Developing from ‘Blue Sky’ Requirements can be exciting, scary, and confusing for some teams without a healthy vision and a certain amount of boundaries to work from. This has been my experience in the past.
With constraints come interesting boundaries that force designers and marketers to think creatively. If something were easy, everyone would do it, right? Constraints stretch us out of our comfort zone of what’s ‘known’ and predictable. It’s where true differentiation comes from. Sometimes, constraints even force us to simplify.
Look out for Inspiration!
A carefully drafted vision statement can give people a purpose and a hero’s call to action. Some people generally need to believe there is a cause in their work. I know I do!
I think there are generally three ways to react to work:
The Pessimist reaction: “Aw, man! We have to do this again? It’s [stupid / hard / tiring / etc.]” translation: “I don’t wanna do it!”
The Optimist reaction: “Well, this may suck, but let’s try to make it [fun / less of a beating / over quickly / etc].”
The Opportunist reaction: “Hmmm…. considering the root problem, and the fact that practically all people want to be lazy, there can be money made in fixing this problem. We just need to find a way to reuse whatever we put into it…”
The Cycle of Emotion in Development
Sometimes, I react to a situation in all these ways in the same project (!), but it’s exciting to be the opportunist– even though, ultimately, you know the idea may be brushed aside. It takes a lot of work, people, convincing, salesmanship, numbers, and dedication to sell good ideas … regardless of company size!
Inevitably, I always end up thinking, ‘Oh well, perhaps someone else with more energy has already thought of whatever it is’ 
… Well, hurry up and build it! I wanna use it.
Tags: thoughts, inspiration, opportunity, strategy, laziness, inspiration, optimist
Filed under: webdev
… Or do they just try to get stuff done?
This is something I realized after leaving a job after 5.5 years. You leave thinking there is so much more out there and you are dying to try new things. Then, you experience some familiar patterns as in other jobs, but I think it’s more like switching schools and being ‘the kid from out of town’. You have the new chance to be the popular kid and have to deal with ‘perception’ and egos all over again.
I also find that I make the biggest impact by developing something ‘under the radar’. This is mostly because what I really want isn’t an ‘out of the box’ solution.
It’s amazing how immature web development still is. Lots of opportunity for people that just want to get stuff done – especially, if they turn around and white label their work so it makes other’s work easier. There are so many steps to set up just to develop a realistic data concept.
How do you cope with change? This is an important question to ask yourself. Are you passive? Are you accepting? Are you participating? Are you a fighter?
I’m just a problem-solver
When something surprising comes my way, I think to myself “What’s the worst that could happen?”. I think what I’d do in that case, and then become comfortable with my action plan. By comfortable, I don’t mean I make myself like it. It just means I accept that its a possibility. From there, anything less severe than worst-case-scenario is… well BONUS! Plus, since I always really hate worst-case-scenario, I work hard to counteract everything I can that I want to avoid.
Forecaster or Backcaster?
Recently, a friend told me that my thought process is ‘backcasting’, and introduced me to the topic from a former IA Summit talk. Check out the backcasting presentation online on slideshare.
Basically, this means I work from an outcome — whether desired or avoidable — and work backwards towards mapping goals and actions from that possibility to now.
Being a Change Agent is hard!
Us human beings are weird. We want choice and freedom, but the lack of structure and stability can cause some major stress and odd reactions. Some people become unbalanced and fight just to be proven ‘right’ and to keep their ‘I’m important’ status, when all that matters is NEW understanding and growth. Solving problems is not for the faint of heart. You have to have an open mind, patience, and the fortitude to stick to your guns while still considering additional perspectives as well.
Pain brings people together
Change can be painful, frustrating, and confusing. It takes perseverence and realistic expectations to keep from getting discouraged along the way. Once people readjust to a new understanding, it becomes worth it. People get closer after being forced to go through an experience together. That’s why self help groups exist. It’s better when you know you are not in it alone.
The challenge for everyone now is that it’s not a matter of accepting change. Change is here with more to come whether we like it or not. It’s a matter of adapting. Roll with it!
So, an old kindergarten story, The Little Red Hen comes up in my head from time to time, and it always happens when someone says they can’t help out on a new project. I’ll explain by rewording the plot…
The Little UX Architect finds an idea seed; She goes to a Marketer and says, “Will you help me flesh out this idea ?”
