CrowdVine - Meet Smarter

Earlier this year, I accepted an advisory and research position with CrowdVine.  CrowdVine is in the “white label” social networking business.  The company helps people in groups, associations, and attending events to meet smarter through their software solutions and associated services.  You can learn more about the current product features here:  http://www.crowdvine.com/home/features

I can’t believe my good fortune! It is an honor to work with and learn from CrowdVine’s visionary product team and their dedicated customers.  The company is viable and boot strapped.   My role is to help the CrowdVine community “cross the chasm” in pursuit of a sustainable social networking platform.

My thoughts on social networking, product management and community management will likely be organized on CrowdVine’s blog in the future and cross referenced here when appropriate.

Welcome to your Network!

This week is huge for me, both professionally and personally.   I am very excited for all the its potential.   Yesterday, the highlight was the opportunity to cheer on my running mates virtually, as they raced the Boston Marathon.  Impressive times were had all around as the top male from the club (3:03:30) and top female (3:10:43) finished with incredible times.   I have a lot of respect for these running mentors.

The Web2.0 and New Communication Forum conferences are in (or near) San Francisco.  These conferences are buzzing with interesting social media companies, practitioners, and industry thought leaders.  I am very excited to meet and network within participants at the conferences and all of its associated events.  This could be the start of finding my Dream Job!

And finally, this week I get to CARBO LOAD!  Pasta, Cake, Juice, Pretzels, Cookies, and Sweet Potato Pie will all make major appearances in my diet this week.  My first marathon, Big Sur International Marathon, is this Sunday.  While I am very nervous, I feel prepared and excited.  This is one of the most beautiful races in the world and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to compete.

Make work a game and you may need rename it play!  What’s wrong with that anyway?

One of many cool tips from Jeffrey Fox’s Dream Job Book is the idea that if one focuses on the activities that will facilitate success, successful outcomes will result.  In my case this applies to finding my dream job.

This is a very similar premise to Six Sigma applied within corporate environments. My critique with Sigma is that the insights given from studies are never presented in a fun context.  Most often, the practitioners concerned with presenting their findings as “pure” science, data-validated maxims of life, and reducing the human involvement in successful business process as a risk to be mitigated.  There is no fun with that approach!

The problem that many user communities perceive at the conclusion of  a Six Sigma effort, is that they no longer feel empowered to impact business results by their own efforts.   Their involvement is commoditized.  Change and improvement projects need a 5 points a day approach to keep things fun, while also motivating end users to reach business goals by managing their supporting activities.

Here is my 5 point for the dream job search.  I need to make 5 points a day combining any of the following activities as appropriate:

• 1 point for a Job lead or introduction to a job from my network
• 2 points for establishing a meeting to pursue dream job further (info interview, etc)
• 3 points for formal interview
• 4 points for commitment from company to hire

If you have a job tip for me, help me make my daily points and ultimately land a job by contacting me here!

I recently read a summarization of Aristotle’s points of virtue. As someone who studied both business and philosophy in college, I find it interesting that the concept of virtue is a best an individual concern. Aristotle defines virtues in reference to their excess. As IT professional I can relate to that analytical approach. Often times, business users have a very difficult time defining when a business system/process is working well or what it means to “work well”, but they have a better time understanding when it is not working well.

In my business readings over the years, I have noticed much talk about of “corporate culture” and “socially responsible” within business texts, but a basic virtue assessment is missing from popular business literature. Even the great business ethics cases studies are driven with an evaluation of the values of market economy, competitiveness, and policies related to information sharing – not the virtues of man or of the business concern (a collection of men). Is the modern business enterprise beyond virtue? Does participating in the global economy (an organization made by man, of man, and for man) presume a disconnect between the virtues most natural to man?

I think not. Below is a virtue map that I will use in future management endeavors to understand and make better project and program decisions beyond analytic constraints of dollars and cents.

Can Aristotle\'s virtue map be applied to the modern business, a collection of men organized to serve men, or is there another value system more applicable to these \"wisdom of crowds\"?

Today I listened to an interesting podcast from the Accidental Creative team. They interviewed famed business consultant, Peter Block, who provided me with several quotes for my quote book as follows:

• • Anxiety is the price of freedom.
  • Certainty kills creativity.
  • I was born and everything is else is fiction.

I relate well to the last point. In my journey towards defining, finding, and then thriving in a “Dream Job” I have had to reflect on my story and how I present it to the world. My inner critic often challenges me on the life choices I am making:

• • Why did you resign from Industry Leading Tech Company X in 2007?
  • What do you want to do now? Why do you want to do this?
  • When will you have a statement of certainty surrounding your employment interests and life path?
  • How will you introduce your current employment state and interests to friends and business network?
  • How can you market yourself better?
  • Isn’t the time for growth and self discovery over?  Isn’t it easier to  “fall back” on your professional inertia and known/demonstrated talents?
  • Etc. Etc. Etc.

The truth is that my life story is dynamic and incomplete and that is okay! I am beginning a process of self discovery which I hope will land me a dream job.    Besides, I have realized something funny over the past few months: No one in my network has challenged me with the endless stream of questions that my inner critic produces in my idle and unsure moments…. Perhaps my network of contacts are too consumed struggling to understand and write their own “post birth” stories or maybe others are far more patient with the “uncertainty” I am facing than I am?

“Anxiety is the price of freedom” and for the moment, I would not have it any other way.