Don't let me singing alone - Karaoke Capitalism (review)

 

Accept no imitations - no limitations. You are here for a reason. You've got the power and the rights. It's your life - you decide. [...] Free your mind - and the rest will follow

Karaoke is about imitation. The whole metaphor about the karaoke club with the modern economy - or more accurately, what economy is and has stop being - takes us to the deepest roots of contemporary successful companies.

The book is about economy, politics, technology, sociology and business management; yet, it never touches a single bit on their underlying theories. What Ridderstråle and Nordström, the authors, describe us is the real world.

Karaoke Capitalism is not a guide, but an invitation. To explore, to free ourselves, to be aware of what is happening, to be confident in ourselves and in our ideas, to take risks, to confront failure and, ironically, to not embrace success. Within its pages, you can perfectly see the mechanisms of the world of today, and at the same time, get the insight of why is it happening.

It would not be hard to compress all the ideas of the book into a blog post; but is impossible to transmit that insight in a few lines. I will limit to say that the book emphasizes on individuality, in which talent is the new real value (besides money). Technology is now just enabling and empowering the individuals to grow. But we now live in a material world (whether we like it or not), and the market is a big, unstoppable mechanism, which is more than the sum of all of us. The world has, is and will keep changing, so the business models have to flow with it. Now, businesses are about innovation, which is far more complicated than just invention, and is a long path with ups and downs. Companies are not controlled by corporations anymore - they are driven by its people, the talented one. At the end, the successful companies are the ones that can engage the customer, provide the most valuable. The survival of the fittest - and the sexiest.

(C) The sinister idea, Felipe Morin

So, what does it has to do a book about markets, economy, globalization and management to us (at least to me), people on the IT? Well, I'm sorry, the answer is not highlighted and in bold font within the book. What it gives us, as I say, is a tour around the minds and souls of some of the most innovating companies - which gives the casualty that many of them are technological companies. It helps us see all those trees in the forest in front of our noses: the world is global. You cannot change it, but can change yourself. If you are lucky, you can excel. And, the most important, valuable lesson. Luck doesn't equal chance. Luck is for the people that expose to the opportunities, who know which to grab - and which to throw away-, who have aspirations, are pro-active and practice luck.

In short, this book is a whole manifesto, one that you shall embed into yourself, and put it into practice. Be sure not to miss it.

This blog is going to fail (Interview with David Weekly)

As died my past two blogs. Seriously, it doesn't even has a theme. I don't update it regularly, and if three people know about it it's more than I would have expected.

And it's OK.

It's incredible what it takes to realize that failing is OK, and the important thing is trying. Keep trying. Always.

Today I had the incredible chance to meet David Weekly and César Salazar who came to University to give a talk about innovation and entrepreneurship.

David is president of PBWiki, advisor and consultant of many other companies, and, with some forgiveness of him I hope, a big, big failure. He has the record for the fastest failure of a Web 2.0 company, just a few more than 10 days! And he allegedly confessed us so many other failures he had. Fortunately, there wasn't a river and a boulder near him. Now he is a very, very successful person.

Again, what took him to the very high of Silicon Valley is that he kept on trying, and learned to manage failure. Which is a good thing in a rapid changing world. Technology is cheaper and better every time, so you can prototype really fast and really cheap, then make a proof of concept. If your idea is good, keep it and refine it. If it is bad, throw it and start again. Don't wait until you have the infrastructure for one million users, until that amazing web designer accidentally visits your LinkedIn profile and decides to work with you, until you have finished your University as if a paper is a requisite. Innovation is about getting things done.

The managing paradigm changes too. You have to innovate management, too. Be a little more permissive, take risks, manage collective expectations, ask for feedback, enforce criticism. "Yes" people contribute nothing. Document everything. Don't be afraid to fire people. Hire people to do things you do not do well, and hire smarter people than you. Hire people which do useful things for fun. Always remember your worker is a living person, don't try to make them split in two. Praise good work, always listen to your team, appreciate suggestions.



Unfortunately, there's no manual, so it's a matter of trial (and of course, the inevitable error). Starting a company is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. With a little of luck, you won't need to sweat more than necessary. But always bring your deodorant with you.

Now, I would save this blog and make it work. Or I would make it fail, quickly. I'll keep you updated... or not.