At one point he talks about a lack of imagination and uses Steve Jobs as a kind of anti-example:

And some of it, to be quite frank, Robert, is an appalling lack of imagination and guts on the part of these same CEOs who are complaining and pointing the finger at every else. You know, these guys are very good at cutting. They’re very good at blaming others. They’re a little less good at coming up with creative new products and services, and they’ve got a little flabby in that regard in the last few years where the focus has been on surviving and cutting, as it should had been. But they’re not the gutsiest group of people in the world.

Look, do you hear Steve Jobs complaining out at Apple about this?

It is true.  In the midst of high unemployment and little growth, Apple has managed to capture the imagination of the world with not one but two innovative new products.  Is it possible for simple creativity to save a company?

Well, it couldn’t hurt.  There’s plenty of evidence that investing in new creative ideas when things look worst is a smart move.  Partly because your competition is so much less.  Also because the talent and resources to be creative are priced lower.

But this isn’t a strategy just for CEOs.  Creativity is often driven from the ranks.  So whether you sit in a corner office or the middle cubical, cranking up the creativity may not just be a smart move.  It may be the necessary move.

Listen to the full interview here:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128519775

The gap between IT and the rest of us has turned into a cavern as IT has become more and more intertwined with our daily lives.  In this clip from the British version of  The Office, the tension comes from lack of communication and understanding.   The computer is often our only way of actually working so it can become a very sensitive issue.

From a management perspective, and employee perspective, and from an IT perspective better relationships would improve productivity, full stop.

Here are five tips to get your office started:

1.)  Even the Dress Code

Why does the IT guy get to wear a t-shirt and jeans while everyone else has to be in business casual.  Encourage an even playing field when it comes to dress code.  The IT guy may not like it, but explain that this will enable him or her to fit into the culture of the company and ultimately make the job easier.  Obviously this is a management decision and one for management to implement.

2.)  Get to Know the Lingo

Knowing a little bit about computers, viruses, programs, downloads, etc. is going to help with communication and understanding.  Gone are the days when computers are a special thing that only special people know about.  You work with a tool every day so get to know its basic functions.

3.)  Hold an IT Summit

Having everyone meet to discuss the IT needs of an office as well as to find out about IT’s plans for an office is a good idea.  This is a chance to exchange ideas and convey information.  Be sure to make this a two-way street, however, so it doesn’t turn into a complaint session that could have IT running for the hills.

4.)  Don’t Download Stupid Stuff

We all use computers for personal purposes, but don’t make an IT guy’s life harder by downloading hundreds of apps and files from random sources.  Ask if about installing software before you do it.  Even something that may seem harmless can bog down your computer with Spyware.

5.)  Don’t Let IT Dictate Every IT Move

At times it can seem that IT can be overly protective.  Banning social media sites, for example, for fear of viruses.  There are certainly risks out there to computers from various sources.  Have IT appraise those risks and weigh them against benefits.  For an office involved in communication or marketing, for example, social media is not just a personal toy, it’s a vital component of communications.

Experts tell us that the average worker would have to work a mere 10 hours a week to meet the productivity of their 1950’s counterpart.  The bad news is that the economy has calibrated itself for that productivity.  We expect things done faster than we used to.  Receiving a package in 3 days used to be fast.  Then overnight.  Now if we can’t download this instant we’re not interested.

A good example of this comes from a CNN blogger who tried to fit a shorter workweek in with the 24/7 new cycle business:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/08/14/cnn.workweek/index.html

The second big problem with shorter work weeks is the slow economy.  Many people view flex time as a major liability to their career assuming bosses have an “out of sight / out of mind” view of their performance.  Need to make cuts?  Who’s that guy I never see?  http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/03/29/flex.time/index.html?iref=allsearch

But a shorter work week can have some major benefits.  First, it can save on energy cost in terms of running office amenities as well as in commuting costs for employees.  There’s also a case to be made for frankly acknowledging the waste that often takes place in juggling work and life. A doctor’s visit, for example, may only take an hour but can easily eat up an entire afternoon of an employee’s time.  If these sort of activities were concentrated in extra time off, actual word days would become less diluted.

