Timely Commentary on American Foreign Policy

In a rather interesting – and for me, certainly atypical – book I’m reading, I came across a few lines that I think quite accurately sum up the opinions of many Canadians when it comes to America’s foreign policy today:

Look around you. Above all, look down here at these anguished United States of ours. And what do you see? If you see with any clarity, you will record a madhouse.

Our government in Washington is sending metal and steel, and atomic energy, and destructive power all over the globe to protect our national security. To other people the fact is that our government in Washington is a supremely materialistic and atheistic society seeking, as every empire has in the past, control, power, control. Aging, almost senile, and probably impotent, men in our capitals both east and west are sending young men out to kill for old men’s chess games: power and control.

You remember what happened to Rome, don’t you? The Roman Empire, like the American Empire, spreading its rule of steel and concrete across the Mediterranean…”

So…who said it? Michael Moore? Jon Stewart? Howard Hampton?

No. It was Timothy Leary, in a transcript of “The Speech That Never Was,” a talk the godfather of LSD was supposed to give at the University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall as part of Perception ’67. That’s right, 1967. The book, incidentally, is The Art of Ecstasy, by William Marshall and Gilbert Taylor and published in the same year.

It’s a bit of an eye-opener. In fact, with the similarities between Leary’s day and ours, one could easily be tempted to consult his works further, to give us an idea of what we may expect to come. That temptation fades quickly, in no small part because of some of Leary’s other thoughts on the pathway to enlightenment:

:And of course the other third of the people that live here with us at the spiritual center are young people ranging from newborn babies up through the teens. And I want to point out that all the children who live in this house who are over the age of seven or eight take LSD and use marijuana regularly.”

Stop Global Warming with Delicious Last-Minute Christmas Gift

Global Warming Blend coffee available at Roots, Mountain Equipment Co-op and Merchants of Green Coffee

In support of WWF-Canada and its efforts to combat global climate change, Toronto sustainable coffee distributor Merchants of Green Coffee (MGC) has developed a special coffee, the Global Warming Blend, available at select retailers in the final week of this holiday shopping season.

MGC will donate $3.00 from each pound of Global Warming Blend sold to WWF-Canada’s Save Our Climate campaign. The coffee, blended with Canada’s only certified sustainable coffee beans, is available in Toronto at Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC), Roots at Bloor & Yonge, and both online and in-store from MGC’s fair trade warehouse.

“Thanks to our partners, everyone enjoying a piping hot cup of Global Warming Blend over the holidays will be doing a small part to help curb the single biggest environmental threat facing our planet today,” said Julia Langer, Director of Global Threats, WWF-Canada.

Global Warming Blend has already been a hit with shoppers. According to MEC’s David Robinson, the store’s first shipment of 50 half-pound bags sold out in an afternoon.

“We developed the blend not only as a delicious beverage, but also as an agent of conversation and change,” said Derek Zavislake, co-founder of MGC. “Beyond contributing to one of the most prominent conservation organizations, with each cup we’re encouraging people to ask themselves how climate change affects their lifestyle, and vice versa.”

Added Robinson, “it also tastes really, really good. If you have any coffee connoisseurs on your gift list, they’ll appreciate it like a wine lover does a fine vintage.”

Global Warming Blend comes in half and full pound, roasted, whole-bean bags. For more information, visit a participating retailer or http://www.globalwarmingcoffee.com/.

Outsourcing, Insourcing...and Ho, Ho, Hosourcing!

From a friend and former client of mine in the IT services world comes the logical next step in globalization of services delivery, a step that promises to save parents up to 30% on their current holiday services spending:

Contact your local Festive Service Provider (FSP) for further details and case studies.

Why do dogs lick their own balls?

Because they can.

And that seems the entire reason behind the Bloc's threat to bring down the government over Canada’s Afghanistan mission.

Does Gilles Duceppe need a reminder that it was the Afghanistan-based Osama bin laden that was behind 9/11?

Have Canadian troops done anything but represent their country with the highest degree of honour, valour and courage?

Should we, as a G8 nation - and as such, a global leader – ignore our responsibilities to fight tyranny and defend our freedom in the face of direct threats?

Does peacekeeping - since Pearson a defining Canadian strength and source of national pride on the world stage - entail handing out lilies and releasing doves as former victims of genocide and warfare welcome us with ticker tape parades and bake sales?

Can Canada expect to command the respect of its fellow global leaders without contributing to world peace, justice and stability?

With such a vast yet vulnerable nation, does Duceppe think other countries will jump to our aid in times of need when we don't reciprocate?

