How to Initiate a Great Conversation Building Your Future Now

How to Initiate a Great Conversation Building Your Future Now One of the key components to establishing a solid career is very good communication skills. In fact, it is imperative that developing good conversations is essential to growing your networking by focusing on relationships. When you understand the importance of initiating and developing a good conversation you will quickly find out people will give you immense value and knowledge. It is also incredibly important that you listen. Listen to what your conversation partner has to saythey will help you! People love to talk about themselvesnothing wrong with that! So listen and ask questions. Learn as much as you can about them and what they do. They will share their likes and dislikes, what they have accomplished and can definitely give you the leg up in your career. If a person knows youeven based on a short albeit good conversationguess who they will recommend for a job they know about which isnt advertised? Yupyou! So keep on talk to people. Listen attentively. Add value to the conversation and in any way in the persons life. And be genuinely interestedyou cant really fake this so it is important to continue to be interested and curious with everything around you! Image: Raw Pixel

6 Skills That Make You The Better Job Candidate

6 Skills That Make You The Better Job Candidate Do you possess the skills that recruiters look for in their employees? To find your dream job, you will need to have the right skills on your resume so that employers can select you. Once you graduate, it is not the end of your educational experiences. In fact, most millennials today opt for additional training lessons and courses so that they can build a successful career in their respective fields. Moreover, it gives them the power to be confident and motivated when facing challenges in their career. If you are planning to know what additional skills are needed for getting a better job after graduation, then keep reading further. Corporate awareness Employers prefer aspirants who are knowledgeable about the commercial world. This skill makes it easier for recruiters to know that you are a capable employee and you do not need to be taught about how to deal with services and products in the commercial world. Also, the additional knowledge of marketplace enables you to be prepared for competition, etc. Communication Any employee needs to understand spoken and written language for conversing with a party. Employers prefer candidates who can easily understand what they (recruiters) want. Without proper communication, there is no possibility of a successful business agreement. Thus, the talent of communicating is necessary to ensure a productive and dream placement. Team player Bosses also prefer candidates that can efficiently work with other members of the team. You will have to learn to tackle the pressurizing opinions, instructions, and orders of your associates in the field of work. Such a skill helps you endure, increases your confidence while working with others, and enables you to divide the responsibilities and ease the pressure. The skill of persuasion and negotiation Another ability that strengthens your portfolio is the ability to persuade clients. Jobs are all about selling products and services, which requires one to master such a skill. You can find plenty of motivational centers and online platforms that train you in the field of negotiation. Many individuals choose to find jobs by improving their skills or opt for higher studies. You can search for Scholarships in USA to find some aid if that is your motive. Ability to solve problems No employer wants to hire a person who is unable to provide a solution for a problem during work. While one may not be able to solve all queries, but your boss does expect you to help in the majority of cases. Thus, you will need to improve your analytical and logical abilities to learn to provide solutions to problems skillfully. Skills of a leader Occasionally, you may have to lead a team at your job, which is a must skill that employers look for in their potential candidates.  Your ability to manage colleagues at work, driving them, setting deadlines, and authorizing tasks efficiently makes you a better candidate. Learning new courses and improving your abilities give you the upper edge over your competitors. Thus, aim for targets and learn about how to get better jobs in your career.

