What are You doing Now?

We go through life and business picking up knowledge, wisdom, morals and ethics that help to enrich and fulfill us as we travel a well worn path. Sounds a bit Zen I know, but my point is we all have opportunities to gain the above and the collective knowledge and wisdom should give us a collective and collaborative advantage to make things better for all. Give advantages, care, achieve through consultative methods and find ways to make a difference. There is a question mark at the end of all of that because for all of our advantages, we still don't seem to have it together locally, regionally or globally.

Is it because we are constantly told you are not complete without winning and gaining an advantage over your competition? Is it because of our constant need for instant gratification to feel satisfied with our lot? Is it because we get stuck in our own little world and to step outside to help someone or even to make a difference is easy to dismiss as not part of our job.

Recently a pilot for Southwest Airlines went against one of the airline's major tenants of online departure, to allow a late passenger on board. Something as passengers we all dislike, as we wait for someone to come stumbling out of duty free holding everyone up and giving the flight attendants opportunity to roll their eyes as the offending passenger finds their seat.

This particular passenger had done all the right things like getting to the airport two hours prior and then standing in line as indifferent security people held him and others in check because they could, and it wasn't in their job description to treat passengers with dignity and grace while finding ways to speed them to their departure gates. The man's grandson had been murdered two days prior and he was desperate to say goodbye and security did their best not to be exceptional or make a difference in a place where they could be the highlight of the airport process.

After enduring the process he arrived twelve minutes late and we all know what that means in today's cut down airline processes, a missed flight. Instead he found a flight attendant waiting, "Are you Mark, we held the plane for you and we're so sorry about the loss of your grandson."

The pilot had been informed of the man's plight and decided to make a difference to one person while taking into account the expectations of the 150 other passengers. When the pilot was thanked he was all class and responded in that John Wayne manner we all wanted to hear and maybe see in a movie not to far into the future "They can't go anywhere without me and I wasn't going anywhere without you. Now relax. We'll get you there. And again, I'm so sorry."

The above was considered exceptional service and Southwest Airlines was praised for having such caring staff.

Why is it, that exceptional is considered extraordinary nowadays? Why is 12 minutes extraordinary when we have the opportunity, the skills, the knowledge and the capacity to accomplish that and more, while making a difference every day?

12 minutes isn't much, what are you doing to make a difference?

Where the Bloody Hell are You?

I have walked through dozens of airports, domestic and international, for countless flights in countless countries and one thing has always amazed me and puzzled me. Where the #%@& are the passengers called at the last minute, holding up flights all over the world? You've all heard the broadcasts looking for passenger Chin or family Smith or party of three Yankovich. I'm not talking about people not getting to the airport on time because of traffic, floods and excuses too many to count. I'm talking about people who have checked in, gone through customs if it involves international flights and prior to this, actually decided to purchase an airline ticket and made their way to an airport on time.

Not inconsequential decisions for anyone and certainly decisions you would think to be backed by an intention of action, like getting on the bloody plane already! Are you getting my feelings of frustration?

I read and research aplenty but I never read or hear about heart attacks striking people down before they get on a plane. I never hear about people missing their flight because they had to have airport sex as the toilets onboard were too small to join the "mile high club". There are no accounts of food poisoning from the fast food outlets, nor is there AA information on people falling off the wagon and becoming so drunk they can't find their way out of the bar. The scenarios seem endless if extrapolated to the N th degree of ridiculousness but surely the mystery has answers.

Okay people have last minute panic attacks if they are uneasy flyers and certainly there are the occasional family crisis and last minute illnesses that occur but the percentage of those occurrences are so small in comparison to the number of airport announcements that the mystery remains. As the Lara Bingle ad famously asked, "where the bloody hell are you"? Is there a worldwide conspiracy of alien abduction at airports, sorry getting back to that ridiculous stage because my comprehension of the situation is so limited to have me thinking I'm just plain dumb.

Plain dumb maybe but is the answer staring me in the face. Maybe some people should not be allowed to travel or leave the house for that matter, because they are the tiny percent that fail to finish even the simplest of tasks once started. I'm just going to the shops dear and you end up drunk in the pub or they are on their way to the dentist and get sidetracked by a bargain at the local supermarket. Maybe that's the mystery group who fail to get onboard in time?

Because of the mystery disappearances and the people who don't even make it to the airport, airlines have developed their own "no show" policy of overbooking flights from 5% to 12% to compensate. Per flight that can be up to 20 passengers but the policy seems to be working and widely accepted, so much so, that no one is really looking to solve the mystery.

