Being Uniquely Human As a follow-up to last month's post on being 'Uniquely Human', this month, we will highlight scenarios which are best delegated
Being Uniquely Human
Better to Delegate
As a follow-up to last month's post on being 'Uniquely Human', this month, we will highlight scenarios which are best delegated to robots, tools, applications and devices.
1. Delegate when it's all about the facts, and the data is accurate and voluminous. With that said, make sure that humans structure the problem statement, ensure that the data is relevant, timely and accurate, and that the findings are in the right ballpark. 2. Delegate when it's more efficient for a system, tool or mechanism to perform a function than having a human perform that function. Even if it means that there are fewer jobs for humans. Train those humans to do jobs on top of or other than these functions. 3. Automation of processes and production is more efficient than having humans perform redundant tasks. Having humors design and oversee the production to meet ongoing needs makes sense. 4. Leverage robots, tools and solutions to serve people who can not do things for themselves, to ensure that their basic needs are covered, and they have the support they need 24x7. 5. Delegate when there is high demand for repetitive processing and the need for accurate results. Humans can oversee and manage the proper functioning of the programs and ensure customer satisfaction. 6. Delegate when it's not safe for humans to perform the necessary task. Delegate when repetitive and strenuous tasks may result in injury and wear. 7. Leverage software and AI and big data to get the real-time information you need to make data-based decisions. 8. Create programs, tools and reports which help you understand the changes going on in the world, in the industry, in the market so that you can proactively respond to them. 9. Design and leverage reports that produce data about the performance of your workforce and your products and decisions. Analysis of these reports facilitates proactive real-time, and long-term data-based decision-making. 10. Delegate as much as possible to machines, processes, systems and tools, and know how experienced and knowledgable humans would integrate solutions as a value-add for the business. The bottom line is that we should delegate tasks and functions to robots software and tools, and consider it an additive, not a threat to the overall job market.
FountainBlue's When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Series was launched in May 2006 and provides ongoing networking and program benefits for 50-100 high tech women and men-who-support-having-women-in-leadership positions across Silicon Valley and beyond. On the second Fridays over lunch, we profile a panel of women senior executives in high tech companies, speaking on a range of leadership challenges and issues for Silicon Valley high tech women in particular. Our series celebrates women leaders, stimulates critical thinking and conversation around leadership challenges and issues, empowers and inspires all participants, including the next generation of leaders, and builds a proactive, collaborative and supportive leadership community overall.
This Month's When She Speaks Event in Silicon Valley:
Friday, June 23, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. eBay Inc., 2025 Hamilton Ave, San Jose, CA 95125 Navigating a Multi-Generational Workforce Register at www.whenshespeaks.com Invitation details at https://madmimi.com/p/56c21a
They say the boomers (born before 1963) are more productive and hardworking team players, but they are also less adaptive and less collaborative in general. They say that Gen X (born 1963-1980) have better managerial skills and are better at revenue generation and problem solving, but they are less cost-effective and have less 'presence'. They say that Millennials (born 1980-1996) are more enthusiastic and tech-savvy, entrepreneurial and opportunistic, but they are also more likely to be unproductive and self-absorbed. Our panel will represent an exec and an millennial from three different companies, sharing their in-the-trenches knowledge about understanding about 1) how differing communication styles can lead to miscommunications and misunderstandings 2) how the myths and stereotypes we have of others in other generations may hamper our assessment of others and how we are perceived by others, as well as well as 3) how the inclinations and leanings of each generation impact the way they think and communicate and act. Our Executive Panelists include: Panelist Mary Emerton, VP Manufacturing, Nutanix Panelist Tiffaney Fox Quintana, Vice President of Marketing, HelloSign Panelist Helen Kim, VP of Business Operations, eBay Panelist Kerry McCracken, Vice President: Flex Connect, Flex Panelist Jennifer T. Miller | Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Gigamon Our Millennial Panelists include: Panelist Maliena Guy, Senior Product Manager-eBay Search, eBay Panelist Amanda Lurie, Business Manager, Leadership Development Program, Flex Panelist Nikita Maheshwari, Sr. Product Manager, Nutanix Panelist Claire Murdough, Content Marketing Manager, HelloSign Panelist Catherine Stevenson, Human Resources Representative, Gigamon
FountainBlue's May 12 When She Speaks panel was on the topic of Age of the Customer. Please join me in thanking our gracious hosts at WD and our panelists! Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO,FountainBlue, CMO 888 Steps Panelist Amy D. Love, VP Corporate Marketing, TriNet Panelist Anshu Narula, Engineering Director, Partners and Marketplaces, PayPal Panelist Suchitra Narayen, VP, Legal and Associate General Counsel, Supply Chain Legal, Oracle Panelist Margret Schmidt, VP Product Development & Chief Design Officer, Tivo
Below are notes from the conversation.