Reputation Management Tips From The Brand Known As Andy Beal - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Reputation Management Tips From The Brand Known As Andy Beal - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Recently, I spoke with Andy Beal about reputation management. In terms of the personal branding process, reputation management falls into the maintain bucket. First, you discover your brand (what you represent, are passionate about, etc), then you create a brand online, communicate it to your audience through personal PR and then maintain your reputation. Andy, is not only a consultant, speaker, business owner, blogger and author, but one of the judges for the 2008 Personal Brand Awards. He blogs at Marketing Pilgrim, which is a top 10 blog by AdAge, out of over 600 (Im #71 right now). Hes also one of the most sought after speakers for the search industry and one of the more respected internet marketers by his peers, such as Shoemoney and Neil Patel. Andy even found the time to write an entire book dedicated to reputation management called Radically Transparent, while starting his own company called Trackur. People have the choice whether they engage in eBranding. True or false? Why? Andy: Of course they have a choice. But, the real question is, do people realize they have an eBrand? Everyone has a brandespecially onlinethey just need to decide whether they wish to play a part in its development. If youre in a situation where your reputation is damaged by another media source, either blog or traditional media, how do you react? Andy: It depends on whether the damage is the results of a legitimate criticism, or incorrect (and maybe defamatory) attack. If you are the victim of a legitimate crisisfor example, a web designer that didnt deliver a web sitethen you should follow the seven step plan we share in Radically Transparent. Check the facts Determine the impact Bring together trusted counsel Understand your detractor Decide on the appropriate response Host the conversation Continue to monitor You can distill it down to just three words. Sincerity, Transparency, and Consistency. Be sincere in your apology. Be transparent in explaining how you are resolving the situation. Then, be consistent in your future actions. If youre the victim of a defamatory attack, the process is very much the same. The difference is that you can afford to be a little more insistent in your communication. I.e. you can bring on side your legal counsel to ensure the incorrect information is removed. What are a few ways you can maintain a strong presence in Google and how can you counteract negative search results when they appear? Andy: The best defense is a strong offense. With your Google reputation, you need to make plans now. Its much easier to build positive content for Google nowwhile youre not under attackthan to wait until the negative results appear. Start with the registration of a domain name that matches your brandyour personal or business brandand publish a blog to it. You can also create profiles at popular social networks such as Flickr, Facebook, and LinkedInall of which rank well in Google. How does one become synonymous with a phrase? For instance, when people think of personal branding, my name is top-of-mind and when they think of Andy Beal, they think of Marketing Pilgrim. Andy: Lots of repetition until they get it right! ?? I chose Marketing Pilgrim for my blog because I felt it matched my ongoing journey to find the latest internet marketing trends. Ive been blessed that enough people enjoy reading what I have to sayand it didnt hurt to refer to myself as the Pilgrim now and then. ?? How were you able to start a new company (Trackur), co-author a book, blog, consult and speak in the past few months? Can you explain how each supported one another? Andy: If my ambitions ruled my life, Id have about twenty different projects going on at any one time. Its very hard for me to switch off. Instead, I forced myself to pick just four channels to focus on for the majority of 2008: consulting, blogging, speaking, and Trackur. For the most part, each of the channels share synergy with each other. This helps keep my efforts focused and keeps me a little more efficient in my promotion. For example, when I speak at an event, I can discuss online reputation management and tie it back to my consulting, book, and Trackur. Can you share any email best practices? How do people brand themselves through email and what impact does each email have? Andy: My best advice is to not get sloppy with email. It can be very easy to fall into instant messenger or Twitter speak but you should realize that your emails say a lot about your brand. Also, for reputation management purposes, always assume your email will be made public at some point. That assumption will help you maintain the correct tone in your emails. How did you discover your personal brand and what strategies got you to where you are today? Andy: I realized that personal branding was at least as important as company branding. My company may change, but Ill always be Andy Beal. If you want to build a strong brand, its not enough to simply become great at what you do. You have to let others know too! While it can be very difficult to set aside modesty, if you dont brag about your accomplishments, who will? Writing articles and speaking at industry events are two of the channels that really helped with my personal branding. Once blogging came along, that made it even easier. If you have a deeper interest on how to position yourself on Google or simply manage your eBrand, Andys new book is a great resource for you.

How to Succeed As A Leader [4 Leadership Lessons]

