Good Thing Gone Bad: How to Tame Google Doc Sprawl

The Google platform is a fantastic and basically free option to use as a collaboration and productivity tool within a business. My company uses it. It's been key in enabling the flow of ideas, the sharing and storage of information, and collaboration. But, our mantra of "just throw it in google doc" is now becoming a tangled web of one-off information and difficult to find resources.

The first step to taming the beast is recognizing that this will happen. With so much freedom to spin up and share information it can quickly get out of hand. What good is a doc or spreadsheet if no one can find it? Here are two ways to get and keep your info organized:

Consolidate documents through a Google Site
At an enterprise level use the Google Sites feature to logically organize information and create a portal. Google Sites is an entire topic in and of it's own, but you can very quickly build a site that can simply serve as the launch pad for all of your information. The site ties all the random docs together and can be organized in a way that makes sense for your organization. We use a site as the foundation for our company intranet. The information architecture is organized by department. All the relevant google docs for a department are categorized as links within the portal. This has been a handy reference tool particularly in the on-boarding of new employees. We also leave the site permissions open so that anyone can add more links to docs. We've virtually eliminated the need for sophisticated system administration and content management. Although lightweight governance over the site is recommended so that we don't end up with another problem - a disjointed information architecture

Leverage Personalization Capabilities
At the individual level, you can create folders and labels to logically organize documents in a way that makes sense to you. This feature is called Collections. The google documents view allows each person to create their own filing system structure for finding docs. This personalized approach to managing info is more powerful than it may seem on the surface. Think about it, in traditional environment someone else manages the directory structure and naming convention of a shared drive or LAN. They've already decided how information should be organized in terms that make sense to them. We've got a company shared drive too for docs that are required to be static. And guess what, the biggest complaint is that people cant find what they are looking for. This nuisance actually creates a bigger issue when people take things into their own hands and start storing their own versions of documents locally or wasting time trying to find then emailing documents around to each other. Organizing our google docs in my own terms changed my world. While it's simple enough to just do a search to find the right document, categorizing docs keeps all related items together and let's you quickly locate information related together but kept in separate documents.

How are you using the google platform for your business? If you want to more about how to strategically use the Google platform, contact me.

Confessions of a Micromanager

It's been brought to my attention more than once over the past year that I am a micro manager. I am an incredibly introspective person, constantly self examining and analyzing my every action. Micromanagement is considered a negative trait so being my introspective self I am setting out to better understand this trait and how to turn it around.

Wikipedia defines micromanagement as "management especially with excessive control and attention to detail."

Controlling and attention to detail - yep, that's me.

Early in my career that "controlling" trait was celebrated by my managers as "drive" and a "take the bull by the horns" attitude. My managers liked it because they knew I'd get things done. And with my attention to detail it would be done thoroughly and polished. No matter how many hours I needed to put in, I got the job done. In the sea of entry-level green consultants I was able to differentiate and rise to the top quickly because I took control, thought through the minutiae, and the end result was polished.

So where did this all go wrong? How did my best trait become one of my worst?

In my mind it's easy to be confused with why this once positive trait is now being perceived as "a developmental opportunity" - I know how something needs to be done, I love getting into the details, and I don't want anything with my name associated to it to be less than perfect. Where's the flaw in that?

Well here's what I've come up with:

Expectations have changed - I'm not a green consultant anymore. I am a seasoned professional and executive within my company. Just being eager with great attention to detail isn't going to cut it anymore. Enthusiasm and quality are expected. As a company leader, it's about scaling that quality.

Scalability - to grow in your career means to move beyond the individual contributor status. An individual only has a limited amount of throughput. To grow as a leader means to scale yourself so that no single result is dependent on you. You need to inspire and teach teams of individual contributors to put the same level of thought and quality into a task as you would. Otherwise you'll burn out quickly trying to do everything.

Grow someone else to grow yourself - unless you are content to be a one-man show or pigeon-holed (which I am not), it's your duty to help someone else follow your lead. Constantly thinking of ways you can put yourself out of your current job so that you can keep moving is key. It can be unsettling. It's easy to be concerned about - what will I do if someone else is doing my job? That is rarely an issue for someone that likes to keep moving and is open to the next challenge. There's always something new to sink your teeth into and a new problem to solve. Teaching someone else helps a micro manager learn to let go of some of the control and figure out ways to put just enough structure in place that the job will get done well while allowing the individual to learn the ropes in their own way.

People crave structure - without some framework in place, the work that gets done becomes reactive and tactical without a strategic vision behind it. No one sets out to operate in a purely reactive manner but it happens without some set of guidelines for organizing and prioritizing what needs to get accomplished.