So from a management perspective, how do you implement a shorter work week to ensure these  efficiencies are working for you?  How do you turn a nice perk into a way to reduce overhead and improve effectiveness.  Here are 5 ways to start:

1.)  Make it Mandatory

Efficiency means that employees can’t be in the office.  Keeping strict working hours ensures that employees genuinely approach work more efficiently, but also means that no one will feel threatened by missing something important.  Any kind of flex time needs to be more or less mandatory.  If it’s not, natural competition will kick in resulting in greater inefficiency.

2.)  Manage by Task

Task oriented management means looking at what and employee delivers and when they deliver it instead of whether they’re simply available to work. Shorter hours mean less time to get something done, but also means you are judged on production instead of time.

3.)  Keep Meetings Short and to the Point

Less time in the office means less time for meetings.  It’s still important to touch base with people, but keep meetings short.

4.)  Beware of Too Much Email

An office that isn’t frequently together tends to email often.  The problem is the vast number of emails that crowd computers every day.   Keeping people in the loop doesn’t always mean hitting cc, however.  Encourage that problems and questions be addressed in meetings, phone calls, or in one to one exchanges.

5.)  Use Technology

There are terrific tools like Skype and an array of chatting programs that are great ways to stay in touch outside the office.  Also, document sharing has become easier with services like Google docs.  You may need to push along these relationships slightly with training or hardware, but they are fairly maintenance free after that.

Flexible working schedules and shorter hours simply means worker smart and not harder.  Managing this process also means rewarding smart work and enabling it.  The results could be higher productivity and a lower bottom line.

Here are five tips to taking full advantage of all that Prezi has to offer

1.)  Use Sparse Words

Prezi is great because it lets you emphasize how ideas are connected.  So big ideas are big and smaller ideas around that big idea are small.  You can present your big idea and then zoom in supporting points.  But, like PowerPoint, you’re in control of the amount of information presented.  Too many words can make your presentation difficult to follow.  One Idea=One Slide still holds for Prezi.

2.)  Think In Layers

Prezi lets present 4 or 5 big ideas, and then zoom in on each one.  Take advantage of this feature to create layers within layers.  So within idea 1, reveal 5 supporting points that can be zoomed in on as well.  A good rule of thumb is to ask if each layer would support itself on its own.  If you’re able to do that three or four layers deep, you’ll have a compelling presentation visually.

3.)  Cut Up Large Backgrounds

Some more sophisticated Prezis use large backdrops behind the presentation.  Picture zooming around a desktop or a parking lot and you’ll get the idea.  But because images flicker as you zoom too close, this visually stunning idea can fall flat on its face.  Any large, cohesive background should be very high resolution and cut up into pieces.  These pieces can be sized down and put together like a puzzle within Prezi.  It will give you a few more levels of zoom without the flicker.

4.)  Save Often

Working with Prezi online, save often.  There are glitches in the program that will allow you to work happily for hours without an ability to save work.  Save after every major step of your content creation.

5.)  Trial and Error to Get an Image Really Small

Some image just won’t shrink small enough for you needs.  Zoom in as far as you can and then import your image.  It will be tiny.  The only problem is that when you try to resize it, the image will jump to a much larger size.  Trial and error is necessary to get it right.

6.)  Record and Narrate

Right now you can embed Prezi’s and share them, but you can’t really share the full content of your presentation — namely your voice.  It’s kind of an odd omission by Prezi, but there’s a work around.     Create a Prezi and then record it using screen grab software.  You can add a narration track later or do it ‘live’ during the screen grab.  Now you have a narrated Prezi you can share through YouTube.  Prezi, are you listening?  Wouldn’t it be better to have that sharing happen on your network?

In this TED video, Tom Wujec explains the Marshmallow Challenge and why kindergartners perform better at it than CEOs or business school grads.  Wujec focuses on it as a design process, but it really applies to any business situation.

