On Transparency

It's been a while since the last post in my communication-related blog. I've changed job at the beginning of last year and the journey so far has been fast-paced and fantastic and that's my official excuse. I'm lucky enough, however, to draw inspiration from what I do for a living. I've just been through a great week as we've had our kick-off with the executive team and the rest of the organization. This prompted me to reflect on transparency.

According to the Cambridge dictionary, transparency is: "a situation in which business and financial activities are done in an open way without secrets, so that people can trust that they are fair and honest"

This is what I've seen in this company. Executives speaking openly, clarifying the reasons for their choices and making the entire team part of the decision process. I've seen issues being addressed and fixed frankly. I've seen entire groups rejoicing together of great results as they feel part of this.

Transparency wins. It secures hearts and minds. It conquers individuals, teams and companies. Ultimately, it'll be the key to succeed.

Never Give Up on Your Principles for Short Term Results

These days have been very challenging. A dear friend of mine was at the hospital in tough conditions and, by sitting next to him, I've learned a lesson that I'll bring with me for all my life.

Never give up on your principles for short term advantages
Don't worry, I won't start a philosophical discussion, but rather keep it very practical.We live in a world that's narrowly focused on immediate results and the principles we choose in our life are sometimes difficult to live by.

We may be tempted to cosmetize facts to please our boss. We clearly see the short term benefits, but what's the end result? Lost trust can't be considered good, even if accompanied by a bit more money in our pocket. We may use edulcorated words to discuss a recent event and again, an immediate advantages are waiting at the door. However, what happens when the truth is presented by others? The recipients may be confused and draw their conclusions about us.

What do you prefer from others? What do you expect from your best friend? What would you expect from your favorite brand?

Groupon, how to keep a loyal customer (UPDATED)

Dear Groupon,

I've always been a supporter of your site and when I've heard someone complaining about the quality of your services I was with you, on your side. The reason is that I really loved the concept behind Groupon: give power to people trough collective actions.
This simple idea appealed a lot to me and whenever an issue arose, I always gave you the benefit of doubt and said that it wasn't your fault.

Logo of Groupon (Wikipedia)

Then something changed... and a few months ago I bought a set of knives hoping to receive them in less than 20 days as advertised. It was back in January and, as of today, I've never got anything at my place. That could happen, could be merchant's fault.
I started to open an endless chain of tickets to your customer care department and I've usually got two answers: "we're checking with the seller" or "we're working on your refund request" and nobody ever came back to me (ticket numbers #714518, #688063, #687435, #655754, #623462, #596450, etc..). Five months passed.

This lack of meaningful communication and all the time I've spent trying to fix this trivial thing made me really, really, really unhappy. I trusted the Group Promise, what should I do now?

Regards,
Luca


UPDATE (21/05/2012):
The Groupon Team was very responsive to my tweets and provided a refund. I've changed the blog title to "How to keep a loyal customer" as it's how you deal with problems that really makes a difference.
Thanks @groupon @groupon_italia.

Arun Sarin, former Vodafone's CEO, Sharing Leadership Tips

I've just spent an hour of my spare time watching an exceptional UC Berkeley Lecture by Arun Sarin, former Vodafone's CEO. He shared his thoughts on leadership, focusing on four major topics that a leader should always keep in mind. I'll try to summarize some points that I intend to keep in mind.

Strategy
Always look at the big picture, keep an eye on what will be your company in 5,10, 15 years. Try to understand the world and anticipate trends. Comunicate clearly through mission and vision and make sure that every step is in the right direction.

Operations
While a good leader should be strategic, never underestimate the daily operations. Make sure that your customers have a good experience with the company. Be sure that they have the needed attention if an issue arises.

People

Be an overall nice person to work with. Choose the right people in the right place and if something is not working face the issue immediately.

Cross-Culture

We cannot imagine any big corporation working only in a single country. Innovation happens everywhere and we should be acquainted with doing business all around the world. It doesn't means that you should be an expert on country history, but it means that you should respect people and care about them. 

In conclusion I appreciated a thought that he expressed: do your job wholeheartedly, whatever you are doing. If you are carrying bags for someone else, carry these bags well. This is probably the most important tip that he shared, I'll keep it in a drawer of my mind.

I admit that my summary is very short, I may have lost some important points, but you can listen to the podcast by yourself. This is not related to technology, open source or MySQL, but it helps to understand the dynamics of big companies and how the world is changing.

Happy learning,

Luca

Finding the Job you've always dreamed of

OK, I know that this is not really Web2.0, Business, Marketing or Communication related, but I found a very inspiring story about an executive finding a job of his own dreaming.
I'm a lucky guy who has an interesting and fulfilling job, but paving the road for the career of your dreams is something that everyone should get used to, especially in this turbulent times.

His approach was a good one for tough times, so I wanted to pass it along to you. The part of the story that I like is the attitude of the hunter while trying to find a job:

"I visualized what I wanted this position to be like and wrote a list of bullet items about the job and my ideal company."

I completely agree. Each of us, especially in this flat and continuously evolving world, can work to shape a position where he fits perfectly. If you mix your technical skills, leadership attitude, management style, personality and many other qualities, the end result will be a great job.

I'm not saying that you need to leave your current employer or to be fired, I'm just reminding myself that we have a part in our future. Maybe not in every facet, but in some aspects we can. I'd like to conclude with this quote:

"All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible." - Thomas E. Lawrence

It's not easy to dream when you have a family to sustain and you are unemployed, but it's not the time to give up!

Sincerely,

Luca