This has been discussed frequently on this blog and has bugging me for a while. Jonathan Fields (@jonathanfields on Twitter and blog is here) pointed me to this post at Mashable that states Social Media investment is predicted to hit 3.1 Billion in the next several years. That has crystallized my frustration with the status quo.

For me?

I see two faces to Social Media

Face Number One

This is the face we commonly talk about. The externally focused, outside the firewall  methods for building brand awareness, customer loyalty, keeping a finger on the pulse of our brand, and reaching out for marketing, service, customer input, and communications purposes.

For face number one, we can usually look at our existing methods of marketing management, plus utilize our existing marketing metrics and tools for an ROI calculation.

Face Number Two?

For want of a better term, let me call it the inside the firewall digital water cooler.

In the same way you replaced the four seat cafeteria tables with larger ones, spread out impromptu conference rooms, and opened up your facility spaces.

You did this to remove the barriers to communication and collaboration, improve informal communication paths and methods, and work on the probability that ad-hoc idea exchanges occur.

To me, face number two needs a different language. It needs different ROI calculations. Because at the end of the day, face number two is a numbers game.

Can we lump both of these faces under one single (vague) umbrella?

Or can we linguistically divorce inside from outside?

Divorce brand from water cooler?

Divorce marketing from a numbers game?

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A July / August 2009 Harvard Business Review Article (subscription required) by Dan Ariely regarding the idea that much of the problem with this economic crisis was that too much emphasis on silly things such as rational human thought.

Standard Economic theory assumes human beings are capable of making rational decisions

Hmmm,

Two decades ago in the text In Search Of Excellence Peters and Waterman stated;

We have argued that man is strikingly irrational……… management practice seldom takes these foibles and limitations into account

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The Canadian Prairies are in a drought, and here in Eastern Canada we can’t seem to get more than a day or two without cold and rain (13C 55F) and rain again this AM

Maybe this will be another year that summer forgot……

anyway – back to business!

As a small to medium business, there is still much we can learn from the trials and tribulations of larger organizations.

I have always tried to learn from the ‘big kids’, so throughout my time in IT, even as I have worked in SME’s, I have kept up with the IT challenges at our larger kindred.

Also, as our clients are often large business, knowing their challenges can always help. (and not just in IT)

One example?

I have experience working with and implementing ISO 9000 Process Management Frameworks, it was not that we as a SME needed it directly, but it was mandatory for our Global 2000 customer base.

In our SMB case?

The scale may be different, but the principles can often be the same.

If you see that implementing a particular control can save a multi-billion dollar company ‘X’ millions, do the math with your own revenue. And then look at the result in terms of a FTE (full time equivalent) salary.

The following post titled; A rational CapEx purchase and tracking process for IT by Peter Kretzman is a case in point. (On my blog, type budget, or capex in the search box for many posts on that topic for SME’s)

In that post, Mr. Kretzman defines the minimum elements required to ensure your capital expenses in IT are properly managed within your strategic management and planning process.

It all goes back to Management 101: plan the work, then work the plan

Good Stuff

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Back in this post titled; Who is paying the Bills? I was stating that your customer is important, and that aligning objectives towards your customer is key.

Tim Walker at Hoover’s puts it ever so succinctly; Customer ANYTHING. Go check it out!

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Reaching Balance?

I was reading an industry trade magazine. (A hard hit industry in this recession)

In talking with some people, the comment came that there was no bad news in the periodical, but no good news in it either.

After months of just bad news, maybe that signals the bounce!

Like a see-saw – maybe we are reaching the balance?

Who knows?

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Photo Credit Joe Shlabotnik via flickr

A fairly scary eWeek revelation regarding theft of corporate data with a Symantec sponsored survey, performed by the Ponemon Institute.

The piece that I wanted to reference in this blog is this one (empasis mine);

Equally troubling from an IT security perspective is that almost a quarter of the participants had the ability to access data even after they left the company, with 32 percent of these respondents admitting they accessed the system and their credentials worked.

The SMB Takaway

That survey identified that almost 60% of individuals kept corporate data after leaving.

You can definitely make sure that they don’t keep it because they are still accessing your systems after they are gone.

Data Theft

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Photo Credit vernhart  via flickr

First, especially in this economy, I don’t want to make light of anyone losing their job

But let me tell you a story.

I was talking to a Regional Business Development Manager for a Fortune 1000 sized global organization. One of his largest customers (this customer would be a sizable business in the SME space – but as it is a low tech business, IT requirements are not complex) was being stonewalled by this IT staffer with excuses on how difficult some little change was .

A web based tool that this SME was using had some default settings that was causing customer difficulties and causing lost sales.

After about 4 months, it took an end-run around this IT staffer to fix (in minutes) the problem.

Now, apparently, there were previous incidents, but this was the straw that caused the termination.

Could, this staffer have been really over his head? Possibly, I will never know.

But I would be willing to bet that this SME business broke every tenet that I write about here. Abdicating IT, not delegating. IT not being part of the conversation.

But at the end of the day, IT staff are there for one reason. To support and advance the business. Stonewalling is not acceptable.

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Don’t strive for perfection; that takes too long. Just be better at what you do than everyone else.

June 29th Robert Levin  THE REPORT BLOG

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David Meerman Scott has a fantastically contrarian post titled; Everybody Is Wrong

What conventional wisdom that “everybody knows” can you challenge?

For leaders in the SMB space – I challenge you to challenge yourself on what everybody knows!

Here is why!

Everybody knows exactly what service or product you provide in one glance at your web site. Or do they? Enter in ignorance and take a second look.

Everybody knows what you meant when you outlined the project in that kick off meeting right? Or do they? Hint: communication is only complete when the message is understood. Which in some circumstances can be less then 35% of the time.

Everybody knows that your initiative is high priority right? Or do they? If there is not one individual accountable for facets of it – it is only a good intention.

The SMB Takeaway

Don’t Forget the Basics.

Every body may not know

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A great conversation happening in two parts with Tim Walker at  Hoover’s Business Insight Zone

Mr. Walker starts out referencing Atlantic Monthly’s recent article, Do CEOs Matter? in this post titled; Who’s the best CEO in America?

It is followed up by expanding on comments to that first post in this; This is why I love blogging

So lets back up a bit, as a CEO (or general manager) in the SMB space, does leadership matter?

I say it does

And to back up that statement, let me paint a little picture.

Have you ever seen a horse race?

Second, have you ever seen a horse race where an unfortunate jockey has fallen off of the horse?

If you haven’t, the riderless horse does not not stop and turn around, it does not take its saddle and bridle and walk home.

That riderless horse keeps going in the race.

It keeps on with the herd!

But by itself?

By itself, Here is what is won’t do

It won’t find a seam to get through the obstacles, or take to that inside rail either.

For that?

For that it need the experienced hands of the jockey to point the way.

And a leaderless business can just follow along the track too. The business does not implode in seconds, it lopes along (usually in mediocrity.)

Leadership is just that. Hands on the reins to provide the adjustments and ideas necessary to win that race. Guiding through that seam, or providing that incentive and drive to get to that inside rail.

PS, look closely at this image, yes the jockey has fallen – if you can’t quite see it, click the link, the image owner has it highlighted

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Photo Credit Michael Spencer via flickr