Razzle Dazzle 'em with the Chewbacca Defense

"The Chewbacca defense is a fictional legal strategy used in the South Park episode "Chef Aid", which premiered on October 7, 1998 as the fourteenth episode of the second season. The concept satirized attorney Johnnie Cochran's closing argument defending O.J. Simpson in his murder trial. "Chewbacca Defense", meaning a defense consisting solely of nonsensical arguments meant to confuse a jury, has since been occasionally applied outside of references to South Park...

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In the episode, Chef discovers that Alanis Morissette's (fictional) hit song "Stinky Britches" is the same as a song he wrote years ago, before he abandoned his musical aspirations. Chef contacts a "major record company" executive, seeking only to have his name credited as the composer of "Stinky Britches." Chef's claim is substantiated by a twenty-year-old recording of Chef performing the song.

The record company refuses, and furthermore hires Johnnie Cochran, who files a lawsuit against Chef for harassment. In court, Cochran resorts to his "famous" Chewbacca Defense, which he "used during the Simpson trial", according to Gerald Broflovski.

'Cochran: Ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, Chef's attorney would certainly want you to believe that his client wrote "Stinky Britches" ten years ago. And they make a good case. Hell, I almost felt pity myself! But, ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, I have one final thing I want you to consider. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. But Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now think about it; that does not make sense!

Gerald Broflovski: Dammit!

Chef: What?

Gerald: He's using the Chewbacca Defense!

Cochran: Why would a Wookiee, an eight-foot tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor, with a bunch of two-foot tall Ewoks? That does not make sense! But more important, you have to ask yourself: What does this have to do with this case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense! Look at me. I'm a lawyer defending a major record company, and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca! Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense! None of this makes sense! And so you have to remember, when you're in that jury room deliberatin' and conjugatin' the Emancipation Proclamation, [approaches and softens] does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, it does not make sense! If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit! The defense rests.'"

From Chewbacca defense - Wikipedia. For a similar take on the application of Chicago(the musical)-style courtroom strategy see Bush Administration Reveals Core Strategy: Razzle-Dazzle 'em

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Negotiate Win-Win Business Deals

This article from TEC® Best Practices contains an excellent overview and recommendations for negotiating successful business deals, including the following:

Four common negotiating myths make it difficult, if not impossible, to create win-win deals:

Negotiating myth #1: Negotiating involves competition.

Reality: Negotiations involve exchanging information and resources in order to satisfy the different and sometimes conflicting needs of two or more parties.

Negotiating myth #2: Negotiating involves bargaining.

Reality: Bargaining is competitive; negotiating is cooperative. Bargaining focuses on who is right; negotiating focuses on what is right. Negotiating creates long-term deals and relationships. Bargaining agreements never last because the losing party always insists on the chance to come back and get even.

Negotiating myth #3: Negotiating always involves compromise.

Reality: Nobody wins in compromise because both sides end up getting less than they want or need.

Negotiating myth #4: Effective negotiations involve the use of tactics, trickery and manipulation.

Reality: Honest, ethical negotiators never try to manipulate or deceive the other side. Tactics should only be used in self-defense.

The bottom line is that negotiating business deals has nothing to do with bargaining, compromise and competition. To create win-win outcomes, both sides must:

Strive to understand the other person's wants and needs

Attempt to solve the other person's problems as well as their own

Adopt a mindset of flexibility rather than rigidity

Focus on "enlarging the pie" rather than dividing it up

Always aim for win-win outcomes

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Visual Modeling Helps Solve Complex Problems

This cool visualization demonstrates the usefulness of visual models to address complex business problems that involve multible moving variables, the necessity for effective collaboration and the importance of clear communication in organizational settings.

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Guides To Starting A Small Business

Inc.com offers a great set of resources in How To Start A Small Business Topics covered inclue:

Business Plan Building
Business Plan tips, how to write a business plan, get sample business plan templates, free business plan software, help and business plan advice for the small business entrepreneur.

Business Plans at Internet Speed
Writing a business plan faster, with online resources, free business plan software, and web-based advice for the small business entrepreneur.

Buying a Franchise
Buying your own franchise is one way to break into the entrepreneurial ranks and become your own boss. If you're considering a franchise, this collection of tools and tips will help you find the ideal business.

Cash Management Basics
Cash is your business's lifeblood. This guide will help your business -- and you -- avoid a heart attack.

Choosing a Form for Your Business
Trying to choose the right structure for your business? This Inc.com guide brings together our site's best articles on corporate form options, from sole proprietorships to C corporations.

Creating a Great Web Site on the Cheap
Want a terrific Web site -- without spending a fortune? Check out inc.com's guide to building a low-cost, high-impact Web site.

E-Commerce Starter Kit
The Internet will soon be the Grand Central Station of business, and getting a seat on the gravy train means implementing a smart e-commerce strategy now. We've got some basic ticketing instructions.

Hiring Your First Employee
Your business is growing so fast that soon you'll be not only your own boss, but someone else's as well. It's time to hire your first employee, and Inc.com has the help you need.

Patents
Got a great idea but not sure how to obtain a patent for it? This collection of tips and tools can help you get started.

Raising Start-Up Capital
Financing a new business isn't easy. Here Inc.com offers its best advice and resources for finding start-up capital.

Setting Up a Home Office
There are many practical, financial, and psychological benefits of working from home. Inc.com has brought home all our best articles and resources on setting up shop at home.

Setting Up a New Office
What's the biggest hurdle your new business faces? Perhaps it's setting up your first office. Our guide will take you through the process step-by-step.

Financing: Where to Find It
Where to find financing for your business.

Angel Investors
Court and win over angel investors with Inc.com's guide to angel investors.

Market Research
This Inc.com guide offers tips and resources to help you research your industry and competition, and meet your target market's needs.

Grassroots Marketing
Get inspired to fuel your company's growth with this collection of innovative marketing ploys.

Pricing
Inc.com will help you tackle the pricing issue -- we've compiled strategies, advice, and techniques that have served other entrepreneurs well.

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Finding "You Time"

"Within each of there is a well of energy that must be regularly replenished. When we act as if this well is bottomless, scheduling a long list of activities that fit like puzzle pieces into every minute of every day, it becomes depleted and we feel exhausted, disconnected, and weak. Refilling this well is a matter of finding time to focus on, nurture, and care for ourselves, or 'you time.'

"Most of us are, at different times throughout the day, a spouse, a friend, a relative, an employee, a parent, or a volunteer, which means that down time, however relaxing in nature, is not necessarily "you time." Though some people will inevitably look upon "you time" as being selfish, it is actually the polar opposite of selfishness. We can only excel where our outer world affairs are concerned when our own spiritual, physical, and intellectual needs are fulfilled.

"Recognizing the importance of 'you time' is far easier than finding a place for it in an active, multifaceted lifestyle, however. Even if you find a spot for it in your agenda, you may be dismayed to discover that your thoughts continuously stray into worldly territory. To make the most of 'you time,' give yourself enough time on either side of the block of time you plan to spend on yourself to ensure that you do not feel rushed. Consider how you would like to pass the time, forgetting for the moment your obligations and embracing the notion of renewal. You may discover that you are energized by creative pursuits, guided meditation, relaxing activities during which your mind can wander, or modes of expression such as writing.

"Even if you have achieved a functioning work-life balance, you may still be neglecting the most important part of that equation: you. 'You time' prepares you for the next round of daily life, whether you are poised to immerse yourself in a professional project or chores around the home. It also affords you a unique opportunity to learn about yourself, your needs, and your tolerances in a concrete way. As unimportant as 'you time' can sometimes seem, it truly is crucial to your wellbeing because it ensures that you are never left without the energy to give of yourself."