Basically, The Marshmallow Challenge gives teams some sticks of spagetti, string, tape and a marshmallow that needs to be supported by the structure.  The tallest structure wins.  It’s one of those fun, team building excercises.

But Wurjec’s analysis of many different teams reveals something innate in how we approach achieving goals in the business world.  The reason why most business school grads perform below average is that they tend to plan meticuolously, execute hastilly, and then deal with a crisis (fallen marshmallow) with no time to fix the problem.  CEOs perform better than average, but still below the Kindergarteners.

Why?

Kids create many more prototypes and allow themselves to fail.  No one is jockeying for leadership and they are used to playing.

When was the last time you said “Let’s try that and see what happens.” or “Let’s give ourselves some time to play around with concepts before we commit.”

Many times we try to emulate children’s play habits as a way of relieving stress.  But here it seems that there is a very real business case for trial and error play with no real plan.  And another interesting point?  Participants who are offered a hefty reward universally do worse than those who are offered nothing.  Sometimes a big prize only causes more stress induced failure.

“PowerPoint makes us stupid,” Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander, said this month at a military conference in North Carolina. (He spoke without PowerPoint.) Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster, who banned PowerPoint presentations when he led the successful effort to secure the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar in 2005, followed up at the same conference by likening PowerPoint to an internal threat.

“It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control,” General McMaster said in a telephone interview afterward. “Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.”

(Actually, the comments section is really interesting.  There are over 700 comments on the topic and they’re pretty fierce and informative about PPT and its use in business and military circles.)

We’ve talked before about how deadly PPT can be to a presentation and about paring down slides to their essence, but this is a whole new angle.  The US military, according to the article, is using PPT to actually communicate complex ideas internally.  In other words, they aren’t just giving an engaging concept of what the plans are, they are delivering plans in this manner.  So it’s not just a summary — it’s the plan itself.

Many officers defend the practice, saying that it’s easier to create slides than to write a brief to communicate strategy.  Many companies take the same view.  It’s the old “no one reads anything any more”.  That’s true.  However, it can be difficult to actually communicate a complex strategy in a few bullet points.  You wouldn’t want your house built with a PowerPoint and not a blueprint, right?  Don’t let PPT replace a written document or strategy.

So what replaces it?

Personal communication is still a great way to gather ideas.  Whether it’s a brainstorming session or a more formal presentation, taking away PowerPoint can actually get you information more quickly and concisely.  Written reports are also not a bad way of communicating.  And asking for more details is probably not a bad idea.  Again, that can be done personally:  ”You say on page 7 that we’re going to grow these three markets, but how?”

The New York Time piece also points out something that many companies don’t consider:  the amount of time it takes to produce all of these presentations.  PowerPoint turns us all into graphic designers and gives the illusion of productivity when little may be there.

It’s true, the program does have its place.  If you need to give a presentation, and you must convey information visually, it can supplement a great oral presentation.  But to coin another military phrase, it does have the potential for mission creep.

Why This Can Be Bad

The problem with making everything about consensus building is that it pre-ordains mediocrity.  People build toward the positive point of least resistance and consider the point they’ve happily reached together the best outcome.  Often it’s a good outcome but not a great one.  Without risk, originality, or passion, ideas rarely have the chance to be great.

Solution: Force an Argument

Lay out 3 or 4 scenarios and have teams argue the pros of each.  Make it clear that no one can come to agreements. Everyone is right about the argument and everyone else is wrong.   Your decision can be nuanced, but the arguments don’t need to be.

Prepare for the Backlash

You may shock people with this approach, but think about it this way: the power of a decision often rests in one person’s hands.  So does the responsibility.  All that consensus building goes out the window when the buck stops at your desk.  Also, be consistent in how you assign decision making.  Put it in the hands of one person and not a committee.

The next consensus may be that you made a good decision.

1.)  Just Do It

For the reasons I mentioned above, you should have conference calls rather than putting off an important meeting before everyone is in the office.  Even in a small office, getting everyone together may be impossible.  A conference call can take care of business quickly and efficiently…if you do it right.

