Leader's Digest May 2008

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Leader's Digest May 2008

Contents

by Leslie Dillon, published June 12, 2008

May 1, 2008

Reconfiguring the library systems environment

In the guest editorial for the May issue of Portal, Libraries and the Academy, OCLC's Lorcan Dempsey describes how our current library systems are unsuited to an environment where:

  • Discovery happens elsewhere. Items are discovered in many ways--search engines, RSS aggregators, social networks, collaborative bookmarking sites, course lists, etc.
  • Workflow is key. We must build library services around users' workflow.
  • Information is abundant; attention is scarce. "The implication here for libraries is clear: readers and writers have many choices, so convenience of use is really important."
  • Social value and personal value play important roles. How do libraries create social value within their services?
  • The rich get richer--aggregation of supply and demand. The large network hubs (Google, Amazon, etc.) unify discovery and reduce effort. "The more users who participate, the more valuable hubs become."
  • Data works hard. Data mobilized from the tracks we leave behind as we use the network is now a "central part of our Web experience."

Today's library systems are apparatuses for managing collections that mirror a library's "backend systems, rather than the expectations or behaviors" of the library's users. One reason people have difficulty with library Web sites is that they're "a layer stretched over a set of systems and services which were not designed as a unit." But libraries continue to focus "on the systems and processes around the ILS and the bought collection." Thus the "overall cost" of managing these systems is high. There's an additional cost as well--"diminished impact and lost opportunity." What's necessary are consolidated library resources that have the ability to flexibly put "what is wanted where it is wanted."

The growing interest "in separating the discovery and presentation front-end from the management backend" of these systems reveals some important issues: the critical importance of routing, resolution, and registries; the questions of how to best present library resources and library services in environments outside the library; and the need to streamline "the logistics of delivery" and make status transparent (like with UPS and Amazon).

Dempsey concludes with some "tentative suggestions about direction:"

  • Workflow. "The impact of technology on the research and learning behaviors is a much more important issue for libraries than the impact of technology on library operations per se."
  • Disclosure. Libraries need to adopt "a disclosure model in which data, services, and links are syndicated into other environments."
  • Consolidation.
    • Greater use of collaboratively or commercially sourced management systems to: (1) reduce the total cost of ownership; (2) facilitate integration and shared practices; and (3) generate network effects.
    • Greater consolidation in the ways libraries present themselves, e.g., OhioLINK.
  • Boundary reconfigurations. "It makes sense to look to larger units for a growing range of activity."
  • Customer relationships and business intelligence. Libraries need to think about how to meet people's expectations for "data-driven adaptations" in the services they use -- how to better use data from circulation systems, resolvers, request systems, etc.

Libraries need to "rebalance local activity and shared or outsourced activity, maximizing [their] resources available to engage with readers and writers in shaping new services."

(Lorcan Dempsey, "Reconfiguring the library systems environment," Portal: Libraries and the Academy, (8:2) April 2008. Available from Johns Hopkins University Press.)

Customer-centered innovation with job mapping

The May 2008 issue of Harvard Business Review has an interesting article about how to use customer "job mapping" as a basis for innovation. Instead of "wandering through customer interviews," the idea is to deconstruct a job "from beginning to end" to obtain "a complete view" of each step in a job where a customer might need help. Job mapping isn't process mapping; instead the goal of job mapping "is to identify what customers are trying to get done at every step, not what they are doing currently.. and what must happen at each juncture in order for the job to be carried out successfully."

The process of job mapping involves eight steps:

  1. Define. What steps does the customer define up front as necessary to get the job done? This is formulating a plan.
  2. Locate. What tangible or intangible things must the customer locate and/or assemble to do the job?
  3. Prepare. What must the customer do to prepare the environment to get the job done? How can setup be made less difficult?
  4. Confirm. What verification is necessary before the customer can proceed with the job? What types of information are needed to confirm readiness?
  5. Execute. What must the customer do to successfully complete the job? Execution is considered the most important step of the job, and it's also the most visible. Real-time feedback might be helpful here.
  6. Monitor. What's needed for the customer to ensure that the job is completed successfully ? Customers need to monitor their results or output.
  7. Modify. What might need to be altered so that the customer can complete the job successfully? Here customers may need help deciding what should be changed or how to make changes.
  8. Conclude. What does the customer need to do to finish the job? "Complex jobs ... may involve some concluding process steps."