“Not I”, said the Marketer, “I have my plans set for the year, and no one has told me to do that.” and the same for the UI team, and Developer [enter alternate excuse here]
The Little UX Architect says, Fine. I will do it myself!”. And she did.
Next, the idea gets fully grown and is ready to sell. She goes to a Marketer and says, “Will you help me sell this idea?”
“Not I”, said the Marketer, “The organization is not built to handle a concept like that right now .” and the same for the UI team, and Developer [enter alternate excuse here]
The Little UX Architect says, Fine. I will do it myself!”. And she did.
Then, the idea gets some buy-in, but it really needs a prototype to get off the ground. She goes to a Developer and says, “Will you help me build this concept?”
“Not I”, said the Developer, “I don’t have the time and bandwidth, because I’d rather work on assigned projects .”
The Little UX Architect says, Fine. I will do it myself!”. And she did.
Finally, the UX prototype is built and it is demonstrated to the company. The Little UX Architect says, “Who will take the credit for this awesome concept?”
“I will!” said the Marketer, “I can really sell this internally to some key folks!”;
“I will!” said the UI Designer, “I will help you make it gorgeous and super intuitive!”;
“I will!”, said the Developer, “I can really tweak the back end for kickass semantic markup and sweet database mojo to accomplish earthshatteringly good reporting.”
And unlike the selfish Red Hen who hogs it all herself, I say, “YES! Let’s make this friggin ROCK!”
I believe that the difference between Innovators and the rest of the pack is their headstrong perseverence after someone says no. Actually, I usually believe it is something really good and novel when people are dead set against it from the onset, because that means change from what is being done today — or at least what has been planned for today. Most people get discouraged, but I just hear, “Fine. I will do it myself!” in my head!
Filed under: Uncategorized
So, it’s not likely that the people you know will admit this, but… you may very well be WAY more kickass than you realize! .. hey now, don’t let that get to your head, because if I’m right, it can be pretty damn frustrating!
The first step is admitting there is a disconnect. Then, you realize there are some options. You can be patient and strategically influence others or maybe realize your passionate and extraordinary talents are aimed at the wrong people… and could even be more lucrative with the right focus and opportunities!
Admitting you are a revolutionary
Okay, how do you know for sure that you are revolutionary? Let’s throw some scenarios out there and if you find yourself nodding your head while reading most of these… you could be the person I am talking about. Here it goes:
- You plead a case that makes perfect and clear sense to you, but somehow people need to hear it from someone else before they can really “take it in” and buy into it — Almost like you need a “translator”
- Sometimes in meetings or projects you look around and wonder “I am speaking English, right?”
- You propose ideas that take years for an organization or group to “get” and most times they still don’t quite implement it “right”.
- You jump to the problem, solution, or innovation before anyone else. (Sometimes, this means people disagree with you right away, think through it, and end up agreeing with you– even if they don’t realize it themselves!)
- You find it hard to completely relate to other sharp people around you 100% of the time — not because you don’t get them, but because sometimes, you get the feeling that they are smiling, nodding and just trusting your perspective.
- You find yourself often getting introduced to new products, services, or ideas, and saying.. “Hey, I [thought of/tried to sell/tried to build/tried to convince others about] that a while back! I should have stuck with it.”
Well, if those descriptions strike home for you, congratulations! Odds are, you are a KICKASS Revolutionary!! People, bosses, organizations, cultures, and civilization as a whole need you! You are a bold problem solver with strong mental skills. You ROCK, and most people don’t give you enough credit or let you know how important you are. (You may even shy away from the limelight and fanfare, because you just want to get stuff done.) You also seriously share the ranks with successful CEOs… Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Steve jobs, and those guys from Google and Youtube. Yes, you have a shitload of potential. REALLY.
Now, the real downside… who wants to work in an environment of being mostly misunderstood!? Are you happy in that situation? That’s where choices come into play. Maybe you have already subliminally found your way to happy and productive growth, and that’s really cool. Share your secrets! Maybe this will be validation for you. I would venture to guess that for most revolutionaries, they are oblivious to their mental kungfu and it’s been a series of compromises and acceptance that the world doesn’t work the way it should.
Back to the choices, I see primarily 2 options for Revolutionaries. Neither is better than the other per se and, in fact, they may be switched around when it comes time to assess whether you are happy with the success in your situation at the moment.
