Jake on Jobs

Hollywood, Music City, and Social Rounding

Los Angeles and Nashville are both entertainment industry towns.  LA has movie studios.  Nashville has music studios.  Star sightings at Starbucks are common occurrences in both cities.  Waiters and bartenders work for small tips and big dreams…. You get it.

In Music City, as in Hollywood, perception is paramount and image is everything.  However, the images crafted by aspiring country artists would get them laughed out of Los Angeles (and vice-versa).  The reason: Social Rounding.  In LA, people round up. In Nashville, they round down.

What does this mean?  Here are some examples:

• In Los Angeles, I have heard a second-floor apartment referred to as “My Penthouse.”
• In Nashville, I have heard a $75,000 luxury SUV referred to as “My Truck.”
• On "MTV Cribs" wannabe superstars fill their refrigerators with Cristal and expect us to believe that they drink it on a regular basis.
• On "CMT Cribs" carb-conscious songbirds fill their refrigerators with Miller High Life and expect us to believe that they drink it on a regular basis.
• In LA, people name-drop famous directors they haven’t spoken to in 20 years.
• In Nashville, people name-drop quaint hometowns they haven’t visited in 20 years.

In LA, people lie to sound important. In Nashville, they lie to sound authentic.   

Unfortunately, social rounding in Nashville and LA extends well beyond the entertainment industry.  Young people who are trying to make it in business often adopt the rounding style of their celebrities.  Contrary to what TMZ and CMT would have you believe, social rounding will not help your career.  Rounding up your resume is a desperate (and often transparent) move.  Rounding down with false modesty during interviews comes off as arrogant.

No matter where you live, you can’t afford to compromise your career with social rounding (unless your goal is to stay connected to your folksy roots by living in your parents’ subterranean penthouse).

Business Owner Tweets About His Day, Wonders Why Nobody Cares

Over the past couple years, many business owners have been hesitant to embrace social media because of the perception that Facebook, Twitter, etc. are full of useless social updates.

“OMG, the mall is so crowded.”

“Got to work late, already dreaming of lunch.”

Execs didn’t want to waste time sifting through unproductive “here’s what happened to me today” tweets.  Those updates weren’t going to help them build their brands or drive revenue.

Here’s where the irony kicks in.

After a year of positive press for social media, many of those skeptical business owners are finally dipping their toes in the Twitter pool…and posting “here’s what happened to me today” updates.

“Our company is having a sale”

“Take a look at our website”

“We are hosting an event. Click here to buy a ticket.”

These posts are just as self-centered and unproductive as the “OMG” tweets.

Productivity on Twitter stems from conversation, not declaration.  To be successful, businesses must embrace the “social” in social networking by seeking out like-minded individuals and organizations, then engaging them in PUBLIC CONVERSATIONS.

“Re-Tweets” trump “Me Tweets”.

Gen Y Set to Turn 30, Confusion Set to Ensue

I am about to turn 30.  Like many members of the Pop Culture Generation, this advancement in age has me confused, anxious, and curious.  Gotta face the facts - I'm a different guy than I was right after college.  Not better, not worse, just different.

I spoke about several differences between "early-20's me" and "30-year-old me" a recent conference...

 

 

Ideas for the Creative and Unfulfilled

Many young professionals lie awake at night, convinced that our creative talents are being stifled.  Our lives have become too formulaic and we feel as though our energy is being zapped by uncreative careers. 

The “lie awake” phase is not healthy.  The lack of sleep is not healthy.  The frustration is not healthy. The subsequent cycle of food, alcohol, and infomercials is not healthy.

So, how do we shake it? How do we find something to think about in bed that’s more inspiring our own self-pity and recycled episodes of “Real Chance at Love”?  

I have a few ideas.

1. Stop Whining (to yourself).  When we focus on self-pity, it’s more difficult to brainstorm and generate ideas, kind of like trying to accelerate with the parking brake on.

2. Make Something. 

3. Work harder to incorporate creativity into your existing job or activities (note: this will likely require you to put in some OT)

4. Find your people.  Take a class, look for discussion forums online, or get in touch with someone you know who does creative things.  The more you surround yourself with creative people, the easier it is to complete a creative project. 

