HRMAC11 November 1999

!!!!!

Hewitt & HMO bids

Goodhome.com / 10 weeks!

$30,000,000. = ???

Microsoft > GM + Ford + Boeing + Lockheed-Martin + Deere + Caterpillar + USX + Weyerhauser + Union Pacific + Kodak + Sears + Marriott + Safeway + Kellogg

Source: Business Week data through 5-99

C.E.O.

to

C.D.O.

“The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out.”

— Dee Hock

“It is generally much easier to kill an organization than change it substantially.”

— Kevin Kelly,

Out of Control

“ … if they set up a completely independent organization and let that organization attack the

parent.”

— Clayton Christensen,

The Innovator’s Dilemma

No Wiggle Room!

“Incrementalism is innovation’s worst

enemy.”

— Nicholas Negroponte

“I don’t intend to be known as the ‘King of the Tinkerers.’ ”

— CEO, F500 financial services company (5-99)

“ALL OF THESE ‘CONVERSATIONS’ TODAY ABOUT ‘THE WEB’ WILL APPEAR SO BLOODY DAMN SILLY AND PEDESTRIAN TEN … FIVE? … THREE? … YEARS FROM NOW.”

— Tom Peters (11-99)

P.S.: Read Ray Kurzweil’s The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence

Issue Y2K

The Great War for Talent!

White Collar Revolution!

–90% in 10 years!

– PSFs All!

– Brand Yous All!

–WOW Projects All!

ERP, ECM, Web, Etc.

IT’S THE GIANT SUCKING SOUND

OF SLACK BEING EXTRACTED FROM

THE GLOBAL ECONOMY!

PSF 1.0

Department Head

to …

Managing Partner, HR Inc.

Credo

“WORK WORTH PAYING FOR”

“support function” / “cost center”

or …

“Rock Stars of the ‘Age of Talent’ ”

CIO to

CEFRNS

“Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.”

— Phil Daniels,

exec, Sydney

“You really got to me. So many of our information technology projects take on a life of their own, and I know they’ll never end up as more than ‘mediocre successes.’ ”

— CEO, F100 financial services company (10-98)

Epitaph from Hell …

Joe T. Jones

1942 - 1999

I WOULDA DONE SOME …

REALLY COOL STUFF …

BUT …

MY BOSS WOULDN’T LET ME!

T.T.D.: Now!– List all projects– Carefully describe a “WOW Outcome” for you

and the Client– Score (!) all projects on WOW, Beauty, Impact,

Raving Fan-hood– Pick one project with a high combined score– Draft a one-page New Description that

emphasizes WOW, Beauty, etc.– Circulate and edit … for three days – Reduce to 5 bullet points

Secret No. 1: Go horizontal: Find a (one!) “line” ally in “the Boonies”

Secret No. 2: “Powerless” allies are Cool!

Secret No. 3: Passion Rules!

Secret No. 4: Become a Prototyping Maniac! (Read: Serious Play)

Secret No. 5: Embrace Politics / “Community Organizing”! (Read: Rules for Radicals)

“If there is nothing very special about your work, no matter how hard you apply yourself, you won’t get noticed and that increasingly means you won’t get paid much, either.”

— Michael Goldhaber, Wired

Icon Woman …

– Totally turned on by her work!– “It” matters / a WOW Project!– “It” is … COOL!– “It” is … BEAUTIFUL!– She is … in your face!– She is an … adventurer!– She is … CEO of her own life!

Icon Woman …

– She is … at least … a little funky!– Her curiosity is … insatiable!– She thinks screwups are …

as normal as breathing!– She hangs out with some …

seriously rad Dudes!– She is not God. She is not Bionic

Woman. She is … determined … to make a damned difference!

Icon Woman Meets the Web …– submits resume on the Web– recruited on the Web– hired on the Web– trained on the Web– creates and conducts projects with virtual

teams on the Web– manages project and client

followup on the Web– manages career/reputation-building

on the Web

“Temporary workers used to be at the low end of the

workplace foodchain. …”

— The Wall Street Journal/

They “Get it”?!– stone mason– electrician– plumber– tiler– cabinet maker– contractor– blacksmith– well driller– blaster– sheep shearer– etc.

“The leaders of Great Groups love talent and know where to find it. They revel in the talent of others.”

— Warren Bennis and

Patricia Ward Biederman

Alan Kay on PARC’s Bob Taylor

“He was a connoisseur of

talent.”

A Connoisseur of Talent …

– Spends time on Talent!– Becomes a Student of Talent!– Talks Talent! / Puts Talent “on the agenda”!– Uses Plain English!– Recruits from oddball places! /

Recruits Oddballs! – Recruits M.I. (logical-mathematical,

linguistic, artistic, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal)

A Connoisseur of Talent …

– Recruits arts– Becomes de facto C.D.O. (Chief Diversity

Officer)– Turns the payscale upside down/ Pays Talent!– Spouts the Gospel of Renewal!/ R.I.P./ R.D.A.– Rewards & Promotes all on Talent

Development Skills

“Our business needs a massive transfusion of talent. And talent, I believe, is most likely to be found among non-conformists, dissenters and rebels.”

— David Ogilvy

Attributes of Those Who “Made” the 10th Grade History Book

– Committed!– Determined to make a difference!– Focused!– Passionate! – Irrational about their life’s project!– Ahead of their time / Paradigm busters!– Impatient!– Action Obsessed

Attributes of Those Who “Made” the 10th

Grade History Book

– Made lots of people mad!– Flouted the chain of command!– Creative / Quirky / Peculiar!– Rebels!– Irreverent!– Masters of improv / Thrive on chaos

/ Exploit chaos!

Attributes of Those Who “Made” the 10th Grade History Book

– Forgiveness > Permission– Bone honest!– Flawed as the dickens!– “In touch” with their followers’ aspirations – Damn good at what they do!

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”

– J.F.K.

Talent War Y2K!

– All out!– Time consuming!– Never ending!/ Unwinnable!– Includes everybody!/ Everybody’s

game! (“We’re all in sales.”)– Expensive!– Cool!/ WOW!/ Fun!/ Creative!– Strategic!/ Core competence!

Talent War Y2K!

– Basis of Brand!/ WHO WE ARE!

– Brand You within Brand Us!

– Encompassing!/ Cultural! (KEWLNESS: mine v. yours)

– Substantive!/ “The best Projects win!”

“Firms will not ‘manage the careers’ of their employees.

They will provide opportunities to enable the employee to

develop identity and adaptability and thus be in charge of his or her own

career.”

- Tim Hall et al., “The New Protean Career Contract”

Yes!

Director of Bringing in the Really Cool People

Talent = Brand

IF NOT NOW … WHEN?

“We are in a brawl with no rules!”

— Paul Allaire

PSF Y2K Final Exam– Are you doing WOW work? – Are you working with awesome/freaky peers?– Are you working with cool/pioneering Clients?– Are you a “player”?– Are you pushing the envelope and putting yourself at risk on

every project?– Are you having fun?– Are a lotta “theys” mad at you?– Will you look back on “all this” as “the time of your life”?

(Personal) Accountability?!

WHERE WERE YOU DURING THE GREAT ENTERPRISE

REVOLUTION OF Y2K?