The Best Recruitment Video Ever

Increasingly agencies and suppliers trade and compete on their attitude and culture. Not so much, 'what they do' but rather 'what they are like to work with'. Of course, that’s the bit that makes them unique. That follows through to recruitment and employee engagement where employers need to make sure that the people they hire reflect their attitude and organisational dna.

This video was recorded a few years ago by Connected Ventures, a group of friends in New York who work for Vimeo, CollegeHumor, Busted Tees, and Defunker. This single video communicates a lot about a bunch of people that a brochure, logo or website can never say. I love it. Whether it’s used as a recruitment tool, a brand statement, an exercise in employee engagement, or – more likely – just something they ‘did for a laugh one night’ it says a lot about the organisation and its people.


And you'll probably watch it and say 'I want to work there' (I did).

Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger from amandalynferri on Vimeo.

Meeting New People

Do you go out of your way to meet new people?

If you work in an organisation living and breathing a single business culture you can get entrenched in a clique hanging out with the same bunch of people, having the same sort of discussions, about the same sort of things. Yawn.

How about going out of your comfort zone to spend time with different people? Crossing those borders can stimulate and enrich your business/ work life in directions you might never have anticipated.

I’ve made a conscious effort to meet new people in 2010. Not as part of some business-development drive but in a desire to enrich my work life, building social capital along the way.

I try to steer clear of traditional networking events because they can feel so contrived. The relationships I established at places like SXSW were inevitably in a bar, on a bus, on a rooftop or on a ‘plane - not in the convention centre. Of course, Twitter is also a great tool for meeting new people, and in the last year I’ve met 20 or 30 people face to face who I first connected with via a tweet. 

When I was reading Tom Peters’ ‘Little Big Things’ on the train yesterday I was reminded that in business "He/She who has the best story wins"; and that’s what meeting new people is all about, hearing their stories, sharing stories and adding to your own story.

Of the new people I met this week, from guests at a 100^th birthday party to someone I met via Twitter, one meeting was actually a reunion with a guy I met when I was a kid on holiday. In Wales in 1978 we met an American family; we kept in touch for a couple of years with the guy who was there with his sister’s family. He went on to become a Superior Court Judge in LA, and last night 32 years on – via Google search - we got reacquainted*. There was no motive for meeting, other than he was a ‘nice bloke’ and it was great to meet properly, to share stories over a glass of wine.

So if you want to grow your network, forget a carefully formulated strategy; instead just open your mind to connect with people you would not usually hang out with.

* Photo: Richard F. Charvat and Ian Sanders, London April 2010

Juggler Stories #3: Rajeeb Dey

My book 'Juggle!' is full of stories from people who have created multi-dimensional work lives that reflect their talents and goals. I love meeting new jugglers; last week I met Raj Dey. Raj only graduated from Oxford University in 2008 but already has carved out an impressive portfolio of business interests. He’s Founder and CEO of Enternships -a service connecting talented students and graduates to start-ups/SMEs; he sits on the Education Advisory Board at Channel 4; he’s a partner at Hereward Peer Ventures; a Trustee of UnLtd; an Advisory Board Member of the UK India Business Council; Founder of the English Secondary Students' Association and last year was named O2 Entrepreneur Of The Year. 

I chatted to him about why he chose to embrace plurality in his working life. Raj has found that having a diverse range of interests is really valuable as he can cross-pollinate ideas and contacts. Here's the video:

If the video above does not display properly, watch it on YouTube here.

David Hieatt's "The Things The Last Ten Years Have Taught Me"

Until last year David Hieatt* was CEO of howies, the outdoor clothing retailer he founded. If you’re a howies customer, you’ll be familiar with some of the touches that make the brand so distinctive. From signs in stores to the catalogue, this is a brand with an attitude and purpose. And it’s refreshingly different.


In their Carnaby Street store in London, I snapped this photograph of the changing room wall. Written by David, it’s “The Things The Last Ten Years Have Taught Me”.

I’ll let it speak for itself (click on the image to enlarge):

* if you’re interested in finding out more about David, check out my post about him on my ‘Unplan Your Business’ website here.