5. Make Your Something Better.  Editing (or redesigning) separates productive creativity from casual creativity.  Critiques, rejections, and amendments are essential.

Who has your dream job and why haven't you emailed him/her/them yet?

When most people think about career moves, they consider what is immediately available or achievable. However, if the goal is to build a career that is energizing and enjoyable, people should think in terms of what they want, regardless of immediate accessibility.

Instead of building your career path based upon what's available now, why not start with your dream job and work backwards? 

With that in mind, who has your dream job and why haven't you emailed them yet?

(note: I initially posted this as a question on Linkedin)

Cruising the Streets vs. Surfing the Net

I don’t get “cruising”.

I live in the middle of a city, near a lot of bars and clubs. Every weekend, those bars and clubs are full of people drinking, dancing, and listening to music. I get that. I do that.

What I don’t get is why, every weekend, the city streets are clogged by drivers who circle the block like extras from the set of The Truman Show.  Literally hundreds of drivers (+crew) spend all night cruising (slowly and loudly), cat-calling and, singing off-key in my neighborhood.

Cruising makes no sense to me.  First off, it’s a financial waste. Given the cost of gas, it would be cheaper to park and walk around.  Second, it’s like fishing without bait. Not once in five years have I seen a woman respond to a car full of cruisers by saying: “What? You think I have a fat booty?  Aren’t you sweet? Can my girls and I hop in your Grand Am?”

 

Last weekend, while the cruising line was preventing me from reaching my parking garage, I realized something - The way I feel about cruising is similar to the frustrations baby boomers have with social networking. 

Consider the similarities:

1.     In both cases, more traffic beats less traffic
2.     Both involve the sharing of seemingly meaningless life details (such as what you are doing, listening to, thinking at that moment, etc.) with crowds of people.
3.     More often than not the communication is one-way. More of an announcement than a meaningful conversation.
 

That said, there are several glaring differences between the two pursuits:
 
1.     Social networking can lead to new business/professional opportunities (legal ones)
2.     Social networking is an efficient way to stay connected with a large group of friends, family, and colleagues (past and present).
3.     Unlike cruising, social networking has an “ignore” option.

Bottom Line: social networking is only like cruising if people fail to take the time to learn how to do it correctly.
 
 

My prediction of the month – The Beatles version of Rock Band will be the gateway drug that gets Boomers hooked on new media.

Marines Ban Social Networks. Will Corporate America Be Next?

The Few. The Proud. The Isolated.

Yesterday, CNN.com reported that The Marines have banned Facebook, Twitter, and several other social networking sites.  The justification is that the networks are a “proven haven for malicious actors”, and that the possibility of passing along “unnecessary information to adversaries” is too great.

Sabotage and Exposure. 

Coincidentally, sabotage and exposure are also the two greatest social networking fears for senior executives in Corporate America.  Many corner office Boomers, reluctant to engage in social networking at home, don’t want to risk losing company secrets or employee productivity to Twitter and “The Facebook”. 

I am not a military expert.  If the Marines think that social networking is a liability, I’m not about to argue. I assume they are acting prudently.  On the other hand, when senior execs claim that social networks do more harm than good to their organizations, I assume they are acting like prudes.

Step away from the military metaphors and stay connected, people.  I know it’s not easy because Corporate America LOVES military metaphors.  But, you shouldn’t act on a potential liability until you also understand the potential opportunity. Or, to put it another way, scared money don’t make money.

Organizations that adopt defensive “wait until this stuff is mission-critical” attitudes are going to be left in the dust.  If businesses don’t take the time to understand and explore Web 2.0, what’s going to happen when the world moves to 3.0?  4.0? 

Put down your guns and go make some friends.

Friends With (Business) Benefits

 
In business as in love, the “Friends with Benefits” arrangement sounds ideal.  You just set up a little somethin’ somethin’ on the side without setting any expectations. It’s added excitement without additional overhead.  No commitment.  In theory, it sounds perfect.

