Welcome to the Liquid Leadership Archives.

Welcome. 

This my friends is the archives of the companion blog to my award-winning book Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia.

As you might know, the subtitle says it all: Multi-Generational Management Ideas That Are Changing The Way We Run Things.

It's not that I've stopped writing, it's that I am moving past Liquid Leadership, and into brand new territory. If you scroll through, you will take a journey through time, and perhaps find a few gems along the way.

If you need to find me there are several new projects on the forefront these days...

My passion is my podcast Awakened Nation®.

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Season 3: Episode 54:

Becoming Enough With Panache Desai

"There's something simply cathartic about chopping vegetables or making huge vats of dal or cleaning the toilet... I realized that selfless service was cleaning me. Whatever activity I was engaged in, I was scrubbing myself. "

NY Times Bestselling author Panache Desai joins us on Awakened Nation to talk about the way he has learned to find his peace in life and how grace extended beyond any religion to help your soul find it's truth. This powerful and stirring conversation will light a path for you in these uneasy times. 

Stop by and leave a review.

Thank you for your support through the years...

Cloud Culture 4: No Spacesuits! Authority Comes From DOING, not Altitude [Collaborative Series 4/8]

Subtitle:

Why flattening org charts boosts your credibility

 

This post is #4 in an collaborative eight part series by Brad Szollose and Rob Hirschfeld about how culture shapes technology.

Unlike other generations, Digital Natives believe that expertise comes directly from doing, not from position or education. This is not hubris; it’s a reflection both their computer experience and dramatic improvements in technology usability.  

If you follow Joel Spolsky’s blog, “Joel on Software,” you know about a term he uses when describing information architects obsessed with the abstract and not the details; Architecture Astronauts—so high up above the problem that they might as well be in space. “They're astronauts because they are above the oxygen level, I don't know how they're breathing.” 

For example, a Digital Native is much better positioned to fly a military attack drone than a Digital Immigrant (a.k.a. Boomer). According to New Scientist, March 27, 2008, the military is using game controllers for drones and robots because they are “far more intuitive.” Beyond the fact that the interfaces are intuitive to them, Digital Natives have likely logged hundreds of hours flying simulated jets under trying battle conditions. Finally, they rightly expect that they can access all the operational parameters and technical notes about the plane with a Google search.

 

Our new workforce is ready to perform like none other in history.

Being able to perform is just the tip of the iceberg; having the right information is the more critical asset. A Digital Native knows information (and technology) is very fast moving and fluid. It also comes from all directions … after all it’s The Information Age. This is a radical paradigm shift. Harvard Researcher David Weinberger highlights in his book Too Big to Know that people are not looking up difficult technical problems in a book or even relying on their own experiences; they query their social networks and discover multiple valid solutions. The diversity of their sources is important to them, and an established hierarchy limits their visibility; inversely, they see leaders who build strict organizational hierarchies as cutting off their access to information and diversity. 

Today’s thought worker is on the front lines of the technological revolution. They see all the newness, data, and interaction with a peer-to-peer network. Remember all that code on the screen in the movie The Matrix? You get the picture.

To a Digital Native, the vice presidents of most organizations are business astronauts floating too high above the world to see what’s really going on but feeling like they have perfect clarity. Who really knows the truth? Mission Control or Major Tom? This is especially true with the acceleration of business that we are experiencing. While the Astronaut in Chief is busy ordering the VPs to move the mountains out of the way, the engineers at ground control have already collaborated on a solution to leverage an existing coal mine and sell coal as a byproduct.

The business hierarchy of yesterday worked for a specific reason: workers needed to just follow rules, keep their mouth shut, and obey. Input, no matter how small, was seen as intrusive and insubordinate … and could get one fired. Henry Ford wanted an obedient worker to mass manufacture goods. The digital age requires a smarter worker because, in today’s world, we make very sophisticated stuff that does not conform to simple rules. Responsibility, troubleshooting, and decision-making has moved to the frontlines. This requires open-source style communication.

 

Do not confuse the Astronaut problem as a lack of respect for authority.

 

Digital Natives respect informational authority, not positional. For Digital Natives, authority is flexible. They have experience forming and dissolving teams to accomplish a mission. The mission leader is the one with the right knowledge and skills for the situation, not the most senior or highest scoring. In Liquid Leadership, Brad explains that Digital Natives are not expecting managers to solve team problems; they are looking to their leadership to help build, manage, and empower their teams to do it themselves.

So why not encourage more collaboration with a singular mission in mind: develop a better end product? In a world that is expanding at such mercurial speed, a great idea can come from anywhere! Even from a customer! So why not remember to include customers in the process?

Who is Leroy Jenkins?