We were fortunate to have such seasoned, well-spoken and diverse set of leaders on our panel, representing a wide range of companies, roles, backgrounds and cultures. They also had much in common: * They worked hard to prepare for success through their academic choices, their professional positions, and their direct experience. * They have a wide range of experiences working with a broad breadth of customers, which qualifies them well to communicate the needs of the customer to staff, executives, providers and partners and all others in the ecosystem, while also providing them the credibility and influence to lead initiatives which transform how companies proactively meet the needs of the customer. * They each had a broad view of who the customer is, and are laser-focused on serving the needs of those customers. * They don't aim to please every customer every time, but they do make sure that the team and company get it right when things don't go as planned. * They understand enough about the products, the processes, the people, the solution, and the needs of the customer so that they can orchestrate comprehensive, customer-facing initiatives involving an ecosystem of stakeholders, all focused on providing exceptional service and solutions for each niche customer segment. * Each leader came from different industry backgrounds, and each found her way into technology companies. They leveraged their experience and perspective to transition to the technology industry, and to rise among the ranks once they've landed there.
Below are our panel's thoughts on why customers are more empowered today: * The advances in IT and technology and the reach to a large volume of people worldwide is creating larger markets. * Allowing the larger volumes of customers to connect with each other gives more power to each customer. As a consequence: 1) Customers can better vet solutions with online information or networks of others prior to making purchasing commitments, and are no longer dependent on companies for the information they need to make a commitment. 2) With access to other customers and to online information, customers can more clearly envision alternative offerings. 3) There's a plethora of offerings for almost every solution, so customers can be more discerning about which offering would best serve their needs. * With the large volumes of offerings and customers, there are also changes in regulations and laws worldwide. * Because of the sheer volume of information hitting customers, there is little patience to wait for load times for example, and little tolerance if information isn't available in the format customers need at the moment (think it's got to work on their mobile device NOW).
Below is collective advice from our panel on how companies can better anticipate and serve customers. * Accept that the customers are empowered and create processes to ensure companies gather quantitative and qualitative data about current and anticipated needs, hire, develop and retain people who are service-oriented, and influence the company's vision and direction to ensure a culture and mindset that puts customers first. * Collect and follow the data about what customers are looking for, and how satisfied they are about the service provided by your company. * Be empathetic about the needs of the customer – in vision and in execution (product, service, UI). Measure your company's success in this area, and train everyone to have that customer-empathy mind-set. * Be the customer spokesperson at every opportunity. Do things great and small to perpetuate that customer-centric mentality. * Connect customers to each other in community, and collaborate with those communities to proactively serve niche customers. * Consider creating and supporting a customer advisory board, which would be a great way to get proactive and ongoing input from your most influential customers. * Create and serve niche customer communities where it makes sense, and empower them to define their needs. * Create efficient and scalable solutions which are based on the needs of the customer. Don't be so customer-centric that you would design one-offs for each individual customer, regardless of how many other customers would need that solution and how much it would cost to deliver that solution! * Make every customer feel important, no matter how much or little they might impact the bottom line. With that said, listen and act more responsively to the customers who represent larger current and potential markets. * No matter where you sit at the table, no matter what kind of impact or knowledge you might have about a problem or solution, take ownership of a customer's issue or problem and make sure that she or he gets served. Propagate and reward that mindset within your company. * The customer is always right, unless they're not. Work with them to get it right if you need to, then serve them well, within or outside the direct connection with your company. * Collect the detailed data around customer expectations, preferences and aversions and respond based on that data. In conclusion, our panel attests that it's a 'Buyer's Market'. The customer will remain empowered for the foreseeable future. The companies who recognize, accept and even embrace this change will gain and maintain market leadership.