Plan A: Strategically herd the cats
This is a perfectly acceptable option, and just takes a personal focus shift to master and navigate political BS. It’s completely doable with a little preparation and awareness around where your skills compare and make the most sense for the organization in your view and those at the top.
Speak your mind to the top and get an amicable dialogue going
Look to a political mentor to champion your cause or buy into your ideas. Look for small opportunities to prove your point. The approach of doing so is up to you. Note, that it may be easier phrasing your position through questions that are based as a clarification around something recently announced publicly or your company-wide goals. This technique can be useful in what I call “boiling the frog”. It’s more commonly known as the Socratic Method. look it up.
Try to finagle a “Labs” project or just start out rogue
Sell the idea of looking into a small project with just getting paid to dedicate a few hours per week to developing an idea or prototype. Also identify some other key people (I call this the garage band) that will help you get it going and keep you motivated.
Look for opportunities to point out successful examples of similar or slightly larger organizations have had. The companies don’t have to be in the exact same field. Many times themes from general aspects like merging ecommerce with social networking can get futuristic ideals across. Basically, you have to be willing to plant seeds in the right people’s minds… even when they don’t know they are ready for it.
If selling the idea first is more effort than you are willing to do, don’t ask permission. Just do it! Work on a prototype. The tradeoff you make here is that you may not be getting paid for the hours you put in, and no one is expecting the elevator demo pitch, but maybe you can finesse a middle ground. Also, I have found that even garage bands need a little fire under them. Working towards a committed deadline can give more immediacy and make the decision for committing off time harder to procrastinate. (I definitely don’t have this skill honed)
Key things to know about Plan A
It will be rewarding, frustrating, and most of all a learning experience about people, pressures, and business BUT knowing your worth and your skills, you can jump to option 2. but be aware that when selecting option 2, you always have SOMEONE to convince… investors, board of directors, clients, etc. Jumping ship or being your own boss can be harder than your current situation. Grass is always greener.
If you can’t get buy in from coworkers to be apart of the voluntary garage band, look outside. Check out local events like barcamp.org. There are tons of passionate people that are looking for a hobby and want your vision to create something great! Trust me.
Plan B: Look at other ways to Focus your skills
Are you focused on the right job? What are your strengths and weaknesses? How can you best focus your sweet skills? What team set up works best for you? What schedule is your “I kickass mostly at this time of day/week/month”?
You could look at other job postings
This could be internal and external. Perhaps your role doesn’t currently have the more strategic influence that it should. Roles like that are out there. Notably, most organizations that post job descriptions don’t always mean what they say .. or mean it the way you read it, so getting to know the company and contacting ex-employees in that group, can help set you up for appropriate questions to ask the interviewer or recruiter. Oddly enough, you are interviewing the company and position — not the other way around. (Yes, you are that needed!)
Think: Will that job give you the appropriate leeway and respect to do what you do best.?That is the list of REAL benefits. (read my earlier post on why your title is meaningless and your department may be a joke) HR perks are the bonus. They won’t keep you bought into a dead end that forces you to execute on misinformed organization — unless you really decide on sticking to Plan A. The good news is… it’s still your choice.
You could go out on your own
This is a tricky endeavor and usually includes careful planning, great contacts, pretty good reputation, and realistic fall back plans… or some risky dumb luck and a sugardaddy. I am definitely not the expert on how to do it, but I can say that with the right strategic navigation of your skills, there is a booming market where your futuristic ideas as silly and obvious as you may seem to think now.. are the next big thing in a few years!
Going out on your own can be much like the exercise of putting a garage band together. It takes discipline and self awareness about the skills you do and do not have and frankly your thresholds and boundaries. Many CEOs needed the partnership of a different personality to balance out a successful business. The financial and business sense of it is just as crucial if not more so when you go out on your own. I’ve heard it’s a real learning experience. For more experienced detail on stuff like this, lookup Garret Dimon, Brian Fling, Jeff Corkan, Brian Oberkirch and Jake McKee for insight.
Another touchy soft skill and Intellectual Property aspect to be aware of is in the transition from worker to possibly competitor can be a big political awakening. I don’t know about you, but I am not a big fan of being sued. Don’t let it scare you off by any means, but cover your bases.
