Core Values
My first assignment of Business Ethics is to create a core values statement for a fictional international company, one page maximum. Here it goes:
Our Core Beliefs
The long-term success of our company is rooted in our seven core beliefs:
1. We believe the diversity of our employees are our greatest asset, that every person should be equally valued and respected.
2. We believe in a relentless focus on meeting the needs of our customers through a commitment to continuous innovation and a focus on the long-term.
3. We believe our company is a member of society, and are thus obligated to volunteer our time and improve the communities in which we do business.
4. We believe in fairness for our stakeholders, and must ensure that we maintain a healthy profit to provide them with an equitable return on investment.
5. We believe that innovation is source of long-term value. We commit to taking risks, intentionally failing along the way, in order to maximize our collective potential.
6. We believe that our relationships with external partners can be a source of competitive advantage, and must strive to achieve mutual respect and trust in our partnerships.
7. We believe that we should strive to minimize our impact on the natural world. We depend on the health of our environment, it is our greatest treasure.
Not bad, eh? I’m not sure why I settled on 7. I know in the U.S. that is seen by many as a lucky number, but I’m not sure if it is seen that way around the world. Remember, in this assignment I was asked to create a core values statement for an international company. I’m not sure if the number 7 will translate properly worldwide. And furthermore, I wonder whether these values are universal or whether I am biased by my western / American beliefs…
During the class the professor asked if we had our own personal set of beliefs. I was one of the few that raised a hand. I do keep a collection of core beliefs. They aren’t so much core beliefs, but what I call “rules to live by”. Whenever I do something wrong, I try to write it down. I create a rule, which can be applied in the future, that will help me avoid that ‘wrong’ behavior in the future. I’m not ready to publish them now, but perhaps in the future, when I have a good list, I will share these rules on the site.
Thanks for reading!
Mountain Biking Again
First time on my mountain bike in two years…I’m instantly reminded why I fell in love with it in the first place
Six Mile Run - January 7 2012
What a View!
I love the view from the office in NYC!
Looking East from the West Side
What Does Surfing Feel Like?
One of my best rides during Hurricane Igor, 2010
To me surfing is more than just being on the wave. I enjoy every single aspect of the sport – from pre-session stretches, to watching the surf to locate a good paddle out spot, to timing the sets on the paddle out, to the thrill of being in the lineup and watching the rollers come in when it’s going off, to a well executed duck dive when a massive lip is about to snap you in half…and then there is the actually feeling I get when riding the wave which can not really be compared to anything else.The actual act of surfing a wave is most exhilarating when I am racing down the line on a wall or getting covered up. I’ve never been one to try and pull airs or shred the waves to pieces; I prefer to just flow with the wave, get some speed, and do some nice smooth turns up and down the face with the occasional cutback. Truly, the rush comes from being one with the ocean’s energy…some may think that I’m sounding like a surf bum…but every wave rider knows what I’m talking about!
Mind Blown
Utterly mind-blowing footage of Teahupoo! My favorite parts start at 1:50 and 6:30.
I need to pick up one of these ultra slow motion cameras!
More Surfing Videos
Teahupoo is located here:
View Larger Map
Running
Not me 
a stock photo
I was running yesterday and got into that wonderful state of mind where everything is in sync…breathing was calm and collected…rhythmic landing of one foot after the next…loose upper body simply being carried by my legs…not even feeling the cold air…felt great like my body was built to run! Every time I am dreading the after-work workout I need to remember this feeling that comes mid-run.
No More Outlook Notifications!
I just turned off ALL Outlook notifications for new mail items.
No more desktop notification,
no more icon in the task bar,
no more sound,
no more notification at all!
An easy change that I’m hoping will help me stay more focused on my tasks and not distracted by the never-ending stream of e-mails arriving in my Inbox.
Here is a step-by-step for Outlook 2007:
- Click Tools –> Options
- Click Email Options
- Click Advanced Email Options
- Clear the check boxes for every item under “When New Items Arrive in My Inbox”
Innovation is big in business today. Everyone wants to innovate. The first step of innovation is ideation. The ideation process can take multiple forms and can be faciliated in multiple ways. Below are five ideation tools that you can use to formulate new ideas.
1. Classic Brainstorming
Most are familiar with brainstorming, so I feel no need to explain the general process. However, remember these tips to ensure you maximize you or your team’s ideation session.
Defer Judgment: Do not judge ideas as they are shared. In fact, it may be better to wait until after the brainstorming session before discussing them at all.
Go for Quantity: Set a time limit and a goal for the number of ideas to come up with.
Don’t Limit Your Imagination: It’s easier to bring a wild idea back down to reality than to make a tame idea compelling.
Build on Ideas: Keep momentum moving forward and push the boundaries of your imagination.
2. The Scamper Method
This tool takes an existing idea and turns it on its head. It is useful when you want to take an existing product offering or technology and use it as a catalyst of a new idea.
Take an idea and then ponder these questions:
Substitute: What component can be substituted from the existing idea? What process or component can be used instead?
Combine: Can this idea be combined with other ideas or marketplace offerings? Can we combine purposes, applications, or materials?
Adapt: What else is like this? Is there an existing offering that can be adapted to fit this idea?
Modify: What can you add or increase? How can you change the meaning, primary use of, or purpose? What can you subtract, shrink, streamline?