Juggler Stories: #1 Phil Leggetter

I’ve been very lucky in enjoying support from a great bunch of people who read my book 'Juggle!'. In an ad hoc video series I’m meeting some of them for coffee; hearing about their Juggle lives and what they got out of the book. I’m calling it ‘Juggler Stories’. Up first, Phil Leggetter. Phil is a Real-Time Web Software Consultant, team leader, product developer, micropreneur, managing director of a real-time web and social media software company.

Here’s Phil’s story:



If you can’t see the video displayed above, see it on YouTube here

“She was good at serving coffee”: Hiring On Attitude

I asked a client where he’d found his latest recruit.

“She was good at serving coffee”.

He’d met her working part time in a coffee shop and had liked her attitude. Once they got talking and discovered she was looking for a new role, he snapped her up. It wasn’t about her skills, it was her attitude.

And a reminder of the importance of hiring on attitude/culture. Because you can teach skills, but (usually) you can’t teach attitude. Last year I sat in on some interviews where my client was recruiting for a customer-facing role. Every candidate had the right skills and experience, but not everyone had that culture fit.

When I was a manager in my 20s I sometimes took company culture for granted, assuming most candidates could soak it in. I was wrong; I made a couple of hires where the person didn’t fit and that led to issues over productivity and team dynamics. But one hire stands out: the guy had been working at a casino. He had buckets of passion and enthusiasm, a great personality but zero experience. I hired him and we trained him up. All my clients loved him.

Collaborate!

As we reinvent our work lives, more of us are working very differently from our parents’ generation. Lots of us don’t work Monday to Friday in offices anymore, we work from home, from cafes, we work ‘on the road’. That’s all very liberating but it does create challenges for the work-at-homers, the solo-entrepreneurs, the freelancers and the self-employed: yep, it can get lonely.


It’s like Phill Jupitus said to me recently. As a one-man stand up comedy act, gigging could be a lonely business. But now he’s joined the cast of Hairspray he’s really enjoying being part of a team of around 50, comprising crew and cast. And being part of a team feels good.

But it’s not just the social benefit. Teaming up with others is essential for providing more klout on a project or offering. I’ve spent the last week or so meeting lots of new people talking collaboration, thinking about areas where we can team up to develop and implement new projects and ideas.

Have a think about collaboration that can give you that social and business reinvigoration:

- organise a Tweet-up with your social media friends, or arrange to meet up next time you visit their city (I had a lunch last week in Edinburgh with two women I’d met on Twitter; great meeting new people and transferring online relationships into face to face ones).

- Start a neighbourhood coffee club for people in your industry or for like minded souls in your locality

- Collaborate with someone on running a workshop or event

- Partner with someone with complementary skills on an idea or project

- Join a co-working space or membership club to hang out and work alongside others

Remember, collaboration doesn’t have to be about making money; it’s always stimulating meeting new people and working in a team is often more fun than doing it solo. You can be more productive and it can fuel better ideas and results.

Forget Job Titles And Tell It Like It Is

Business – and society at large – has always been obsessed with giving labels to people. ‘What does he do?’ we ask a friend who announces she has a new boyfriend; application forms ask us to put in our job title; and we exchange similar data every time we go on a date, to a dinner party or networking event.


10 years ago when I was Managing Director of a small business, I had that simple 1-dimensional answer for what I did; but now it’s much more complex we have become multi dimensional. Our professional identities need to reflect that plurality – we need to rethink how we describe ourselves. Look at your average Twitter bio and it’s plural not singular: a list of talents, hats we wear, balls we juggle. There are some more creative descriptions too: Kevin Spacey describes himself as the ‘Former shoe salesman now making a go at film and theatre’. Queen Rania is ‘A mum and a wife with a really cool day job’.

Rethinking our identity is at the heart of ‘Juggle!’; as we carve out portfolio careers our personal brands need to reflect and communicate our multi-dimensional talents to the marketplace. That means ditching one or two word job titles and coming up with a phrase or bio that tells it like it is.