If Duceppe had a say in 1944, would Canadians have played such a pivotal, honourable role on the shores of Normandy to ultimately bring an end to the second great world war?

The answer to all of these questions, of course, is no. I used to loathe the Bloc for trying to break up my country. Now it’s because they’re planning on utterly embarrassing it.

Je me souviens indeed.

The "Because Of" Factor: A Corollary

Earlier this week I was quite happy to hear Rick Segal of JL Albright Ventures on CBC Radio's Sounds Like Canada. Beyond the rebounding investments in the sector, it’s nice to hear more national discussion around the limitless opportunities that the Internet and related technologies continue to present to enterprising entrepreneurs.

One of the things Segal discussed was an emerging company success factor he calls the “Because Of” factor, to which I'd like to offer up a corollary. While I agree that the turning point in most companies comes “because of” word of mouth, referrals, blog traffic and other factors beyond a business’s control (the premise of Segal's theory), it’s important that prospective dot-com entrepreneurs realize that success doesn’t simply follow “because of” an idea being a good one.

For one thing, even the best idea or business model won’t go anywhere without the support of a team that can execute. With Windows and VHS cassettes as the classic examples, even the best technologies in the world (arguably Macintosh and Beta, respectively) won’t succeed in the face of competitors that can actually get a product out into the market. So, if you’re going after folks like Segal for funding, remember that as important as your idea itself is convincing backers that your team is the one that can get this into the hands of paying customers, fast. Remember Thomas Edison’s famous quote about genius being 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

Of equal importance, even with an experienced and accomplished team, just because an idea is seemingly brilliant idea doesn’t guarantee that customers will actually pay for it. Entrepreneurs – and I’ve seen hundreds of them do this – love to cite the success of similar offerings (like Google’s share price) or the overall size of the potential market as evidence of their company’s impending success. Quite common is what Guy Kawasaki and others have referred to as the Chinese Soda analogy; if you can get just 1% of the Chinese market to buy your soda, you’ll be selling 1.3-million cans of soda.

To be sure, the most convincing evidence a company can provide that customers will pay for its product is a purchase order or cheque (or thousands of them). The closer you can get to this, and the further you can get from magical, faith-based marketing projections, the more convincing you’ll be.

The days of the Internet are far from over and, with wireless, gaming, Web 2.0 and others as examples, the next 2-3 years alone will see some incredible advances in how we communicate, interact and do business. To paraphrase Winston Churchill – and at least one Silicon Valley venture capitalist whose name escapes me – we’re not at the beginning of the end of the dot-com era; if anything we’re at the end of the beginning.

Hell No, We Won't...er, what are we doing here again?

So I'm driving along Bloor Street just east of Yonge and I notice a group of 50 or so protesters outside the Marriott hotel. Their cause? I don't know.

Granted I didn't see all of the placards, but among the 6 or 8 that I did see, none told me why they were there. They said 'Westin,' and 'The Prince Hotel,' which in itself is odd because they were outside the Marriott, which isn't affiliated with Westin, but nothing about what (if anything) either hotel chain did wrong.

Is it possible they were demonstrating in favour of of Westin? Trying, through their actions, to compel more people to stay at the company's hotels?

Alas, I may never know

What I do know is I will definitely start using this experience to demonstrate to clients a fundamental rule in effective communications: that no matter how effective your medium, you've got to have a message.

What's the definition of a consultant?

According to a favorite joke of mine, it’s someone who comes in, borrows your watch, tells you what time it is, keeps the watch, and charges you an exorbitant fee.

And that’s exactly what came to mind reading The dean of design, an article in a recent issue of Canadian Business about University of Toronto Rotman School of Business Dean Roger Martin and his thoughts on the importance of design in today’s business environment.

The premise of the article is the “revolution” Dean explains is taking place in business; that among the most critical business success factors, arguably a company’s key competitive advantage, is design; design in your product, your support infrastructure, your customers’ experiences and more. To help illustrate, Martin cites three corporate case studies that exemplify the “design revolution” taking place around us.

The fact of the matter, as you will see, is that each of the “revolutionary” design principles illustrating the new design paradigm is, in fact, a pretty basic, Commerce 101 business principle. Yet, because it’s Martin, because he calls it a revolution, and because design is a yet under-exploited buzzword, we eat it up. Observe his three examples:

1) Four Seasons- rather than larger rooms, the globally renowned hotel chain pays immense attention to seemingly minute details of its offering to customers; the flow rate of its bathtubs and the ergonomics of its free shampoo bottles, for example. It would appear that the company strives to do things in a way that’s at least slightly different – and ideally better – than other hotel chains. Unless I’m mistaken, we already know this concept as “differentiating yourself from the competition.”