Until someone comes up with statistics proving otherwise, I'll go with the non finishers as the mystery fliers or in most case non fliers. Okay, don't go to the dentist but get on the bloody plane.

Six Seconds.

That's how long current research tells us we are taking to answer emails, whether we are deep in conversation, in a meeting, on the phone or having sex as one reply put it. Paltry I say, as I watch my Blackberry for the next incoming email. One to three seconds is probably closer to the mark for most people as we stay obsessed with being connected every waking minute, sorry second. Email is the greatest survivor of the web history so far and has the ability to outlive any challenges thrown up against it.

I make the above point because there have been recent articles about the "death of emails" and I fail to see how that is even possible to consider. With 107 trillion emails sent last year, averaging 294 billion a day with nearly 2 billion email users worldwide on 3 billion email accounts, what could ever replace it? Mark Zuckerburg remarked that email would be a thing of the past, as he was launching Facebook's new messaging system, but even the millions on Facebook become insignificant when taking in the billions on email.

Sure young people are inclined to SMS and use anything more instant they can lay their hands on and spam still seems to rear it's ugly head as a filler of inboxes but the ubiquitous nature of email will see it survive the Facebook challenges along with future technology aimed at keeping us connected. Even Twitter with a substantial 25 billion tweets sent via 175 million users in 2010 is so far behind that email can't even see it in the rearview mirror.

One of the complaints that email isn't immediate enough seems to be a fallacy when you look at the title of this piece. How immediate are a few seconds? It's convenience can't be overlooked as 2 billion registered email users will attest to and the multitude of technology devices that can handle email is only limited to our imagination. Even spam has ceased to bug people the way it used to, considering the level of filtering now available. Without email, spam would just find another avenue. It is designed to follow users so Facebook should be pleased that email takes the brunt for them otherwise, you would be looking at home pages accosted by your favourite enlargement pharmaceuticals.

The slowest moving of all entities on the web, business, which accounts for 25% of all email accounts, would be in dire straights without email and there seems nothing on the horizon to replace it, unless there are competitors to Google and Microsoft intending to change our minds. Maybe the Chinese have something up their sleeves? As yet the majority of them haven't even tried email, so another billion or so will soon be online emailing their friends, doing business and generally communicating their thoughts.

As Mark Twain said a long time ago and this could easily refer to email today, "the news of my death has been greatly exaggerated".

The Single Life.

I met Maureen on a recent trip back from Bangkok, as we did the whole "what do you do" scenario of small talk aimed at passing some time before the next meal broke out. I vacillated between brain surgeon or search and rescue specialist but the conversation stayed on her as she was travelling by herself half way round the world to join a Pacific cruise in Sydney. She was very excited and anxious all at the same time. As a single traveller, having lost her husband 11 years prior, I guess it was more than small talk, there were concerns at being a single traveller.

As I look round the cabin at the mostly business type passengers who wrap themselves in the cocoon of Bose noise cancelling speakers and iPad DVDs I feel for Maureen as a first time single traveller on a major journey. The flight crew, under time constraints to perform all their required duties in the allocated timeframe, are not inclined to interact with the passengers any more than they need to. So it can end up a process of getting from A to B on an 9 hour bus ride with no one to talk to and nothing to see out of the windows.

Many sections of the travel industry like airlines, still don't know what to do with single travellers, unless they are the "road warriors" looking to get through the process with a minimum of fuss and contact. In fact aside from discussing the finer points of whatever will make them sleep better at the drinks cart, "road warriors" would be happiest if they could self serve themselves meals and had the crew replaced with PAs.

So Maureen reads her magazines and watches the movies onboard as the time flies by, literally, waiting to board her luxury cruise liner, because it will be onboard that she will be treated differently. If any part of the travel industry gets "singles", then it's the cruise industry. With many years catering for the older clientele, many like Maureen travelling out of single necessity, the cruise industry has figured out how to treat everyone with the respect a paying passenger should get.

Maureen will spend barely a day in Sydney, a city you would agree with considerable charm and tourism highlights, because it holds no attraction for her for as an older single traveller. Everyone under 25 is excluded from that remark as the blossoming and lively backpacker trade can attest to.

Once on board and with a choice of what size table to join for dinner, community activities aimed at involving all the passengers and a wide range of entertainment, cruising has become the easy escape for those not wanting to sit poolside at a resort with a single drink, a single chair and a single lunch plate saying, you guessed it, single. The necessity for cruise lines to treat everyone with equal respect, gives Maureen a comfort level she does not experience in the air or in the cities.