Notes from Our Monthly VIP Roundtable Series
Being Human in an Age That's Digital
FountainBlue's May 5 VIP roundtable was on the topic of 'Being Human in an Age That's Digital'! Please join me in thanking our gracious hosts at Samsung and our participating executives. Below is a compilation of their ideas and thoughts on how we are stretching the technology envelope.
There was a mind-boggling discussion about how each participating company and leader is pushing the technology envelope for a Digital Tsunami with the hardware, the software, the data, analytics, AI… The brilliance, hard work and perseverance is advancing technology solutions at an increasingly rapid pace, and the lives of almost all of us are forever changed by it.
▪ Machines and programs and technology innovations are collecting the information and data necessary to make informed decisions. Humans need to make these decisions, hopefully based on the data and information collected. ▪ Great minds are collaboratively designing and implementing solutions which solve the world's problems - even the ones caused by over-population, like food production and housing at scale. But it will take humans to create and implement and integrate these solutions, and prioritize resources and research to ensure that the largest amount of people benefit in the short term and for the long term. ▪ Creating innovation labs focused on solving the requests and needs of those customers just makes sense, especially as change happens so quickly, and customers become increasingly more demanding. No matter how sophisticated these digital and IoT and other solutions get, remember that managing and running the interactions, relationships and entities themselves requires experienced humans. ▪ Machines and programs may be great at providing historical data in rich and detailed formats, but are not as good as seasoned humans who can do forecasting and predictions based on historical data, and current conditions and trends. ▪ It takes a human to make an irrational risk that could lead to a transformational solution or experience. ▪ It takes a human to create and deliver an engaging, persuasive and memorable communication and experience which connects with other humans. ▪ Although IoT and other innovations will facilitate vast improvements for healthcare and education and all other industries, humans will be in charge, and it will remain difficult to delegate interactions and duties to machines and programs and drones.
Below is advice on how to balance the need for those sophisticated digital innovations with the need to support the humans who implement them.
▪ Think about solutions as interactions between people, between things, and between people and things. ▪ Think not just about how to innovate and what would work, but also about what would get adopted and accepted easily. ▪ Look not just at the current anticipated value, but also at the stickiness of the value-add for the solution in the long term. ▪ Consider not just the solution you'd like to implement, but also the transition strategy so that the full ecosystem of stakeholders will embrace the new solution. The bottom line is that technology and innovation will never replace the educated, hard-working human. But humans who chose not to embrace technology, not to keep up with the digital revolution may find that there's little place in the workforce for their skill set.
Silicon Valley Event Recommendations
Submit your in-person, Silicon Valley online now
To support our members and partners, every month, we profile upcoming FountainBlue and featured partner events submitted by members and partners which may be of interest to entrepreneurial FountainBlue community members. If you are representing a sister organization within Silicon Valley (no SF events), producing in-person (no webinars or virtual events) events of interest to our entrepreneurial clean energy, high tech or life science members, you may submit your event by completing the form at http://form.jotform.us/form/32027262343142 or e-mailing us a COMPLETE and FINAL copy of the event details, in text format (no attachments) to info@fountainblue.biz in the format below by noon, at least six weeks before your event:
Date and time: Event Topic: Sponsoring Group: Location: Speaker (s): Cost: Registration and More Information: FountainBlue Discount Code (if any):
Below is a list of this month's event recommendations:
Date and time: Wednesday, June 7 from 8:30 am - 6:00 pm Event Topic: ASAP Tech Partner Forum Sponsoring Group: Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals Location: NVIDIA Corporate Headquarters, 2800 Scott Boulevard, Building E, Santa Clara Cost: $399. More Information: http://www.asaptechforum.org Registration: http://www.asaptechforum.org/17/tech17rates.html
