Comments on: Lessons From My Childhood – S.P.U.D. http://inflexionadvisors.com/blog/2009/01/12/lessons-from-my-childhood-spud/ Changing HR one post at a time. Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:05:58 +0000 hourly 1 By: mark.stelzner http://inflexionadvisors.com/blog/2009/01/12/lessons-from-my-childhood-spud/comment-page-1/#comment-9278 mark.stelzner Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:45:14 +0000 http://www.inflexionadvisors.com/blog/?p=153#comment-9278 @Naomi Bloom - Changing the rules of the game can be effective so long as everyone understands that the old rules no longer apply. @Robin - Thanks for the comment, and I couldn't agree more that many organizations suffer from the same ailment. Like you, I see a lot of action/reaction in the market and not a lot of thoughtful consideration. @Steve Boese - Great story Steve. It reminds us to think about what role we play in our organization's game. I never really was fond of being in pawn in someone's master plan. @Naomi Bloom – Changing the rules of the game can be effective so long as everyone understands that the old rules no longer apply.

@Robin – Thanks for the comment, and I couldn’t agree more that many organizations suffer from the same ailment. Like you, I see a lot of action/reaction in the market and not a lot of thoughtful consideration.

@Steve Boese – Great story Steve. It reminds us to think about what role we play in our organization’s game. I never really was fond of being in pawn in someone’s master plan.

]]> By: Steve Boese http://inflexionadvisors.com/blog/2009/01/12/lessons-from-my-childhood-spud/comment-page-1/#comment-9273 Steve Boese Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:41:44 +0000 http://www.inflexionadvisors.com/blog/?p=153#comment-9273 In my experience coming from a tech consulting background, when most of us were just starting out we were strongly encouraged to specialize, to become expert in a very narrow range. At the time many of us thought that was a good thing, you could conquer your focus area and become an 'expert'. The truth was the consulting firm had it in their best interests to sell projects with a dozen 'experts', instead of three or four 'generalists' who would have had enough knowledge to get the job done, as well as been better prepared for the inevitable 'big red ball' that would head their way. Really interesting post, Mark. In my experience coming from a tech consulting background, when most of us were just starting out we were strongly encouraged to specialize, to become expert in a very narrow range. At the time many of us thought that was a good thing, you could conquer your focus area and become an ‘expert’. The truth was the consulting firm had it in their best interests to sell projects with a dozen ‘experts’, instead of three or four ‘generalists’ who would have had enough knowledge to get the job done, as well as been better prepared for the inevitable ‘big red ball’ that would head their way. Really interesting post, Mark.

]]> By: Robin - FiredUP Careers http://inflexionadvisors.com/blog/2009/01/12/lessons-from-my-childhood-spud/comment-page-1/#comment-9271 Robin - FiredUP Careers Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:41:29 +0000 http://www.inflexionadvisors.com/blog/?p=153#comment-9271 Your comment to 'stop and take stock' is so important. I am working with so many clients right now who can only think of jumping immediately back into the game (where hence, they may be hit by the ball again - and be just as unprepared as before). Of course, getting a new job and paying the bills is a massive priority. But, by stepping back, taking a breath and opening up some space to explore 'what you want to have next' can make getting that job and paying those bills a much simpler, more enjoyable and enlightening process. Thanks for the post. Robin Ogden http://www.firedupcareers.com Your comment to ‘stop and take stock’ is so important. I am working with so many clients right now who can only think of jumping immediately back into the game (where hence, they may be hit by the ball again – and be just as unprepared as before). Of course, getting a new job and paying the bills is a massive priority. But, by stepping back, taking a breath and opening up some space to explore ‘what you want to have next’ can make getting that job and paying those bills a much simpler, more enjoyable and enlightening process.

Thanks for the post.

Robin Ogden
http://www.firedupcareers.com

]]> By: Naomi Bloom http://inflexionadvisors.com/blog/2009/01/12/lessons-from-my-childhood-spud/comment-page-1/#comment-9264 Naomi Bloom Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:43:36 +0000 http://www.inflexionadvisors.com/blog/?p=153#comment-9264 As a child of the 50's, I learned a different lesson but one that's equally applicable to one's career -- and it's a lesson that I've returned to many times. In the 50's, the only defined standard of success for a girl was to be ornamental. Well, I wasn't. So, I could either view myself as a failure according to the then conventional wisdom or change the rules of the game to ones that worked better for me. And that's exactly what I did and have done ever since. Great examples of this behavior in our industry include (1) PeopleSoft's effective marketing of client/server, thus making everything not client/server look dated and undesireable, (2) Workday's doing the same for multi-tenant SaaS at the ERP level of enterprise software (others have done the same, e.g. for SME ERPs and for enterprise CRM, but Workday is arguably first to declare themselves as aiming for Oracle and SAP), and (3) Exult's creating a big return for their investors around end-to-end HRO (a business which others are still trying to address profitably even as Exult was more July 4th fireworks than durable business model). As a child of the 50′s, I learned a different lesson but one that’s equally applicable to one’s career — and it’s a lesson that I’ve returned to many times. In the 50′s, the only defined standard of success for a girl was to be ornamental. Well, I wasn’t. So, I could either view myself as a failure according to the then conventional wisdom or change the rules of the game to ones that worked better for me. And that’s exactly what I did and have done ever since. Great examples of this behavior in our industry include (1) PeopleSoft’s effective marketing of client/server, thus making everything not client/server look dated and undesireable, (2) Workday’s doing the same for multi-tenant SaaS at the ERP level of enterprise software (others have done the same, e.g. for SME ERPs and for enterprise CRM, but Workday is arguably first to declare themselves as aiming for Oracle and SAP), and (3) Exult’s creating a big return for their investors around end-to-end HRO (a business which others are still trying to address profitably even as Exult was more July 4th fireworks than durable business model).

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