2) Air Canada – Martin’s “crowning moment” about the importance of design came during a San Francisco-Toronto flight on Air Canada, increasingly the poster child for how not to do business. It probably comes as no surprise that his less than stellar experience – and his realization of the importance of design in the customer experience – came from being neglected by his flight attendant, this in spite of the fact that he was the only passenger in that flight’s business class. Don’t get me wrong – I haven’t flown Air Canada in years – but I can’t help but think that what Martin heralds as part of the “design revolution” is in fact what I’ve heard referred to as “customer service,” and the concept of tailoring your product around your customers’ needs. To be sure, I suspect no less than 500 books have been written on the subject.

3) Research in Motion – The ultimate in Canadian technology success stories, Martin cites RIM as an example of revolutionary design because Balsillie and Lazaridis insisted on meticulous attention to design detail, for years before their first product shipped. Now, in this case, RIM is indeed deserving of recognition because of its commitment to make sure the Blackberry worked (technologically, ergonomically, etc.) thoroughly before bringing even a beta version to market. But at the same time, don’t we know this “design revolution” already as the Product, arguably the load-bearing pillar of any business and one of the fundamental four P’s that define a company’s market?

So there you have it. Three simple examples; three basic tenants of business theory; repackaged with a new buzzword in the “design” revolution…and we eat it up.

In the immortal words of another Martin, former Prime Minister Paul, let me be clear; this is not a rant against Roger Martin. Back when I was on a task force for the e-business Opportunities Roundtable, I saw first hand the vision and leadership that Martin brought to the table. I admire the work he’s done with the Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity. And let’s face it…he’s definitely part of the “business royalty” in Canada.

It’s not his fault.

Rather, I would argue the way consultants get away with repackaging business basics as revolutions is a function of our underlying need for progress. It’s evidenced every month in magazines like Fast Company and Business 2.0. It’s rooted in our apparent boredom with the business status quo, and our need for constant change and new business challenges.

Put another way…does business ever really change at all?

Professor Comes Up With a Way to Divide by Zero

From Slashdot.org comes this story that makes me second guess the value of my engineering degree:

"The BBC reports that Dr. James Anderson, of the University of Reading, has finally conquered the problem of dividing by zero. His new number, which he calls "nullity" solves the 1200 year old problem that niether Newton nor Pythagoras could solve, the problem of zero to the zero power. Story features video (Real Player only) of Dr. Anderson explaining the "simple" concept."

Dell: Now THAT'S Customer Service!

Wow. As you may have seen in a blog posting last week, I used the 15 minutes or so that I spent on hold with Dell's customer service line to jot down a few tips to keep customers like me happy while we are on hold. A few people took notice, ITBusiness.ca picked up the posting in their "Readers Weigh In On..." web page, and within a day, Dell sent me a personal email asking how they could be of further assistance.

The email came from Marty Schwartz from Dell's Executive Support Office, and here a couple of excerpts:


"It would be an overstatement to say that Dell can make every single one of its customers happy, even when they are not contacting us directly with their concerns."

"I wanted to thank you for your feedback on our automated phone system; we are always trying to improve every facet of our customers' experience, and we don't get a tremendous amount of direct, written commentary on our automated system. I will be sure these suggestions are passed along to the people in that department."

"I also wanted to inquire as to your computer system… did we get you technically resolved? Has your issue been seen through to a final fix? Please let me know, as I'd like to make sure that your issues have been handled correctly by our team. "


Needless to say, I was nothing short of (pleasantly) astonished to hear from Marty's office, particularly so soon after I blogged about the on-hold experience. In part because of this, and in part out of fairness, I should reiterate what I said last week that my issues with being on hold aren't limited to Dell; to my mind today, and perhaps there's a better standard to aim for, being on hold for customer service is as much an unpleasant reality as having to pay invoices when they arrive on my desk. I should note too that I did end up getting a quick answer (and the one I was hoping for) when I got through to a Dell representative last week.

For those of you already thinking I'm selling out by flip flopping on my original posting, I'm not. I'm not absolving Dell of its responsibility to continuously improve on its customer service capabilities, nor am I suggesting we should all acquiesce to endless hours of elevator music. But in all reality, and relative to virtually anyone else I've dealt with in this respect, Dell hit this one out of the park for me.