The obsession with labels struggles with the notion that people may be talented at more than one thing. It’s like the sportsman and academic Myron Rolle who I heard on Radio 4’s ‘Saturday Live’ at the weekend. Myron was ranked as the number one high school American Football prospect in the United States in 2006. He is also a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University where he is undertaking an MA in medical anthropology. Myron said:

‘Society and people want to categorise you, compartmentalise you as either a jock, a sportsman or an academic, a nerd. Why can’t you do both? Why can’t you …marry both into a wonderful life?’

Gaby Hinsliff is also learning how to deal with her new-found plurality. Having just resigned as Political Editor of the Observer, she wonders how to describe herself now she is carving out a portfolio career. Indeed her blog is called ‘Used To Be Somebody’. She says:

‘The plan is for a portfolio career, juggling several writing and policy projects part-time, but that is still a tricky concept to explain. "I'll just put homemaker, shall I?" said the woman arranging our new mortgage, apologetically. "You don't fit any of the other categories".

So re-think how we communicate and promote our offering. Whether it’s a multi-dimensional sales pitch or a unique blog, we need to create personal brands that reflect our talents. It’s about going beyond a job title to describe ourselves. That may make form-filling in a little more difficult but dinner party exchanges a little more interesting. So tell it like it is!

Me and Gary V: Part 1

Last Friday Gary Vaynerchuk and I took a ride from Heathrow to central London together. Gary had come to London from Hawaii (via LA) to speak at the Future Of Web Apps Conference. Having interviewed Gary in Paris last year (download the video free on iTunes here) and connected again in Texas at SXSW it was great to welcome him to London. I shot two videos with him; one about his new book ‘Crush It’ that I will post on October 20th and this one below.

For anyone who doesn’t know who ‘Gary V’ is, he’s the New York based wine entrepreneur who’s reinvented himself as a social media star. Having made his name presenting the daily wine tasting video blog Wine Library TV , Gary became an expert on social media and web 2.0 speaking at conferences around the world. His first book ‘Crush It: Why Now Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion’ is out this month (part of a $1m multi-book deal), he now runs a consulting business Vaynermedia and has recently launched a wine club website and a food retail website GourmetLibrary.com. He’s a true juggler and he also has about 850,000 more followers on Twitter than me.

In the video Gary talks about:
- the importance of change in his life and business.
- his ‘layer cake’ notion where he juggles a lot of different business interests.
- how social media is changing the agenda for businesses; they can’t dictate to people anymore.
- staying flexible in business and the impossibility of the five year plan.




*If the video is not displaying correctly, you can watch it on YOU TUBE here

Being Direct In Business Relationships

Like any relationship, business ones can get muddied if neither party is clear about what they want or what they are looking for. That can lead to misunderstanding, frustration or conflict.

Being direct upfront about your expectations or requirements can save a lot of grief later on. Whether you’re having an initial meeting with a client or sounding out a supplier, let them know what you’re looking for and/or ask what they want from the relationship.

Tell them what you want:

‘I’m looking for a new supplier’.

‘I’m looking for a new client’.

‘I want to work with you’

‘I’d love a job with you’

Don’t waste time playing games.

It’s like the approach John Chambers, CEO of Cisco takes to meetings:

Meet Mr Chambers in the flesh, and the small talk lasts for about five seconds, until he asks: “What do you expect from this conversation?” (The Economist Aug 29th)

You might think that’s brash. But at least it’s focused. No room for ambiguity.

Don't say 'it's not my job'

Seth Godin had a great blog post the other day entitled ‘All I Do Is Work Here’ about how some people don’t take collective responsibility at organisations – they say, ‘oh no, that’s nothing to do with me, all I do is work here’.

It reminds me of a company that I worked with. They had this really great culture where everyone from the CEO down took full and collective responsibility for what happened at the company. Everyone answered the ‘phones; when a courier turned up anyone who happened to be around would sign for a package; people in finance and admin roles stayed close to the core of the business and ‘got’ what the business did, they knew who the customers were, so they could engage with them too. This created a really strong culture that came to be at the heart of the organisation. But as the company grew, it was decided that there needed to be more organisational structure so workers could be more focused on their respective roles. A mantra of ‘that’s not my job’ was encouraged to focus on individual responsibility.