I'm not suggesting that individual libraries map information seekers' jobs, but it would certainly be beneficial if the research were undertaken and then shared by an organization that could do something like this (e.g., OCLC or a library/information science school using grant money).

(Lance A. Bettencourt and Anthony W. Ulwick, "The Customer-centered innovation map", Harvard Business Review, May 2008. The complete issue is available free for a limited time.)

Successful innovation at Pixar

Successful innovators have shown that "great ideas come from unexpected places." Brad Bird, Pixar’s Oscar-winning director, offers some great pointers for fostering creativity. Bird believes in "pushing teams beyond their comfort zones, encouraging dissent and building morale." He also believes in the value of “black sheep”--those restless folks on your staff with unconventional ideas. A few excerpts from the article:

  • In making his first movie at Pixar, Bird gave the black sheep a chance to prove their theories and changed the way quite a few things were done. The movie was The Incredibles, and it won 2 Oscars.
  • Perfectionists on the staff need to be convinced that not "all shots are created equal. Certain shots need to be perfect, others need to be very good, and there are some that only need to be good enough to not break the spell."
  • Involved people--those with a "restless, probing nature"--make for better innovation. You want them to be both involved and engaged.
  • Passive-aggressive people--those who don’t speak their mind in a group but "peck away" behind the scenes--"are poisonous." Weed them out.
  • Collaboration means that teams put together their creativity "in a harmonious way."
  • Encourage people to disagree with you. They need "to feel safe enough to speak up," and that can take a while, so be patient.
  • Morale has the most significant impact on budgets. "If you have low morale, for every $1 you spend, you get about 25 cents of value. If you have high morale, for every $1 you spend, you get about $3 of value. Companies should pay much more attention to morale."
  • The "best leaders are somewhat subversive, because they see something a different way."
  • "The first step in achieving the impossible is believing that the impossible can be achieved."

(Hayagreeva Rao, Robert Sutton, and Allen P. Webb, "Innovation lessons from Pixar: An interview with Oscar-winning director Brad Bird," The McKinsey Quarterly, April 2008.)

Don't confuse reputation with brand

Corporate reputation and brand are not the same and should not be confused. Brand is "customercentric"; it focuses on the promise a product or service makes to its customers. Reputation is “companycentric”; it focuses on an organization's credibility and respect.

A brand's strength depends on how well it has kept its promises. An organization's reputation is affected by many factors, such as management strength, treatment of employees, ethics, diversity efforts, etc.

There are several reasons for the confusion between the two: both reputation and brand are "valuable intangible assets that manifest themselves in a company’s operations"; and both "rely on strategic communications to shape people’s perceptions..." A third factor, the Internet, means that organizations can no longer maintain distance between different constituencies.

"A strong brand does not necessarily equate with a good reputation." (Think NIKE and Wal-Mart--allegations of sweatshops and discriminatory employment practices.) But a good reputation doesn't always mean a strong brand either. And while they're not synonymous, brand and reputation are "tightly interrelated. Damage to one can easily weaken the other. And both are crucial..."

Every organization needs three critical qualities to succeed—"legitimacy, relevancy and differentiation..." To establish them, the organization must focus on both reputation and brand.

(Richard Ettenson and Jonathan Knowles, "Don't confuse reputation with brand," MIT Sloan Management Review, (49:2) Winter 2008.)