As we land at Mascot, Maureen readies her documentation, the "road warriors" unplug their technology and we head to customs. Once through, Maureen is greeted by the cruise transfer company and I can see her shoulders relaxing and her smile getting bigger as she slides into the limo heading for her first umbrella drink.

Bon Voyage Maureen.

Different Lands.

I read a lot and catch up on business matters globally via all the communication channels available to me today and use that information in my daily business life in Australia, but doing business in other locations especially overseas, is never like reading about it on the BBC News. As I wander around Bangkok amid the chaos and the frenetic pace, it's interesting to note that business for global and regional companies continue to expand successfully but not always in the way we do it at home.

One of the reasons for that success is the people who are willing to go and work in other parts of the world and leave behind family and comfortable surroundings. People do this for many reasons including the excitement of travelling to more exotic destinations and having the "International Lifestyle", having adventurous spirits, looking to advance their careers and wanting to explore different business relationships in different cultures.

As I sit in Lumpini park in central Bangkok, watching a 2 metre monitor lizard swim lazily along a canal, I can't help but notice the juxtaposition of the old Thailand rushing towards the western business world via mushrooming high rise buildings all the while trying to keep the culture and calm of the local people intact. Business in Bangkok is business in a true Asian capital, manic, constantly changing and evolving. Unlike the more westernised Singapore, which some business pundits describe as "Asia for beginners" Thailand has very defined cultural differences when dealing in the local business environment for foreigners. A good friend working in Singapore would no doubt chuckle over that Sydney, Melbourne style remark but admit life far from home regardless of where that might be, is very different.

The business done by the "expat" westerners who have to adjust, be respectful and always remain flexible when working outside their their comfort zone is made all the more difficult by local and regional business bureaucracy and expectations they would not encounter at home. The "expat" business person is highly sought after because they need to have an open minded approach and be self motivated to succeed in environments often without much guidance from head office. Not a surprise then, that an overseas posting is highly valued on business resumes.

It is a business life that brings with it many challenges outside the office environment including cultural, gastronomic, independent living and being a long way from your Mother. Benefits along the lines of monetary rewards, the travel itself and the sometimes close "ex pat" community help to compensate for many of the challenges but in the end it is the decision to do business in a different land that differentiates and highlights the skills accumulated through that decision.

If you get the opportunity to hire people with overseas experience your company will benefit from more than what shows up on their business resume. Because doing business is sometimes more than just doing business, especially in a different land.

Cutlery.

On a recent international flight I was given a full complement of cutlery in all its stainless steel glory, evoking the history of Sheffield steel making and bringing the full force of the industrial revolution to bear on the salmon tart. I make mention of this because there is still a lot of plastic winging its way across the sky in the shape of picnic knives that long ago should have been relegated back to the picnic basket. I felt good with my stainless steel knife, like an adult trusted and accountable not to run rampaging through the cabin ordering the pilot to turn the plane around and head for Cuba. Do they still ask to go to Cuba?

I know we live in uncertain times and threats can come from the most unlikely source but surely we have earned the trust to eat in a civilised manner with functioning utensils while 35,000 feet in the air. No one is immune to what has happened in the last 10 years but surely we are at a level of humanity and maturity where trust and accountability are bywords we live by and function within business and the greater community. Otherwise, what's the point?

It's the simple things that engender trust and the steel knife was just the tipping point lowering levels of trust, when we all know, no one is really going to hijack planes with cabin cutlery. People are prepared to take on accountability if you trust them as a recent incident showed, when a crackpot wanting to hijack a plane from Scandinavia was easily over powered by the passengers who ended up sitting on him till authorities dragged him away on landing. Don't put everyone into the crackpot box percentage and give them plastic knives because it really insults the intelligence of today's flyer.

People want to feel the trust and it's the little things like plastic knives that pick away at that trust. Malcolm Gladwell in "Tipping Point" showed how the smallest things could have the biggest effect if you gave people back the feeling they are being treated with respect and trust. New York was transformed from 70s grunge and crime to today's centre of the universe with recent travel statistics showing over 48 millions visitors in 2010. It was accomplished by fixing broken windows and curbing jaywalking so that people were able to get back the feeling of trust in a city that also wanted to trust its citizens. Makes for an interesting read for anyone interested in changing things from the bottom up.

On a local level think about the little things you may have unknowingly taken from your staff that now has them doubting your trust. Micro managing, no training, never letting them go to meetings without you, clock watching and never complimenting them on the job they do.

The little things matter more than you know. So thanks British Airways for trusting me with your steel knife.