I don’t like the idea of ‘it’s not my job’. Whatever the size of an organisation, if every part of it can be encouraged to live and breathe what it does; rather than be head-down and siloed in their own role or department, that kind of culture will shine through and can really contribute to a company’s success both internally but also externally.

The Importance Of Customer Engagement.

It’s what we all aspire to – grabbing the customer’s attention and establishing a relationship. Whether you are Blur, Tesco, BMW, a radio station, an author, a freelancer, a small business, or the corner shop you need to engage with the customer. It could be via a download, it could be a TV commercial, it could be a print ad, an email, a video on YouTube, a website, a meeting or a shop window; but whatever the platform, it’s about communicating and connecting with an audience.

Take the shop analogy: you have your shop window to sell your wares but the real potential for engagement comes from when you walk in the shop and connect with the person behind the counter. When they attempt to build a relationship. Whatever the economic challenges of the marketplace in 2009, this is where the independent shopkeepers and boutiques have the potential for the upper hand over the big stores and supermarkets. It’s that personal intimate service that you could rarely get in a huge hypermarket. In a small shop where the proprietor might be in the store herself, and with a constant and small number of staff, meaningful relationships can be established with the customer. The kind of connection that will make you a loyal customer, coming back for more.

Last week I went in to two – very different – (very small) independent shops. The first, to buy some swimwear. I walked in, the shopkeeper was at the till pouring over some paperwork. I attempted to make a connection but he didn’t look up; zero acknowledgement, no hello. There was a rack of items I wanted to browse but a stepladder had been left against it and it was too difficult to look. Sure, I could have asked for help, but there’d been no attempt at engagement so I decided to walk out. #Fail.

Later that day I went in to the Monocle shop in London, a small concept store selling Monocle-branded items and a small selection of menswear and luggage. I was probably in the shop no more than 5 minutes but by the time I left, I’d shaken hands with the shop assistant, we’d exchanged names and we’d talked about the shop, its products, its other stores. He’d initiated that engagement by welcoming me in. Okay I didn’t buy anything that time, but I’ll go back for sure. #Success.

I know consumers have strong views on this subject. Many people tell me they would rather shop in silence than have a shop assistant talk to them. But this is not just about shopping. This is about business and brand relationships, it’s about taking the initiative to engage the customer in that valuable first minute in your store/ on your website/ in the meeting/ wherever.

So make sure your brand, your website, your brochure, your shop – or whatever medium of communication it is – succeeds in engaging with the customer. And don’t do the business of equivalent of not looking up from the counter (and certainly don’t leave the equivalent of a stepladder across your products).

7 Tips To Sharpen Your Job Hunting Skills

In the last couple of weeks I have mentored and advised a handful of people seeking advice in the job market. A woman in her 20s seeking a career change, a senior guy just made redundant, a cousin looking to rediscover a role he feels passionate about. Sure, the job market in 2009 is tough (but when was it ever easy?) but here are some tips to sharpen your job hunting skills:

1) When you’re selling yourself to a prospective employer, it’s all about telling your story so make sure you can knit your career history (however random and disparate) into a narrative. 2) Don’t try and be something you’re not - aim for a role/ company culture that is consistent with your own personality.
3) Make sure you do a good ‘sell’ both in interview and how you communicate your personal brand. Use a blog and tools like Linked In as your shop-window.
4) Don’t just look in the obvious places for jobs; make tailored speculative approaches to companies and brands you are passionate about. Use the internet to research, research, research your targets. You might get lucky.
5) Make the most of your personal contacts, friends & family, because – of course – who you know counts.
6) Be super pro-active and rapid in going for opportunities, in following-up enquiries/ interviews because success might be about who’s quickest and keenest.
7) Try and identify how you are better than the next candidate, what makes you distinctive, what insight or skills make you more valuable?

There’s more job-hunting advice from me in this feature ‘More Skill Than Luck’ in The Guardian from earlier in the year.

