The SC Perspective

BACK WHEN "TITANIC" RULED THE BIG SCREEEN AND NO ONE HAD HEARD OF MONICA LEWINSKY…

Twelve years is a LONG time in the software industry. (Heck, six years ago we didn't even have YouTube!) So when I came across a 1998 article on enterprise reporting software, I was prepared to have a good laugh.
But the joke was on me. The piece, "Enterprise Reporting" by Charles Chitty, could have been written last night. Chitty nailed it when he wrote about what was going on then – and, sadly, the situation hasn't changed much today.
And that's no laughing matter.
Here's his main premise:
"Most senior executives, across all enterprises, are likely to agree that two of their most valuable corporate assets are their employees and their corporate data. Most will also agree that increasingly these employees need better, faster and more complete access to information in support of their daily activities, so that they can better contribute to the efficiency and profitability of the organization.
Yet enabling these employees to gain easy access to corporate data is still something that many of today's businesses have failed to achieve."
Okay, now fast forward to today. With the advances in enterprise reporting tools over the past decade – advances in areas such as report dissemination and true scalability – you might think things would have improved.
Think again. In April, IBM surveyed 1,900 CFOs worldwide. The findings:
"As a direct result of the economic crisis of the last 18 months, chief financial officers at midmarket organizations have greater clout and decision-making power than ever before, and yet a dispiriting majority of them say they lack insight and access to the data they need to be effective."

Ouch.
As the CEO of an enterprise reporting software company, I'm disappointed. Disappointed that in more than a decade, our industry hasn't found a better way to help these organizations. Disappointed that companies still struggle with getting the information they need, when they need it.
And personally, I'm disappointed that we here at Windward haven't been able to get our message across. Reporting doesn't have to mean headaches and data mired in databases that only a select group of IT folks can see. Our enterprise reporting tools are among the best in the field (yeah, go ahead, call me biased), and they help you to design and deliver reports the way you envision them.
So if you're part of that "dispiriting majority," I invite you to take a look at our solution. I'd like to see you get the insight and access to data that you need – and long before another 12 years has passed.

THANK YOU

Two simple words: Not stated often enough. We have great customers who support us, contribute ideas, and are genuinely nice people – thank you. We have a staff of fantastic individuals who could be doing something else, somewhere else, but choose to be here making this a better company – thank you. We have significant others and families who put up with the work hours necessary to serve an international client list, work discussions at the dinner table, and the late nights/weekends sometimes required to get the latest release out, bugs fixed, a sale closed or a marketing project wrapped up – thanks to you as well. And, finally to those who are not yet our clients – thanks for taking a look at Windward. We appreciate each and every one of you.

Rework*: Stating the Obvious or Brilliant?

Jason Fried's presentation at Inc. Magazine's GrowCo Conference was thought-provoking so I bought several copies of his book, Rework, and asked everyone at Windward to read it. Opinions were divided. One of our "GenY" developers said there was no need for a book – they should have "just made up t-shirts that said 'Do More With Less'." Everyone was on board with holding fewer/shorter meetings and working smarter, not longer. Our founder thought the book was a waste because it stated the obvious. Someone else pointed out that if that were true, there would be a lot more companies with happy employees, who were operating efficiently, and offering great products & service.

It was a great discussion but since this is my blog, MY opinion will take up most of the space here! Several points spoke to me – principles that are important at Windward and to me personally. The top six being:

1. Draw a line in the sand: Figure out what you stand for. It makes decision-making easier and faster.
2. Focus on what won't change – what customers want now and will still want 10 years from now. For Windward, it's a product that's easy to use, makes use of tools you already know (MS Office) and is flexible.
3. Be committed. Forget the "exit strategy" and work on building something that will be around for a long time. That's been our strategy from Day 1 – and we have no plans to change it.
4. Be the anti-__________ (insert name of competitor here.) Windward was founded to take the frustrations out of reporting. So in addition to saying what we ARE, let's not be afraid to say what/who we're not. (I'm thinking new marketing campaign here…!)
5. Just say, "I'm sorry." I'm guilty of trying to come up with wordy, nebulous apologies at times – something I would never do to a friend. This one goes into action immediately.
6. Hire people who can write – clearly. We're now in a world where email communication (plus blogs, social media, etc., etc.) dominates and it's absolutely amazing how many people are appalling writers. (Note to colleges: Teach students to write! It's negligent to charge them what you are and they can't put sentences together.)

As much as I liked the book, there were two premises that I disagree with:

1. Don't spend much time on, or write down, a plan. Fried & Hansson point out that most plans are guesses – and there's a fair amount of truth to that. But when customers and employees are depending on you, planning is essential.
2. The assertion that there is no need to keep track of customer requests is ludicrous. They state that the ideas you hear over and over again are the ones to pay attention to. Have they not heard of the squeaky wheel? Those customers that happen to be louder and more assertive – but don't necessarily offer the best ideas for your product or company? Enough said.

The bottom line is this: I highly recommend you read Rework. There are lots of ideas that will make your organization more efficient and it's an easy read because they get to the point quickly. An idea, a quick explanation and an example or two per chapter -- no droning on and on.