How to Succeed As A Leader [4 Leadership Lessons] By: Moyan Brenn I recently heard Candace McGraw, CEO of the Cincinnati-Kentucky International Airport, speak at a Business Networking event. As she referenced her career growth and achievements, four  competencies  stood out for me as contributing to her  success as a leader: 1) Think Critically Ms. McGraw shared that her ability to look at an issue in several ways, otherwise called analytical thinking, has created opportunities for success at every stage of her career. The Conference Board, a non-profit, independent organization that conducts research on business and leadership issues, identifies  Master Strategist as an important leadership competency in the 21st Century. Today’s business with uncharted territories, unclear expectations, fickle customer needs and increased technological advances demands greater cognitive complexity. This requires superior strategic thinking combined with an ability to make high-quality decisions in a shorter time to stay competitive. What can you personally do daily to strengthen your skills in analysis and critical thinking? Respectfully, ask your colleagues what is possible and achievable; ask people about one problem they would like to solve, ask individuals and teams to engage in “why not?” scenarios. Purposefully, invite solicited and unsolicited feedback from all parts of your organization â€"pick a mistake and showcase learning, resiliency and potential growth from that experience. Tactically, identify future trends that will shape your business and dedicate time NOW to discuss and create innovative ideas that will stop the future pain. 2) Find and Mentor “Right-Fit” Talent In her message, Ms. McGraw applauded her team and shared stories about how leading with an exceptionally talented team has paid off for her. The Conference Board identifies Talent Identifier as another leadership prerequisite to staying ahead of the game today. The workforce today is techno-savvy, globally connected, geographically dispersed and culturally diverse. Albert Einstein once said: We cant solve problems  by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. This statement is true for people development too. Ignoring employee personal and professional development can come at a high and almost irreversible cost to a company. With training dollars and time at a premium in organizations, what questions must be asked to ensure that each employee is aggressively innovating, executing results beyond their functional areas and increasing market share? What can you personally do daily to identify and empower your talented people? How is personal and professional growth defined, understood and aligned (by you and your team) to your organizational mission and future needs?   Describe one of your talent development efforts with lowest cost and maximum impact. What skills, individual or team might be invisible to your eye? Would you be able to identify why a certain project completed itself with little supervision from you? What talent matrix might be useful for you to identify the current state of talent and flexibility in defining roles for maximum and sustainable business impact? 3) Embrace Change The ability to embrace change has helped Ms. McGraw, “pick up and soldier on.” A third leadership competency, Change Manager  on the Conference Board list  suggests accountability, while calling for transparency in the face of uncertainty and   commanding high performance in the midst of disruption. Even the most resilient person balks in face of change because even a very small shift in routine is ALWAYS chaotic and unsettling. Ignoring the reality of how poorly prepared people can be when faced with change suggests that leadership must stay a step ahead, make this leap at a larger scale and build a culture of resiliency that permeates the very fabric of organizational cloth. What can you personally do to build and strengthen resiliency and adaptability? What structures help employees create robust and highly collaborative networks based on trust, common purpose and accountability? If an outsider were to describe your employees, how would they do so?   Would they say that the majority of your employees are curious learners, have a sense of humor, are realistically optimistic, possess high self-awareness and are willing to ask and receive help easily? How is risk taking, if at all, rewarded? And, how are mistakes handled? 4) Build Relationships By: ShashiBellamkonda It wasn’t a surprise to hear Ms. McGraw talk about being a Relationship Builder, the fourth competency that completes the  the Conference Board list. Clearly what use is a leader’s vision when there is no buy-in? As human beings, we crave for both, an emotional connection and a rational explanation for why we must give our best talent and commitment to a cause. That decision to lead and follow very often comes from shared conversations and countless hours of listening carefully to build trust and accountability within relationships. Unless leadership can define and gather shared aspirations, the best that can happen is business as usual, not extraordinary transformation by people unleashing in full force their collective potential. What can you personally do to build and strengthen your relationships? What have you done recently to reach out and connect in a caring, compassionate way? Why must it matter to you? How does your work environment shape and reinforce everyone’s contributions in a way that each person is noticed and appreciated? What formal and informal ways are used to recognize and applaud others? What behaviors show that you lead with clear and uncompromising clarity, communicate powerful expectations with defined metrics and  display trustworthiness in every interaction? Master Strategist. Talent Identifier. Change Manager. Relationship Builder. What do you think? How have you seen these traits help you make connections, between your past successes, present challenges and future opportunities? I’d like to hear your stories!