Put to Other Uses: What else can it be used for? What other markets might be interested in this idea?
Eliminate: What can you get rid of or omit? What can you do without?
Rearrange: What if you rearranged or reversed patterns or assumptions? What can you interchange, transpose, or reconnect?
3. Silent Brainstorming
Each person on the team takes a sheet of blank paper, draws three columns, and writes the business challenge / question at the top of the sheet. Then, without talking, each person writes down one idea in each column. When finished, each person tosses their sheet into the center of the table, and then grabs someone else’s sheet. Team members then complete the second row on their new sheet and toss it back into the center of the table. This swapping of sheets should continue for a set period of time or until a set number of swaps. This is a great way to get a variety of ideas very quickly.
4. In Their Shoes
Take a mental excursion to find a new perspective from which ideas can be generated. This exercise can help if you have a specific market segment, consumer group, or business challenge in mind. Sit back, relax, and close your eyes. Put yourself in the shoes of the consumer group that is targeted by your idea. Imagine the sights, sounds, tastes, feelings of the consumer; use all of your senses. Reflect on your thoughts and how they relate to the idea. Or perhaps put yourself in the minds of an imaginary consumer and think about that person’s traits, personality, world-view, demographics, etc.
5. Forced Connections
This is a great exercise for getting your creative juices flowing, because it forces team members to find a relationship between the challenge and seemingly unrelated topics. To start this exercise, each team members visits a site such as http://google.com/images and select a random image. It can be anything, the more unique the better. Then take turns discussing each image. Brainstorm a list of the attributes, qualities, characteristics, and feelings associated with each object in the image. Discuss how each of these items may relate to your business challenge / need.
My marketing textbook states there are 10 types of entities that one can market:
Physical Goods, such as groceries, automobiles, computers, and appliances
Services, such as airlines, hotels, banking, law, and healthcare
Events, such as the Super Bowl, NASCAR, and Olympics
Experiences, such as Six Flags, Disney World, and Exotic Vacations
Persons, such as celebrities, politicians, and CEOs
Places, such as Atlantic City, New York, and Las Vegas
Properties, which includes both real estate and financial properties (stocks, bonds, mutual funds)
Organizations, such as the Red Cross, and Corporate brands such as DuPont and GE
Information, such as books, and research from schools or consulting firms such as Gartner
Ideas, such as “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires” and “Just Say No to Drugs”
Upon reading this passage in the book my immediate thought is that companies are simultaneously engaging in the marketing of multiple categories.
Take Disney for example:
- They market the Idea that Disney World is where “Dreams Come True”
- They market their Persons (characters) such as Mickey Mouse, Daffy Duck, and Goofy
- They market Disney World as a Place, or destination, for people of all ages
- They market Disney World as a memorable Experience for families
In fact, the company engages in marketing activities that span across all categories.
What I like about this categorization is that it forces one to think in multiple dimensions about what they are marketing. As shown in with the Disney example, a company is more than the products that it sells, and an effective marketing strategy will address all of the entities that are applicable to how consumers engage and perceive an organization.
While I agree that all of these entities are marketable, are there perhaps more categories that the authors’ omitted? Something to ponder…
Delicious is Saved!
Earlier this year it leaked that Yahoo was shutting down their Delicious social bookmarking service. This caused quite a stir among existing users, including myself. Bloggers and tech websites covered the story and many published articles on alternatives to Delicious. Assuming the service was shutting down, many users migrated to other platforms such as Diigo and Evernote. I experimented with both, but settled on Evernote.
This morning Yahoo sent an e-mail to all users to inform them that Delicious had been purchased by the founders of YouTube, and would continue to live on.
The letter is below. Will I return to Delicious? I’m not sure, it depends on what type of service AVOS offers. If it is more compelling than Evernote I may switch. It’s good to know that Delicious will continue though because I’m sure many users preferred it’s simplicity over alternatives such as Diigo and Evernote.
The letter:
Dear Delicious User,
Yahoo! is excited to announce that Delicious has been acquired by the founders of YouTube, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. As creators of the largest online video platform, Hurley and Chen have firsthand expertise enabling millions of consumers to share their experiences with the world. Delicious will become part of their new Internet company, AVOS.
To continue using Delicious, you must agree to let Yahoo! transfer your bookmarks to AVOS. After a transition period and after your bookmarks are transferred, you will be subject to the AVOS terms of service and privacy policy.
Reasons to let Yahoo! transfer your bookmarks
• Continue uninterrupted use of Delicious.
• Keep your Delicious account and all your bookmarks.
• Enjoy the same look and feel of Delicious today plus future product innovations.
What happens if you do not transfer your bookmarks
• Delicious in its current form will be available until approximately July 2011.
• After that, you will no longer be able to use your existing Delicious account and will not have
access to your existing bookmarks or account information.
About AVOS
AVOS is a new Internet company founded by Chad Hurley and Steve Chen who, in 2005, founded YouTube, the world’s largest online video platform. Before YouTube, Hurley and Chen were early employees at PayPal, a leading online payment service that is now part of eBay. Delicious will become a part of AVOS, based in San Mateo, California.
Learn more about moving your bookmarks.
Thank you for using Delicious. Yahoo! has appreciated having you with us, and we are pleased to be able to transfer Delicious to an incredible new owner — you’re in good hands.
The Yahoo! Delicious Team