Business

Elements of a Top-Notch Culture

/ Josh Green / 2 Comments

Startup Stock PhotosAs I was writing about how cultures can be established, I began to think about the cultures I have experienced throughout my career. Thankfully, I have been a part of many very positive cultures, which is what I will discuss here. However, negative cultures exist in many companies, but I will save my thoughts on that subject for another post. I look back at what I have experienced in order to build a framework for any future company a work for or build myself. Below are the ideas and practices that I feel make the largest impact on a company’s culture (in no particular order).

Unlimited Days Off: A practice from a former employer that meant a lot to me was not having a set number of days off for the year. This was an incredible amount of trust placed on individual employees and allowed for an excellent level of work/life balance. Studies have shown that these policies end up yielding fewer days off taken, on average, per year compared to individuals with a set number, but the job satisfaction in those with no limit is higher. I believe the reason for this is the comfort of knowing those days are always there if you need them. For me, I ended up taking about 15-20 days off over a six-year period. That’s not to say I didn’t take a lot of half days, but I was also highly productive and never worried about the time I spent working or taking off. I found a great article that lays out reasons this can and cannot work with different companies.

Autonomy: Trust is a major factor when it comes to job satisfaction. One of the aspects that has allowed me to be the most engaged is autonomy to completely control the work that I am responsible for. This really does take an incredible amount of trust, especially for a new employee. It comes down to making sure your hiring process is excellent. However, the results prove, at least to me, that the effects of autonomy allow for higher-level results. That is not to say that mistakes are never made, because I have certainly made them, however it is about the learning experience that comes as a result. By having to find solutions myself, I am put into a position where I will continue to grow and enhance my skills. Daniel Pink discusses autonomy and how it relates to intrinsic motivation in an excellent Ted Talk.

Setting, Knowing and Living Your Values: At the heart of what builds a culture are the values a company is built upon. It isn’t enough to simply have them, but they have to be established as the fundamentals upon which all decisions are based. The way this is done is by living those values. In a previous job, my employer paid special attention to holding regular discussions on the topic of values, as well as discussing how we made decisions based on them. This had a tremendous impact on me regarding what we did and, more importantly, why we did it. This is probably the most important aspect of creating a culture that I would want in every employer I work for.

Creating a Team: Working to ensure everyone in the company (or everyone in some work unit depending on the size of the company) is integrated and understands they are part of a singular unit with a common purpose is vitally important. Unless there is a negative culture built-in, I will choose to be part of a team, rather than work alone, 100% of the time.

Transparency: Knowing what is going on and how your work is contributing to that of the success of the entire company helps to create a real connection between the employee and the company.  Free flowing information about how things are going and where work needs to be focused has made me a more engaged part of the team. While this doesn’t have to mean that every detail is announced to everyone, knowing the big picture creates an atmosphere of trust. However, this does not need to go as far as sending all emails to the “all staff” email group.

In every aspect of work I have experienced, the items above are the ones that have stood out the most as having contributed to creating a positive culture. It is the culmination of these experiences that has guided me in how I have and will choose to manage and lead in the future. Culture has become one of the most important leadership and management responsibilities that I have learned during my career and I will continue to absorb as many ideas as possible.

To read about establishing a culture, click over to my previous blog post – Company Culture: Setting the Tone.

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Company Culture: Setting the Tone

/ Josh Green / 3 Comments

Business_MeetingThe basis for everything that happens in the work environment, good or bad, can be traced back to a single major factor – the company culture. The culture of a company is the sum total of the group behaviors within the organization. I have seen and lived in very positive and also negative company cultures, which has given me a very particular belief on the subject. Culture has also been a major topic within the coursework of my MBA program. There are several key lessons I have learned about creating and changing culture.

Like most everything else in life, starting with a clean slate is the easiest way to create a company culture. With no baggage, past practices or status quos, there is a unique ability to set the tone for what the culture will become following the startup phase. It is vitally important that specific decisions are made, early on, to determine what type of culture is desired and will be carried into the future. This topic could easily be pushed aside as not important, but like a mission statement or values, establishing the culture of a company is another crucial element for setting a strong foundation. As a leader, setting the tone by deliberately creating policies and practices that fall in line with the company’s mission will start down the desired path. These practices then need to become what is lived every day.