May 16, 2008

Library use of ebooks

The Primary Research Group has published the 2008/2009 edition of Library Use of E-books. Data in the report is based on a survey of 75 academic, public and special libraries. Key findings are available free on their website. Here are a few:

  • The libraries in the sample had MARC records for about 74% of their e-books. E-book providers furnished MARC records for about two-thirds of those e-books.
  • 45% of libraries surveyed make special efforts to help patrons reach free e-book sites.
  • Over half of patrons reported either extensive or significant use of e-reference books. College libraries reported more extensive use than publics.
  • Business books were among the most popular e-books.
  • Fiction e-books were little used.
  • Just over 10% of libraries surveyed owned an e-book reading device.

The full study costs $75 and is available in print or PDF. (Sarah Houghton-Jan, LibrarianInBlack, May 14, 2008.)

Top ten IT issues in higher ed: EDUCAUSE 2008 survey results

From the press release:

The 2008 survey gathered responses from 32 percent (589) of the 1,845 primary representatives of EDUCAUSE member institutions, representing public and private, and associate through doctorate-granting institutions of all sizes.

Three findings merit special mention:

  1. Since 2003, the top three issues in terms of strategic importance to the institution have been, in various rankings, Administrative/ERP Information Systems, Funding IT, and Security. Funding IT was ranked number one for three straight years, 2003–2005, until 2006 when Security and Identity Management (a single issue then) emerged as number one. In 2007, Funding IT moved back into the top spot, with Security as number two. This year, Security is number one, Administrative/ERP Information Systems is number two and Funding IT has dropped to number three.
  2. Change Management appears in the top ten list for the first time. This issue has two dimensions, one in the larger sense of fostering culture change and the other in the sense of developing a process for handling IT changes that are made on a regular basis (e.g., patches, upgrades, replacements) and that can be very disruptive if there is no change management process in place.
  3. Staffing/HR Management/Training emerges among issues of strategic importance for the first time since 2001. There is a renewed awareness among CIOs of the challenges of recruiting, remunerating, and retaining a skilled IT staff.

The 2008 Current Issues website offers the following resources:

  • Recommended readings for each of the top-ten issues
  • Links to EDUCAUSE Connect resources for each of the top-ten issues
  • Downloadable PowerPoint presentation on the 2008 Current Issues Survey and multiyear trends
  • HTML and PDF links to the EDUCAUSE Review and EQ articles
  • Tables with detailed demographic survey results

(EDUCAUSE, press release, May 7, 2008 via OCLC Abstracts, May 12, 2008.)

CEOs battle to keep up with pace of change

A recent IBM study of CEOs reports that the vast majority of business leaders see major changes ahead and “highlights how the ability to absorb and manage change is widening the gap between winners and losers in the global economy.” Eighty-three percent of CEOs anticipate change, an increase of 26 percent in the last two years, but they see their ability to manage change as far below their expectations.

“The enterprise of the future accepts change as a permanent state... CEOs who demonstrate the capacity to manage major change know they can beat the competition by reaching new classes of customers, and making bold moves to shift business design around principles of global integration,”

("IBM global CEO study: CEOs battle to keep up with the pace of change", CNNMoney.com, May 6, 2008 via Change Management News, May 9, 2008.)

Connecting with consumers using deep metaphors

Famous brands (e.g., Coke or Hallmark) tap into consumers' deepest thoughts and feelings. Research into basic orientations people have toward the world reveals seven deep metaphors, among which are transformation, balance, journey, and connection. Deep metaphors can tell us a great deal about how people will think and react to goods and services.

Researchers Gerald Zaltman and Lindsay Zaltman, authors of Marketing Metaphoria: What Deep Metaphors Reveal about the Minds of Consumers (HBS Press, 2008), believe marketers must learn to speak the language of deep metaphors "if they are to understand and connect meaningfully with their customers."

Much of our thinking occurs without awareness. Therefore marketers need to be aware of the "role of emotions in decision-making." Deep metaphors are "part of this unconscious language of thought" and have these implications for marketers:

  1. Deep metaphors are the best way "to learn about the content of emotions," which is critical. They let us discover what feelings produce certain reactions to an ad, brand name, etc.
  2. Deep metaphors provide the foundations for the brand stories developed by marketers. They "are fundamental building blocks for developing customer relationships."
  3. Deep metaphors are shared by a broad range of consumers. They help us discover the "common yardstick" among consumers who may otherwise vary greatly. "That common yardstick--or deep metaphor--is far more important to understand than the various positions taken on it..."