Mac Prichard on the Nuts and Bolts of Finding a Job with Purpose and Meaning [Podcast] - Career Pivot

Mac Prichard on the Nuts and Bolts of Finding a Job with Purpose and Meaning [Podcast] - Career Pivot Episode 57 â€" Marc interviews jobs author Mac Prichard on positioning yourself now to find the career path that will take you into your 70s. Description: Mac Prichard is the founder and publisher of Mac’s List, an online community for people looking for rewarding, creative, and meaningful work. More than 80,000 people a month visit the site, which includes a job board, a blog, and courses about the nuts and bolts of job hunting and career management. A leading career expert, Mac helps people who are looking for a job during all of life’s transitions â€" Millennials getting a first job, midlife professionals switching sectors, parents getting back to work after raising a family, or baby-boomers who want to change careers. Mac is proud to own two registered B-Corp companies, which use the power of the market to solve social and environmental problems. He is the author of Land Your Dream Job Anywhere and hosts the weekly podcast Find Your Dream Job, which I was on earlier this year. Listen in for actionable advice staying relevant to the job market you want to explore. Key Takeaways: [:57] Marc announces his first audience survey on what demographic listens to the podcast, what you like, and what you would like to hear about in the future. Please take the survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a SurveyMonkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you. [1:34] Marc has released all the audio files to publisher ACX.com for his audiobook Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, and believes they will be ready for purchase online before the end of the year. Marc will send an email blast to CareerPivots Insights email subscribers once he knows more. [1:57] Marc explains the schedule. This episode is an interview with Mac Prichard of Mac’s List. The next will be an interview with Gary O’Neal with Austin HR, on how he would search for a job. There will be no episode on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, but Marc’s favorite episode of 2017 will be re-released on Tuesday, January 2nd. [4:47] Marc welcomes Mac to Repurpose Your Career. Download Link |iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast|Podbean|TuneIn|Overcast [4:59] Mac runs Prichard Communications (a social change communications company doing PR for foundations, nonprofits, and purpose-driven brands) and Mac’s List (an online community including a job board and resources about job hunting and career management for people looking for work with purpose and meaning). [5:32] Prichard Communications and Mac’s List each employs about five people. They have one value in common: service. This core value â€" learned from his parents and his upbringing â€" has been central to the success of Mac’s companies and his career. [6:08] When you give without any expectation of return, you get so much back and along the way, you can make a difference in the community where you live and work and on issues you care about. [6:25] Marc and Mac discuss Adam Grant’s book, Give and Take. Mac follows many of Adam’s principles in his own career. Adam writes about givers, takers, and matchers. Givers are the ones that win. [7:01] Marc talks about why he invited Mac on the show. Mac encourages listeners over 50 to reflect back on their own careers. You’ve already done some very different things. You had to figure out how to make switches in the past. Next, know what you want to do. Take an assessment. [9:44] Once you know where you want to go, make the case for what you offer to that sector or employer. Spend time understanding what their needs are. Go to some informational interviews. Employers hire people to solve problems. Show employers what you offer to them. [10:45] You won’t make a change on your own. Most of us are going to work into our 70s. You need to start planning that in your 50s. Find the balance between what you want to do and what an employer will pay for you to do. If you want to have a successful career you have to make investments in education or professional development. [15:00] Marc asks about ageism. What can people do to combat it? It affects Boomers significantly. Millennials also worry about the stereotypes people have against them. There are laws against age discrimination, but it happens. Do you want to work for an employer who discriminates against older people? Intentionally overcome stereotypes. [17:06] Marc recalls Episode 53, the interview with Thea Kelly. Thea gave steps people can take to overcome stereotypes of Boomers. One of Marc’s clients lost an opportunity because it looked to the younger interviewers that he couldn’t keep up. Marc tells an example of an older applicant overdressing for the interview. Learn the culture. [18:58] Start with your online presence. Hiring managers will Google your name. Put a current photo and updated skills and professional accomplishments in your LinkedIn profile. Show that you embrace new developments in your field and new technologies. [20:56] Google yourself. If there’s nothing, or something bad, that’s not good. Set up a Google alert on your name. Claim your own name as a domain name. Put a lot of content on the web to feed Google. If you don’t have a good Google presence, including a professional LinkedIn profile, you will not get an interview. [24:32] Before the recession, more people planned on retiring on-time or early. Now people will need to work into their 70s to gather resources. Mac notes that many people have planned for retirement to some degree. Once you know what salary you need, get clear about what you want to do and what opportunities are out there to pursue. [26:51] Having a timeline, 10 or 15 years into the future as a long-term view, is very helpful as you’re having this conversation. Chances are opportunities will change in that time. [27:33] Marc says that the first 10 people in his online community are asking how to broaden their horizons. Career opportunities are endless. People just need to know about them. Educate yourself about them, just as you did coming out of school. [30:39] As a Boomer, Marc was raised to be a career-long employee for one company. Later in his career, they changed the rules. He left IBM and looked for other opportunities. It’s like starting fresh just out of college. [32:15] Don’t make stuff up. Learn the situation about each opportunity. Go talk to people who work in the organization you are targeting, before you make the decision to work there. Someone in your network may know someone there. Or you can find them on LinkedIn. You may discover it’s not what you want to do. Save yourself grief. [34:49] Marc tells people to talk to someone doing what you want to do at a company and get the inside scoop. Your next job will come from a current relationship, an old relationship, or a new relationship. Someone will refer you. Marc was referred to his teaching job by his chiropractor. Whom do you know who might know someone? [37:33] Most jobs get filled by word of mouth. 80% of jobs never get posted on a job board. Employers manage risk by turning to people they know for referrals. Employers also give back to their networks. [38:59] After you serve someone, when you least expect it, you often get something back. Mac’s List was simply a list of job postings that came to his desk that he shared with his network. It grew over the years. After 16 years there are 25,000 names on it. The list carries about 600 job listings a month. Now it is a business with five employees. [40:28] Mac’s List attracts more than 80K people a month. Mac started Mac’s List with no expectation of getting anything in return. The value that drove it is a big part of Mac’s success. Mac talks about how to get his new book. [41:49] Marc invites you to take the Repurpose Your Career audience survey and to pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life. The next episode will be an interview with Gary O’Neal. Mentioned in This Episode: Mac Prichard on LinkedIn Prichard Communications MacsList.org Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, by Adam Grant “When You’re Working in a Career Disaster Area,” by Marc Miller on Next Avenue StrengthsFinder Myers-Briggs Mark Anthony Dyson’s Voice of Jobseekers podcast Job-hunt.org Ryan Rhoten’s The Brand New You Show podcast LinkedIn Apple Land Your Dream Job Anywhere: The Complete Mac’s List Guide to Finding Work You Can Love, by Mac Prichard Please take Marc’s survey at CareerPivot.com/PodcastSurvey. This will redirect you to a SurveyMonkey page. Marc will keep the survey going through 2017 to hear from you. Taking the survey will help Marc to select Repurpose Your Career topics for 2018. Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback and ebook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. Marc expects to have the audiobook available in December 2017. Subscribe, and get a notification when it is available. Marc has a prototype running of the paid membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of 10 members helping him. Marc has opened a waitlist. Sign up at CareerPivot.com/Community. Please take a moment â€" go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there. CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources Careerpivot.com Episode 53 with Thea Kelley Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me Marc@CareerPivot.com CareerPivot.com/Episode-57 Show Notes for this episode. You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast. To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android Twitter: @CareerPivot LinkedIn: Marc Miller Facebook: Career Pivot Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Resume Writing Tips For Fresh Graduates