There are fewer opportunities to create a culture from scratch. It is more likely that a culture will be in need of change. This doesn’t mean that a culture was started off on the wrong foot, but it does mean that there is a desire to change current beliefs or practices. In order for this to happen successfully, and truly take hold, it must come from the top. A lead is entirely responsible for setting the tone and establishing any change in culture. It is very difficult for an entire organization to change without initial adoption from the man or woman in charge. And, it can’t be for show, only authentic adoption will lead to the desired results.

The most difficult cultural process is attempting to make a change the leader has not, or will not, adopt. This is, in my opinion, an effort in futility. Should you try to establish a, slightly, different culture in a department you oversee, then that is possible. The reason is because you are the leader and have the power and influence over those in the department. However, it cannot be radical enough to interfere with the culture established for the greater company. Even if using your department’s unique culture to find success, the company leadership must buy in for any other department to be able to mirror that success. The reason for this is coming up next.

Finally, the least effective means of changing culture is simply benchmarking, copying, another successful company’s practices and assuming the new culture will come as a result. By simply imitating the practices without understanding the underlying basis for how a culture started will lead to undesired outcomes. When United attempted to copy the success of Southwest Airline’s customer satisfaction and aircraft turnaround times, it wasn’t able to achieve the same outcomes. The reason? United’s efforts only copied was they were able to see on the outside, and weren’t able to copy Southwest’s heart and soul.

Culture is the basis of everything that happens in a company. It can’t be forced and any changes that happen can only come from those in charge. It has to be organic and connect to the values at the core of what a company is based upon. Anything less will fail to take hold and be brushed aside. This does not have to be the end-all-be-all, but are needs to be considered if you are planning an attempted culture change.

To read about best cultural practices from my own experience, read my next blog post.

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A World Gone Social: Six Months Later

/ Josh Green / 2 Comments

AWGS2Immediately after I finished reading the book A World Gone Social, I was very fortunate to be able to have one of the co-authors, Mark Babbitt, come speak to my personal branding class. Mark knew the entire class had just read the book, so he discussed what he, and co-author Ted Coiné, had learned since the book was published in September of 2014. If you have not read the book, click over to my takeaways to get a brief review of the major points (but make sure to put it on your reading list).

There were several direct follow-ups on the book that stood out to me.

  • A World Gone Went Social: It is here. While the Social Age is still in the first ten years of existence, it has taken hold and many are beginning to fully adopt the practices and ideas. Phase I for companies was setting up social media accounts and just blasting out information. Phase II has been more social, less media; understanding value vs. noise.
  • Blue Unicorn: The leader who has fully embraced social media was described in the book as a rarity, but there were several great examples. Following publication, many business leaders and CEOs who Mark or Ted didn’t know began to tweet at them about being a blue unicorn. They are out there and more than first thought.
  • Social is the mindset now, not just Twitter and Facebook: With so many different platforms, companies are no longer just thinking about Facebook advertising or one specific platform to create an account, but thinking about their entire social media presence.
  • After seeing more examples of different hierarchy styles, Mark prefers a holacracy system over a flat system.
  • OPEN (Ordinary People, Extraordinary Network): Starbucks no longer has a research and development arm as they started their own crowdsourcing platform to have customers give ideas. They are now a leader in crowdsourcing with over 150,000 ideas being generated a month; including the nifty green sticks that prevent coffee splashing around in the car. This puts “the right people, in the right room at that right time” by going digital and putting it on a central location. Crowdsourcing is used to find those ideas and the community itself monitors the idea box.

Mark mentioned recent examples of Social Age situations that have been organic and gone well, and forced situations that have not gone well:

  • A young man walked into a Target looking for a clip-on tie. The store had none, but an employee taught him how to tie a real tie. Before the young man left the store, the photo taken of the interaction had already gone viral and Target was inundated with great press.
  • For a Super Bowl commercial, McDonald’s asked customers to do something nice instead of paying for their meals with money. The commercial that aired showed some excellent customer responses. However, several cell phone videos showed what happened when things didn’t go well and accounted for some awkward situations.