Reprinting today's meditation from DailyOM - Nurturing Mind Body & Spirit.

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Financial Benefits of Open Source

Open source has become a serious contender in enterprise IT. Considering the opportunity for financial benefits along with the flexibility that comes through from the software's source code, the freedom from vendor lock-in, and the potential for improved security, reliability and performance, open source is rapidly gaining acceptance.

This report is a practical guide for understanding and calculating the financial benefits of open source. It will introduce the basics of financial analysis - concepts, processes and elements - and provide a tool to help identify and capture the costs (and potential benefits) for your project, whether you are an end user with a custom application, a system integrator (SI) considering an open source solutions offering, or an independent software vendor (ISV) looking at the embedding of open source in your software.

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Professor Cornwall on Business Planning

I was asked recently by an entrepreneur whether he should hire someone to write a business plan. I remembered that Professor Cornwall at The Entrepreneurial Mind had written about the answer to this question. I also know what a treasure trove of information is available by searching a blog full of useful posts like the Entrepreneurial Mind. So after conducting a search on business plans on Professor Cornwall's blog, I came up with the following advice, quoting the three posts cited below:

"Unless a would-be entrepreneur needs to raise substantial startup capital from institutional investors or business angels, there is no compelling reason to write a detailed business plan before opening a new business...

Business plans are a way to document sound analysis and good planning of your new venture. Whether you actually write this document is to a large degree irrelevant. What does matter is that you go through the process of evaluating the market for the venture, analyzing the potential profit margin it can produce, and reflect honestly on your personal readiness to make it happen. So it is the process of planning, not the actual plan, that really matters...

Too many people think that a business plan is the beginning, middle and end of starting a new venture. The business plan is simply a reflection of a sound process -- it is not the actual process.

In reality, investors like venture capitalists use it in the same way. They want evidence of sound analysis and planning, and the business plan is a way to capture the work an entrepreneur has done in these critical steps...

First you need to figure out why you need a plan. A plan you write for yourself is very different from a plan you write for an investor. Know the audience of the plan. You probably will need to write a couple of different versions for different uses: one for you, one for your investors, and one for creditors. If the plan starts to break down financially or in your ability to make it happen, give it up and go on to your next idea.

A business plan starts with you and your needs. And equally important, it provides a process that helps you learn about the business. It is a process with many exit points that you need to pay attention to so you don't get in too far too fast.

You'll need to intimately know all the details and nuances that are discovered. And when it comes time to use the plan to raise funding, the banker, creditor or investor will expect you to know the plan inside and out. Only the person who writes it will have that knowledge. And it would not look good for you to drag me or some group of college students along to explain everything for you...

When you develop your plan, work on it in the order that they [investors] will evaluate it (other than the Executive Summary, which you write last). Start with market research of the industry, competitive environment and potential customers. Use that to develop a strong and compelling marketing plan. Then forecast your revenues based on the marketing plan. Take your time. This is probably the hardest step of writing a plan if you do it correctly. Revenues are simply price times quantity, but those are two of the most uncertain issues you will face. Do you homework to show that you are making reasonable assumptions.

Then work on the operating plan and expenses. This is usually easier for most of us. However, don't worry about getting it right down to the last dollar. Too often we waste time on these sections. We feel safer here, so seem to want to work on that which we feel most comfortable with. Be accurate and complete, but never overly obsessive with every last detail.

When you finally put it all together you will put it in the traditional outline that most of the books and software suggest, as that is a fairly commonly expected standard format. But, when you write it free-style as I am suggesting, you have the best chance of ending up with a powerful story that holds together for even the most experienced business plan reader.”

Sources:
To Write a Business Plan, or Not to Write a Business Plan

Write Your Own Plan

The Danger of Short-cuts in Writing Business Plans

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Jabberwocky

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!'

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought--
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll (a.k.a. Charles Dodgson) is generally considered to be the greatest of all nonsense poems in English. It is so well known that a number of its nonsense words have entered the Oxford English Dictionary. Alice (of Wonderland fame) here, in the paragraph following the poem, puts her finger on the secret of the poem's charm:

'... It seems to fill my head with ideas -- only I don't know exactly what they are.'

These pages are dedicated to all who have come to like and love this poem which Alice discovers in a book. The poem occurs in the first chapter of Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There "

For more see Jabberwocky Glossary and Jabberwocky - Wikipedia.

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And they've been working all day

Up at eight, you can't be late
For Matthew & son, he won't wait.
Watch them run down to platform one
And the eight-thirty train to Matthew & son.
Matthew & son, the work's never done,
there's always something new.
The files in your head, you take them to bed,
you're never ever through.
And they've been working all day, all day, all day!

There's a five-minute break and that's all you take,
For a cup of cold coffee and a piece of cake.
Matthew & son, the work's never done,
there's always something new.
The files in your head, you take them to bed,
you're never ever through.
And they've been working all day, all day, all day!

He's got people who've been working for fifty years
No one asks for more money cuz nobody cares
Even though they're pretty low and their rent's in arrears
Matthew & son, Matthew & son,
Matthew & son, Matthew & son,
And they've been working all day, all day, all day!

MATTHEW & SON
Cat Stevens --1967

From the wonderful website of Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, Mountain of Light. If you, like me, were touched by the spiritual songwriting and style of Cat Stevens, or are otherwise a seeker of peace, you will want to explore the site, listen and watch the interviews at Yusuf Islam : Mountain of Light audio & video where Yusuf notes:

"I discovered that the human soul does not live only by means of material success and acclaim, it needs contentment, which actually requires a person to be normal sized. Stardom is not normal; everything has to be bigger and be better, you have to be competitive. Getting out of that race, quite frankly, is what I did. I was given a chance to find my own way to happiness; each person must choose whichever road he or she wishes to follow."

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Open Source Software Policies and Procedures Needed

Companies that use open source software need policies in place and resources devoted to monitor and maintain compliance with licensing requirements. Efforts should be directed at controlling how and when modifications are made to the software and how it is distributed to third parties.

This excellent and informative article from PLI's All-Star Briefing explains that a "best practices" opens source software policy should cover the following topics:

"Defining "Open Source": As an introductory matter, an open source policy should define open source in terms that can be understood by employees...

Choosing a Source:...An open source policy should... specify the sources from which such software may be obtained... A company should also require that its programmers go through an approval process before they can use open source...

Review of License Terms...the Company's open source policy should require that each open source license be reviewed using the same processes and internal controls as the company uses for proprietary software licenses.

Guidelines for Modifications...An open source policy should...require that, before any modification can be made, those involved in the programming process consider: (a) whether modifications will even be allowed; (b) whether the open source will only be used internally (in which case the source code to the modifications will not have to be made public); and (c) if the open source is to be distributed to third parties, whether the company is comfortable releasing the source code for its modifications...

Guidelines for Distribution...Companies need to establish careful guidelines as to how open source can be included in programs distributed to third parties, and make sure that control mechanisms are in place governing such use...

Contributions to the Open Source Community...If a company elects to go this route, it must make sure that it has very stringent controls in place for determining what software is released...that any copy of the software that is so distributed is linked to an open source license governing the permitted use of the software...

Tracking the Use of Open Source: Once a company has decided how it will use open source, it should implement a system for approving, monitoring and tracking how the company is actually using open source..."

