishment group, defeating the pop establishment. (Some hardcore Rage fans may think it’s a little ironic that it was because of Facebook that this happened, but hey, I’m not going there). This is a great example of how tools like Facebook and Twitter can be used to make the voice of the people heard. These are tools which bring together like-minded people to share their opinions and have their voices heard. And, as seen here, they can actually cause change.

Must be something to do with this time of year — all the giving and such — because this post almost has a bit of Marxism to it. This may not be the proletariat rising up and over throwing the bourgeoisie, but hey, I’m sure Marx would be happy to not have to listen to Simon Cowell’s brand of music over the holidays.

Happy Holidays!

Tags: Carl Marx, Christmas, facebook, Joe Mcelderry, Jon and Tracy Morter, Rage Agains the Machine, Rypple, Simon Cowell, twitter

Getting Things Done Resources

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

40500 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2009/12/22/getting-things-done-resources/Getting+Things+Done+Resources2009-12-22+16%3A55%3A30Nathaniel+Rottenberg

We’re going to be expanding our blog in the coming weeks to encompass several new areas. One of these will be Getting Things Done (GTD), a very popular approach to personal productivity. There is a lot of great GTD content out there to help you manage your day and increase your productivity. Here’s a list of 3 great blogs to get you started:

1. GTD Times is the blog of David Allen, the originator of GTD. You’ll find:

…personal experience with tools and GTD-supportive technology, as well as GTD tips, tricks and strategies to help each of us lead happier, healthier, and more successful lives.

Check out the GTD Times blog role to find other great GTD blogs

2. Did I get Things Done, by Andrew Mason, focuses on productivity, motivation and self-development.
3. 43 Folders by Merlin Mann.

…how to improve the quality of your career and life by managing your attention in a way that allows you to work your ass off on the creative projects that matter most to you.

I hope these are helpful! Stay tuned for our productivity tips coming soon.

Tags: 43 Folders, Andrew Mason, David Allen, Did I get Things Done, Getting Things Done, GTD, GTD Times, Merlin Mann, Productivity, Rypple

Driving a Culture of Accountability and Responsibility

Posted by Beth Steinberg, Beth Steinberg has more than 17 years of human resources experience helping leaders and companies (emerging to Fortune 500) with complex organizational and growth issues. She is currently an Organization Development Consultant living in Silicon Valley.

40570 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2009/12/21/driving-a-culture-of-accountability-and-responsibility/Driving+a+Culture+of+Accountability+and+Responsibility2009-12-21+20%3A47%3A06Beth+Steinberg

Photo by Lars Plougmann

The behaviors organization accept are generally baked into their corporate culture. Accountability is no exception. The cues we get from the company leadership, our direct manager, and our peers formulate how we think about these behaviors. Although often quite subtle, these cues help us understand the importance of accountability in our own organizations.

Companies get the behaviors that they model into their culture. Many organizations don’t take the time to think about the cues their policies and rewarded actions give to their employees. I’ve always been puzzled why the dive and catch is so celebrated in the corporate world. A company I worked at actually had a Fire Fighter Award, which perpetuated that saving the day was to be “rewarded” rather than preparedness and proper planning. Bob Sutton has written on this topic before (see Your Lack of Planning is Not My Emergency) and had a strong response from most people.

Netflix’s presentation on Freedom & Responsibility Culture recently made the rounds. It contains many references to empowerment, hiring practices, and adherence to behaviors and values, which are all great concepts. It makes sense and I would love to see how it actually plays out in day-to-day work, but it’s not enough.

Along with sending a message of accountability throughout corporate culture, people need to have a strong and positive relationship with their direct manager and an inherent trust in the organization in order to feel accountable for their results. You need to feel that your relationship to your employer is “reciprocal” for the building the blocks of accountability to fall into place. Mihnea C. Moldoveanu writes much more about this in his Harvard Business Review Article, The Promise: The Basic Building Blocks of Accountability.

Some guidelines on how to promote accountability and responsibility in your organization:

1. Leaders must model accountability. This includes taking accountability for mistakes and giving credit where credit is due.
2. Do not create silly policies in your organization. Most of the people do the right thing most of the time.
3. Communicate and share information. It hard for people to feel accountable if they do not understand what is happening in the organization.
4. Create a safe learning environment. People need to not be afraid to give feedback and share mistakes or missteps. This is how people learn.
5. Focus on the relationship managers have with their teams. Create systems, tools and training that help managers develop better relationships. This is the foundation for driving accountability in the organization.