There were also some really great quotes I really liked:

  • What we say about us is marketing, what others say is our brand.
  • We are in a testimonial economy and it is all on social media.
  • Be a relentless giver. Share your knowledge as a gift. Make those around you stronger. There is power in building a community. Enable others on purpose.
  • Employees first, customer second. Create an OPEN culture worthy of top talent. Let attrition tame trolls and ask-holes. (Trolls are always on social and being counterproductive. Ask-holes connect on social media only to ask for stuff.)
  • Beware the “social lynch mob.”
  • There are hiring mistakes. We have learned that in the last six months. Even the people who have been there 20 years. If they are not willing to change, then they have to go.
  • Hire really good people and trust them. Give them a voice and make them happy. Those employees are thing going to treat customers well.
  • Mark mentioned a situation he found on social media that was thought-provoking: CFO asks CEO, “What happens if we invest in developing our people and they leave us?” The CEO responds, “What happens if we don’t and they stay?”

The biggest lesson I learned from Mark’s comments was that the world truly has already moved into the Social Age. Now, it is only a matter of getting bigger and more efficient. If you haven’t already, check out my biggest takeaways from the book by clicking here.

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A World Gone Social

/ Josh Green / 2 Comments

AWGS_BookOne of the best lessons of this semester has been the in-depth review my personal branding class had done on the power of social media. Not the power to sell, but the power to build Youtility and community. I just finished A World Gone Social by Mark Babbitt and Ted Coiné, which covers an amazing amount of information on the birth and impact of the Social Age. I was also very fortunate to have been able to hear follow-up from Mark Babbitt last week when he came to speak to my class.

Mark spoke about what he and Ted have learned in the six months since the book was published. A post regarding Mark’s comments will come later this week. I would first like to review the topics covered in the book that stood out to me the most. If you are looking to own or be a part of a relevant business in the 21st century, then you should really read this book.

The Dawn of the Social Age: The last six years have been seen as the birth of a new age. And, much like that of the transition to the Industrial Revolution, those who do not learn to accept the new paradigm will be left behind. What does this mean? Society is no longer limited by the lack of information, rather they are empowered to learn and understand the relevance and quality of products and services on their own. Social media is presented as the platform that puts the power in the hands of the customer. This can either go very well, or very poorly.

A_World_Gone_SocialMore Social, Less Media: This principle is quite simple, use social media as a platform to be social and engaging, and build community, rather than a venue for promoting the newest deal or product that a company is pushing. Engagement is in full affect in the Social Age, and those who don’t join in, if they have not already, will become obsolete.

Nano Groups: One of the most intriguing ideas from the book is that of the nano group; a team created to solve a particular problem that is then disbanded following completion. This has been a staple of the movie industry for many years, but is making its way into business more and more. I found this idea so interesting that it will receive its own future blog post.

Flat Hierarchy: By empowering a company’s staff and allowing them to make and be responsible for their own decisions, there is less and less need for a massive management infrastructure. What comes from keeping that structure in place is called the “management tax.” This tax comes in the form of paying salaries for managers who no longer serve a vital role in a company; employees make decisions based on evidence, not on experience. A company that can do the job and not have to account for additional overhead can sell their product or service at a lower price. Change comes as a result of insurmountable market pressure and those businesses that do not change will end up falling away.

OPEN (Ordinary People, Extraordinary Network): The OPEN concept is one that is quickly becoming the mainstay of finding solutions. Whether it is asking a question about a book recommendation on Twitter or looking up information on Wikipedia, crowdsourcing is now a major factor. Working with a collective of intelligent problem solvers can find solutions that have long been issues.

The Blue Unicorn: Leaders who have truly embraced, and participate in, the Social Age are called “Blue Unicorns” by the authors. The reason is that they are so rare. Culture starts from the top and trickles down from there. It is not born out of retreats that happen once a year. The authors provide the following equation: Leadership + Service + Culture = Profits. Leaders must set the example, which will allow for real change towards a social culture to take place.

Looking through my notes, there are about five other topics that I could include, but will need to be saved for another post. Of the items listed above, what stands out to you as the most intriguing? Please let me know your thoughts in a comment below.

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Yelp: The Local Business Secret Weapon

/ Josh Green / Leave a comment

YelpTwo weeks ago Reno’s Yelp Community Manager, Michael Tragash, came to speak to my personal branding class. While I use Yelp several times a month to look for reviews, I never thought about the power it held to help small businesses. That changed at the beginning of Michael’s presentation with the following statement, “The mission of Yelp is to connect individuals with great local businesses.” His presentation confirmed that statement for me and I wanted to find out more.