People find you annoying - the constant badgering will drive someone insane. The checking if it's done and pounding people with emails on how to do something usually stems from the fact that there wasn't well thought out plan put in place in the first place and there isn't enough transparency in place. A micro manager's gut is to take control by doing the work or badgering people in a very reactive way about what needs to be done. Don't punish your team for your own lack of planning leadership.

So here's my action plan:

1. Communicate desired outcomes, don't dictate how it gets done. Empower and trust others.

2. Put enough structure in place to help people prioritize what needs to be done in the short-term. Plan first, get alignment from the team on what needs to be done and what the definition of done is, then let them execute.

3. Focus my attention to detail on the big picture, analyzing results, and turning results into actions that are followed through

4. Manage through change - our priorities can change on a daily basis and anything worth doing takes time and persistence. A true leader with help the team course correct to adapt to the changing needs of the business, while being the biggest supporter in seeing the work through completion. A bunch of half done projects aren't nearly as good as one "done" project.

5. Listen more, talk less - I may think I know it all but listening to other people's ideas and perspective is a great way to drive innovation and creativity. Putting someone else's idea into action is a great way to build confidence in individual team members. A micro manager thinks only their way will work. And 9 times out of 10 you are probably wrong.

Fellow control freaks, I'd love to hear from you. What's your perspective and what are you doing to beat the urge to "just do it all yourself"?

Dude, where's your profile???

Please make my job easier. Keep your LinkedIN profile current, interesting and, for your own benefit, please bother to have one in the first place. I interact with a lot of people looking for their next career move. I am in a position at Solstice Consulting that is on the front line of matching supply (the talent pool) with demand (our sales pipeline). We've got a very talented recruiting team that works to fill our open positions by screening for talent across two main competencies:

1) the hard skills - technical skills/domain expertise

2) the intangibles - cultural fit, interpersonal & soft skills.

Beyond the resume, the first place we look to assess if it's worth going down the path of evaluating a candidate further is the LinkedIN profile. I can't tell you how many people still aren't on LinkedIN or have below average profiles. I can tell you that if someone falls into either category, those candidates fall to the end of the line for consideration. Here's some advice on what it means to have a comprehensive LinkedIN profile.

Profile Photo: This is your chance to make a first impression and succinctly tell your viewer who you are and what you do. While not having a picture isn't detrimental, having one can make or break you if it isn't a tasteful professional photo. I'm not suggesting all photos be a standard conservative head shot (eehm...like mine). Showcasing pride for your Alma Mater, your favorite sports team , your city, or even a symbol of your favorite cause, says a lot about who you are. And, after all, that's what this medium is all about. Don't waste the real-estate by leaving it vacant. It's a personal branding opportunity that shouldn't be wasted. Just think twice about the message you want to send before uploading that favorite picture of yours from your college days.

Recommendations: Since you control which recommendations actually get displayed, of course only the most positive reviews will be posted. This one is a bit of a numbers game. Having 1 or 2 recommendations to show for a 10-15 yr work history isn't great. As a baseline, strive for 5 recommendations total across all of your work history. The bulk can be concentrated around the more current roles but it says a lot about you that colleagues along the way have had positive things to say. Taking the initiative to ask for recommendations (and give other people recommendations) says you care about your brand and that there's a history of good work backing up your skills presented. So strive for 5 but more is better.

Websites: The websites section is a great chance to differentiate. Do you have a blog? A personal website? Are you on Twitter? These say a lot about who you are. The more you are involved in having an opinion on a particular topic or sharing useful information says something about what can be expected of you in your next job. Stepping outside the confines of what a job description asks by blogging or making it a point to be followed and follow others on Twitter tells employers you have initiative and that staying current is important to you.

Job Experience: The Job Experience section is typically where people spend the most time adding details. I can tell you, if you have a good solid representation of yourself covered across the other areas of your profile (picture, websites, links, info about groups & honors) you should keep this short and sweet. But don't skimp on the detail of noting specifically what month and year your time at a particular post spanned. It's a red flag anytime only years are listed as a timeframe (2010-2010). That sends the message that it was probably a short term assignment and there's a story behind it. Be upfront, and be prepared to explain any short-term roles.

Groups and Associations: This is another area to help reflect who you are and differentiate. Are you involved in your the local chapter of your alumni association? Leading the PTA at your child's school? Do you volunteer? Have you done any professional speaking or belong to professional associations? This is a chance to show that you are well-rounded and a leader in areas outside of the workplace. Joining groups on LinkedIN is also great way to expand your network and get noticed. Groups are typically formed around specific domains of expertise or a professional commonality - alumni association, company groups etc... If you are going to belong to a group, participation in discussions and sharing information are key to getting the most out of them. Don't just be an observer, participate in the conversation.