2.) Keep Them Short and  Stay Organized

You could figure that one out on your own.  That goes for any meetings.  Get to the point quickly, let people know why they’re there and set and stick to an agenda.  But you knew that already, right?

3.)  No seriously, keep it under 60 minutes

Two hours on the phone just isn’t productive.  An hour is even pushing it.  Try for something shorter.  Sometimes it can be easy for a small group of people to dominate a discussion without realizing that they’re carrying the conversation over the set time limit and beyond topics that most people on the conference care about.  Without body language as a clue, this is a particular problem.  This is why an agenda with time limits is important.

4.)  Involve Other People

Try to not to have any one voice go on for more that 6 or 7 minutes.  Delegating voices will keep participants involved and will make your phone conference more interesting.

5.) Record Yourself

Record yourself on a phone conference sometime and then take a listen.  You’ll be horrified.  But then you’ll get better.  I promise.  Listening to yourself helps to modify your voice without even trying.  You’ll annunciate more clearly, eliminate vocal  ’crutches’ you use (uh, you-know, ummmm, heavy breathing) and trail off or mumble less often.  The more you hear your voice, the better you’ll sound.

6.) Ask People for their Full Attention

It’s easy to switch off during a phone conference.  Don’t let that happen.  Strike a deal that you’ll only take up 25 mintues of their time, if they give their complete attention.  No computers.  No phone calls. Just ask and you’ll be surprised at how accommodating people are.

7.)  Create a Seating Chart

It’s easy to loose track of who’s where — if you create a chart, you can easily note who said what and when.  You can also check in with people who are silent and prompt them with questions:  ”Chloe, we haven’t heard from you yet, do you have any input?”

8.) Avoid Speaker

Three people sitting around a speaker phone talking to eight people on headsets is just annoying.  The technology exists to get everyone on a separate line — just use it.

9.)  Sometimes Mobile is Too Mobile

Ever have someone put their phone through security while they’re on a call.  Seriously?  Schedules are tight, but really?  If that happens, someone, somewhere hasn’t really planned correctly.  If you need someone’s attention for 25 minutes, get their attention.  Real sit-down-in-a-room-and-listen attention.

So this could be the shortest post in the history of The Job Shopper:  ban Blackberries in meetings.

There, I said it.  Well, a lot of people have said it.  There’s a whole New York Times article about it. Here’s a quote that kind of sums up the signal that tapping sends:

It’s a not-so-subtle way of signaling ‘I’m connected. I’m busy. I’m important. And if this meeting doesn’t hold my interest, I’ve got 10 other things I can do instead.

But what does Blackberry or iPhone use really mean?  We can talk about changing cultural mores, scold rude people, lament the passage of time and pine for a day when people wore hats, but are we really getting at the reason why people are tapping away during meetings?  Is it possible that it’s not the technology, or ego, but the meeting itself?  Your meeting?

Making your meetings Blackberry-proof is impossible, but here are 5 things to cure both the symptoms and the root cause.

1.) Keep it short

In the last post I championed the short, fast presentation. That may well be part of it.  If someone knows that you’re going to drone on and on for an hour, taking 15 minutes to check emails seems doable.  Even if they get only 50% of what you say, that’s a half hour of time.    The reasoning is that if you’re going to take an hour, they’ll only give you a half hour.

2.) Create Time Limits

Revealing your time limits will help set people at ease.  “I’m going to talk for 10 minutes and then give you 10 minutes to ask me questions.”  That tells people that they’ll be back at their desks in 20 minutes.  Most emails can wait.

3.)  Invite Only

You don’t have to invite everyone to a meeting.  Inviting people who have no skin in the game and are there just to observe is like inviting a giant Blackberry into the room.  If someone doesn’t need to be in your meeting, don’t invite them.  And if they spent the whole meeting tapping away, consider not inviting them next time.