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The Realistic Entrepreneur

"Optimism is a key to success, but it doesn't necessarily work so well when it comes to VC...it's very easy...to spend a year or more adjusting your business to what each VC asks for ("bring me the broomstick of the wicked witch!") while you could have been out there building a real organization..."

Here are a few conditions from an excellent list of fifteen in this Seth Godin post "that you ought to take seriously before you invest the time and the energy to track down outside money for your great idea...

3. Investors want to invest in a project that's tested...

5. Investors... want you to build an asset (a patent, an audience, channel relationships) that's actually worth something...

15.The companies that VCs most want to invest in are the companies that don't need their investment to survive."

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My Lens on Selling a Business Nominated

I was informed today that one of my Squidoo lenses, How to Sell Your Business has been nominated for The Squidoo Lens of the Year award.

To celebrate turning 1 year and 100,000 lenses older, Squidoo took its previous Lens of the Day winners (including mine) and lined them up, to see which lens the Squidoo lensmasters and readers think is simply the best.

The voting is ongoing and if you are so inclined you may visit The Squidoo Lens of the Year site, find my lens ( http://www.squidoo.com/sellyourbusiness ) and vote it up. The winner will be announced on Friday March 30.

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NFL Sponsors DMCA Checkers Match

Last month, law professor Wendy Seltzer posted a short clip on Utoob of the NFL's copyright statement to demonstrate to her students that copyright holders often claim additional rights beyond those actually granted by copyright. "As if to help prove Seltzer's point, the NFL then sent a DMCA takedown notice to YouTube, forcing them to pull the clip -- even though it was pretty clearly covered under fair use. Seltzer then followed up and filed the counter-notification, as per the DMCA, and YouTube put the clip back up...The DMCA is also clear that if the NFL wants to challenge her on this claim, they need to go to court. Instead... they simply filed another DMCA takedown notice and got the video pulled again. As Seltzer points out, this clearly violates the DMCA." Your move Ms. Seltzer.

Read more in this Techdirt post.

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10 Reasons Jobs Suck

"Here are some reasons you should do everything in your power to avoid getting a job:

1. Income for dummies...

You only get paid when you’re working...Smart people build systems that generate income 24/7, especially passive income. This can include starting a business, building a web site, becoming an investor, or generating royalty income from creative work. The system delivers the ongoing value to people and generates income from it, and once it's in motion, it runs continuously...

2. Limited experience....

The problem with getting experience from a job is that you usually just repeat the same limited experience over and over...

3. Lifelong domestication.

Getting a job is like enrolling in a human domestication program. You learn how to be a good pet...

4. Too many mouths to feed...

You only get paid a fraction of the real value you generate...

5. Way too risky.

Does putting yourself in a position where someone else can turn off all your income just by saying two words ("You're fired") sound like a safe and secure situation to you?...

6. Having an evil bovine master.

When you run into an idiot in the entrepreneurial world, you can turn around and head the other way. When you run into an idiot in the corporate world, you have to turn around and say, “Sorry, boss."...

7. Begging for money...

8. An inbred social life...

9. Loss of freedom...

10. Becoming a coward.

Have you noticed that employed people have an almost endless capacity to whine about problems at their companies? But they don't really want solutions – they just want to vent and make excuses why it's all someone else's fault... It’s as if getting a job somehow drains all the free will out of people and turns them into spineless cowards..."

Read more in this provocative post from Steve Pavlina.

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How to Lead from Below

"The importance of leadership from the top is firmly embedded in corporate culture. An image survives of the all-powerful CEO, able to change the way a company operates at will. But the truth is that...change will have to come from those leading from below, rather than relying on leadership from the top...So, how do managers...lead from below successfully? While each situation differs, there are several common threads...

• Make the decision to be a leader...
• Focus on influence, not control...
• Make your mental organizational chart horizontal rather than vertical...
• Work on your "trusted adviser" skills...
• Don't wait for the perfect time, just find a good time...
• Integrate a broader range of risks and potential impacts into your business decisions...
• Expose yourself to a broader range of perspectives...
• Create vacuums rather than imposing solutions...
• Encourage questions without answers...
• Ask "what if" questions...
• Openly discuss values as well as value...
• Refresh your radar screen periodically...

These methods for encouraging leadership from below are applicable at any level of the organization. Indeed, some of the most effective leaders from below have applied these same techniques to encourage ideas bubbling up within their own domains.

The payoff can be enormous. If viewed as a resource rather than a threat, leadership from below can be a powerful force for creating change, developing organizational flexibility and helping companies flourish in a dynamic world."

Read more in Leading From Below - WSJ.com.

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So Much Depends on My Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think, say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude.

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.

---Charles Swindoll

Hat tip to The Positivity Blog

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A Coloring Book for Lawyers

A friend sent Coloring Book for Lawyers to me. Because a pain shared is halved and joy shared is doubled, I thought I would share this with you.

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Now Hear This - Better Listeners Make Better Managers

"The Journal of Business Communication published a recent study disclosing that good listeners hold higher-level positions and are promoted more often than those with less effective listening skills. Many executives believe listening skills are vital to the success of an organisation. Lee Iacocca, CEO of Chrysler, said that listening could make 'the difference between a mediocre company and a great company.'

Unfortunately, a number of experts note that managers and executives tend to become better talkers than listeners -- because they are used to 'being listened to'...

These six tips can help though.

One: Observe the speaker...
Two: Be attentive and avoid distractions...
Three: Think, revise and stay interested...
Four: Make notes...
Five: Paraphrase what the speaker says...
Six: Do not assume...

Remember the old poem:

A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw, the less he spoke
The less he spoke, the more he heard
Why can't we all be like that bird?

Read more in Good listeners = Better managers?.

For a more comprehensive treatment, see self study exercises for business listening skills that breaks the topic down into 3 parts and states:

"Your skill as a listener can make or break your success in leadership, teams, customer relationships, and negotiation...

Part I, Strategies for Business Listeners sets out a simple model explaining how an effective listening style changes ordinary conversations. The central premise is that you will get more out of conversations by first knowing your conversation goals, then narrowing your focus to 3 choices: talk or listen; focus or clarify; and listen attentively or not...

Part II, How to Listen (Attentive Listening Skills) provides the nuts-and-bolts tactical complement to the listening strategy proposed in Part I. Subjects include: 'Get Over Yourself, Give Them A Solo', which speaks to the power of not interrupting in any one of a multitude of ways; 'Stop Multi-tasking', about the importance of focus; and finally, 'Recap Regularly', 'Use Supportive Words', and 'Use Body Language' which show how to establish a tangible connection between yourself and the person you talking to...

Part III, Asking Questions / Listening Self-Study covers the art of asking non-leading questions which contribute to, rather than morph, what a speaker is saying. Part Three also provides exercises and resources you can use to sharpen your listening skills."

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Create a Mini Business Plan

Create a mini business plan free online at this startup.wsj.com site. Test your assumptions and start documenting your ideas for your new business. The MiniPlan guides you through creating the basics of a business plan including:

Break-Even Analysis
Market Analysis
Executive Summary
Company Objectives
Mission Statement

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How to Value a Patent

"Inventors help solve vexing problems, both sophisticated and simple, and as a result sometimes enjoy considerable celebrity and rewards. Our society’s economic success, too, is based on innovation. To encourage public disclosure of inventions, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues an inventor a patent, which excludes others from making, using, selling or importing that invention into U.S. territories for a limited period of time.