Tags: accountability, beth steinberg, bob sutton, Corporate Culture, dive and catch, fire fighter, freedom and responsibility, HBR, mihnea moldoveanu, netflix, the promise, Trust

What’s new this week: Dec 21st

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

40330 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2009/12/21/whats-new-this-week-dec-21st/What%27s+new+this+week%3A+Dec+21st2009-12-21+20%3A28%3A05Nathaniel+Rottenberg

This week brings the ability to followup on a piece of feedback as many times as you want and to filter your feed to show only unanswered feedback requests.

Feedback Followup

What do you do if a piece of feedback is unclear? Maybe you’d like someone to elaborate on their advice? Only one problem: anonymous feedback makes following up a little difficult. Not any more! You can now followup on a piece of feedback as many times as you like: clarify what you didn’t understand, ask for more suggestions, or even just say thank you. Don’t worry! It’s still completely anonymous. Check out the exchange below in which I asked for feedback, received a response, and then followed up for more info. The identity of my adviser is never revealed.

Filter Your Feed

Your feed contains the feedback you’ve received and the questions you’ve asked. When you’re taking a minute to respond to feedback requests, you can filter your feed to only show the unanswered requests. This is a great way to help you respond to all your colleagues requests. Use the Give filter in your feed, then sort by Unanswered to see them bubble to the top.

Stay tuned for next weeks notes. Same bat channel, same bat time!

Tags: anonymous, clarify, feed, Feedback, Release Notes, reply, Rypple

How to be More Productive

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

39980 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2009/12/18/how-to-be-more-productive/How+to+be+More+Productive2009-12-18+14%3A35%3A16Nathaniel+Rottenberg

You’ll advance your career if you can become more productive. Your managers will trust you with more important tasks because they’ll know you’ll get it done.

You can become more productive over time through repetition and practice, but there are also techniques you can learn that will have big increases on your productivity. I highly suggest you read up on some Getting Things Done materials, Tim Ferris’ Four Hour Work Week, or Dragos Roua’s Brilliantly Better blog.

Here’s a quick tip that will help you become more productive from Peter Bregman’s post An 18-minute Plan for Managing Your Day:

STEP 1 (5 Minutes) Set Plan for Day. Before turning on your computer, sit down with a blank piece of paper and decide what will make this day highly successful.

Computers are distracting. Figure out what you need to do before you check your email, Facebook, and Twitter. Many an hour have been lost to Facebook, Twitter, and crossword puzzles…(not by me of course, but I’ve been told these things are distracting).

Lay out your to-do list from highest priority to lowest. Set a time limit for yourself to complete these tasks. You’ll be surprised how focused you can become from a self-imposed time limit.

As I’m writing this post I closed my email and chat client, because I have a bad habit of constantly checking it when I get stumped on something I’m writing. It helped.

One thing that I find very rewarding is putting a little check mark box beside each activity on your task list. For some strange reason it’s very satisfy to check off a completed task. Check out the rest of An 18-minute Plan for Managing Your Day to learn the rest of the steps.

1 post down: check!

Tags: advance your career, career, Dragos Ruoa, Get Things Done, Managing your day, performance, Peter Bregman, Productivity, Rypple, Tim Ferris

Marshall Goldsmith: FeedForward

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

39660 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2009/12/17/marshall-goldsmith-feedforward/Marshall+Goldsmith%3A+FeedForward2009-12-17+19%3A19%3A29Nathaniel+Rottenberg

In my previous post, Evaluative and Developmental Feedback, I mentioned Marshall Goldsmith’s philosophy of FeedForward. The FeedForward exercise has two goals, learn as much as you can, and help as much as you can. It’s about the future, not the past. Here’s a quick video of Marshall explaining the FeedForward exercise. Enjoy!

Tags: Coaching, Evaluative and Developmental feedback, feedforward, marshall goldsmith, Rypple

Now That You Know: What Do You Do With That Feeedback?

Posted by Mary Jo Asmus, A former executive in a Fortune 100 company, I own and operate a leadership solutions firm called Aspire Collaborative Services. We partner with great leaders to help them become even greater at developing, improving, and sustaining relationships with the people who are essential to their success.

39700 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2009/12/16/now-that-you-know-what-do-you-do-with-that-feeedback/Now+That+You+Know%3A+What+Do+You+Do+With+That+Feeedback%3F+2009-12-16+19%3A03%3A59Mary+Jo+Asmus

In a previous post, How to Ask For and Receive Feedback, on my blog, Leadership Solutions, I walked you through how to ask for and receive feedback. You’ve asked for it, you’ve received it with grace, and now – what do you do with it?

You have two choices.

The first is to reject it. You may not agree with what you heard. Why act on something you disagree with? After all, it’s an opinion. However, tread lightly here. Give this feedback some time to settle – you may find some truth in it and decide differently later. Check out your tendency to reject the feedback with someone you trust.

