Somabus

It’s a funny thing to work at a major corporation. By older definitions respect was demanded, and it showed in definable ways. Perhaps the modern workplace does not show this in such a tangible form. There is value in knowing that you can walk into the VP’s office with any questions you may have. There is value in remaining humble from the top down.

Mavericks at work posted an article essentially highlighting the necessity for overzealous young minds to cool their jets a little bit. Utilizing a new term coined by Jane Harper at IBM, Humbition, they describe the value in having both ambition and humility.

There certainly is a rampant market for new and ambitious talent, and it is worth noting that this drive extends beyond the tech based markets. Perhaps this vacuum is creating obnoxious young employees with great bonus and options packages. To battle this scenario Harper created an IBM internship atmosphere which highlighted the power of groups over the individual. These programs have worked well for IBM, but rather than framing the younger generation as a problem child why not overhaul the entire corporate culture.

Servant leadership is not a new idea in corporate culture, but it certainly is a successful one. Rather than placing employees new to the work environment through a “humbling” boot camp, why not revamp the entire system. I would argue that the entire company would benefit from an environment which stresses servant leadership. You will be successful when a new hire can feel completely comfortable walking right into the VP’s office to ask a question. Young employees will emulate what they see.

A year or so ago I was having a conversation with a friend when we both realized that the AOL Instant Messenger had really lost its place in our lives. For some the Yahoo! program was more prevalent. Regardless of your preference, there was a time when you simply expected everyone to be available by IM. Companies utilized it, family members, friends, and flirting via AIM even seemed to take on its own form.

Today, it is dead. Gone with AOL and Compuserve. Replaced by the less geographically restrictive text messages, and the more hip Facebook. If I were to purchase a new computer today it would not even occur to me to download an IM program of any sort. In fact, it is amusing to log on and remember what it was like.

As Dorothy may say, “My, things come and go quickly here”….

Everyone knows someone who loves crushed ice, the ice that seems to be softer and comes in small pellets. Nobody dislikes crushed ice. You either love it, or it doesn’t bother you.

Neal Stewart makes a good point about Coke’s potential to promote sales by furthering the crushed ice cause. Sonic has built a default brand around “Sonic Ice” after the nugget like ice it serves.

Is there a “crushed ice” in your industry? Do you serve it?

When the Muslims fought for their causes in Chechnya, Afghanistan, and other hot beds, they used weapons from Russia, Israel, and the U.S. Their money circulated the globe procuring Soviet ammunition, and feeding European economies. Today the story is still very much the same. The cause of Jihad takes on an industry unto itself, and money changes hands, currencies, and national boundaries.

The turn of the century found the Muslim world at a time when there was little significant struggle outside of isolated internal warfare. The Islamic war machine had slowed, many well trained and battle proven soldiers found themselves without a cause. That is, until a cause was created. The September 11th attacks gave the militant arm of extreme Islam a new cause, and a new enemy.

A new international front gave new lifeblood to the decades old Islamic Jihad mercenary armies. With the lessons of previous conflicts now embedded in a worldwide network of Muslim extremists, that industry could begin to sustain itself again. Western corporations found life in this conflict as well. New forms of mercenaries and profit were to be found in business like Black Water and Executive Outcomes. These professional military outlets would serve those who have a zeal for war. And just as the Muslims train their soldiers to excel in particular combat, we also train ours. No doubt it is these companies which will hold the expertise in future conflicts.

A corporation with no market will soon die, perhaps one solution is to create your markets. As Black Water says, innovation begins with experience, and this may double for jihad.

Sometimes the best employees don’t want to be managers.

Or maybe a good team doesn’t need to have meetings.

You will notice that there are some great companies that simply do not advertise.

Some Exec’s of great companies do not worry about titles. (One of the only times I may agree with Cramer).