Status Updates: Last but certainly not least, the status update feature. This is my personal favorite. Here is where I believe the real value of LinkedIN from a personal perspective comes into play. The status update gives you the opportunity to keep a dialogue going with your network. And after all, isn't that what having a network is all about? If you never communicate, what good is having 5, 50, or even 500 connections? I make it a rule to post something new everyday. This puts my face (the profile photo) and my personality (what I have to say and how I say it) in front of my network on a daily basis. While I can't claim to maintaining close relationships with everyone in my network, I know I am connected to people that can help me both professionally and personally when I need it. If they don't know more about me beyond just the invitation to connect, I can't imagine they'd respond in my time of need.

There you have it. My personal rant on the importance of a solid LinkedIN profile. Tell me if you agree or disagree with my perspective. And, how have you found LinkedIN to be useful as a tool for branding yourself?

Creating a Culture of Innovation: 3 Lessons on Innovation from Pixar

CNBC aired a great biography recently on the story of Pixar. I was expecting the typical rags to riches story but instead, this was a story of building a culture of innovation. I learned how a few people with a passion for their craft and the confidence and willingness to push the limits of technology can not only, win the infusion of $10 million in investor dollars (from Mr. Steve Jobs) , but also win the hearts of millions of Americans -young and old - by blazing new trails while doing what they LOVE. Now, we can't all be blessed to have careers that bring pure joy to the young and young at heart, but we can take a lesson in how to foster innovation and push people to use their talent to the fullest. So what did Pixar do that we can apply? Here's what I learned:

Create a space that encourages unplanned collaboration

Even if you are bound by the limits of traditional cube-farm style office space, there can be ways to create a more open feel. Place team tables in central places. Centrally located white boards and easels are great ways to signify that this is a space where thoughts can be developed. Give the space a feeling of having a place to "squat" when the need arises instead of relying on planned meetings and pre-arranged meeting space. Keeping open collaborative space provides the canvas for impromptu idea generation and problem solving.

Treat individual office space as an empty canvas

If you've seen any stories in the news about the Zappos company culture, you'll understand this. Zappos allows employs to decorate cubicles and offices with as much style and individual flair required to inspire them. Just the fact that employees have that freedom to personalize their space is empowering to the employee. That feeling of empowerment and individuality helps create a culture where people feel safe to be themselves. When the guard is down that's when some of the best unedited ideas start flowing.

Embed frequent candid, critical feedback loops as part of your product development process

Pixar does this by having daily meetings where editing teams meet to present the movie segment they worked on to peers. The peers give candid and critical feedback. It's not sugar coated. But in an environment where people feel safe, they don't take feedback personal. This free flowing feedback early and often can help turn something that is good into something great quickly.

Innovation is not just a buzz word but is something that good companies truly work at. Apple as the poster child for innovation. Companies that see everyday things differently and create a culture where people are empowered, feel safe, and have the freedom to be themselves are the ones the others are trying to catch up to.

What does your company do to support idea generation, creative thinking, and innovation?

5 Tips for Giving a Great Presentation

In my role at Solstice Consulting, I do a lot of presenting on topics that interest me, case studies on project successes, and Solstice's domains of expertise. While my audience has ranged in size and background and the content is different each time, I have found a few prensentation techniques that seem to apply to all situations.

1. Be confident no matter how unprepared you feel. Projecting confidence is a sure fire way to build credibility with your audience and help ease your nerves.
2. Dress smart and confident. What you wear impacts how you feel about yourself. Splurge on that smart suit or stylish shirt.
3. Be interesting and engaging. Pull people into your world with stories, anecdotes, and humor. The more they laugh, the more they'll like you, and the more they will remember you.
4. Read the room and get a pulse on the audience. When you feel things are going south and people loosing interest, start asking them questions to keep them engaged. Get them talking and learning from each other. Your audience will appreciate your facilitating knowledge sharing. And they might have the content or answers that you don't.
5. Keep the slides light on text. The more text the more tempted you are to read directly from the slide. Use key phrases and words. This helps keep the presentation conversational when you use your own words and stories to deliver the content.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. What are some techniques that work for you?

Google Apps For the Family "Enterprise"

My family runs on the Google platform. The same tools that I use every day at work managing projects have proved very effective at home.

We have a shared family Google calendar through Gmail that contains appointments, birthdays, and weekend plans. Some weeks my husband and I are like two ships passing in the night, if it's not on the calendar , it doesn't happen.