The high failure rate of products and services indicates that marketers lack deep insights into their customers. Recent advances will help marketers "dig into what consumers don't know they know."

(Martha Legace, "Connecting with consumers using deep metaphors," Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, May 5, 2008.)

What makes information workers productive?

What increases productivity in knowledge workers? Multitasking! Research has shown that information technology lets employees work on more projects at once, thus increasing their productivity. Heavier users of information technology don't necessarily complete projects faster; they just juggle more projects at once.

But beware! There's a limit to that productivity. The study also found that "the relationship between output and multitasking formed a curve that was concave, like an upside-down U." After a certain point, taking on "more tasks makes workers less productive." People are able to juggle only a limited number of tasks effectively. Excessive "multitasking may result in the workflow equivalent of a traffic jam."

(Sinan Aral, Erik Brynjolfsson and Marshall W. Van Alstyne, "What makes information workers productive," MIT Sloan Management Review, (49:2) Winter 2008.)

May 27, 2008

Envisioning the future of libraries

The UK's JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee), whose mission is to provide world-class leadership in the innovative use of Information Technology to support education and research, has launched a Libraries of the Future program to explore the future of the academic and research library in "an information world in which Google apparently offers us everything."

The Web site includes a link to a JISC/SCONUL report evaluating current library management systems (ILS here in the U.S.). Take a look at the report if your library is currently in the market for an ILS system, or even just reviewing your contract. If you can't find the time to skim through the full report, check out Section 7, Making Decisions (A Guide for Librarians). One of the report's key messages is that libraries need to liberate their data, and that includes their metadata.

Speaking of metadata, the Future of Libraries site also links to a report from JISC's TechWatch that calls for libraries to adopt a "coherent approach to metadata." It stresses that "quality metadata frameworks are critical if libraries are to provide seamless searching and retrieval technologies."

(Bonita Wilson, "A new website devoted to envisioning the future of libraries," D-Lib Magazine, May/June 2008.)

Why change management is critical to Web 2.0 success

As organizations gear up to implement Web 2.0 technologies, they need to be aware of the importance of change management.

A certain amount of "organizational readiness" is necessary "to successfully deploy and absorb the changes associated with implementing social software." Many organizations haven't been aware of the amount of change management needed to precede Web 2.0 strategies. A 2007 McKinsey survey of 1800 executives revealed that while 20 % of them were implementing Web 2.0 technologies, 42% wished they had "strengthened their internal capabilities" first.

Similar studies have shown that the biggest hurdle to Web 2.0 isn't the technology. One such study revealed that "'lack of understanding/appreciation' was a barrier to adoption..."

What's needed to ensure successful implementation of Web 2.0 technologies?

  • Change corporate culture. Make a conscious decision to dismantle organizational hierarchies. Democratize decision making (crowd sourcing). Examine your current environment to see how collaborative it is. Provide a structure that'll let staff be comfortable approaching new technologies; models and examples will help, but rules won't!
  • Identify skill sets and staff needed. In the interest of successful networking, it's better to train existing staff who know the organization. One expert suggests you identify your best networkers by conducting "social networking analysis, drawing a map of all the conversations that take place within the organization through email," etc.
  • Change at the top. Some of the most significant change management may need to occur at the most senior levels. There may be "confusion and a lack of appreciation for Web 2.0" at the top, which could result in lack of support.

"The McKinsey survey indicates that grass-roots level social networking initiatives should be encouraged... After they demonstrate value, the projects can then be taken up by their 'natural' owners within the organization who can invest and develop them."

(Neil Davey, "Why change management is critical to Web 2.0 success," MYCUSTOMER.com, May 16, 2008.)

The ultimate hiring blunder

The costliest hiring blunder is "temporary amnesia" during interviews, when the manager is "so busy making sure each applicant has the right technical qualifications" they forget "to see if any of the applicants also have the kind of personality or value system that will strengthen the organization's culture."