The Global Juggle Village

Whether you are a cynic about the concept of ‘The Global Village’ one thing you can’t deny is that the web and tools like Twitter and blogs have made the world a smaller place. Recently I have connected with a whole load of ‘virtual’ friends in the U.S. and with my trip to Austin last month for SXSW, the States is very much becoming part of my 'Juggle!' story. This afternoon (London time) I have just guested on Ray Seggern’s Sunday morning Chillville radio show on Austin’s KROX FM. Ray plays some great music, today's playlist included Elbow, Radiohead, Lily Allen, Beth Orton.

There’s a whole bunch of people over there who have really helped me over here with Juggle, in terms of ‘bigging it up’ and spreading the word. They are all jugglers in their own right, talented people who juggle more than one role in their lives, people who keep it real, who mix up passions in their working life. People like:

My SXSW ‘Core Conversation’ co-presenter, the Chicago-based documentary maker Melissa Pierce whose suggestion it was that I should join her in Texas. She was my catalyst!

To all the cool people I met out at SXSW like Kelly Livesay, David Wiggs, Jeff Slobotski and Thom Singer.

To SXSW organiser Hugh Forrest for his support and getting me on the Barnes & Noble book-signing schedule.

To all the cool people I met online at SXSW (but still have yet to meet proper). People like Espree Devora who has really embraced the Juggle spirit.

To really talented bloggers and writers like Pam Slim, Todd Sattersten, Roxanne Darling.

To Cathy Mosca at Tompeters.com

To Lyn Graft at Club E

You are my Juggle Ambassadors – thank you (there’s loads more people to thank, these are just some of the key ones in the U.S.).

And with the official U.S. release date for 'Juggle!' tomorrow April 20th I’m really grateful for all their kind words, for taking the time to read the book and for embracing its spirit.

* photograph taken by Ian Sanders at Museum Of Modern Art, New York

Keeping It Real Whilst Knowing Your Audience

When it comes to your business style, whether you work for yourself or for a big organisation, I’m a real fan of keeping it real, of being your true self in business relationships. Doing it any other way is just not effective, what’s the point of not being yourself?

But you must remember who your audience is. I’ve had days when I’ve been at The House Of Lords meeting a 'Lord' in the morning and with a nightclub brand in Hoxton in the afternoon. Such is the glorious eclecticism of my client base. But that creates some considerations in how you approach relationships. Your offering and your brand personality may stay the same, but you might have to tailor your language. Not literally, but in how you manage the relationship. You’ll bespoke your message and translate your approach to work in their world. Because what might be everyday language for you might be jargon for them.

Of course this is not news for anyone who does business with people in different territories. In Monday’s FT Zhang Qing offered advice on how westerners should set up business meetings in China. He observed that Chinese businesspeople have a much lower lead-time in planning meetings and schedules; if you were to attempt to schedule an appointment a month or so in advance, it might be suggested that you fix a time once you arrive. Such has been their pace of economic change that one month could be regarded as a long time in the future, so they are much more impromptu.

So whether you are juggling different client sectors, different cultures or just need to respect different client personalities, remember that ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL.

The Most Effective Solutions Are Often The Simplest

Scott Belsky’s session at SXSW didn’t just get me fired up about how to ‘make great ideas happen’ he also got me thinking about how I manage projects and how I use to-do lists.

For any Juggler, lists are a must. I have a series of to-do lists - authored in old and new media - that I use to manage my business. I have played around with different systems and ideas for capturing that project overview of all my different project to-do’s. I love having a one pager that does that for me.

And then a slide in Scott’s presentation caught my eye. He was talking about the importance of tracking progress and actions on projects in a workspace where co-workers could get an idea of what was going on, and what the priorities were.

And then I realised what my overview needed to be. No amazing project management software, no iPhone app, no complex spreadsheet. Just a corkboard, a jotter pad, and a marker pen. A column for each client/ project with key actions/tasks. Now, when I’m back at base I have that overview of what needs doing across all my projects.

A reminder that – of course – the most effective solutions are often the simplest.

