good news: inheritance notice

Today is truly my lucky day.

Hello Friend,

This is to notify you again for the last time that you have been listed as an Heir to the total sum of 'Ten Million Six Hundred Thousand Great British Pounds' in the codicil and last testament of the deceased (Name now withheld since this is our second letter to you). Our contact to you is based on the legal fact that you bear the same last name identity with the deceased therefore we can present you as the heir to the inheritance.

All legal papers will be processed on your acceptance of this deal. We request that you kindly forward to us your letter of acceptance; your current telephone and fax numbers and a forwarding address to enable us file necessary documents at our high court probate division for the release of this sum of money.

Please indicate your interest immediately via my private email for us to proceed. I shall feed you with full details of this transaction upon receipt of your reply towards this proposal.

Best Regards,
Dr. Garrett Kenneth

I've already bought my top hat.

picture: the frozen chicago river

The last time I saw the Chicago River freeze was February 8, 2007. And whaddya know, I took a picture of it then too. For the record, it was much colder today than it was then. Much.

UPDATE: Adam, this picture was taken facing north from the eastern end of the Madison Street Bridge, just west of Wacker Drive. In the distance you can see the Boeing HQ, and on the right the massive box that is the Lyric Opera Building. The bridge you can see is the Washington Street Bridge.

hmm: what can product managers learn from CEOs

Ack/nak reader and Productologist author Ivan Chalif wrote a year ago - passionately and at length - on why the product manager is not the CEO of his product.

Go give it a read, I'll wait.

As evidence he offered three qualities not possessed by product managers which the reader can conclude are possessed by CEOs:

Control over staffing
Control over strategy
"Invincibility" as defined by the likelihood of PM getting shot sooner than the CEO

I won't comment on his thesis that the product manager is more like the COO of the product than the CEO, but I will suggest that where it matters most the successful product manager can learn an awful lot more from the CEO than from the COO. Because while the CEO has powers the PM does not, successful CEOs and PMs share (or should share, IMO) one core talent.

I'm speaking specifically about the art of leadership.

In an old but still relevant survey, 1300 sentient creatures opined that 53% of what makes a great CEO is leadership.

I agreed with these creatures then, I agree with them now.

What does the business expect of its leaders?

Let me put my tautology hat on. . . we expect our leaders to lead.

I think it expects its leaders to understand the past, be engaged in the present, and plan for the future; to have an ability to gather, synthesize and use information; and to communicate transparently and effectively. It expects people who can inspire followership.

When you break it down this way it's easy to see that these are all qualities the business expects of its product managers too - within the more limited context of product.

Sure, you need technical and business chops, but as the person at the "center" of the product, you need to be a leader first. And if you accept that leadership is what is valued most in CEOs, then there you go - the transitive property FTW.

I don't think we need product managers who are tyrants any more than we need CEOs who are - we need product management leaders who are fair and "teachable" - who expect excellence because they strive for it themselves - and who want to bring everyone along with them into the future.

Sidebar: Back in July of 2007 I wrote about what I see as the defining qualities of operators. The COO is the Spock to the CEO's Kirk. Both need to lead. But the COO is valued most for the ability to optimize the organization, its talent and its processes, whereas the CEO is valued most for. . . leadership!

If you've got ideas of what the product manager can learn from the CEO, let me know. Other than "where is the executive washroom".

review: belstaff colonial canvas fall08/winter09 collection

This will be a very short review to correspond with Belstaff's painfully, sadly, unwisely abridged Colonial Canvas line.

There are now only three (3) bags left in the collection - and they aren't even the three best examples of the line from previous collections. Here's what's they're selling:

756148 - Man Bag 550

756195 - Medium Man Bag

756176 - Travel Bag

These three bags are available in Black, Mountain Brown, Kaki and Panama.

Gone are the Large Man Bag and the Shoulder Bag (the two best bags in the line), as well as the Large Shoulder Bag. Long gone are the Marsupium and the oddly-named but still-cool Body Bag.

I've gone over each of the three remaining bags in an earlier review - you can read it and see some pictures here.

But in case you're too lazy to click on that link:

The Man Bag 550 lacks the heft of its larger cousins, and frankly is just too d____d small for much of anything other than a camera and a pack of gum. The Medium Man Bag, while an improvement, teases you with greater carrying power but is still too small for magazines, maybe a couple of paperbacks would fit. And the Travel Bag? It's a mess, a shaggy, buckle-and-strap nightmare that looks like a rolled-up canvas straight jacket.

It's enough to make you want to switch to Inujirushi bags.

I can't explain what's up with Belstaff. Every time I've gotten in touch with their showroom store in New York City they've been either out of stock or nearly out of stock. Their London store had few of the Colonial Canvas bags in stock when I was last there, and good luck finding any of the bags at independent retailers. These bags are popular - so why aren't they meeting demand with more variety, not less?

It's a shame. The Shoulder Bag is the finest casual bag I've ever owned. It's sturdy and spacious while still looking great. And the Mountain Brown color is fabulously understated. I had hoped to pick up a Large Man Bag. . . but I fear it is not to be.

Numerous emails to Belstaff requesting more information have gone unanswered.

Stay tuned.

2009: what's ahead

Every new year is an opportunity to. . . to. . .

To. . .

"What?"

I can't say it.

"You can't say what?"

I want to say "start anew" or "make a fresh commitment" to something or other or "rethink how you want to live".

"What's so bad about that?"

Because it seems sad that we've grown accustomed to making so-called "resolutions" at the turning of the year.

"Again, what's so bad about that?"

Why just once a year?  Why not renew those commitments every day?  Why do we set ourselves up for big achievements in full knowledge that we're likely to fail?

"I don't see it that way.  I think it's OK to have a specific day of the year that we set aside for being reflective.  For example, I know you want to go to the gym more often in 2009."

True.

"And I know that I want to be less critical of your writing."

Aww, that's awfully nice of you.

"I didn't say I'd stop being critical.  Just less so."

Still, that's a step in the right direction.  I'd also like to get back to writing on ack/nak more often.

"That'd be nice."

And I'd really like to get The Bob Swami Show on a regular production schedule.

"I'm glad to hear that.  The best way to build an audience is consistency."

I think it could be really big once I have a few more episodes in the can.  And. . . and I think I'd like to do more voice-over work in 2009.

"You still do voice-overs?"

Since my agent and I "parted ways", it's been harder, but yes, I still do.  Mostly industrial stuff like demos and training videos, and some narration.

"What else would you like to accomplish in 2009?"

Well, from a product management perspective, I want to focus more on the go-to-market part of the business, now that I feel like I've got the back-office part under control.

"Anything else?"

Other than "be nice", no, I think that about does it.

"Good luck to you then."

Thanks.

(And to you, Dear Reader, I hope your hangover isn't too terrible, and I wish you everything good in life in 2009.)