What's the antidote for this amnesia? Ask a few key questions:

  1. What do you do for enjoyment outside of work? Best answer: "I love [insert a list here]." "The greater the enthusiasm in the response, the better."
  2. What's your most satisfying job experience? Best answer: "One time I got this amazing feedback from a client I helped." This reveals a powerful customer focus.
  3. What qualities does the ideal boss have? Best answer: "I like a boss who inspires me to accomplish more than I thought I could." This is an applicant eager to achieve outstanding results.

"Remember: Hire for both a 'skills fit' and a 'cultural fit,' and watch your cultural alignment get stronger right before your eyes."

(Paul Levesque, "Culture shift: the ultimate hiring blunder," Sales & Marketing Management's managesmarter, May 12, 2008.)

How to resist the urge to overreach

Have you taken on too much? Many of today's leaders are at risk of overextending themselves and subsequently burning out. They need to take a look at their responsibilities and make sure they're "dedicating the right resources and attention to the right things." Burnout affects performance. And "when your performance suffers, you lose control of your agenda."

Paul Michelman, director of content for Harvard Business, offers the following pointers to help you "resist the urge to overreach and remain firmly in control of defining your priorities."

Ask yourself these questions:

  • Which of my responsibilities have the greatest impact on my team and my organization?
  • Which does my boss think are most important?
  • Which might affect my personal success the most?
  • Which will have the worst consequences if I don't attend to them?

At the top of your list put the "projects that serve the broadest cross-section of these constituencies."

Delegate tasks that don't require your immediate supervision. As you make assignments, "think carefully about the match between employees' skills and the tasks you're giving them. Also be sure you direct them to the right resources. This may seem obvious, but...they are easy to overlook."

Even after you've delegated some work, you'll still have to say no. Some things that aren't important to you will be to others. When you do say no, be sure you can explain why. "The best answer is often found when you consider the consequences of saying yes--namely, destroying your ability to get higher-priority jobs done well and on time."

(Paul Michelman, "How to resist the urge to overreach", ConversationStarter, Harvard Business Blogs, May 7, 2008.)

Are you spending your time the right way?

It may be true that "natural born leaders know how to leverage their time." And, while the rest of us may know at some level that "time is our scarcest resource," very few of us "make the effort to gain a strategic perspective" on how we spend our time each week. Even fewer of us regularly keep track of how our highest priorities jibe with the way we actually spend our time.

So, if you're one of the rest of us, here's a three-step plan for using your time wisely and strategically!

  1. Break your responsibilities into categories. Categories need to be both tactical and strategic. Don't identify more than six, such as, growth and development; managing people, primary responsibilities; administration, etc.
  2. $What percent of your time should you spend on each category? Before you allocate percentages, ask yourself what's the best use of your time, thinking in terms of strategic priorities, short-term staff needs and supervisor's requirements. Then assign a percentage to each category, and translate that into hours. How realistic is the total number of hours?
  3. Check with superiors and colleagues for alignment. Discussing time allotments helps give a group focus.

"Now that you have a plan for leveraging your time, all you need to do is be ruthless in your execution of it."

First audit your time. Then practice "time-boxing" by estimating the time needed to perform a task and box it in on your calendar. This will help you estimate time and manage expectations. Finally, pay attention to your weakest areas.

"Effective managers focus on opportunities,...and they structure their schedules accordingly."

(Melissa Raffoni, "Are you spending your time the right way?," ConversationStarter, Harvard Business Blogs, Apr. 23, 2008.)

May 30, 2008

Intuitive decision making

Conventional wisdom tells us that executives should use "painstakingly collected megabytes of data" to make good decisions. But the authors of this article argue that "all the data in the world can't trump the lifetime's worth of experience that informs...intuition."

According to Garry Kasparov, the former World Chess Champion, "intuition is the defining quality of a great chess player." Many scientists embrace intuition as well, and successful executives agree. But what makes up gut feelings, and when should they be trusted?