$50 Billion.

Boeing makes planes, well most of the time. GM makes cars, well most of the time. EBay sells stuff, well, all of the time. These 3 companies now have something in common with Facebook on a large scale financial platform in that one, GM, is worth slightly more and the other two are worth slightly less than Facebook after Goldman Sachs took a significant share holding of $500 million, valuing Facebook at $50 billion.

So Boeing make planes, almost 75% of them globally and GM make cars, enough said about that and eBay is in retail. All traditional ventures in one sense but Facebook is harder to pin down with many people saying all it does is connect you to others. What's that worth? Far be it from me to denigrate the worth of a true relationship but to make money from that without compromising the relationship will be the big trick.

With staff of 2,000 and earning $2 billion a year compared to Boeing's 159,000 staff and $65 billion in earnings, it seems incongruous that Facebook could be worth so much but Goldman Sachs won't be happy with just $50 billion as it's an investment giant betting on even more potential from a "Facebook Future".

Potential is the power word in this equation. Just as parents are willing to spend money they can't really afford, to turn little Johnny into the next Roger Federer, (I had Tiger Woods in there originally but only a select set of parents would be aiming for that ) companies are willing to take investment risks if the potential upside will double or quadruple their money. Goldman Sachs is a savvy company and amid talks of a Facebook IPO worth over $100 billion they are likely thinking of $200 billion.

For Facebook to get to those dizzying heights it needs to harness the power of the people and show the market they have control. For 500 million members this will mean changes to the way they interact with the site and perhaps even buying something. Will Facebook be pressured by its shareholders to turn into the "social supermarket"?

Internet marketing spend in 2011 is slated at $117 billion and is still only 15% of total marketing dollars spent globally, giving Facebook potential to grab a significant percentage if they can work their members into a buying frenzy. Even a small market share shift in advertising dollars could reap Facebook billions in revenue.

The problem with all this is, I like a lot of "Facebookers" don't expect to be sold things on the site. It's for connecting, profiling, preening, gawking, poking and spending inordinate amounts of time away from the real world. If I want to buy things, Amazon, eBay and the rest of the Internet has me covered. Yet potentially, 500 million members are just too juicy to ignore for the Goldman Sachs' of the world.

So Mark Zuckerberg has some decisions to make on his "baby" and whether he sees potential other than just making more money???

Pushing Buttons.

Taking down Christmas decorations along with the tree on New Year's Day, then transportng it to our storage locker, I got stuck in a goods lift for a couple of hours. It wasn't exactly the Chiliean mining disaster but it was dark and dank and there was no tube to be fed leftover Christmas ham. I could hear people outside discussing what to do and they all seemed intent on pushing every button a 100 times to see if it would eventually free up the lift. It didn't of course and it got me thinking about what was going through their minds doing the same thing constantly and expecting a change?

Like the old business adage of insanity, where you are doing the same things and expecting different results, people just kept pushing buttons. Someone eventually decided to disconnect the sensor, reset the lift and bring me back from the depths. Free, free, free at last!

While in the " hole " I got thinking about the last few years and the many companies caught in the lift just pushing buttons with no results.

What happened to Blockbuster Video who didn't see the online threat of Netflix and Hulu and continued doing the same thing while their customers were looking for alternatives of convenience? Going into bankruptcy, Blockbuster is calling it a " prearranged recapitalisation ", if you call closing a 1000 stores recapitalising. Will the same thing happen in Australia as Quickflixs works on the convenience side of the tracks, so you never have to jump in the car and visit the DVD store ever again?

What happened to Pan Am and countless airlines who kept hammering away at legacy systems and expecting passengers to just show up and pay the exorbitant fares? As the airline industry evolves past LCCs into a high tech model of efficiency, where does that leave the airline companies who have not changed and are still pushing the same old buttons? Who will be the next Blockbuster of the air?

The same can be said of many business methods and processes you are no doubt still using because they worked last year and the year before, but what about 2 - 5 years from now when everything you know about business is being done in a different way? Will you still be pushing the same buttons, expecting different results? What mobile technologies do you intend to use in the future that will will keep you connected with your customers? What modes of communication will have the greatest effect on your business? Who will you turn to in times of change?

Questions you need to consider as the buttons disappear and you can't push them anymore. People will move to the path of least resistance and most convenience, which begs the question, which path is your business on?

The only button that always works, is looking someone in the eyes, shaking their hand and conveying to them that doing business with you, is business with integrity, credibility and a future.

Some buttons are still worth pushing.