This viral video is about a spectacular team failure from one individual (Leroy Jenkins) who goes rogue during a team massively multi-player game. This is a Digital Natives’ version of the ant and grasshopper parable: “Don’t pull a Leroy Jenkins on us—we need to plan this out.” Click Here for Leeroy Jenkins: Youtu.be/LkCNJRfSZBU

 

Think about it like this: Working as a team is like joining a quest.

If comparing work to a game scenario sounds counterintuitive then let’s reframe the situation. We may have the same destination and goals, but we are from very different backgrounds. Some of us speak different languages, have different needs and wants. Some went to MIT, some to community college. Some came through Internet startups, others through competitors. Big, little, educated, and smart. Intense and humble. Outgoing and introverted. Diversity of perspective creates stronger teams.

 

This also means that leadership roles rotate according to each mission.

This is the culture of the gaming universe. Missions and quests are equivalent to workplace tasks accomplished and point to benchmarks achieved. Each member excepts to earn a place through tasks and points. This is where Digital Natives’ experience becomes advantage. They expect to advance in experience and skills. When you adapt the workplace to these expectations the Digital Natives thrive.

 

Leaders need to come down to earth and remove the spacesuit.

A leader at the top needs to stay connected to that information and disruption. Start by removing your helmet. Breathe the same oxygen as the rest of us and give us solutions that can be used here on planet earth.

On Gamification...

Jeff Attwood, founder of the community-based FAQ site Stack Overflow, has been very articulate about using game design to influence how he builds communities around sharing knowledge. We recommend reading his post about “Building Social Software for the Anti-Social” on his blog, CodingHorror.com.

Click here for More: http://youtu.be/LkCNJRfSZBU


See you Next Wednesday...

Our point of view: About the authors

Rob Hirschfeld and Brad Szollose are both proud technology geeks, but they’re geeks from different generations who enjoy each other’s perspective on this brave new world.

Rob is a first-generation Digital Native. He grew up in Baltimore reprogramming anything with a keyboard—from a Casio VL-Tone and beyond. In 2000, he learned about server virtualization and never looked back.

In 2008, he realized his teen ambition to convert a gas car to run electric (a.k.a. RAVolt.com). Today, from his Dell offices and local coffee shops, he creates highly disruptive open source cloud technologies for Dell's customers.

Brad is a Cusp Baby Boomer who grew up watching the original Star Trek series, secretly wishing he would be commanding a Constitution Class Starship in the not-too-distant future.

Since that would take a while, Brad became a technology-driven creative director who cofounded one of the very first Internet development agencies during the dot-com boom. As a Web pioneer, Brad was forced to invent a new management model that engaged the first wave of Digital Workers.

Today, Brad helps organizations like Dell close the digital divide by understanding it as a cultural divide created by new tech-savvy workers ... and customers.

Beyond the fun of understanding each other better, we are collaborating on this white paper for different reasons.

• Brad is fostering liquid leaders who have the vision to span cultures and to close the gap between cultures.
• Rob is building communities with the vision to use cloud products that fit the Digital Native culture.
  
  
  
  

Are You Leading The Revolution or Losing To It?

Excerpt from page 233 of Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia...

I realize now how foolish I had been to think that the technology that I was using in 1992 would stay the same. What made me scratch my head at first was how things changed so quickly and how easily people accepted the change. Now I understand that as a Liquid Leader, you have to put your company out in front of changes in technology. You have to set an example for a new generation of workers. You have to continuously evolve your brand to lead the market, or you will get left behind.

With the advent of digitization, Kodak’s brand took a beating in the commercial over-the-counter retail markets. Their $5 billion camera and film market was decimated by digital cameras, cell phone cameras, and at home desktop photo printing. Yet Kodak just seemed to sit there. Even a joint venture with Nikon didn’t seem to help. What destroyed their dominance as a consumer brand were three inventions in particular: laptop computers, the Internet, and digital photography.

The funny thing is, Kodak invented the digital camera, but for some unknown reason chose not to lead the revolution. They lost their leadership position to camera companies willing to push all things digital and invent infrastructure and products to support the new tech. Casio, Nikon, Canon, and upstart Olympus began to take a chunk out of Kodak’s market, leaving the yellow-and-red giant sadly in last place. Here was Eastman Kodak, the innovator that almost single-handedly invented the entire photography industry—and as we approached the twenty-first century, I began to wonder if they would make it.

It took time, but digital photography began to outpace film and became the apparent leader in the future of photography. High-end companies like Hasselblad didn’t require you to buy a new camera; instead, they designed interchangeable sensors that worked with their current two-and-a-quarter film-based cameras. Brilliant.

And even when Kodak reentered the digital camera market, they were seen as a dinosaur. Despite being a trusted American brand, they were no longer leading; they were following. Kodak was last to enter a market they should have pioneered. Inertia had set the pace, when instead their battle cry should have been “Hurry up and follow our lead.”