I was able to follow-up with Michael one-on-one and he made me a true believer. As a business development advisor with the Nevada Small Business Development Center, I am constantly looking for new ways to help my clients. I learned that Yelp is a full member of the Social Age and provides people a truly useful tool; for individuals and businesses. My biggest takeaways from the conversation are below:

  1. What is Yelp at its core and how does it impact the community?

Yelp is really about connecting individuals with local businesses. The initial tagline was “real people, real reviews,” and it is those real people who share the reviews, photos, and tips that help connect users and visitors to great local businesses. Yelp is now the real-time platform for customers to give and receive reviews. If you use the site and/or app effectively, there is no longer a need to buy a city’s review book.

New businesses rotate on each community’s homepage, which is free advertising directly to individuals looking for a new experience. Locally, Yelp also puts out a weekly newsletter that features local businesses and is distributed to an impressive subscriber base in the Reno/Sparks area This is an immensely powerful tool available in each major community around the country. However, the only way to take advantage of these free resources is if the business owner is proactive and deliberate about social media and Yelp.

There are constantly conversations about local businesses going on, sometimes critical, and these conversations have a real impact. As an example, Michael found a new Chinese restaurant in town that had been highlighted on the homepage of Yelp as one of the “New Businesses In Reno”. Within a few days, the business – which had really done a good job updating their page – went from 3 reviews to almost 20. That is a HUGE impact and shows the immense power Yelp has to influence decisions.

  1. What does a business owner need to do regarding Yelp?

Michael had three main suggestions. The first is to simply claim the page. This is an easy process and allows a business owner greater control over their brand and ability to interact with customers. Second, post relevant photos of the business, along with populating as much of the business profile as possible. Doing this puts the business owner in the driver’s seat and projects more professional content. The benefits in doing this can be seen through the data; people spend 2.5 times longer and pages with photos, according to Michael. And third, promote that the business is on Yelp; a sign out front, table tents, information at the register, links on other social media sites, etc.This will be the best way to get unsolicited Yelp reviews and becomes the new comment card.

The benefits of these action allows the business owner to boost their social media presence. It is likely that Yelp will come up higher than even the company website in Google. By linking the business website to all of the social media platforms, and posting reviews from each, will boost SEO. There are so many ways to use Yelp as a launch pad for social media marketing and Michael is always willing to discuss how a business can make the most of Yelp. Those who have a negative or neutral view of Yelp should especially reach out to Michael to learn more about how to maximize the opportunity. Regardless of your sentiments on social media, customers are talking about businesses online, and Yelp is an opportunity for business owners to participate in those conversations.

  1. What do business owners need to avoid doing on Yelp?

There are also several “don’ts” on Yelp. It is important to understand the power of Yelp is in building trust through real people giving real reviews. Promoting anything counter to that message should be avoided; such as incentivizing reviews. It is also a platform to respond to negative customer experiences, but should be done in a professional manner; don’t be reactionary and make sure the message is well crafted. Finally, don’t forget to use the business owner tools available to help track and respond to information.

  1. Quotes from Michael that made the biggest impact on me.
  • Out-of-towners make decisions about where to spend their time and money while traveling. Locals have the ability (and responsibility) to promote small businesses by sharing honest reviews that will drive traffic.
  • Yelp gives business owners a platform to receive valuable information that allows them to understand what they’re doing well and not so well in order to make improvements. Owners can also respond directly to customers using the tools in the Free Business Owner Account.
  • Yelp helps businesses to connect with customers after they’ve left the establishment. Public comments or private messages from business owners can be powerful tools when used properly, creating a dialogue with Yelpers that can result in review updates and opportunities to see those who said they would never return back for another try.
  • Trust is our top concern, and there has never been any amount of money a business could pay Yelp to alter or remove reviews. Yelp also doesn’t skew anything in favor of advertisers or against those who do not.
  • The Yelp logo is sort of like a dog whistle for customers at this point. Businesses don’t need to ask for reviews, but rather just let customers know that you value their presence. The reviews and photos will follow, starting dialogue within the Yelp community.

Talking to Michael was truly eye-opening about what Yelp can actually do for local businesses and its impact on the community as a whole. If you are a business owner, or work at an establishment, that has not fully embraced Yelp, reach out to Michael on his Yelp page. Taking a little bit of time to use this free resource should be a priority.

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Making Your Business Plan Work For You

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One of the most important aspects of my job is to review business plans for clients. Essentially looking into the soul of what their business will become. This has given me a great perspective on the importance of the business plan, but also the mindset many people have towards them. A common belief is that a business plan is only a tool to receive a loan; banks want to see real information before just handing out money. However, not all businesses require a loan when starting up. That doesn’t mean a startup, or business planning to expand, should move forward without creating a business plan.

