Monthly Archives: July 2010

United Breaks Guitars (The Trilogy): 10 Million Views, All Thanks To You!

Last week, and three weeks ago, I reminded you that the one year anniversary of the first video release was this week (on Tuesday, July 6), that Dave was closing fast on 10,000,000 views, and that with your support we could get him there and send airlines everywhere a strong message.

I’m happy to report that, thanks to the international date line, Dave made it. (When the editor checked Tuesday night in his time zone, Dave was just views away, crossing it the next morning in the editor’s time zone, when it was still Tuesday in Samoa). Moreover, the counters are still climbing, which is very important as it seems that, as a whole, the airlines really haven’t gotten the message. (Delta is smashing bicycles of volunteers who TriAndGiveADam and who are working hard to make sure children in Africa have clean drinking water, and refusing to even refund the $200 “we’ll keep your luggage safe” fee.)

 

As of today, we’re at:

United Breaks Guitars Views (June 29, 2010)
Song 1  8,791,174
Song 2  1,044,613
Song 3  180,778
TOTAL  10,016,565

 

I encourage you to revisit these videos and share the links regularly. They’re good songs, even if they’re not your musical style, they’re a rallying point for the bad customer service we continuously get from the airlines (as echoed by Brian Sommer in his post on Eat that Cookie!), and I’m sure not enough people have enjoyed song 3, which is every bit as good as song 1 both in lyrics and video production quality (it’s funny!).

If You Really Want Communities to Work, Encourage Them!

The Harvard Business Review recently ran a well written and well argued article on how to “harness your staff’s informal networks” (subscription or purchase required) that was thought provoking, but a little too involved for my liking. While the methodology may be appropriate for many organizations, it violates the KISS principle. You don’t need an eight (plus) pronged methodology to make communities work. It can be as simple as one-two-three.

  1. Provide a home for the community.If you’re a multinational, make sure the participants have the online tools and technologies they need to meet and collaborate. If you’re a small company in a single building, make sure there are rooms available on a regular basis. There’s no one-size-fits-all home, so it’s important that you buy the right one for the community you want to create.
  2. Enable participation.Don’t just encourage participation, enable participation. Make sure your people have the time to contribute. Take a lesson from Google, and make sure your employees have 10% to 20% of their time free to focus on community projects and initiatives. That’s how you create communities that innovate and generate real results.
  3. Recognize and reward contribution.Recognize those who maximize their community contributions and those who go beyond the required commitment levels, regardless of whether their contributions get used or not. The true value of a community materializes over time as it’s collective knowledge, and knowledge base, enables and inspires others to greater heights. Even an almost-there solution has value, especially if it contains a distinct idea or process that can be applied to a similar problem that arises down the road.

That’s all there is to it. Really.

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Is Decision Making Really a Seven Step Process?

While some decisions are difficult, I always thought the process of decision making was itself pretty straight-forward:

  1. Identify the Decision that Needs to Be Made
  2. Identify the Alternatives
  3. Select the Best Optionconsidering the advantages, disadvantages, facts, and goals

but according to a recent article in the Supply Chain Management Review, “putting the structure in decision making” is a complex seven step process:

  1. Frame and describe the situation about which a decision is to be made.
  2. Define the objective(s) of the decision and the criteria that define the objectives.
  3. Extract obligatory criteria.
  4. Creatively identify decision options that meet all obligatory criteria.
  5. Gather information on decision alternatives, and develop the judgment table.
  6. Assign weights to the obligatory criteria.
  7. Rank alternatives.

Wow! No wonder some organizations can never make a decision! If they even make it to step for, they’re too exhausted to continue!

Identifying the alternatives and figuring out which is best overall against multiple criteria is often hard enough — don’t make it harder than it has to be!

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The Most Overlooked Risk in Your Energy Supply Chain Just Got Worse!

And I’m still not talking about volcanic eruptions — which could bury or clog your production facilities with ash, a terrorist attack — which could blow up a pipeline, or plain old management incompetence — which could result in a poorly maintained drilling station blowing up, but suicidal Sciurus Carolinensis, who, over the past few months, has knocked out substations in Ohio and Florida (NWF Daily News).

Now it seems that these organized little critters have figured out that they can’t always do it themselves and have recruited procyon lotor to help with those “well-protected” substations that need some extra muscle. A few days ago, in Memphis (WSVN.com), an acrobatic and mean-spirited raccoon climbed over more than 30 feet of barriers to short-curcuit a switch on a substation and knock out power to 8,000 customers, including two hospitals the newspaper, for over five hours.

It would appear that things are getting dangerous over the hedge now that squirrels and raccoons are working together. If you’re not ready, your energy supply chain could be next!

 

Partners in Terror

 

California Squirrels

Hammy falls asleep while watching MTV …

To the tune of California Gurls*1 by Katy Perry and featuring Snoop Dogg.

Greetings loved ones
Let’s take a journey

I know a place
Where the grass is really greener
Warm, wet and wild
There must be something in the water

Sippin’ berry juice
Laying underneath the palm trees (chillin’)
The coons
On the move
Trying to surf the mighty waves (all day)

You could travel the world
But nothing comes close
to the golden coast
Once you party with us
You’ll be falling in love
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

California squirrels
We’re unforgettable
Shirley Temples
Umbrellas on top
Sun-kissed fur
So hot
We’ll melt your popsicle
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

California squirrels
We’re undeniable
Fine, fresh, furry
We got it on lock
West coast represent
Now put your hands up
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

Fun on the beach
We got sand in our palmettos
We freak
In my jeep
Snoop Coony Coon on the stereo (oh oh)

You could travel the world
But nothing comes close
to the golden coast
Once you party with us
You’ll be falling in love
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

California squirrels
We’re unforgettable
Shirley Temples
Umbrellas on top
Sun-kissed fur
So hot
We’ll melt your popsicle
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

California squirrels
We’re undeniable
Fine, fresh, furry
We got it on lock
West coast represent
Now put your hands up
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

Toned, Tanned
Fit and ready
Turn it up cause its gettin’ heavy
Wild, wild west coast
These are the squirrels I love the most

I mean the ones
I mean like they’re the ones
Don’t diss ’em
Or parti pris ’em
They’re lots of fun

The squirrels are freaks
They form their own cliques
The coons on the beach
They’re okay
They won’t play
They love the Bay
Just like they love LA
Venice beach
and Palm Springs
Summer time is everything

Homeboys
Hangin’ out
All that fur
Hanging out
Zucchinis, tankinis, martinis
No weenies
Just a king
and a queen-ie

Hammy, gone glam-ie
(yeah)
now look at ’em, Vern-ie
(uh huh)
We’re all up on ’em
Cause they representin’ California too
(ohhh yeah)

California squirrels
We’re unforgettable
Shirley Temples
Umbrellas on top
Sun-kissed fur
So hot
We’ll melt your popsicle
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

California squirrels
We’re undeniable
Fine, fresh, furry
We got it on lock
West coast represent
Now put your hands up
Oooooh Oh Oooooh
(California, California)

California squirrels
I wish they all could be
California squirrels
(California)
I really wish
You all could be
California squirrels
(California, squirrels*2)

*1 Sourcing Innovation is not responsible for any effects, adverse or otherwise, that result from watching the video.

*2 the doctor is not sure what’s worse, California Squirrels or Terror Squirrels!