Today’s brands can’t afford to make that sort of mistake. They must watch closely at how technology is changing their business, and take action.

If not, many will be left behind—eventually going out of business. Look at Polaroid, for example. What do they stand for? Who knows? I don’t have a clue. The Polaroid brand has become meaningless in the twenty-first century and needs an overhaul—fast. So far, they’ve abandoned their proprietary film technology in 2008 to focus on their sunglasses and LCD technology, along with a line of digital cameras. Recently, Polaroid chose Lady Gaga as their creative director and new face of Polaroid. After years of controversy, Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and ping-pong ownership, this may be the comeback Polaroid needs.

This is the era of unstable, transient brands. Those that don’t evolve, adapt, or do something will die out.

Hire someone who knows how to turn your brand around, and keep it leading in the 21st Century landscape. Try doing what Cadillac did.

Thanks for stopping by,




Brad Szollose
21st Century Change Agent: Generational expert, award-winning author, business consultant and keynote speaker

Brad Szollose is a much sought-after generational expert, management consultant and keynote speaker who helps smart companies understand just how much technology has transformed corporate culture and behavior… and how that impacts management interaction, expectations and sales in The Digital Age.



But this is not based on management theory: With a 30 year career as an entrepreneur he knows firsthand what it’s like to grow a company from a simple idea in a coffee shop to an internationally recognized brand.


Brad is a former C-Level Internet Executive who went from entrepreneur to IPO in 3 yrs—co-founding K2 Design, the very first Dot Com Agency to go public on NASDAQ. His company experienced 425% hyper-growth for 5 straight years, expanded from 2 business partners to 4 with 60+ employees and offices worldwide. At its height, K2 was valuated at over $26 million. 

His results only management model (ROWE) was applied to the first wave of young Generation Y workers producing great results—winning K2 the Arthur Andersen NY Enterprise Award for Best Practices in Fostering Innovation.

Brad Szollose is also the *award-winning author of Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia which explores the subject of new leadership styles – mainly how to get the tech-savvy Generation Y and analogue driven Baby Boomers working together. ISBN-13: 978-1608320554

Known for his humorous and thought-provoking presentations, Szollose received the highest testimonial of his career from a C-Level audience member: "I just had my mind blown." Brad’s keynotes and workshops are highly interactive, heart-warming, humorous, and filled with high-content information that challenge assumptions and help leaders and managers create a better work environment for innovation to thrive.


Liquid Leadership has been called "THE guidebook for the 21st Century" and has won the 2011 Axiom Business Book Award silver medal for leadership, The Indie Business Book runner up silver medal as well as becoming a #1 Best-Selling Business Book on Amazon for Organizational Learning. Published in the United States by Greenleaf Book Group, in India by Prolibris and in South Korea by UI Books/Iljinsa Publishing.

Mr. Szollose also writes a monthly column on business and marketing techniques that reach Generation Y for A Captured Mind newsletter and is part of The Mind Capture Group faculty.

Today, Brad helps businesses close the Digital Divide by understanding it as a Cultural Divide – created by the new tech-savvy worker...and customer. 



* 2011 Axiom Business Book silver medal winner in the leadership

* #1 Amazon Best-Selling Author

"I just had my mind blown..." - A.S., Vistage, New York

Liquid Leadership by Brad Szollose is available at all major bookstores and for Kindle, Nook, iPad and Sony ereaders. Internationally published in India and S. Korea.

Liquid Leadership by Brad Szollose hits #1 on Amazon!

Okay, here is some amazing news. On Dec 3, 2011 while on Facebook at 2:00 in the afternoon, a friend asked me where they could buy my book. Immediately I told them it is at every major bookstore around the country and in India. I then proceeded to look for the URL for Liquid Leadership on Amazon.com and noticed that my rankings were #1 in Organizational Learning for Business. 

I'm pretty practical, so when I saw number one I was like "Huh?" (Scooby Doo voice fits in nicely here). One of the reasons for my surprise is this ranking did not come from any marketing efforts what-so-ever... but from word of mouth.

Now, I am not telling you this to go "look at me," I am telling you this because sometimes in life, things can exceed our expectations and take on a life of their own. For me, this is one of those moments.

I am a little astounded and proud that it is getting into the right hands. I feel my work is important... and after reading Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia I hope you will see how important it is as well.

Thanks again for reading...and thank you all for sharing this victory.

Brad Szollose

Brad is the #1 Amazon Bestselling Award Winning author of Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia: Multigenerational Management Ideas That Are Changing The Way We Run Things ISBN-13: 978-1608320554

"I just had my mind blown..." - A.S. CEO, New York