Resume Writing Tips For Fresh GraduatesIn resume writing tips for fresh graduates, we'll discuss some of the most common mistakes that many aspiring applicants make. While there is certainly no lack of brilliant fresh graduates out there, just because you have a college degree doesn't mean that you will necessarily get hired immediately, which is why it's important to be sure that your resume is eye-catching and worth reading. By looking at these common resume writing mistakes, you can help ensure that your resume stands out in the crowd.First, and foremost, the resume must be formatted correctly in terms of the correct spelling. If it's not properly spelled, then it won't be read properly by the applicant. At the same time, you don't want to leave all of the information in the text! The aim here is to convey a professional image of the person, which is only possible if the information in the resume is relevant to the job being sought.While you should always put as much care words as possible into your resume, you also don't want to overuse them. Again, it's important to make sure that the resume is appealing to potential employers. As a result, don't under-emphasize anything and always keep in mind that there are certain parts of a resume that are meant to be taken lightly, while others need to be respected.Whenever possible, save a copy of your resume so that you can access it later on. If possible, it would be best to create a PowerPoint presentation using this resume instead of simply having it saved on your hard drive. When you have your resume organized and ready to go, you'll know exactly what to expect from your interview.One mistake that many candidates make when writing resumes is that they don't use the appropriate words for each of the sections. While it's okay to use adjectives for specific attributes or achievements, don't give all ofthe details in the first paragraph, and of course, use proper nouns to describe people instead of generic 'commissi oned officer'Director.' It will make the resume much more professional and it'll catch the eyes of the hiring manager right away.Also, before writing your resume, it would be a good idea to look through it thoroughly. While it may seem like a waste of time, it actually serves to create a more professional resume, making the task of making a professional looking resume a lot easier. This makes it less likely that you'll forget any of the information on your resume. In addition, it will also make it easier to make corrections to errors in the resume.Lastly, don't forget to include any unique things that you might have done in the past. There's no harm in mentioning that you have volunteered for a non-profit organization or that you have a college degree, or how much you plan to save as a family. While you don't have to include all of this information in your resume, you shouldn't neglect to mention any notable accomplishments that you might have. Your resume is your chance to make a l asting impression.Resume writing tips for fresh graduates should be your guide when filling out resumes. By paying attention to these few resume writing tips, you will be able to avoid common mistakes and learn a few unique things about your potential future employer. Use these tips to write the resume that will land you the job of your dreams.

