To tell you the truth
My Director of Technology was venting over lunch. “Why did you agree to purchase that company, John? Their backup product is a pile of crap and now we have to sell and support it. To tell you the truth, I … Continue reading
How to determine how much your “value-added” is worth
One day my IBM sales rep Steve dropped by and asked why I continued to purchased hardware from him. “We don’t have the lowest prices. We don’t always have the newest features. Why do you continue to use IBM as … Continue reading
Smokestacking in the 21st century
Business-to-business salesmen in the good old days used to arrive by train in a new community and climb up the highest hill in town. They would look out and identify where the smokestacks were. Each smokestack identified a manufacturing prospect … Continue reading
Chemistry — the critical secret ingredient in the hiring process
I wondered what I did wrong in hiring Joe. We prescreened all candidates carefully. We did multiple interviews. We had everyone who would be working with Joe talk with him and make sure the fit was right. We double-checked all … Continue reading
Montana, meteors, and opportunity
“The great secret of success in life is for a man to be ready when his opportunity comes.” — Benjamin Disraeli, prime minister of England Too often when success happens, employees ascribe it to “luck.” This is particularly true with … Continue reading
Is incentive compensation an oxymoron?
One formal definition of compensation, one of many definitions: “Something that motivates, rouses, or encourages; A bonus or reward, often monetary” I’ve seen incentives work well for a vendor or single specific closed-end dedicated staff project such as creating a … Continue reading
Beware of Fortune 500 consultants
In 1982, my $20+ million employer STSC was acquired by the over $2+ billion Continental Telecom (ConTel). Post-acquisition, I was invited to join ConTel’s technical committee. As part of our charter, we reviewed the results of a major study of … Continue reading
Never try to teach a pig to sing
Software development teams never seem to make a release deadline. Things always seem to take longer. They will report that they would be ready to ship March 2nd, but if you showed up that day with bottles of celebratory champagne, … Continue reading
Why do the rich get richer?
Have you ever wondered how the rich get richer? Consider the old saying. “The higher the risk, the higher the gain.” The type of risk I’m talking about isn’t putting on a blindfold and walking across the highway. It’s the … Continue reading
The morning I spent with Steve Jobs
My wife Mary has a new iPhone. Watching her use and embrace this product reminded me of the time I spent a morning with Steve Jobs. In the late seventies, my group was creating a major software system for Apple’s … Continue reading