Pattern recognition

Chess masters see many patterns in the configurations of a game; novices don't. Intuitive decision making is really the "ability to recognize patterns at lightning speed." Even though this often happens unconsciously, it's a critically important trait for making complex decisions. But complex decisions come about through "a process in which knowledge, experience and emotions are linked." Research has shown that people who have "deep wells of knowledge and experience" make good "intuitive" decisions more often than others.

Honing intuition

Since intuition is a highly developed, complex process, how can we hone our own intuition to improve our chances of making good decisions? Cultivating your instincts requires the following:

  • Experience. The more extensive your experiences, the more patterns you'll recognize, and "the more patterns, the better the intuition." It takes "at least 10 years of domain-specific experience" to develop the required gut instincts.
  • Networks. Senior executives need to surround themselves with their peers to share experiences and get feedback on their decisions.
  • Emotional intelligence. "[E]motion precedes cognition." Ninety percent of the differences between the highest performers and average performers "can be explained by emotional intelligence ... --being able to recognize and interpret one's emotions."
  • Tolerance. Top managers must be willing to tolerate mistakes -- their own and those of their employees. And they need to create a culture of tolerance by publicly supporting staff who are willing to take risks and make mistakes.
  • Curiosity. Curiosity is "a prerequisite for discovering new opportunities." Peter Drucker wrote that good managers always focus more on opportunities than on risks.
  • Limits. Intuition needs discipline. Check out gut feelings with facts. Chess masters make decisions fast, then carefully rethink the intuitive decisions they've made.

Making your own luck

Are people just lucky? Actually, no. Some people are better than others at "recognizing 'chance' opportunities and seizing them at the right moment." They're able to separate out ambiguities and contradictions from the information needed to make a strategic decision.

Analytics "can never trump the intuition ... of a thoughtful, curious executive constantly seeking new opportunities."

(Kurt Matzler, Franz Bailom, Todd A. Mooradian, "Intuitive decision making," MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(1), 13-15.)

The library in the new age

Robert Darnton, director of the Harvard University Library and an expert on the history of the book, has a fascinating article on books, information, and libraries in The New York Review of Books. It's long, but it's worth reading or even just skimming online.

After Darnton traces the history of books and information, he notes that each major technological change has "transformed the information landscape" and the speed-up seems "both unstoppable and incomprehensible."

Information "has never been stable," but in today's world, we need to think of information not as "firmly fixed documents" but "as messages that are constantly being reshaped in the process of transmission."

His defense of this definition of information takes us through the Folger Library's accumulation of many copies of the First Folio edition of Shakespeare and other examples of "textual instability" and leads into a discussion of the role of research libraries in the Internet age.

In the 1950s students viewed libraries as "citadels of learning" that contained all knowledge. While today's students still respect their libraries, to them "knowledge comes online, not from libraries."

Darnton believes Google Book Search will make book learning accessible worldwide and allow research "involving vast quantities of data." But instead of making research libraries obsolete, Google will make them "more important than ever." Why? Darnton's reasons:

  1. Even if Google were to digitize 90% of all the books in the U.S., the undigitized 10% would still be important. Only a few copies of certain lesser-known, but nonetheless significant, literary works and popular literature from the past may survive--usually in libraries.
  2. The combined holdings of the libraries in the Google Books Library Project still won't "come close to exhausting the stock of books in the United States...[because] there is little redundancy in the holdings." And Google hasn't yet ventured into worldwide literature or special collections.
  3. Copyright will continue to pose problems. The number of books published keeps increasing (291,920 in the U.S. in 2006). Google isn't likely to be able to keep up with current production while at the same time digitizing old books.
  4. Companies decline and/or disappear. Google could be eclipsed by another technology. "Research libraries last for centuries."
  5. "Google will make mistakes." In spite of Google's high quality-control standards, books will be overlooked, pages skipped, images blurred.
  6. There is "no guarantee that Google's copies will last." Digital texts "belong to an endangered species." Our "obsession with developing new media has inhibited efforts to preserve the old." Eighty percent of silent films and 50 percent of pre-World War II films have been lost.
  7. Google's plans include digitizing multiple versions of each book, but how will they be made accessible? (Hopefully Dr. Darnton's worry about Google's "lack of concern for bibliography" will be alleviated by Google's work with OCLC and links to MARC records.)
  8. Even accurate digitized images won't capture the "crucial aspects of a book": their feel, their special smells, their individual quirks. Darnton pleads guilty to romanticizing the book. He loves rare book rooms, which, while vital to research libraries, are inaccessible to Google Books.