The second is to decide to do something about it. What actions will you take? Some ideas:

• Gain clarity around the feedback you’ve received. You can return to the original feedback-giver and ask additional questions. Ask others you trust for their input, too.

• Consider actions you’ll take. For some, talking it with a mentor, advisor or coach helps. Thinking out loud and asking for advice on the actions to be taken can be helpful. For others, journaling and reflecting on what you heard and the actions you can take are preferable.
• Find a way to stay accountable as you take action. Although many are self-motivated, others of us may need the structure of “reporting in” to someone on a regular basis as we work our way through. Writing it down, in the form of an action plan, can help to solidify your intent (sharing the plan is even better!).
• Ask for help from your staff, manager, and peers. Let them know what you are working on, and request that they assist in some way: ask them to let you know when you have strayed from your path or when you are following it.
• Adjust as necessary. Continue asking for feedback, and adjust your action accordingly, until it fits just right for you.

As I look back on what I’ve written above, there seems to be a theme: the power of a support structure of trusted advisors cannot be underestimated! What have you found to be useful in taking action on feedback?

copyright 2009 by Aspire Collaborative Services LLC

Tags: action plan, Aspire Collaborative Services LLC, Feedback, how to ask for feedback, Mary Jo Asmus, Rypple

Feedback Culture

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

39360 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2009/12/16/feedback-culture/Feedback+Culture2009-12-16+14%3A55%3A02Nathaniel+Rottenberg

How much do you value feedback? Would you leave a job because you don’t get enough of it? David Simms, in Emerging Nonprofit Leaders: “More Feedback, Please”, uncovered some interesting insights into how important a culture that encourages feedback really is. David attended the Independent Sector’s annual conference, where he engaged 200 next generation nonprofit leaders in a group conversation. He discovered that most of the group planned to stay in their current organization for at least the next three years, but almost all said they would be gone in 10 years.

Why?

Because of an organizational culture that does not recognize the value of feedback:

What these young leaders recognized is that without candid feedback, both praise and developmental in nature, we deprive our teams, our organizations, and ourselves of the information needed to get better.

The fact that these young leader are willing to leave an organization because of a lack of a feedback culture has some interesting implications. It demonstrates just how crucial a culture that encourages learning and development is for keeping and acquiring the most driven people. As more of the next generation start to fill management roles, it will be interesting to see how corporate culture shifts towards one of feedback and development. Would you leave a job if you didn’t feel like you were getting enough feedback?

Tags: David Simms, Development, execution, Feedback, Harvard Business Publishing, next generation, performance, Rypple

Gear Up for Success in 2010

Posted by Jesse Goldman, Business Development

39440 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2009/12/15/gear-up-for-success-2010/Gear+Up+for+Success+in+20102009-12-15+18%3A32%3A45Jesse+Goldman

Tomorrow at 12pm ET (9am PT) we’ll be hosting an exciting live event with Intuit. We’ll be sharing three keys to help you create a true performance-oriented culture in 2010.

What does that mean? Here’s a sneak peek: based on our experience working with awesome companies and industry thought leaders, we’ll share techniques to accelerate learning, improve focus, and boost productivity – so you can drive outstanding results in 2010! It’s a live discussion – so a great opportunity to hear from others as well!

Join us to learn more!

Tags: Corporate Culture, Intuit, live event, performance, performance-oriented culture

Feedback for your High Performers

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

37540 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2009/12/14/feedback-for-your-high-performers/Feedback+for+your+High+Performers2009-12-14+22%3A16%3A39Nathaniel+Rottenberg

Although your high performers may need feedback less often then others, it’s still crucial that they receive regular, continuous feedback. Amy Gallo, in Giving a High Performer Productive Feedback, notes that it’s essential to give high performers feedback even though it may seem counter-intuitive. Here are some helpful tips from Giving a High Performer Productive Feedback:

Always describe behaviors, not traits. Don’t dwell on the past; instead focus on what the employee can change in the future

Be sure to provide feedback that offers solutions to obstacles your high performers may be facing. If you simply outline flaws, then they might see your feedback as ‘nitpicky’. You don’t want to annoy, or worse upset, you want to help. This is very similar to Marshall Goldsmith’s feedforward, which we’ve previously taken a look at.

To make the most of your feedback session, focus the discussion on three levels: the star’s current performance, her next performance frontier, and her future goals and aspirations

One of the character traits that defines a high performer is their eagerness to constantly ‘do better’. Help them develop a plan that will be challenging and keep them engaged.

I highly recommend that you read Giving a High Performer Feedback. The article contains many more helpful tips, as well as some interesting case studies.

Tags: Amy Gallo, behavior, execution, Feedback, feedback seesion, feedforward, Harvard Business Publishing, high performer, Management Essentials, marshall goldsmith, performance, Rypple