888 Steps: Scale Intensely Lunch/Dinner and Learn Workshops - $25 Thursday, June 8, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. @ Techlab Innovation Center, 2040 Martin, Santa Clara - free for TechLab members, $25 for non-members Do You Have What It Takes To INTENSELY SCALE Your Business? The typical entrepreneur can be characterized as innovative, bold, passionate, and persistent. To succeed, your team needs to be smart!! Do you understand your unique strengths and your current limitations? As a resource to dozens of entrepreneurs worldwide, the management team at TechLab Innovation Center together with 888 Steps encourages you to assess your entrepreneurial strengths and weaknesses. Join us to: 1. Receive a score and report based upon your results with feedback on seven key areas of entrepreneurial skills: – Strategic Planning – Product Development – Project Management – Marketing – Funding – Staffing – Sales To register for any of these workshops, visit http://888steps.eventbrite.com
Date and time: Friday, June 9 from 8:30 am - 1:00 pm Event Topic: Autotech Council: Mapping and Navigation Sponsoring Group: Autotech Council Location: SanDisk - 110-119 Technology, 110-199 Technology Drive, Milpitas Cost: Free for members, $200 for non-members. More Information: https://autotech.cvent.com/maps17 Registration: https://autotech.cvent.com/maps17
Date and time: Thursday, June 15 from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm Event Topic: Women In Consulting: Best Practices Survey Results Sponsoring Group: Women In Consulting Location: Michael's at Shoreline, 2960 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View Cost: $40-$65. More Information: http://bit.ly/2peFt07 Registration: http://bit.ly/2peFt07
Friday, June 23, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. eBay Inc., 2025 Hamilton Ave, San Jose, CA 95125 Navigating a Multi-Generational Workforce Register at www.whenshespeaks.com Invitation details at https://madmimi.com/p/56c21a Our Executive Panelists include: Panelist Mary Emerton, VP Manufacturing, Nutanix Panelist Tiffaney Fox Quintana, Vice President of Marketing, HelloSign Panelist Helen Kim, VP of Business Operations, eBay Panelist Kerry McCracken, Vice President: Flex Connect, Flex Panelist Jennifer T. Miller | Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Gigamon Our Millennial Panelists include: Panelist Maliena Guy, Senior Product Manager-eBay Search, eBay Panelist Amanda Lurie, Business Manager, Leadership Development Program, Flex Panelist Nikita Maheshwari, Sr. Product Manager, Nutanix Panelist Claire Murdough, Content Marketing Manager, HelloSign Panelist Catherine Stevenson, Human Resources Representative, Gigamon
They say the boomers (born before 1963) are more productive and hardworking team players, but they are also less adaptive and less collaborative in general. They say that Gen X (born 1963-1980) have better managerial skills and are better at revenue generation and problem solving, but they are less cost-effective and have less 'presence'. They say that Millennials (born 1980-1996) are more enthusiastic and tech-savvy, entrepreneurial and opportunistic, but they are also more likely to be unproductive and self-absorbed. Our panel will represent an exec and an millennial from three different companies, sharing their in-the-trenches knowledge about understanding about 1) how differing communication styles can lead to miscommunications and misunderstandings 2) how the myths and stereotypes we have of others in other generations may hamper our assessment of others and how we are perceived by others, as well as well as 3) how the inclinations and leanings of each generation impact the way they think and communicate and act. Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue, CMO, 888 Steps Our Executive Panelists include: Panelist Mary Emerton, VP Manufacturing, Nutanix Panelist Tiffaney Fox Quintana, Vice President of Marketing, HelloSign Panelist Helen Kim, VP of Business Operations, eBay Panelist Kerry McCracken, Vice President: Flex Connect, Flex Panelist Jennifer T. Miller | Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Gigamon Our Millennial Panelists include: Panelist Meliena Guy, Senior Product Manager-eBay Search, eBay Panelist Amanda Lurie, Business Manager, Leadership Development Program, Flex Panelist Catherine Stevenson, Human Resources Representative, Gigamon
Techlab Innovation Center, 2040 Martin, Santa Clara July 11 and 13, 6-10 p.m., July 15 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., July 17 half hour tbd 888steps.eventbrite.com 888 Steps: Week-long Intense Scalability Workshop - $1500 including worksheets and meals As a follow-up to the lunch/dinner and learn workshop, Serial entrepreneur and 888 Steps CEO Larry Gletzer leverages his broad experience and from-the-trenches expertise in leading, growing and running tech start-ups to create a 7-phase, 888-step process for growing a company zero to $2M to $10M, getting funded and growing to $100M-plus. This Intense Scalability workshop will be conducted over a course of one week and will include 99 worksheets which take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours each to complete. It's designed for entrepreneurs who are interested in intensely scaling their companies, and willing to commit the time and energy to follow a comprehensive 7-phase, 888-process for doing so.