Business_Plan

There are tremendous benefits in having a business plan that can directly lead to long-term success; it is a major piece that will make up the foundation of the business. If real effort is put in, then the business owner should be armed with the information to know exactly where success can be found. That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes and lessons learned along the way, but having a road-map makes getting to a destination that much more likely. Additionally, spending the time on a business plan can even show that opening the business is a bad idea; for a number of reasons. That is valuable information to know before much, if any, money is actually spent.

In the process of writing the plan, there are several sections, along with the process itself, which I believe can make the difference between profitability and closing the doors. Below is a list of each and what I feel they provide.

The Plan

  1. Industry/Market Analysis: The first question this section should answer is the level of completion in the market. It can also give insights into where to open as it should show any under-served area.
  2. Marketing Plan: How will this business be different? Why would a customer come here instead of any number of other places? These questions must be answers, along with how customers will be made aware of the business and be transitioned from a consumer to a customer.
  3. Financial Projections: This may be the most important section connected to ensuring profitability. If the numbers don’t add up or 1000 customers a day would be required to break-even, then real consideration must be given to making major changes to the business model.

The Process

  1. Making calls: By simply making calls to get quotes, ask questions, and talk to those already in the industry, contacts will be made and valuable information will be gathered. This includes actually getting a quote for pretty much everything needed in the business; such as insurance, products, and supplies. Calls also provide the opportunity to ask questions from those who are experts in the field. Never be surprised when an amazing new insight is discovered through these conversations.
  2. Looking at the competition: By doing market analysis, a clear picture should emerge about the competition, who they are and what they are doing. This is important because it can show what is successful, but also what needs to be done to be different.

All of these sections have way more involved than what I have listed, but I tried to capture the main ideas. The last item, that is not usually part of the business plan, but I feel is vitally important, is the action plan. For some, this may come in the form of a timeline, but having this plan can help ensure everything that must be done is accomplished. When starting a business, many variables exist that take time and there has to be an effective way to track them and create accountability.

The business plan is one of the most important aspects of starting or expanding a business, and I believe it should become the journal of the business over time. That doesn’t mean rewriting each section as things change, rather adding in a page in the back with new information that is valuable; new marketing strategies, better accounting practices, customer demographic information, etc. This will always be helpful if a loan is needed to expand the business, as well as being a how-to manual for creating any new venture. There is no such thing as too much information.

The bottom line is that the process of writing the business plan is almost more important than the plan itself. With that in mind, what other section do you feel can make the difference between success and potential failure? Please leave your thoughts in a comment below.

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The Race is On: Creating the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey

/ Josh Green / 1 Comment

Part II of my interview with Race178 President and Reno-Tahoe Odyssey Race Director, Eric Lerude.

RTO-logo-2015Starting any business will have its own unique set of challenges. There are many factors that need to be put in place in order to enhance the possibilities for success. One of the most difficult is when there is a requirement for a high volume of customers on day one. That is what Eric Lerude set out to do when he created the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey (RTO), a 178 mile relay race around Reno and Lake Tahoe.

Eric formed Race178 as the overarching business that would put on the RTO and other events. You can read about how the first race came to be by clicking over to part I of my interview. The RTO was born from a desire to showcase the beauty of the Reno-Tahoe area though an experience focused on a healthy lifestyle. Thousands of dollars are infused into the local economy with teams coming from all over the country, and even some from abroad, for the two-day event. In addition, donations are made each year to local charities, including the Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation and the Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway.

About to enter its 11th year, the RTO will have the self-imposed cap of 250 teams, over 3000 runners, traversing the course. However, not all of the events that Race178 has put on have continued with such success. As Eric puts it, “Life is a journey and you won’t have a straight dotted line to success. RTO TimelineYour path has some left and right turns, which can be good things.” By looking at the graph, there have been several races that have come and gone. The Arizona and Southern Odyssey’s were not able to attract a consistent following and were discontinued. Several other races, including a few abroad, were investigated, but there were clear indications that success would be unlikely. With each race and investigation, new lessons were learned and wise business decisions were made in order to prevent overextending Race178.