The three kinds of U.S. patents cover living plants, ornamental designs and useful inventions (the latter are called “utility” patents). Familiar products once protected by U.S. utility patents include Alexander Graham Bell’s “improvement in telegraphy” (the telephone), the Wright brothers’ “flying machine” and Thomas Edison’s “incandescent lamp” (the light bulb)."

This article [20 Steps for Pricing a Patent] provides an excellent and detailed set of basic procedures for valuing U.S. utility patents.

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Open Source Guide Book

Innovation Happens Elsewhere is an online version of this book on Open Source as Business Strategy by Ron Goldman and Richard P. Gabriel. The authors have posted this outstanding resource online in the hopes that people will find it useful, stating:

"This book is intended for anyone considering using Open Source. It describes what open source is, discusses business reasons for using open source, and describes how an open source project works in a day-to-day manner. It will help you decide on whether open source is right for your project, and, if so, what steps you should take to proceed and some mistakes you should avoid."

An excerpt from the book will give you an idea of the types of useful information it contains:

“Deciding to manage a development project as an open-source project requires making a careful determination of the project's business goals...The following is a list of business reasons to support the use of open source for a project…

Visibility...
Training and Education..
Ubiquity...
Design Discipline...
Best Standards Development...
Conversations...
Design Help...
Guidance for Proprietary Products
Some open-source licenses permit proprietary products to be based on an open-source system, sometimes by adding features and sometimes by providing quality and support. The ability to develop the best such product can be improved by commentary and feedback from the community...
Build a Market for a Proprietary Product
When a company has a proprietary product built on top of a free, open-source version, the free version will bring in customers and increase the company's market share.
Development Help...
Internal Open Source Use and Reuse...
Support Help...
Facilitate Technology Transfer...
Limited Resources...
Improved Quality...
Time To Market
For open source, there is a time-to-market advantage, but it is a more complicated notion than simply getting a product into a space quickly. By using available open-source code in a project, a company is able to avoid re-inventing it. This can speed up getting to market, but the more important effect is that a company can get to a very good product quickly, especially one with a greater number of already proven features and better quality....
Better Way to Do Releases...
Better Relations with Customers...
Better Relations with Other Parts of Your Company...
Nurture Innovation...
Community Building...
Avoiding Lock-In...
Risk Reduction...
Appeal to "The Open-Source Community"...
Storytelling...
Statement of Vision and Terms of Engagement...
Statement of Values...
Get Brand Loyalty for Your Company's Hardware/Software...
Get the Hit Effect Working...
Create a Marketplace...
Commoditize Competition
Providing a no-cost offering can force a competitor to play a commodity game where small advantages and brand loyalty, for example, can play a stronger role than in a high-value game. OpenOffice is an example of this goal: Its free office-productivity software makes it more difficult for other companies, such as Microsoft, to charge large amounts for proprietary software with similar features. It transforms office-productivity software from a high-value, single-vendor product into a commodity..."

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Where There's Vision, There's Fire

"People rally around leaders with a compelling vision and a clear sense of purpose.

Creating a strong vision is one of the most important functions a business leader can perform. A vision statement compels people to do something, change something, and become something. It is this drive that can transform a business into a strong, vibrant, rewarding opportunity for everyone who comes into contact with it.

Business leaders can reap the benefits of a strong vision by defining the core values of their companies, defining their purpose, describing what they see for the business in the future, and then clearly articulating, communicating, and living the vision at every opportunity...

A good vision:

Identifies direction and purpose

Builds loyalty through involvement

Sets standards of excellence that reflect high ideals and a sense of integrity

Is persuasive and credible

Inspires enthusiasm and encourages commitment

Is well articulated and easily understood

Is ambitious and calls for a shared commitment

Challenges and inspires people to align their energies in a common direction

Fits with the business' unique culture and values

Results in efficiency and productivity

Reflects the company's unique strengths..."

Read more in this article by Dave Dolak.

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Meditation is Good for Business

"Researchers are beginning to show that meditation directly affects the function and structure of the brain, changing it in ways that appear to increase attention span, sharpen focus and improve memory...

The forms of meditation...scientists are studying involve focusing on an image or sound or on one's breathing. Though deceptively simple, the practice seems to exercise the parts of the brain that help us pay attention...

Not surprisingly, given those results, a growing number of corporations—including Deutsche Bank, Google and Hughes Aircraft—offer meditation classes to their workers...Making employees sharper is only one benefit; studies say meditation also improves productivity, in large part by preventing stress-related illness and reducing absenteeism.

Another benefit for employers: meditation seems to help regulate emotions, which in turn helps people get along...So, for a New Year's resolution that can pay big dividends at home and at the office, try this: just breathe."

Read more in How to Get Smarter, One Breath at a Time -- TIME
Also see Meditation goes to work

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You Can Teach an Old Brain New Tricks

"For decades, the prevailing dogma in neuroscience was that the adult human brain is essentially immutable, hardwired, fixed in form and function, so that by the time we reach adulthood we are pretty much stuck with what we have. Yes, it can create (and lose) synapses, the connections between neurons that encode memories and learning. And it can suffer injury and degeneration. But this view held that if genes and development dictate that one cluster of neurons will process signals from the eye and another cluster will move the fingers of the right hand, then they'll do that and nothing else until the day you die. There was good reason for lavishly illustrated brain books to show the function, size and location of the brain's structures in permanent ink...

But research in the past few years has overthrown the dogma. In its place has come the realization that the adult brain retains impressive powers of "neuroplasticity"--the ability to change its structure and function in response to experience. These aren't minor tweaks either. Something as basic as the function of the visual or auditory cortex can change as a result of a person's experience of becoming deaf or blind at a young age. Even when the brain suffers a trauma late in life, it can rezone itself like a city in a frenzy of urban renewal. If a stroke knocks out, say, the neighborhood of motor cortex that moves the right arm, a new technique called constraint-induced movement therapy can coax next-door regions to take over the function of the damaged area. The brain can be rewired."

Read more in How The Brain Rewires Itself--TIME

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Amazing Saturn Photos Released

"NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured never-before-seen views of Saturn from perspectives high above and below the planet's rings. Over the last several months, the spacecraft has climbed to higher and higher inclinations, providing its cameras with glimpses of the planet and rings that have scientists gushing.

In the pictured photo, dark and sharply defined ring shadows appear to constrict the flow of color from Saturn's warmly hued south to the bluish northern latitudes.

Aside from the color differences, the cloud morphology is quite different in the polar regions compared to the mid-latitudes. Bright, isolated clouds dot the high latitudes, while Saturn's middle is characterized by flowing cloud bands and the occasional bright or dark vortex.

This view looks toward the lit side of the rings from about half a degree below the ring plane."

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit Cassini-Huygens Home.

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Leadership Lessons from Tony Dungy

"Tony Dungy is always cool and calm when addressing his players. He never swears or berates his team. He treats his staff and players like professionals. It’s the way all people should be treated.

When players are given respect they return that respect. A lot of leaders (coaches) try to command respect through fear. Fear based leadership usually breaks down and causes dissention. Fear is not an emotion that people want to hold within themselves, so they eventually will rebel – mentally then physically. If a coach can command respect through positive action then the players will willingly follow because they are emotionally in agreement with the coach’s philosophy. They understand his thought process and the goals they are committing themselves to...

Dungy is an abnormality in a “Yell First” football tradition. That’s what makes him a great person. He built his team his own way. He trusted his beliefs and didn’t try to copy anyone else. Being the first black coach to ever win a Superbowl is not the greatest part of his achievement. His greatest achievement is showing the rest of the world that dignity and respect should go hand in hand with leading an organization."