4.)  Be Up Front

Many companies ban Blackberries and iPhones during meetings.  The problem with this is that it holds people hostage rather than really engaging them.  If you’re up front and say:  “Look, I need your full attention on this for just 15 minutes.  I’d appreciate if you could hold off on responding to emails during that time.”  You’re not banning it, but just making a human appeal.

5.)  Give In

There are some meetings that are going to last a long time.  Telling people that they’re in this for the long haul and checking email is perfectly OK, and it may just diffuse the situation.  You’re still in control of the situation because you’ve given permission and blackberry usage won’t be as distracting for others.

So why go through all this?  Why not just ban them from your meeting?  The problem with bans, is that they just encourage us to break the rules and further adds to the mystique of being ‘too important to miss an email.’  Instead, look at ways that you can structure meetings to engage the right people, for a short period of time and let them get on with their day.

Here’s the thing about internal PowerPoints: they’re just like PowerPoints you give to your customers only worse.  And let’s face it, those are pretty bad.  Bullet points?  Bad clip art?  Lots and lots of words?  Chances are your presentation skills overall could use an overhaul.  And it turns out that there is plenty of advice out there:

1.) Use Big Words

This is a summary of something called the Takahashi Method.  No images.  No bullets.  Just king sized text.  It’s intriguing because it’s so simple.  A little too simple…

2.) Lists

Guy Kawasaki said: “All of my speeches are in Top 10 format, because if you think I suck, I at least want you to be able to track my progress through the speech so that you know approximately know how much longer I’m going to suck.” This is great advice and really simple which makes it even greater.  Top 10.  The 5 Things.  4 Ways.  They all sound simple and finite which are both good things.

3.)  10/20/30 Rule

This is also from Guy Kawasaki and is equally as simple.  10 slides.  20 minutes.  30 point font.  You can read in more detail at Kawasaki’s blog, but you get the gist.

4.)  Photos

Really great intriguing photography is available everywhere.  At iStockphoto you can search for photos by topic and buy one for a buck.  Why use those little figures that Microsoft bundled with PPT back in 1991?

5.)  Other Stuff

There’s a really great post at 43folders.com by Merlin Mann call How I Made My Presentation a Little Better that does a great job at summarizing other tips and tricks out there.

So those are tips on presentations.   Here’s the problem.  They all seem geared toward CEOs presenting their companies latest product.  Or some tech guy speaking at a tech conference in front of techies wearing cool glasses and T-shirts.  What if you’re an accountant who needs to explain the new expense reports.  Or if you’re a manager who needs to explain the new commission system.  Or if you’re the IT guy who needs to explain how the new email system works.  Can you really follow these rules and still have a productive meeting?

Yes.  Yes you can.

Keep in mind that people need to hear the why and how of something.  The point of a meeting is to quickly disseminate that information to a lot of people and then get them back to work with them feeling that they’re better off than when they entered a meeting.  Doing it simply is going to bring clarity to the situation and help move things ahead.  Here’s a take on new expense reports:

Slide 1: New Expense Reports: Why?

Slide 2: Easier to Complete

Slide 3: Faster to Process

Slide 4: 3 Big Differences

Slide 5: 1.) Pull Down Menus

Slide 6: 2.) Client Tagging

Slide 7: 3.) Online Only

Slide 8: Here’s Where They Are

Slide 9: Practice

Slide 10: Help Daily: 1:30 – 3:30 My Office

Is it as good as Steve Jobs?  Are you going to entertain and tell a story and will they presentation end in applause?  No.  Probably not.  This is work and you’ve got a job to do.  But that doesn’t mean that you have to be ineffective. You’ve given information that people need, told them why, told them where, and left things open to move things along.  Could you get these slides done in less than 20 minutes?  Yes, and that’s a good thing!

So make your next meeting better by breaking the mold on PowerPoint.  And we’d love to see your best efforts here!  C’mon, we’ve seen enough PPT’s on new products or motivation talks — let’s see the ones on expense reports, new sales tools, and general company housekeeping posted here…