The success for the first RTO in 2005 was not just something that happened. A tremendous amount of effort was placed on getting the original 36 teams. Eric attended trade shows, went to running stores and applied for grants to help the race become a reality. “You have to put yourself out there and take some chances along the way. Only when you have started going down the path can you see the next opportunity.” Case in point, Eric told me the story of how attending one of those trade shows is where he met his future partner in the American Odyssey, held in Washington D.C.

There were several other valuable lessons Eric shared with me, which are below.

  • Trial and error was a big part of starting out.
    • Learn from the good ones and the bad ones.
  • You have to be authentic and like what you are doing.
  • It is all about customer service. Being able to genuinely connect with customers.
  • Grow your business in a measured way.
    • Deliver on what you know you can deliver.
    • Always under promise and over deliver.
    • Start simple and add the bells and whistles later.
  • Personally respond to emails.
  • If there are issues, try to be in the customer solutions business.
  • Deliver on the product and have customers make sales for you through social media.
    • We haven’t spent much on advertising because word-of-mouth has grown RTO organically.

In today’s world, running events are part of a very competitive industry, with a large amount of 5ks, mud runs, color runs and countless others. Despite this, Eric’s Race178 has created a model that has allowed for great success; focusing on the customer and providing a quality product.  Race178 now oversees the two Odyssey runs mentioned above, plus the Leprechaun Run, Reno 10 Miler, Journal Jog and Run with the Girls 5K. Eric has distinguished himself in the running community and the future is wide open for other events that may become part of the fold.

Visit their website to learn more about each event Race178 puts on. And, make sure you put next year’s RTO on your calendar to sign up before it fills up.

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The Service Profit Chain: It Is Only Step 1

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My journey of going back to school began with the desire to add detailed academic knowledge to compliment the skills I have developed thus far in my career. Now, deep into my second semester, it seems as though I walk away from each class with a new tool to add to my tool-belt. Two concepts that were recently covered in my management class is the service profit chain and the misconceptions about monetary incentives. I feel these topics are intimately connected, so I decided to cover them together.

The service profit chain, in my opinion, has one vitally important takeaway. That is to take care of internal customers first – the employees. Below is a simplified graphic of the service profit chain. If employees are taken care of and have high job satisfaction, there is a trickle-down effect that leads to higher revenues. There is no one size fits all answer to have satisfied employees, but I believe it starts with creating a positive company culture. That culture starts from the top – the leadership and management. I will save the topic of creating a positive culture for another post, but the important item to remember is that a company must first take care of its employees.

Service Profit ChainThe question then becomes, how does a company do this? My answer is the second concept and why I felt the two topics needed to be combined.  Most companies assume that money is the motivator that will push individuals to do their very best and exceed expectations over the long haul. They would be wrong. This is not simply an opinion, but supported by many scientific findings from the last fifty years. Here is a great article from the Harvard Business Review, for those who need some convincing, which details the reasons why. While there may be short-term benefits, monetary incentives often produce unwanted or negative long-term effects.

So, if monetary incentives are not good for motivation, then what does it? Again, the answer is quite simple – it is intrinsic motivation. This is motivation derived though internal rewards. Daniel Pink does a great job of laying it out in a Ted Talk.

Then how can employee satisfaction be taken to its highest level? There is a much easier way to find out than spending thousands on consultants to provide a report on best practices, propriety research and the secret sauce. It is as simple as just asking employees what they want. They actually know what they would like as a reward when things go well. And, in my opinion, the best part of knowing what they want is that they can be given just that. Examples could include more social outings as a group, a gift card to a nice restaurant in town, wearing jeans on Friday, or even being able to get an afternoon off. Company leaders should not assume they know what employees want or what will satisfy them.

To sum everything up, remember that employees drive revenue, so make sure they are satisfied. Don’t assume the promise of monetary rewards will produce a desired result. And, to know what employees actually want, just ask them. I found these concepts very interesting and important factors to consider when advising clients and for future positions I will hold.

What would be something you would want as a reward from work? Please post your thoughts below.

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Arte Nathan – Takeaways From a Killer Keynote

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ArteI recently attended an awards banquet for the Nevada College of Business and the keynote speaker was Arte Nathan, Executive Director of Professional and Leadership Studies at UNLV. He was also the Chief Human Resources Officer at Wynn Resorts for over 20 years. After stating that he wasn’t going to read his original speech, Mr. Nathan began reviewing his professional journey and shared words of wisdom to the soon to be business graduates. Below are some of his quotes and my thoughts about each.

Resumes:

“You think we spend more than a minute looking at your resume?”