Read more in this Mind Body Blog post.

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Bracketology Breakdown from Brother Sam

Here are the latest March Madness NCCA college basketball brackets projections and some observations from my brother, Sam who (is really good at this and) explains:

"I try to match them up into regions - so that teams from same conference won't play each other until the regional final. Some seeds reflect this.

Some other observations:

I try not to look at RPIs, SOS, etc. if I can help it. I like looking at quality wins especially out of conference, and how they play collectively against their conference teams.

West Virginia is in for only one reason - beating UCLA - but they better win some games soon or they will be gone.

Don't see what the love affair a lot of people have with the MVC and especially Creighton. What great win do they have other than Xavier at home? None on the road against a team outside the conference. SIU has beaten Virginia Tech. The biggest win was by MO State who beat Wisconsin on a neutral court. If Creighton stumbles in conference tournament, they will be out too. Two not three from the MVC.

VCU, who won the CAA regular season may be odd team out if they lose to Drexel in CAA tournament. Their out of conference record is not good against "bubble" and other potential tournament teams - losses to Xavier, Toledo, Appalachian State and Bradley. In the end, only two teams will go from the CAA.

GA Tech makes it this time. Good non-conference wins against Purdue and Memphis on neutral courts. Also beat Georgia at home. GA Tech, Clemson or Florida State will get a bid - the only conference having a team with a losing conference record.

Xavier should get a bid even if it loses in their conference tournament and they deserve it. Non conference wins include VCU, Villanova, Illinois and Kansas State.

Kansas State is out. A closer look shows they haven't beaten anyone out of conference except USC. Unbalanced conference record will keep them out when compared to all other deserving teams.

Appalachian State beat Virginia, Vanderbilt on neutral courts. And also beat VCU. Wouldn't you rather see what they can do in tournament than another team from the Big Ten, SEC or ACC or a third team from the MVC? I would.

Midwest (#1 region)

1 Ohio St - B10
2 Kansas- B12
3 S. Ill - MVC
4 Maryland - ACC
5 Marquette - BEAST
6 USC - P10
7 Boston College - ACC
8 Air Force - MWC
9 Stanford - P10
10 Purdue - B10
11 West Virginia - BEAST
12 Davidson - Southern (Champ)
13 Sam Houston State - SLand (Champ)
14 Toledo - MAC (Champ)
15 Austin Peay - OVC (Champ)
16 Central Ct. St - NEC (Champ)
16 Mississipi Valley State - SWAC (Champ)

West - #2 Region

1 UCLA - P10
2 Georgetown - BEAST
3 Nevada - WAC (Champ)
4 UNLV - MWC
5 Vanderbilt - SEC
6 Butler - Horizon (Champ)
7 Virginia - ACC
8 Notre Dame - BEAST
9 Texas Tech - B12
10 Illinois - B10
11 Old Dominion - CAA
12 Georgia Tech - ACC
13 Gonzaga - WCC (Champ)
14 Long Beach St - BW (Champ)
15 Oral Roberts - Mid Con (Champ)
16 Weber State - Big Sky (Champ)

South (#3 Region)

1 Wisconsin - B10
2 Florida - SEC
3 Memphis - USA (Champ)
4 Duke - ACC
5 BYU - MWC
6 Virginia Tech - ACC
7 Texas - B12
8 Louisville - BEAST
9 Arizona - P10
10 VCU - CAA
11 Syracuse - BEAST
12 Creighton - MVC
13 Winthrop - Big South (Champ)
14 Penn - Ivy (Champ)
15 South Alabama - Sun (Champ)
16 E. Tenn St - Atl Sun (Champ)

East - #4 Region

1 North Carolina - ACC
2 Texas A & M - B12
3 Pitt - BEAST
4 Wash St - P10
5 Tennessee - SEC
6 Indiana - B10
7 Oregon - P10
8 Mich St - B10
9 Villanova - BEAST
10 Kentucky - SEC
11 Xavier - A10
12 Drexel - CAA
13 Holy Cross - Patriot (Champ)
14 Vermont - Am East (Champ)
15 Marist - MAAC (Champ)
16 Del St - MEAC (Champ)

Last 4 In

Purdue
West Virginia
Georgia Tech
Creighton

Last 4 Out

Missouri State
Georgia
Florida State
Kansas State

Love to hear comments and any apparent mistakes or disagreements."

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A Great Pick-Up Line

"Playing pick-up basketball is more than good exercise and camaraderie. It's a microcosm of society in general and the business office in particular...I constantly find myself evaluating employees and new contacts against the same criteria that I value in good teammates on the basketball court. Are they team players or are they selfish? Do they understand their own strengths, weaknesses, and role? Can they put points on the board? Will they take on tough assignments? Do they help others out? Are they good communicators and a positive influence? Are they winners or whiners?

However, there's more at play here than personnel profiling. There are a number of leadership principles that translate from the basketball court to the business office...here are my top five:

See the court...
A true leader is not only constantly looking for the new opportunities, but they're also looking to get the ball to teammates who are best positioned to take advantage of the situation...

Score points and keep score
Pick-up basketball is all about winning the game and holding the court. It's no different in business....

It's OK to wear short pants and canvas sneakers.
Sure, the young players can run faster and jump higher, but old-school fundamentals may be more necessary today than ever...

The whole is greater than the parts...

Don't lose touch.
Your job, your skin color, and your bank account mean nothing in a pick-up basketball game...I know how easy it can be to become disconnected. Playing pick-up ball reminds me of the constant need to stay in touch..."

Read more in Shirts and Skins found via this post from Be Excellent™.

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Buy the Client Lunch - At Her Office

"One tool for getting an audience to hear you out early in the selling process is bringing the story to them. Instead of asking a potential customer to take time out of their busy day to travel to a meeting, eliminate any time or effort barriers - buy them lunch at their office. Pick up some pizzas, have sandwiches delivered or order from the prospect’s cafeteria. Free food is a surprisingly strong draw and will make it much easier to get a foot in the door.

Even better, have the prospective customer arrange a conference room and also invite the prospect’s colleagues along for free food in exchange for 45-60 minutes of listening about a cool new offering..."

Great advice from this 2-Speed post.

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HR Problem Prevention Checklist

"Management concerned with employment law liability should be focused on prevention: preventing lawsuits, preventing employee morale problems, and preventing the day-to-day hassles personnel issues can create. The road to success in this area is not paved with good intentions, however. Employers must understand basic human resources principles to avoid the employment law pitfalls that await.

Ensure someone in the organization is familiar with human resources...
Communicate...
Implement legally sound employment documents...
Require employment candidates to pass a background check...
Provide discrimination, harassment, and retaliation prevention training to all employees...
Conduct a wage-hour audit...
Mmanage leave and accommodation issues...
Consider requiring employees to sign a mandatory arbitration agreement...
Ensure all employee benefit plans comply with ERISA...
Communicate. Yes, it bears repeating..."

Read more in this Shaw Valenza LLP article found via the Employment Law Information Network newsletter.

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Startup Venture Toolbox

A great resource is the Startup Venture Toolbox,created by David Rex.

"The goal of the Toolbox is to provide entrepreneurs with the tools and assistance necessary to help achieve their desired goals as well as to provide a forum for the exploration of entrepreneurial ideas and issues.

The Toolbox is organized in the order that most entrepreneurs follow in taking their ventures from idea to exit.