Can a Business be This Simple

Can a Business be This Simple The author of this guest blog asks an interesting question and would like your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks! Recently I applied for a leadership role at a software start-up and had a 1-hour interview with the CEO. Based on the job description, it sounded like the ideal candidate needed to be very well-rounded, have a hands-on aptitude, and the ability to build a team of employees, contractors and agencies. In my interview, I sold myself as such. Boy was I off base! Heres the gotcha I wasnt ready for: start-ups write great job descriptions but those job descriptions arent really what they want. A startup typically has a much more short-term outlook and is quite focused, even myopic, on a few core objectives. If you arent aware of those objectives and start selling yourself on other attributes you will get passed over rather quickly. Take it from me! Here are those objectives I picked up from my interview with the CEO. These wont be the same for every startup but I think theres an underlying fundamental theme to what startups are obsessed with: Do we know what customers want? Can we provide the service/product those potential customers want? Do we have the ability to get in front of potential customers? Do we have the sales team that can close those prospective customers? During my interview with the CEO, I was taken back by how rudimentary her view point was towards structuring her business. She was building a software company that focused on talent management and wanted to grow to a $1 billion company as quickly as possible. To do so, she identified only 4 functions that her employees were going to focus on. Product management A few employees focused on reaching out to customers and potential customers and asking them 1) what kind of features they wanted in their HR software, 2) what pain points and challenges existed with their existing software, and 3) how does a piece of software affect their job? The answers to these questions would guide their product development and lead generation. They needed to get these answers as quickly as possible and deliver them to the software development team. Product development The bulk of the employees would be coding software building the product out. They would use the latest languages and employ the latest trends in a smooth visual and functional user experience. Speed is the key to getting a good enough product out the door that they could improve on later. This is where the company was spending its funding: hiring all the specialties for delivering enterprise software. Lead generation The role of marketing was to identify the right messaging for the target customer, identify the right channels to generate leads and then fill the pipeline with leads. There were no goals or initiatives for branding, team building, etc. It was only about finding good leads. Sales Sales was to focus on closing those leads and generating a few on their own. They had to reduce the sales cycle and number of touches required to a minimum and maintain a healthy growth quota. Sales reps would be regional and travel by car to customer sites flying to see a client would be rare. What gets me is how these areas were devoid of much else than a single goal. I agree that those are four critical areas for a software company but I question if it is reasonable to expect a company to build and grow by focusing that way. Corporate culture and career development werent a concern. Team development and leadership would be nice but not if they interfered with the bottom line goals. What Do You Think? At first I was critical of this model, but now Im starting to admire it. I currently work for a large technology company and Im often concerned that we have taken our eye off the ball and dont stick to fundamentals. We waste money and our days are bloated by meetings. Our productivity can seem slow. But its a good place to work and you can easily spend your entire career there. If you are used to that environment you will have to shift your paradigm about what a start-up wants when you interview with them. So what do you think? Im conflicted and want to get your opinion on how you feel about this model and 1) what mistakes they are making and/or 2) if their thinking is innovative. Please comment below.