Forget your MBA: A framework for being a manager in creator culture

When you look at growth as a strategy, it becomes somewhat seductive, addictive. But growth should not be—and is not—a strategy; it’s a tactic. The primary lesson I’ve learned over the years is that growth and success can cover up a lot of mistakes. We’re going to make more mistakes. But we’ve learned a great lesson. And as we return the company to growth, it’ll be disciplined, profitable growth for the right reasons—a different kind of growth.”

FORGET YOUR

A FRAMEWORK FOR BEING A MANAGER IN

A CREATOR CULTURE

Like Stewardesses Handing Out Peanuts on the Hindenburg

Eric Snider with an account of what Aol is doing that had me laughing the whole way through

Filed under old media is dead

wt Speke

a

(via Marco Arment)

Risk David Heinemeier Hansson of 37signals:

Basecamp was done almost entirely without risk It was completely self-funded We treated it as a side-product and a side-project until it could pay the bills And only then did

we make it the main focus of the company

| absolutely hate risk | think it’s a misnomer that entrepreneurs somehow are in love with

risk and making big gambles and taking big bets | think that’s probably true for some It's

certainly not true for me And | think it's certainly not true for a large constituency of other successful entrepreneurs

| think the act of putting yourself in a position where you're not forced to take on all this

nsk and bet everything is the hallmark of running things weil

Seth Godin on “Business People”

Seth Godin, nails a topic that's close to my heart - what business people are really valuable

for The job of the smart business person isnt to fish in waters where coders are cheap It's to

Retaining Developer Talent What is Riskier?

The Future of Advertising isn't

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How Yahoo Blew It

On Facebook's Valuation More Articles »

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66 Profit [ ] is the result of doing things right

rather than the purpose of business activity It

is, above all, determined by what is necessary to attain company objectives Profitability is a

easurecnf 0ƒ how welÏ the busíness đíscharges í{s [unctíons f serVvíng tarRet đnd cusf0€F

- Peter Drucker in Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices (http://amzn.to/gZzfiU)

When you look at growth as a strategy, ít Decoes sotmewhat seductive, addictive But growth should not be—and is not—a strategy; it's a tactic The primary lesson I’ve learned over the years is that growth and success can cover up a lot of mistakes We're going to make more mistakes But we've learned a great lesson And as we

return the company to growth, ífÌ[ be đisciplined, profitable growth Jor the righ† reasons——d di[[erent kínd oƒ growth.”

well known for: tả TOLLE foolish and hungry Sometimes it even HS them catastrophically destructive to competitors.”

- Horace Dediu (http://bit.ly/fApvkB)

http://www.xtranz

a.com/blog/?p=284

II MEN! |

li

éó A lotoƑ HP bá talk seems to say that you should simply get a lot of

smart people together and let them do whatever they Terma sơmnethfng sticks, and that ís a reciDe [o success ín everythíng (product, team happiness) This is wrong So wrong

Creativity comes from constraints and direction For us, the hard part 0ƒ thís was to actualÏy dc[ine the problerms / goals wue were aftacRfng and then ruthlesshy re[use proƒects that did'† address these Intstead, 1we

found it so much easier to simply say “yes” whenever someone suggested something, but then let it die later through neglect or lack of interest —

on purpose, or otherwise This is a horrible idea, because it not only communicates an utter lack of focus but it is completely and utterly opposite of honest communication, and leads to people feeling betrayed, CRT SO

Instead, you should provide a problem and framework, then let employee X figure out the solution

- Justin Kan of Justin.tv (http://read.bi/gpOHI4)

00 | 1| ÌP)

66 Knowing that “it can’t be done” because you can

recount each of the failed attempts in the last 20

yeafs fo solue the problem can be a boaf anchor

0n ínisíght and tmagination 'T hís not onhy

effects individuals, but happens to companies as

thcy đợc

- Steve Blank (http:/J/bit.ly/eYkltr)

MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS

Natta

DON’T CHASE

HHIIllt

AT THE EXPENSE OF WHAT MAKES YOU

SUCCESSFUL

http:/www.flickr.com/photos/jorgeg82/540 I 489 I 88/in/photostream/

SLAUGHTER YOUR

bULÍIfÍI 000519

Pa

NOTES AVAILABLE:

BIT.LY/CREATOR-FRAMEWORK

@marcelosomers behindcompanies.com linkedin.com/in/marcelosomers