First, test out the validity of your idea from the investor's point-of-view with the Business Proof of Concept Test.

Then, check out your idea against the world's public databases of intellectual property filings with the Intellectual Property Advisor.

If your idea passes these two tests then create a Business Plan and financial statements with the Business Plan Advisor and the Financial Statement Advisor.

Informational and educational assistance can be found in the Process of Forming a Company, Venture Life Cycle, Articles & Information and Suggested Readings sections.

The Basic Legal Information & Documents section contains certain legal documents and information necessary to get your venture organized, protected and operating..."

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Resistance is...Automatic

Nagging spouse? You may have an excuse for not responding

New research findings now appearing online in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology began with a professor’s desire to understand why her husband often seemed to ignore her requests for help around the house.”My husband, [Gavin Fitzsimmons] while very charming in many ways, has an annoying tendency of doing exactly the opposite of what I would like him to do in many situations,” said Tanya L. Chartrand, an associate professor of marketing and psychology at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business...

Working with Duke Ph.D. student Amy Dalton, Chartrand and Fitzsimons have demonstrated that some people will act in ways that are not to their own benefit simply because they wish to avoid doing what other people want them to. Psychologists call this reactance: a person’s tendency to resist social influences that they perceive as threats to their autonomy.

The team found that people do not necessarily oppose others’ wishes intentionally. Instead, even the slightest nonconscious exposure to the name of a significant person in their life is enough to bring about reactance and cause them to rebel against that person’s wishes...

Read more in this post from Press Esc.

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Keys to Transformational Leadership

"Four key functions collectively define a successful role for the CEO in a transformation:

Making the transformation meaningful. People will go to extraordinary lengths for causes they believe in, and a powerful transformation story will create and reinforce their commitment. The ultimate impact of the story depends on the CEO’s willingness to make the transformation personal, to engage others openly, and to spot- light successes as they emerge.

Role-modeling desired mind-sets and behavior. Successful CEOs typically embark on their own personal transformation journey. Their actions encourage employees to support and practice the new types of behavior.

Building a strong and committed top team. To harness the transformative power of the top team, CEOs must make tough decisions about who has the ability and motivation to make the journey.

Relentlessly pursuing impact. There is no substitute for CEOs rolling up their sleeves and getting personally involved when significant financial and symbolic value is at stake."

Read more in The McKinsey Quarterly: The CEO's role in leading transformation.

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Information Technology Audit Checklist

This Audit Checklist from the IT Compliance Institute offers:

"228 specific checklist items to help assess your audit-readiness
A breakdown of suggested management, operational, and technical controls
Clarification on what auditors want to see
Pointers on audit preparation, testing, and reporting

The paper supports an internal audit of the organization’s information security program with guidance on improving information security programs and processes, as well as information on assessing the robustness of your organization’s security efforts. The paper is intended to help IT, compliance, audit, and business managers prepare for an audit of information security and, ultimately, to ensure that the audit experience and results are as productive as possible."

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Why Should Anyone Want to Be Led by You?

"We've yet to hear advice that tells the whole truth about leadership. Yes, everyone agrees that leaders need vision, energy, authority, and strategic direction. That goes without saying. But we've discovered that inspirational leaders also share four unexpected qualities:

They selectively show their weaknesses. By exposing some vulnerability, they reveal their approachability and humanity.

They rely heavily on intuition to gauge the appropriate timing and course of their actions. Their ability to collect and interpret soft data helps them know just when and how to act.

They manage employees with something we call tough empathy. Inspirational leaders empathize passionately—and realistically—with people, and they care intensely about the work employees do.

They reveal their differences. They capitalize on what's unique about themselves.

You may find yourself in a top position without these qualities, but few people will want to be led by you."

Read more in this article excerpt from HBS Working Knowledge.

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Small Business Resources from Dell

"Dell launched a couple nice small business focused resources recently. The first, called Studio Dell, features well made videos of folks talking about small business and tech solutions as well as case studies and small business stories...In addition, they launched another nice resource for small business called Dell Small Business 360. They bill it as a comprehensive website designed to help you build your business.

The plans are to grow this new portal with content and resources from small business experts and add a community and advice section. At the moment the site is pretty tech heavy as you might expect..."

See this Duct Tape Marketing Blog post from which the foregoing was quoted for live links to the Dell sites.

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Go For It - Make It Happen

There are times in our lives when all the signs seem to be pointing us in a particular direction. Our thoughts and dreams are echoed in the songs and stories we hear and the media we see. Maybe the message we are getting from the universe doesn’t even make sense in the “real” world, but somewhere inside, these urges feel right. Maybe you feel you are being told to move to a new city although your life where you are is just fine. Or maybe you feel the desire to pursue a new direction in your career when it never really interested you before. When we spend time getting in touch with our higher selves, our intuition sends us directives to lead us to become our best and most fulfilled selves. And when we are open and listening, the next step is to take action and go for it.

Once we make the decision to pursue our inner urgings, the universe sets into motion the means for all sorts of details to fall into place. A sense of peace will come over us, because we know that any questions will no longer make us wonder if our dreams are possible, but how to make them happen. Instead of deterring us from our goal, these questions only serve to clarify our focus to move us forward. We need not throw caution to the wind to follow our dream. The positive shift in our energy affects everything around us. Like a rush of water, it goes ahead to clear debris from our path so that we can go forward. Our new attitude also attracts likeminded people. Sometimes even the most unlikely angels arrive to help us along our way with the information and support we need.

Wherever your dreams are pointing you today, take a step. Take action and manifest your inner urges and soul whisperings.

From DailyOM - Nurturing Mind Body & Spirit

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Anthony Cerminaro 2006 Movie List

I love movies. Set forth below is my ranking of the films I caught that were released in 2006.

The Best for My Money - Remarkable - Four Stars

Pan's Labyrinth - A Magical Mystical Tourdeforce
Volver - Amazing Almodovar with enchanting Cruz in control
Babel - Cultural crossroads and tragic intersections
Blood Diamond -"amazingly orchestrated chaos" --Richard Roeper
United 93 -"masterful and heartbreaking" --Rogert Ebert
The Departed - Stunning performances, over the top violence
Letters from Iwo Jima -"fascinating, existential tale of heroism." -- Rick Honeycutt
Dreamgirls -"this slick flick sizzles" --Matt Stevens
The Queen - Helen Mirren is marvelous
The Last King of Scotland - Ditto for Forest Whitaker

Great Flicks - Memorable - Three and a Half Stars

Flags of Our Fathers
Superman Returns
Little Miss Sunshine
Apocalypto
Casino Royale
Borat - Cultural Learnings...
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest
The Prestige

More Favorites - Special - Uplifting - Three Stars

Facing the Giants
Flushed Away
A Prairie Home Companion
Akeelah and the Bee
ATL
For Your Consideration
Quinceanera
Wordplay
Tsotsi
The Nativity Story
Stranger Than Fiction
Rocky Balboa
Invincible
Glory Road
We Are Marshall

Movies I enjoyed surprisingly - nearly Three Stars

V for Vendetta
The Descent
Underworld - Evolution
X-Men - The Last Stand
16 Blocks
Last Holiday
The Lake House
All the King's Men
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Nanny McPhee
Cars
Garfield - A Tail of Two Kitties
The Omen
Poseidon

Movies I liked less than the critics - nearly Three Stars

The Illusionist
Notes on a Scandal
Children of Men
World Trade Center
The Devil Wears Prada
Thank You for Smoking