Key things to know about Plan B
Know when to ask for help, and be very careful about burning bridges. I can speak from experience that bottling up frustrations and letting them out at a key interval may feel really good at the time, but its a small industry. It can be overcome, because revolutionaries can be notoriously hard to work with, yet respected for their work and contributions. Just be aware that when you think that person that violently gets on your nerves because they “doesn’t get it” or “is just a worthless ladder climber”, you may directly or indirectly be impacted by that person’s perception of YOU. That means lost jobs, clients, projects and MONEY! I’ve seen it happen AND I’ve burned bridges and even repaired one or two.
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About Success as a revolutionary
Most of all, realize what the hell you want and what makes you happy and productive. Winning as a revolutionary is about using your assets and skills while continually learning about what works and doesn’t work. Keeping a zest for playing with the “experimentation” of non-revolutionary thinking is what makes you a revolutionary in the first place! The risk has the potential for great success or great failure for whomever the “owner” of your endeavor is. Food for thought, maybe you have more tangible suggestions for plan C “don’t quite your day job, but innovate on the side” but, most of all… Don’t lose hope in your ideas, and keep KICKING ASS!!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Filed under: Uncategorized
I made this at Hero Machines 2.5 at underground online, but I uploaded it through FLock in a stupid simple way!
Read more on my Flickr description Notice the “error message”. LOVE IT!
Filed under: Uncategorized
So yesterday at Mobile Jam Sessions there was a pretty provocative and passionate discussion about influencing the wireless operators to evolve. Gregory Gorman started an ineresting and passionate debate to refute the idea that carriers are just a bit pipe. At first, I was really puzzled as to why I would even care. Then, after explaining the interesting challenges and stellar opportunities that come with a Billion dollar dinosaur that handles virtually all your personal information, location, and frequency of behavior- like who do you call, text and even email and how often… with the potential to even data mine tex messages and so on. Well, after all that, I realized they actually are a platform after all! They just may not have the right talent or experience/focus to monetize these assets in positive ways that would give consumers another reason to switch carriers besides the typical free phon and cheap plan reasons. Now THAT is pretty compelling food for thought. Here is an idea I have come up with so far…
If an operator treated their “older brother” program as an opt in beta for customers for which, in return, customers got either free or subsidized billing to test out ways to use data to make consumers lives EASIER instead of an advertising aproach for monetization (like throwing it all to Google). I think that would be worthwhile. I’d love to be part of an ideation brainstorm in any operator labs that may be thinking the same thing.
The truth is in the mobile and even web world, convenience is in all the little use cases where people are hassled to get stuff done. I bet if you consciously logged each and every little hassle you have in an average day it would be staggering. Now back to this Billion dollar company that you already pay anyway. Wouldnt it be great if it got better at other things besides logging your minutes,texts, and kB transfer, tracking your billing info, and giving you quick access to 911 and information. What if there could be a two way conversation? I wonder what Mace would say to that!
Also, check out Cellspin on your mobile. It’s pretty close to the intent of a mobile flock browser.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Something is technically wrong.
Thanks for noticing—we’re going to fix it up and have things back to normal soon.
I totally prefer personality over ROBOTIC ERROR MESSAGES (must say while making robot motions and using Asperger tone). Can you guess who this message is from?
Answer:R-E-T-T-I-W-T (backwards)
Filed under: Uncategorized
I wanted to share the features of my favorite and VERY USER-focused social media browser with you. I have used it for 2 years or so, and they keep making so many AWESOME improvements to the firefox-based browser! I demo’d this at Community Camp earlier this year and there were still a lot of folks that may have HEARD of it but never used it.
I can’t wait until a mobile version of this paradigm comes out.
Anyway, here is an overview of Flock Features:
- “My World”
- “People” sidebar
- Media Bar
- Feeds sidebar
- Search Engine options
- Email Inbox
- Favorites
- Accounts and Services sidebar
- Web Clipboard
- “Blog This” feature with builtin remote editor
- Photo uploader
… all
built right in to the browser! It’s a ME platform instead of a web platform. This will be an image-heavy post that I plan to share as a web demo.
“My World”
“People” sidebar
Media Bar
and Media detection
Feeds sidebar
Search Engine options
” style=”" title=”" alt=”" />
and Search engine detection
Email Inbox
Favorites
(which can also be set to post to del.icio.us)
Accounts and Services sidebar
Web Clipboard
” style=”" title=”Web clipboard” alt=”" />
(for
dragging and dropping bits of content from pages– instead of favoriting whole page)
“Blog This”
feature with builtin remote editor
Photo uploader
