Let's Do Lunch.....Leadership and Career Growth in Silicon Valley » Communications

“I” and “Me” vs. “Us” and “We” Leadership

Devin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:54:24 +0000

When I first started managing people someone told me to shift from the pronouns “I” and “Me” and start focusing on “Us” and “We”. Words that we use often define the way we think and the subsequent approaches that we take to solving problems. The only reason that leaders and managers exist is because . . . → Read More: “I” and “Me” vs. “Us” and “We” Leadership

Is the Job Market Beginning to Turn Around?

Devin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:06:53 +0000

The job market has been dismal for a couple of years now and job seekers have become weary and have even stopped looking. Fortunately, over the last quarter there has been a large increase in job postings. I have several friends and colleagues that have decided its time for a change and have been . . . → Read More: Is the Job Market Beginning to Turn Around?

Death By PowerPoint

Devin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:12:14 +0000

We’ve all sat through long presentations that left us wondering how to get that fraction of our lives back. You know, those “FYI” presentations that are often more self aggrandizing than informative. During this economic downturn, I have seen an increased number of internal company business communications that have made me wonder who the . . . → Read More: Death By PowerPoint

Does PowerPoint inhibit decision making?

Devin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:00:26 +0000

I chuckled when I read “Speaking Truth to PowerPoint” in the Wall Street Journal this morning. Business has grown to rely heavily on PowerPoint as a primary communications medium. Unfortunately, details are lost because the nature of presentation slides is summarization. I depth business planning requires a format that is conducive to thoughtful . . . → Read More: Does PowerPoint inhibit decision making?

The Pecha Kucha Experiment

Devin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:31:56 +0000

When I first heard about the modified Pecha Kucha exercise that I was invited to participated in (see Pecha Kucha on Summer Vacation) I wondered “what kind of nonsense is this?”. I first had to look on Wikipedia to figure out what it was. I’m not one for gimmicks, and this seemed like . . . → Read More: The Pecha Kucha Experiment

Managing in an Environment of Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD)

Devin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:14:03 +0000

It’s the spring of 2009 and the economy is in the dumper. The average American family’s wealth has dropped by 18% and California’s unemployment rate has topped 10%. Just about everyone in Silicon Valley knows someone who has been laid off from, what were once, promising economic high flying companies and employees are feeling . . . → Read More: Managing in an Environment of Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD)

Web 2.0 is Creating New Rules for Communication

Devin — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:28:43 +0000

I watch several blogs because they provide outstanding insights. All of them post with sporadic frequency but I was concerned when Ed Batista stopped posting for over a month on his blog “Executive Coaching and Change Management”. I started to worry about his health or was afraid that he’d lost interest. Many blog entries I’ve read . . . → Read More: Web 2.0 is Creating New Rules for Communication

Corporate Speak

Devin — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:18:19 +0000

Yesterday I sat down and started to write out the different job functions I hear about in my company and in others. We give complicated and impressive sounding titles to people but descriptions often create more confusion than value. Sure, the titles sound impressive, until someone has to figure out what they actually do. The most . . . → Read More: Corporate Speak

Viral Marketing and 2.0 Tools

Devin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:46:48 +0000

Web 2.0 has certainly changed the way many people interact. It has created communities, provided a vehicle for customized interaction, and has been a platform for collaboration. The communications aspects of Web 2.0 are breakthrough technology for marketing and delivery of new products and services. We can overlay new methods on existing business functions, such as . . . → Read More: Viral Marketing and 2.0 Tools

Web 2.0, Fad or Future?

Devin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:00:32 +0000

Web 2.0 is all about making personal connections directly and immediately. More and more I hear about how blogs, wikis, and social networking sites are changing the way we live and play. Clearly teens and above have started to use sites like Facebook and MySpace in ways that have changed social interaction but I’m . . . → Read More: Web 2.0, Fad or Future?