Disappointments - Mixed Bag - Two Stars at best

Happy Feet
A Scanner Darkly
Over the Hedge
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
The Da Vinci Code
Snakes on a Plane
Open Season

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Wisdom from Warren Buffett

Darren D. Johnson shares five things he learned from spending 6 hours in Omaha with Warren Buffett:

1. Be Grateful
2. Be Ethical & Fair
3. Be Trustworthy
4. Invest in your Circle of Competence
5. Do What You Love,

Found via Warren Buffet Gets It and evelynr's favorites on del.icio.us

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There Must Be 50 Ways to Go Global

Thinking about expanding your business internationally? Then check out this post from The Global Small Business Blog that provides links to fifty resources that may aid in the effort

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Preparing a Business for Sale

This article from entrepreneur.com offers the following tips for someone reaching retirement age who will likely be selling her business within the next five years:

"1. Get a business valuation...
2. Get your books in order...
3. Understand the true profitability of your business...
4. Consult your financial advisor...
5. Make a good first impression...
6. Organize your legal paperwork...
7. Consider management succession...
8. Know your reason for selling...
9. Get your advisory team in place...
10. Keep your eye on the ball..."

You may also wish to review these articles I have written on this topic: Preparing a Business For Sale and Key Concepts in Selling A Business

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Change Management Primer

Change Management 101 provides a detailed overview of the concept of “change management.” It was written primarily for people who are coming to grips with change management problems for the first time and for more experienced people who wish to reflect upon their experience in a structured way, stating:

"Organizations are highly specialized systems and there are many different schemes for grouping and classifying them. Some are said to be in the retail business, others are in manufacturing, and still others confine their activities to distribution. Some are profit-oriented and some are not for profit. Some are in the public sector and some are in the private sector. Some are members of the financial services industry, which encompasses banking, insurance, and brokerage houses. Others belong to the automobile industry, where they can be classified as original equipment manufacturers (OEM) or after-market providers. Some belong to the health care industry, as providers, as insureds or as insurers. Many are regulated, some are not. Some face stiff competition, some do not. Some are foreign-owned and some are foreign-based. Some are corporations, some are partnerships, and some are sole proprietorships. Some are publicly held and some are privately held. Some have been around a long time and some are newcomers. Some have been built up over the years while others have been pieced together through mergers and acquisitions. No two are exactly alike.

The preceding paragraph points out that the problems found in organizations, especially the change problems, have both a content and a process dimension. It is one thing, for instance, to introduce a new claims processing system in a functionally organized health insurer. It is quite another to introduce a similar system in a health insurer that is organized along product lines and market segments. It is yet a different thing altogether to introduce a system of equal size and significance in an educational establishment that relies on a matrix structure. The languages spoken differ. The values differ. The cultures differ. And, at a detailed level, the problems differ. However, the overall processes of change and change management remain pretty much the same, and it is this fundamental similarity of the change processes across organizations, industries, and structures that makes change management a task, a process, and an area of professional practice."

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Adam Bain’s “Framework Triangle for Acquisitions”

This The Gong Show by Andrew Parker post explains Adam Bain's Framework Triangle for Acquisitions. Basically the points of the triangle are:

"Technology Advantage
New Audience or New Revenue Streams
Long Term Strategic Influence (Does it help you for the long term by enabling some larger end goal down the line? Sometimes this may also mean: an acquisition to stop the technology or product from falling into a competitor’s hands)

Once set up in the triangle, you get a framework that companies can be judged. When acq targets hit all three points on the triangle, it’s an easy decision. Usually the tough decisions come when you only have two out of the three points. So here’s what happens when you see just two points:

Tech + Long Term Strategic Value (and therefore lacking Audience) = The company is an Enabler. These are potentially undervalued by the marketplace...

Audience + Long Term Strategic Value (and therefore lacking Tech) = At best case, a Network Effect. Worst case: it’s an overvalued company...

Tech + Audience (lacking Strat) = At best Case: A Category Expander. Worst case: Non-core. Or…a sign that the acquiring company may be in trouble– because the acquiring company is looking at a business which has unique technology AND audience or revenue (thus traction) BUT it doesn’t currently fit into their world view of long-term strategy."

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Mother Lode of Board of Director Resources

"A corporation, whether for-profit or nonprofit, is required to have a governing Board of Directors. To explain, a corporation can operate as a separate legal entity, much like a person in that it can own bank accounts, enter into contracts, etc. However, the laws governing corporations require that a corporation ultimately is accountable to its owners (stockholders in the case of for-profits and the public with nonprofits). That accountability is accomplished by requiring that each corporation has a Board of Directors that represents the stockholders or the public...

Governing Boards can have a variety of models (configurations and ways of working), for example, "working Boards" (hands-on, or administrative, where Board members might be fixing the fax one day and strategic planning the next), "collective" (where Board members and others in the organization usually do the same types of work -- it's often difficult to discern who the Board members actually are), "policy" (where Board members attend mostly to top-level policies), "Policy Governance" (trademark of Carver Governance Design, where there are very clear lines and areas of focus between Board and the CEO), etc. All of these models are types of governing Boards.

Boards can have a broad range of "personalities." For example, Boards of large for-profit and nonprofit corporations might be very formal in nature with strong attention to Parliamentary procedures, highly proceduralized Board operations, etc. In contrast, Boards of small nonprofit or for-profit corporations might be very informal in nature. Some people believe in life stages of Boards, including that they 1) start out as "working" Boards where members focus on day-to-day matters in addition to strategic matters, 2) evolve to "policy" Boards where members focus mostly on strategic matters, and 3) eventually become large, institutionalized Boards that often have small executive committees and maybe many members some of which are "big names" to gain credibility with funders or investors..."

The above gives a basic overview sketch of the role of a governing Board. The Free Complete Toolkit for Boards from Carter McNamara provides more information about the roles and responsibilities of Boards and Board members, including job descriptions for each of the common positions on a Board and much, much more.

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Stop the Killing

Steven Sonsino identifies “'seven failings of really useless leaders':

Killing enthusiasm through micromanagement, coercion and disrespect;
Killing emotion by being aggressive, lacking empathy and not supporting work-life balance;
Killing explanation through incomplete or inconsistent communication;
Killing engagement with limited team goals and an insistence on managers dictating objectives;
Killing reward by rewarding the wrong things or doing it in the wrong way...;
Killing culture, for example...'punishing risk-taking' while trying to introduce a culture of innovation; and
Killing trust by making unfair decisions when hiring or rewarding staff."

Quotation from this post from thepracticeofleadership.net

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Accountability is Key

"Here is the seven-step formula you can use to create accountability and achieve extraordinary results in any organization:

Step 1: Establish the organization’s top three objectives...
Step 2: Assign each team member his or her respective objectives...
Step 3: Ask each team member what he or she needs to win...
Step 4: Agree on what the leader will do to help....
Step 5: Follow up...
Step 6: Share lessons learned...
Step 7: Reward results..."

Read more in this ChangeThis manifesto from Bob Prosen.

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What is Your Purpose?

Just read the first page of this ChangeThis manifesto, and you will understand exactly what it is to have purpose. Read the subsequent pages and you’ll find how to develop a sense of purpose for yourself and your organization through discovery, excellence, altruism and heroism.