It is sad, but true. With the state of human resources today, there are too many resumes for too few jobs and there just isn’t time to effectively look at them all.

“The top line that says objective is what they look at. You’re supposed to know what your objective is.”

While I agree that having an objective is important on a resume, the idea here that struck me was being able to state your objective in the first place. I have had to state my own objectives, as most everyone has, and understood that having an objective doesn’t mean knowing exactly how you will get there. It is about having the goal and working to reach it.

“GPA doesn’t matter. You graduated. That’s what matters.”

For the most part, I agree with this statement. It is difficult to say that a GPA from one school is an accurate measure to compare against someone from another institution. This is not necessarily about the quality of the education, but the simple fact that the two systems are likely not the exact same.

“Your internship and attendance at the London School of Something or Other doesn’t matter. What matters is what you did when you weren’t studying. Those involved were holding offices and still graduated. They are multifaceted.”

While I don’t agree that internships and your institution don’t matter (and I don’t think Mr. Nathan does either based on his other comments), I do agree that what you do outside of the classroom can be more important than what you do in it. The reason for this is the application of what you have learned and the ability to build experience.

Life Advice – for Business:

“If you have a can-do attitude, you will go far.”

Attitude is one of the only aspects in our lives where everyone is on an equal playing field. By feeling and living the belief that you can get the job done shows confidence, and implementing that attitude will show your dependability and skills.

“If you never fail, you will never learn.”

While I don’t believe anyone sets out looking to fail, I do believe that if you haven’t failed, then you haven’t tried enough. Additionally, without failing, you will likely be ill-equipped do effectively respond when that inevitable time does comes.

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It was reassuring to hear the words of Mr. Nathan as I share many of his beliefs and he has led a highly successful career. The three key elements I took away from his keynote were to know your objective, put your best foot forward and always be ready to learn.

Now, take a look at your own resume. Do you feel it puts your best foot forward? If not, make changes, ask others for their thoughts, get advice. For most of us, a resume is the first impression, so it is worth taking the time to make it count.

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The Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship

/ Josh Green / Leave a comment

Leading the entrepreneurial lifestyle can be one of the most difficult, but also the most rewarding career paths to follow. Reno, Nevada is not the largest market in the country, but there is an incredible entrepreneurial culture within the city. In looking for some statistics on the subject, I ran across a blog listing several resources to assist area businesses and most are specifically focused on entrepreneurs. This shows Reno’s high level of commitment towards those efforts.

ozmencenterWorking at the Nevada Small Business Development Center (NSBDC), I see this culture every day. Not listed in the blog is a new resource, just down the hall from the NSBDC, the Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship. The Center was established in the fall of 2014 through a generous gift by Eren and Fatih Ozmen; Nevada alumni and president and CEO, respectively, of Sierra Nevada Corporation. Sitting down with the Center’s Assistant Director and fellow MBA student, Kylie Rowe, I was able to get a detailed understanding of how the Ozmen Center stands out and has established itself as an excellent resource for the community.

The Ozmen Center is not meant to recreate anything that already exists in Reno as a competing endeavor, but focuses on promoting the entrepreneurial spirit on the University of Nevada campus. There are several ways the Center has already become a hub for activity and collaboration. It is where student entrepreneurs come to find resources and be directed to the best places to take their ideas, as well as hosting entrepreneurship club meetings and the livecast of Reno’s 1 Million Cups (something I try to take advantage of each week). These are just a few ways the Center is fostering the entrepreneurial community on campus.

In addition to helping students by providing space, direction and resources, Kylie and the Center have worked to expand the academic entrepreneurship courses offered. The entrepreneurship program, which includes a minor for undergraduates and an emphasis option within the MBA program, has been  expanded to include additional course offerings, such as entrepreneurial sales, and have been extremely popular. A certificate program in entrepreneurship is currently under development. While this may be seen by some as small additions, I believe the opportunity to understand entrepreneurship and foster the ideals behind it while still in school provides a tremendous advantage to those who will be the business leaders of tomorrow.

Working with entrepreneurs in my office, I see the benefits the Ozmen Center can have on the University community, as well as the Reno community. With a premier location and excellent team, the Center is in a fantastic position to help make a huge impact on the ability for young entrepreneurs to find success in their future efforts beyond the walls of the classroom at the University.

Click over to the Ozmen Center’s 2014 Annual Report to learn more about what they have accomplished and what they have in store for the future.

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