Archive for July, 2008

Do you experiment at work?

One easy way to break down all of this innovation stuff is to talk about experiments. What changes to you make at work where you are unsure of the outcome?

I make the argument in this Harvard Business post, titled, Do you experiment at work? that experiments are everything. It’s the easiest way to think about how positive change happens.

Give it a spin and let me know what you think.

  • By Scott Berkun on July 24th, 2008
  • 1 Comment »
  • Management

Was your MBA worth it?

The Personal MBA folks have released a update to their reading list, the core of their program for people who want an MBA style education without the formal program and bank-breaking costs.

I’ve asked the question, Was your MBA worth it over on Harvard Business. If you have an MBA or have thought about one, I’m curious to know what you think – head over a check it out.

I’m hiring: job opening for pmclinic

Five years ago I started a simple little discussion list called pmclinic. The idea was simple: e-mail out a real world management situation on Monday, discuss it all week, write a summary on Friday.

Unlike most discussion lists, the idea created a surprisingly high signal to noise ratio. As the months went by, without any PR or much of a web presence, the list grew. Today the list has over 1000 members. We’ve covered hundreds of situations, and the list is still going strong.

There are dozens of things that need to be done, from making the list archives public, to getting the list out of the technology dark ages. And the best way for that to happen is to hand the reigns over to someone new.

This opportunity could be great for either a veteran who’s looking for something fun and different to work on with big networking opportunities, or even a rock star intern, college student, or journeyman who’s looking for experience and to build a reputation.

Job title: Project Manager

Project: PMCLINIC 2.0

Description: Lead the planning, brainstorming, organization and development of a new online community for the 1,000+ community of leaders, PMs and managers who reside on the legendary pmclinic. Objectives include taking the list out of the technological dark ages and onto the web, while retaining the stellar signal to noise ratio, and e-mail only options, subscribers cherish. It’s a huge opportunity to play a rare leadership role on a high visibility project in the tech-sector, software development and project management communities.

The current forum has a ghetto web home: http://www.scottberkun.com/pmclinic/.

What you will get:

  • Ridiculous amounts of autonomy and leadership opportunities
  • Use of Scott Berkun, or other select list personalities of your choice, as your top henchman & aides
  • Some funding for webhosting and other basic costs
  • Serious industry fame and acclaim
  • But no salary – this is a volunteer position

Skills required:

  • Ability to lead a small virtual volunteer team
  • Talent for recruiting, nagging, rewarding, and bribing volunteers
  • Willingness to work without immediate financial reward
  • Zero tolerance for bullshit / High standards for what you put your name on
  • Pride, Passion, Attention to detail, Sarcasm, Mind-control, Omnipotence (optional, but desired)
  • Skill with (at least some of ): web development, mailing list software, wikis, web design, mastering things you claim you know but really don’t until after you’re hired, networking with people who possess skills you do not

How to apply:

  1. Re-read the above, carefully this time.
  2. Send a brief note and a resume to info at scottberkun.com
  3. No specific experience required. Just need to convince me you’ll kick ass in this role.

A new take on Myths of Innovation

Stumbled across, via dive into mark, a clever tool for making word art from any text. For kicks, I plugged in the entire first chapter of The Myths of Innovation, and here’s what we got (click here for the full-size version).

The tool is called Wordle. It’s free and easy to use. Check it out.

Learning from The Wire

I’m a big fan of the TV Show The Wire. They managed to capture something true about how systems work, and fail, and also how people, both good and bad, find ways to manipulate any system to their own ends. If you’re into crime or police drama, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

The reason I’m thinking about The Wire is this post by Stewart Freedman, Professor at the Wharton School. He identifies a few themes from the show folks can learn from. I have half a post of my own thoughts, but for now take a look at his.

Leadership on The Wire.

Is innovation overrated?

Over on Harvard Business, I wrote a short piece claiming innovation is over-rated . It has caused a bit of a stir – 25 comments so far.

I take the position that innovation is a distracting word, and that great companies win because of the quality of their products, not how new the ideas in them are. What do you think?

Scott's Bestselling Books
  • Confessions of a
    Public Speaker
  • Provocative and funny secrets from a veteran speaker, you'll laugh as you learn.
  • Buy now at Amazon Book Details
  • The Myths of Innovation
  • The classic bestseller on how amazing lessons from the past can help you innovate today.
  • Buy now at Amazon Book Details
  • Making Things Happen
  • The classic and bestselling handbook for any project leader, packed with tactics and stories.
  • Buy now at Amazon Book Details
Photos from Recent Events (view flickr stream)

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