* image has been blurred to protect client confidentiality

Spreading Your Company Culture

I’m a firm believer in the importance of brand personality being a key ingredient in any business or individual’s success. By ‘brand personality’, I mean the bit in your offering or your values that marks you out from the crowd. As many have commented before, we live in an abundant marketplace with so many companies offering similar products and services. That’s true for most of my clients so the challenge is identifying, communicating and living that point of difference. For many, the company culture is what sets organisations apart; the spirit that unites its people, where the brand equity is not just in a mission statement, but it runs through all the staff as part of their DNA.

So I was interested to read about a ‘life swap’ concept in the FT where the ad agency Iris was encouraging executives to swap not just roles but also apartments and cities between London and New York. I’ve always been a fan of role swaps because it helps people understand each other’s roles, it aids communication and makes the organisational culture stronger. But this swap goes one stage further; its reason is about spreading culture from one office to another:


Ian Millner, chief executive of Iris, says there are a number of reasons the agency likes to “life-swap” rather than merely job-swap its employees. “Most ad agencies are pretty similar – the only real difference is culture,” he says. “It’s our competitive advantage and it’s very important. So initiatives like the life swap are very powerful tools in making our culture consistent around the world.” [Financial Times, April 6, 2009]

What a great way for spreading and instilling company culture…

Roxanne Darling On Juggling

Roxanne Darling has been creating sometimes daily video blogs at BeachWalks.TV for a couple of years. She juggles that with her business running Barefeet Studios. Recently Roxanne got busy and slowed down the frequency of her Beach Walks videos as she needed to focus on other priorities. Now she’s back with a post about juggling and about ‘Juggle’.

You can watch the video below, on the Beach Walks website or via iTunes here.



I love Roxanne’s work – her unscripted pieces to camera always inspire or get you thinking, and the Hawaii beach is an inspiring backdrop. Great to see my book making its debut on the beach there…

Advice To A London Cabbie: If you hate your job that much, do something about it!

I got in a taxi last week and we got talking. The cabbie had been off ill for a year and was back behind the wheel for the first time that night. I had to update him on road closures and how a junction layout had changed; so much so, I joked he should be sitting in the back and me in the front. He was not happy to be back behind the wheel. In fact he told me that he'd hated being a cabbie for ... wait for it... fifteen years! He really wanted to be a builder, doing loft conversions.

I had to laugh because over the years I have spoken to loads of people who wanted to take the Leap to work for themselves or make a career change. Most had an instinct to take the leap or do something different, while others had just a 10% hunch but knew they needed to take action. But here was a bloke who knew 100% he wanted to do something different; and what's more he hadn't just tolerated something he hated for 15 weeks or 15 months, but 15 years. Gulp! As I handed over my fare, he said he wasn't sure what he should do, should he set up a basic website and start trading, fulfilling his dream? To me, it was unbelievable. If you hate something that much AND if you have a clear yearning for something else, just do it. Go for it!

So I gave him a tip. I told him to live his dream and go for it.

(And then I realised he should have paid me, not the other way around....)

When You're Hiring, Make Sure You Hire On Culture

The thing about SXSW was not neccesarily that I learnt tons of new stuff, but that the panels and speakers articulated what I already felt in a new and powerful way. Case in point: Tony Hsieh of Zappo's keynote included an insight into their recruitment philosophy. They hire - and fire - people on a culture criteria; not just whether they can do a job effectively. So much so that there is a two-tier interview process. The first to see whether the candidate can do the job, the second to see if they fit in with the company ethos.

I have always felt this - all companies should do this.

I've seen so many small businesses trip up when they grow bigger and don't pay attention to whether the candidate has the right spirit to fit in. Sure, they can do the job, but does the person reflect the culture of the organisation, do they have the brand DNA in their personal DNA? Lose the spirit of what makes your company special and you'l lose your edge, your business and ultimately, your clients. It's a defining part of any offering.

I have handfuls of examples of people at all levels who were hired because they were good but failed or jeapordised business success because they didn't fit in. And I have been working with a client who recognises this only too well - which is why they are successful. They've been interviewing for a new role. Seeing loads of people who can do the job well, but no candidates yet who have that 'spark'.

So if you are recruiting, ask yourself does the candidate have the spark? Remember, it may be more important than experience. Because you learn experience but you either have spark or you don't.