In reality, the FwB thing rarely works out.  Sure, it starts out great – you get together once a week, mess around a little bit, talk about how clever you both are, etc.  Unfortunately, as time goes on things go wrong.  Someone gets hooked, gets jealous, feels neglected, and then things get awkward.

It doesn’t have to be that way, at least not in business.  The following are five things to keep in mind when setting up a Friends With Business Benefits relationship:

1.     Begin with the end in mind
Always go into an FwB relationship with an exit strategy.  Better yet, establish clear guidelines for dissolution (or advancement) of the relationship before you get started.  That way, you both can have fun without anyone feeling trapped.
 

2.     Conduct a thorough background check
Before you jump in bed with someone, even if it’s just a side thing, you need to find out a little bit about his/her partnership history.  Is this someone who can handle casual business?  Do they flip out easily?  Do they get too attached?  Do they claim to keep all activities on the down-low then immediately tell friends (or worse, Facebook friends)?  

 
3.     Ask yourself if you’re willing to lose the relationship
Once you add benefits to a friendship, the relationship will never be the same.  Maybe it will be better, maybe it will be worse, but it will never be the way it was.  Thus, you need to be ok with the idea of losing your current friendship.  

 
4.     Don’t Cheat
Are you contractually obligated to be faithful to your job?  Does your FwB relationship threaten the foundation of your career?  If the answer is “yes”, you need to be aware that your initiation/participation in said relationship qualifies you as a shady person.

 
5.     Be Patient
This is far and away my biggest opportunity for improvement (see: problem) when it comes to Friends with Business Benefits.  I like to act on ideas quickly and I have a tendency to swarm my partners.  I am also really anal about deadlines.  If someone tells me that they're going to get something done by Tuesday and I haven’t heard anything Wednesday morning, I get frustrated.  In a primary relationship my impatience would be justified, but in a casual FwB scenario, increased patience and perspective are both required.

 
Friends With Business Benefits can be a lot of fun.  You can experiment in a casual environment and sharpen your skills.  Sometimes FwB situations can even evolve into real startups and/or committed careers.  Most of the time, however, FwB relationships crash and burn. 

Before you hop in bed, make sure you take a second to think about both the possibilities and consequences of settin’ up a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ on the side.

Phones Still Work.

Memo to Gen Y: Do not fear the phone. 

Unlike floppy disks, Folgers Crystals, typewriters, and videotapes, the telephone is not an artifact from a previous professional era. The telephone is still useful, so get comfortable with it.

I know, I know, the phone is so inefficient.  Texting is simpler and email reaches more people at once.  However, in the event that you need to communicate with one person directly, the phone is still #1.

Cosider the following two sentences:

I left you a voicemail.

vs.

Did you get my email/text?

 

The people you work with get 5 billion text messages and emails a day.  Their inboxes are filled to capacity.  You often have to contact people a second time to confirm that they received your first message, which means you can't start talking substance until your third communication.

By contrast, if you leave someone a voicemail, you can assume that they got it.  People don't get 5 billion phone calls a day.  The voicemail box is much less crowded, which allows your message to stand out.  There's a reason that Commissioner Gordon still uses a landline to get Batman' s attention.

Like synth pop and tight colorful t-shirts, the phone is making a comeback.  Embrace it.  The email-only mentality is so '90s.

Rush Hour Radio Blues

Is rush hour radio better than it used to be?

 

 

When I first graduated from college and took a 9-5, I remember thinking that rush hour radio (e.g. “Morning Rush Music” and “5 O’clock Rock Block”) was incredibly lame.  It was all early ‘80’s “Whip it” garbage and over-played tracks from The Eagles and The Police. 

 

 

Lately, however, I feel like the lineups are improving.  Last week, while driving through rush hour in Los Angeles, I was pleasantly surprised with the radio play list.  “Summertime” by Will Smith, the Foo Fighters’ “Everlong”, and Naughty By Nature’s “OPP” came on one after the other.  It was such an improvement over the Fleetwood Mac-laden monotony of Drive Time’s past.

 

 

Maybe increased competition from satellite radio has inspired regular stations to step it up.  Maybe real-time audience feedback is helping stations stay focused. 

 

 

Or maybe I’m almost 30. 

 

Crap.