FountainBlue's When She Speaks in SV Event Friday, July 14 @ NVIDIA, Resolving Conflict When the Stakes are High $40 partners, $50 general admission, $300 for all 2017 events www.whenshespeaks.com Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue, CMO, 888 Steps Panelist Vicki Sam, Chief of Staff/VP, EFI Panelist Debbie Shotwell, Chief People Officer, Saba Software Panelist Joy Taylor, General Manager, Product Line Director, Texas Instruments Panelist Liming Wang, Sr. Director, Manufacturing Finance, Western Digital Panelist from NVIDIA to be confirmed
Friday, July 21, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lean IN, and Level It UP Bigcommerce, 685 Market Street, Third Floor / San Francisco Register at http://whenshespeaks.com/sf/ Every senior leader has had their share of obstacles and challenges - whether it's in completing a project, managing an employee, establishing a partnership, and, of course, leveling up within an organization. This month's panel will feature advice and insights for leaning in, in collaboration with trusted others AND leveling up in skill set and experience which result in roles and titles which bring more impact and a larger and longer ripple effect. Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue; CMO, 888 Steps Panelist Ghazal Asif, VP of WWW Channels, AppDynamics Panelist Shanthi Ramamurthy, Managing Director, Accenture Technology Panelist Alexandra Shapiro, CMO, BigCommerce www.whenshespeaks.com
FountainBlue's When She Speaks in SV Event Friday, August 11 @ Palo Alto Networks, Balancing Privacy, Security and Access $40 partners, $50 general admission, $300 for all 2017 events www.whenshespeaks.com
FountainBlue's When She Speaks in SV Event Friday, Sept 8 @ Texas Instruments, Make Your Own Rules $40 partners, $50 general admission, $300 for all 2017 events www.whenshespeaks.com
FountainBlue's When She Speaks in SV Event Friday, Oct 13 @ PayPal, ISMAC is Where It's At: Immersive, Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud $40 partners, $50 general admission, $300 for all 2017 events www.whenshespeaks.com
FountainBlue's When She Speaks in SF Event Friday, October 19, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. iSMAC is Where It's At - in SF AppDynamics, 303 Second Street North Tower, 8th Floor in SF $40 partners, $50 general admission, $100 for all four 2017 quarterly events in SF www.whenshespeaks.com
FountainBlue's When She Speaks in SV Event Thursday, Nov 9, 4-6 p.m. @ Polycom, Level It UP! $40 partners, $50 general admission, $300 for all 2017 events www.whenshespeaks.com
FountainBlue's When She Speaks in SV Event Friday, Dec 8 @ Nutanix, Collaboration Best Practices $40 partners, $50 general admission, $300 for all 2017 events www.whenshespeaks.com
About FountainBlue
FountainBlue is a management consultancy which provides executive coaching, tech advisory and other consulting services to tech leaders in corporations and start-ups in Silicon Valley and beyond. At FountainBlue, we believe that leadership takes place 'One Conversation, One Leader, One Organization at a Time'. Therefore, we work with tech execs and entrepreneurs to envision, strategize and create 'What's Next' through our coaching and consulting services, as we move from an Age of Information to an Age of Personalization. Join us for our monthly and quarterly events and series, and sign up for our weekly event notifications and monthly newsletters. For more information, visit www.fountainblue.biz or www.whenshespeaks.com.
Until We Next Connect
We invite your comments, input and participation and look forward to seeing you at the next When She Speaks event, or finding out more about your coaching, advising and consulting needs.
Until we next connect,
Linda Holroyd Founder and CEO, FountainBlue Organizer, When She Speaks and VIP Roundtable Series CMO, 888 Steps VP of Professional Services, OOCIO
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