Do You Want This Guy On Your Team?

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There’s this guy who is looking for work. Actually, he’s being pushed out of his current organization. He’s basically been isolated from the rest of his team but they won’t fire him. The whole thing is really odd.

He made some comment or did something benign, but his boss thought her authority was being challenged. So now he’s kind of stuck. Looking for work.

This guy’s record is exceptional. He’s bounced around a few different organizations over the past few years, but he’s always performed remarkably no matter where he lands. (He even became the lead person in his role at one point.)

I haven’t worked with him directly and the things I hear aren’t always flattering, but I see what he does and I can’t believe he’s looking for work.

It’s quite possible all this person needs is the ‘right fit’. That fit might be a challenge to find, but it can’t be hard to figure out what the ‘wrong fit’ is (see employers, previous).

But imagine if your team was the right fit? He’s been great. And your team is probably doing pretty well. If you can mix the two together, can you imagine the success?

Yes, it might take a bit of hand-holding and a lot of communication, but wouldn’t that be worth it?

We all know that colleague who was super bright / ambitious / friendly but just didn’t fit in. It might have been the culture. It could have been the boss. It could have been both. Or something different altogether.

Things might have gotten bad before they left, but they eventually ended up leaving and finding something that was more their speed. They found their “right fit” and their success accelerated dramatically (and their teams benefited tremendously!).

Would you take a chance on Carlos Tevez?

 

Carlos Tevez: Welcome to Manchester

 

 
 

Why An iPad Is Better Than A Laptop – 9 Months Later

Nearly two years ago, I purchased the first iPad. I still have it, and haven’t moved to the iPad 2 for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is that the original iPad hasn’t slowed me down at all.

Then, about nine months ago, I wrote up a few notes on why I felt an iPad is better than a laptop. Since we’re nearing the release of the iPad 3, and since I’ve heavily leaned on my iPad while traveling (a lot) over the past week, I thought it’d be a good time to find out if the iPad is indeed still better than a laptop.

After two years of use (LOTS of use, just ask my wife), I still believe the iPad is better than a laptop. In fact, my belief is so much stronger that I think laptops are going away and our use of ‘computers’ will be based on our location.

Here’s how I came to that belief.

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Get On The Web In 5 Days For $87

Ever looked at a website and thought “Gee, I’d like to have my own spot on the web. I wish I knew how to get it all up and running.”?

Today is your lucky day!

I’ve outlined five pieces you’ll need to get started. The do-it-yourself cost is $87. For 12 months.

I’m including some example companies you can use to get up and running. You might be able to get better rates and you might not need all these pieces, but I figured it’s a good place to start.

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Stay In Contact

Too many interruptions from disinterested parties created a chasm from staying in close contact with clients and partners. The inability to keep pace with critical discussions was increasing, and the current solution was only decreasing the amount of time available for these relationship-building opportunities.

As the site / product / service / campaign / solution increased in demand, the number of inbound phone calls increased, which increased the number of missed calls, which meant more time spent wading through voicemails and less time focused on meeting demand.

The Solution

Adopting a directory service allowed the user to take back the control of their communications, and keeping them in contact with their clients and partners.

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Does The Freemium Model Extend To Services?

Borrowing a quote from the Freemium entry on Wikipedia via Fred Wilson:

Give your service away for free, possibly ad supported but maybe not, acquire a lot of customers very efficiently through word of mouth, referral networks, organic search marketing, etc., then offer premium priced value added services or an enhanced version of your service to your customer base.

Fred uses the word “service” but if you look at the post the above quote comes from, service relates to a product or web service.

I’m wondering, if you’re a talented person with an entrepreneurial vision with limited coding / product-building experience / skills, can you instead shift the focus of the business model above from products to services?

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