Today's technologies allow scholars to mine vast amounts of data, while the old-fashioned book lets us enjoy "the magic of words as ink on paper." Meanwhile the Internet lets data be transformed into books and has "made print-on-demand a thriving industry."

Dr. Darnton closes by urging that libraries be "shored up"; think of them not as warehouses or museums, but as "nerve centers for transmitting electronic impulses." Long live Google, he says, "but don't count on it living long enough to replace" the venerable library. "As a citadel of learning and as a platform for adventure on the Internet, the research library still deserves to stand at the center of the campus, preserving the past and accumulating energy for the future."

(Robert Darnton, "The library in the new age," The New York Review of Books, June 12, 2008.)

New leaders: what kind of boss are you?

Are you a new boss? How "do you make sure that you don’t repeat the bad habits of the old bosses who drove you crazy?" Bill Taylor, writer, editor and cofounder of Fast Company, says you need "to develop solid answers to five make-or-break questions:"

  1. Why should great people want to work with you? Top leaders know that the most talented staff want to work on exciting projects and to make an impact. Great people want to be "part of something greater than themselves."
  2. Do you know a great person when you see one? It's easy to be "the right kind of leader" if your department is "filled with the right kind of people." "When it comes to evaluating talent, character counts for as much as credentials. Do you know what makes your star performers tick--and how to find more performers who share those attributes?"
  3. Can you find great people who aren’t looking for you? The best performers are usually "in jobs they like." So if you hire only people who are actively looking for jobs, you "risk attracting malcontents and mediocre performers." Instead you need "to win over so-called 'passive' jobseekers'--people from different departments or organizations.
  4. Are you great at teaching great people how your organization works? Your "most highly focused specialists (software programmers, graphic designers)" do their best when they understand how the whole organization operates.
  5. Are you as tough on yourself as you are on your staff? Talented young people have high expectations—for themselves and their organizations. "Which is why they can be so tough on their leaders."

"The ultimate challenge for a new boss who is determined not to be the same as the old boss is to demonstrate those same lofty expectations—for their behavior as leaders.

(Bill Taylor, "Memo to a young leader: what kind of boss are you?," Game Changer, Harvard Business Blogs, May 3, 2008.)

Powerset: semantic searching

The high-profile, much-anticipated startup Powerset is trying "to come up with a better way to search." It uses semantic methods to catalog and "understand" Web page content. The technology analyzes searches to provide results that match both keywords and natural language phrases. The current design searches only Wikipedia and Freebase (an open, shared database), but what makes it interesting and innovative is that it looks for "meaning."

Enter a topic, a phrase or a question. Results for general topic queries include semantic pointers (Factz) about a subject related to the meaning of your query. Direct questions receive rapid answers. And information is aggregated from across multiple articles.

There's been lots written about Powerset and reviews have been largely favorable, though BusinessWeek said that while "Powerset has a lot of promise, it’s got a long way to go before it comes even close to challenging Google." The company is currently funded by venture capital; rumor has it that Microsoft is interested in acquiring it.

(John Blossom, "Powerset: transforming publications through semantic search technology," ContentBlogger, May 13, 2008; Paul Gilster, "Next frontier: searching images," The News & Observer, May 28, 2008; Rob Hof, "Not just a search engine launches beta," BusinessWeek, May 12, 2008; "Powerset debuts with search of Wikipedia," New York Times blog, May 12, 2008.)

Your turn: Talk about it

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