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The Personal Style Model

In this video from BetterManagement.com , join Dr Michael O'Connor as he talks about how the "personal style model" can be used to explore a person's:

"Goals & fears
Natural talents
Development opportunities
Performance work practices

Use this knowledge to understand a person's tendency to either "fight" or "take flight" when put under pressure or stress; and how to successfully influence others. Improve how you communicate, motivate and interact which each of the 4 DISC styles:

Dominant Directors
Interacting Socializers
Steady Relaters
Cautious Thinkers

By understanding these behaviors, managers can better coach and develop employees to perform better to positively and productively influence co-workers, customers, prospects and partners."

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Tips for Entrepreneurs from Larry Page

In this Educators Corner video, Larry Page offers the following tips:

"Tip 1: Just don't settle. Especially with employees, it is very important to find great people you are compatible with.
Tip 2: There is a benefit from being real experts. Experience pays off.
Tip 3: Have a healthy disregard for the impossible. Stretch your goals.
Tip 4: It is OK to solve a hard problem. Solving hard problems is where you will get the big leverage.
Tip 5: Don't pay attention to the VC Bandwagon. Don't start a company just because you can, have a really good idea that is good regardless of the funding situation."

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The Enlightened Warrior

"A new leadership style is emerging, with skills uniquely tailored for success in today's environment. One management consultant has dubbed this new leader The Enlightened Warrior... Enlightened...in the sense that a modern leader identifies opportunities...The warrior side symbolizes a passion for achieving a goal and also a willingness to go on the attack--against the competition, and against weaknesses in yourself and the organization...

Key traits that are crucial in our changing workplace.

Adaptability...
Self-Awareness...
Purposefulness...
Decisiveness...
Collaborative Skills...
Walk the walk...
Innovate...
Execute..."

Read more in this article from entrepreneur.com.

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The "Big Four" Advisors

Pamela Slim writes "about the 'big four' professionals every entrepreneur needs to run an effective business:

A lawyer
An accountant
A banker
An insurance specialist

These professionals can ensure that you set up a solid foundation for your business. Often, entrepreneurs try to "bootstrap" everything and only call in an expert when they are in trouble. Investing in the right professional advice early on can save you headaches, or worse, in the long run."

Via this startupspark.com post.

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Delegate Don't Abdicate

"People use many excuses for not delegating. Their reasons are usually unfounded. You'll get more done through delegation if you assume the opposite of the following statements is true:

I could do it better myself.
I don't know if I can trust her to do it.
He isn't qualified to do it.
She doesn't want any added responsibilities.
I don't have the time to show anyone how to do it.
There is no one else to delegate to.
He already has enough to do.
I don't want to give up this task because I like doing it.
I'm the only person who knows how to do this.
She messed up last time, so I'm not giving her anything else to do."

Read more in this article from getmoredone.com.

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Primer on Equity Based Compensation Plans

Business owners who set up employee incentive plans generally do so to motivate their employees to work harder and smarter. Employee incentive plans also:

* Reward employees for performing (currently and in the past) at a superior level.
* Motivate employees to increase the value of the company.
* Help retain employees through the owner’s exit from the business.
* Begin transferring ownership in anticipation of an owner’s physical departure from the company. This is usually an early step in the exit planning process after the owner has decided to transfer to insiders.

Read more in this article by John Brown found via California Estate and Business Law Blog post.

Technorati Tags: business, management, entrepreneurship, startup, legal

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Scan the Environment with a PEST Analysis

"A number of checklists have been developed as ways of cataloguing the vast number of possible issues that might affect an industry. A PEST analysis is one of them that is merely a framework that categorizes environmental influences as political, economic, social and technological forces...The analysis examines the impact of each of these factors (and their interplay with each other) on the business. The results can then be used to take advantage of opportunities and to make contingency plans for threats when preparing business and strategic plans...

In conducting PEST analysis, it is required to consider each PEST factor as they all play a part in determining the overall business environment. Some examples of topics include the following:

Political: (includes legal and regulatory): elections, employment law, consumer protection, environmental regulations, industry-specific regulations, competitive regulations, inter-country relationships/attitudes, war, terrorism, political trends, governmental leadership, taxes, and government structures.

Economic: economic growth trends (various countries), taxation, government spending levels, disposable income, job growth/unemployment, exchange rates, tariffs, inflation, consumer confidence index, import/export ratios, and production levels.

Social: demographics (age, gender, race, family size, etc.), lifestyle changes, population shifts, education, trends, fads, diversity, immigration/emigration, health, living standards, housing trends, fashion, attitudes to work, leisure activities, occupations, and earning capacity.

Technological: inventions, new discoveries, research, energy uses/sources/fuels, communications, rates of obsolescence, health (pharmaceutical, equipment, etc.), manufacturing advances, information technology, internet, transportation, bio-tech, genetics, agri-tech, waste removal/recycling, and so on."

Read more in this article from coursework4you.co.uk, which is also a great example of an article that provides an excellent executive summary of its topic.

Additional information on this topic is available in this summary from marketingteacher.com and this article and free template from businessballs.com (another good example of an excellent executive summary).

Technorati Tags: business, management, entrepreneurship, startup, legal

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Send in the SWOT Team

This wikipedia entry defines a SWOT Analysis as a "strategic planning tool used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture or in any other situation of an organization or individual requiring a decision in pursuit of an objective. It involves monitoring the marketing environment internal and external to the organization or individual..."

This article from netmba.com explains:

"[Internal] factors should be evaluated across the organization in areas such as:

Company culture
Company image
Organizational structure
Key staff
Access to natural resources
Position on the experience curve
Operational efficiency
Operational capacity
Brand awarenes
Market share
Financial resources
Exclusive contracts
Patents and trade secrets...

The article identifies changes in the external environment in the following area may present opportunities or threats:

"Customers
Competitors
Market trends
Suppliers
Partners
Social changes
New technology
Economic environment
Political and regulatory environment"

This article from quickmba.com adds:

"Examples of...strengths include:

patents
strong brand names
good reputation among customers
cost advantages from proprietary know-how
exclusive access to high grade natural resources
favorable access to distribution networks

The absence of certain strengths may be viewed as a weakness. For example, each of the following may be considered weaknesses:

lack of patent protection
a weak brand name
poor reputation among customers
high cost structure
lack of access to the best natural resources
lack of access to key distribution channels...

Some examples of...opportunities include:

an unfulfilled customer need
arrival of new technologies
loosening of regulations
removal of international trade barriers...

Some examples of...threats include:

shifts in consumer tastes away from the firm's products
emergence of substitute products
new regulations
increased trade barriers"

Technorati Tags: business, management, entrepreneurship, startup, legal

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Perfect Your Elevator Pitch

"The purpose of your pitch is to sell, not to teach. Your job is to excite, not to educate. Pitching is about understanding what your customer (the investor) is most interested in, and developing a dialog that enables you to connect with the head, the heart, and the gut of the investor...So, the pitch has to accomplish three things:

Provide a good, clear, easy-to-repeat story—the story of an exciting new startup.

Fit with other investments the individual venture capitalist has made and the investments the firm is chartered to make.

Beat out the other investments the firm is currently considering..."

Read much more in this excellent article by Bill Reichert.Another good outline of a slide presentation to a venture capitalist may be found at this Content Log post.

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Business Intelligence Lowdown: Lessons from the Lemonade Stand: 101 Common Sense Management Tips

Business Intelligence Lowdown: Lessons from the Lemonade Stand: 101 Common Sense Management Tips

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Global Procurement Checklist

Sara Ireton, a supply chain management consultant with JPMorgan Chase Vastera, explains well why manufacturers should focus on 10 factors when looking to source internationally in this IndustryWeek article.

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