I have a 1 year old with a few different baby sitters and nannies. I quickly realized that it was more effective to publish his developmental milestones and instructions once rather than remember who knew what. I didn't have time in the morning to bring someone up to speed. Babies change too quickly! So I created a Google Group especially for my son. Fondly known as "Jack's" Portal. I invited his caretakers to join and instantly had an group email address I could use to reach them all at once (which comes in handy when I need to send an emergency babysitting request). I use the Discussion Group to store eating habits, nap schedules, and important contact information.

I've also created a shared nanny/babysitting calendar where each person can self manage the dates they are available to watch my son. This gets me out of the business of managing a schedule and acting as middle man when someone needs to change days. It's brilliant! The caretakers just pick the dates that work best and add it to the schedule.

Thank you Google for giving me tools transferable between work and home life, that are practical, and easy to use!

Would love to hear comments on how your family uses technology to make life easier.

How to Improve Your Current Project: Comunicate

How to Deliver Successful Projects: Have a Dialogue

Talk, talk, talk, and then ... talk some more. You cannot talk enough when you're leading any type of change management effort. And that's what a technology project boils down to -- implementing a change to the way things are today. So how do you manage your change efforts? What should you talk about? And to whom should you talk? My company uses John Kotter's Eight Stages of Change as a framework for structuring the conversation with those involved in projects. Here are some guidelines for getting your conversations started.

Do your homework before you start talking ...
Create Urgency: You may have communicated the purpose of your project, but does it have teeth? Paint a picture of what happens if you don't complete the project. What happens if the status quo remains? And what are the benefits that can be realized when the project is done? Often the improvement is crystal clear to technologists, but murky for others. Especially if the project is something ambiguous to a non-technical business counterpart, such as an infrastructure upgrade or an information security tactic.

Create a Vision: Realized benefits are a great way to frame how your project will make the world a better place (at least the world inside the walls of your organization). Give thought to the bigger picture of your project, so that you can paint the "future state" for your stakeholders. Whether your project will result in internal or external customer facing deliverables, painting a picture -- early and often -- is critical for gaining acceptance.

Form a Guiding Coalition: Formally organizing internal support is extremely important, because it helps sow the seeds of change. We've all heard of steering committees. Well, let's put them to work. First, it's important to get the right people on-board -- those who will help you sow the seeds of change. Ask yourself: How can they help spread the message about the project vision? How can they help contribute to defining the vision, so that it speaks to and resonates with the needs of a particular business area or customer segment? A guiding coalition is important, but the team won't work without a sponsor, leader, or visionary enlisted for the long haul. This is the person continuously driving the vision forward and helping the project team stay the course.

Start Talking ...
Communicate the Vision: Talking about your vision isn't a one-time event done via a mass e-mail. You need a plan that identifies who, when, how, and how often they should hear your message. Look for opportunities to get your vision in front of people -- status meetings, town halls, or messages and alerts in an existing system of upcoming milestones. This is not only an opportunity to communicate, but also an opportunity to sell. And like it or not, your vision is for sale. Your buyers are the people impacted by the changes, and also those individuals whose help you need for the project to be a success.

Get others talking (and doing) ...
Empower Others to Act on the Vision: You may be wondering who is the "you" that I keep referring to in this post. It's anyone and everyone who has a role in contributing to the goals of the project. The guiding coalition helps define the vision and pushes it forward. But in order for the vision to be a reality, others need to get on-board. If people feel boxed in, not supported by management or peers, or lacking access to the necessary tools, your project will fail. Make sure the barriers are removed so others can act on your vision.

Plan for and Create Short Term Wins: This is a great way to start showing progress and proving your theories. It also helps everyone realize that their effort is valuable while keeping momentum going. Think about your project plans in terms of, "how quickly can I get something useful out?" "Useful" doesn't have to mean "perfect"; you can always fine tune later. But showing visible progress sooner, even with a few warts, will provide great insights early-on into what is really important to your stakeholders. This allows your team to correct the course sooner, so be sure to create a formal feedback process to capture stakeholder input.

Don't Declare Victory Too Soon, Sustain the Momentum for Change: We've all experienced it – the anticipation of the much celebrated release party. Celebrating milestones is important, but equally as crucial is being cautious to not signify "it's over". The real work begins when the initial visible change is released outside the project team. That's when things really get started and when it's important to keep up the momentum. Change isn't easy and it's not a static, one-time event.

Institutionalize The New Approaches: We call this "business as usual". If you are implementing something new (technology, process or both), you want it to become the new method of operation. Repetition and reinforcement makes something new feel natural, as if it was the way it had always been. So, you haven't talked enough until you feel like a broken record, and others are repeating your messages and finishing your sentences.

As always, looking forward to any comments and knowledge sharing on the topic!