And neither will I.

 

* Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

The Cost of “Free”

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"You never get anything for free." I remember my parents telling me this when I was a kid – and it's proven true time and time again. Why, then, do companies continue implementing Open Source solutions based on the argument that it's "affordable" or "free"? Sure, the initial investment is zero but the long-term cost is most definitely not. The IT/development costs associated with difficult implementations and software lacking in usability are often astronomical, support and service is either non-existent or very expensive – and even documentation can be an added expense. (One of our developers recently compared integrating and using a particular open source solution to Windward Reports as "suicidal vs. partying" – and the entire development team agreed with him!) The bottom line is that Open Source will never be the best product offering because there's no investment backing it.

A solution that is not continuously updated – and supported – is costing your business even more. A poor user interface alone will cost thousands per year in lost productivity and IT expense. And any solution that requires you to have training to use it is an endless money drain. Every time someone leaves or you need to add another user, it's going to cost you.

Remember: Any company that has built a business model on an Open Source solution has to be making money somehow/somewhere – or they wouldn't be in business.

Take a close look at "free". It's costing more than you realize.

One Bad Hire…

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The CEO of a local software company recently made the following observation: "One bad hire can negatively affect an entire organization". How right he is. Hiring the right people is an executive's #1 priority – and showing the door to those that that are not performing or are not the right fit for your company is a close second. By "right people" I mean a good fit for your organization's culture, the experience needed to hold up his/her weight on a team, and the capacity to challenge existing staff to do better. The person should contribute to your organization – not just fill a slot.

Take your time recruiting and hiring. Run people through multiple interviews via phone, email and in-person, do the standard reference checks, and then do technical aptitude testing, a personality assessment, and check their "online presence" (Facebook, personal blogs, LinkedIn, etc.) And never, ever ignore your gut feeling. If something doesn't seem right, don't hire – regardless of how good they look on paper.

Once a person is on board, make the expectations crystal clear. Then pay attention – close attention. Observe their interactions with staff and management, customers, delivery people – not just whether they can fulfill the job responsibilities. If you're cringing when an employee is talking to a customer or prospect, you can bet the customer is doing a lot more than that. (And if they can't do what they claimed they could on their resume or in an interview, they're out.) A misrepresentation to get hired isn't the only misrepresentation you'll be dealing with.

I absolutely believe in giving someone a chance to improve, but you still have to identify the problem early, deal with it head-on, and make a fast decision as to whether improvement is imminent or not. If not, let the person go and move on. Sure it's excruciating to have to let someone go – but it's even worse to penalize everyone who works with that person by making them carry the individual.

As the saying goes: "Hire slow & fire fast."

2010 – Fresh Start?

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Business leaders I've spoken with all seem to have a shared refrain: 2010 WILL be better than 2009! It's almost as if by sheer will the collective leadership will pull the economy out of the slump and revive the business environment. Is that possible? Or is it just desperate talk because no one has a clue what to do? We've been inundated with bad news, debated endlessly about what should and should not have been done, and experienced enough (justifiable) anger at lousy, unethical, leadership and business practices to last decades – and personally, I'm done. Business has always been, and will always be, cyclical. Yes, the past two years will go down in the books as QUITE the dive – but I can't do anything about that now except learn from it and move on.

In my experience, positive thinking, combined with intelligent action, always results in something constructive. So why not launch into 2010 assuming the best? I AM extremely optimistic and my leadership philosophy is pretty simple:

• Hire smart people and let them do what they're good at.
• Listen, listen, listen. Good ideas come from everywhere.
• Remain a technology leader. A solid, quality product never damaged a company.
• Look at examples and ideas from outside of our industry.
• Give customers, prospects AND our own staff the respect, loyalty and service I would want to receive from anyone I do business with.

We've set some extremely aggressive goals here at Windward – and we'll achieve them. (And laugh, have fun and celebrate along the way. No point in being here if those elements aren't included!)

Write to me at shirleyc@windwardreports.com with ideas, comments or experiences.

Book Review: “Broken Windows: Broken Business”

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Broken Windows:  Broken Business

By Michael Levine

Success is in the details.  Michael Levine's premise in Broken Windows: Broken Business is that a lack of obsessive attention to the details (i.e. the potentially "broken windows") will sink your business.  He writes, "Nothing is small and absolutely nothing is insignificant" and if you think your customers or prospects won't notice even the tiniest crack in the "window", you're dead wrong.  These flaws (and the lack of attention thereto) directly affect the perception your customers have of your business which, in turn, affects your bottom line. 

The theory was put to the test in New York City in the 1990's.  Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Police Commissioner William Bratton took steps to fix the city's "broken windows":  Graffiti, fare jumping, and panhandling.  By cracking down on the more minor, but visible, violations, people became more confident that the police force could handle the more serious crimes.  This caused a major turnaround in the public's perception of NYC, increased the sense of security, and is credited with dramatically reducing crime in the city. 

The examples in the book are primarily retail & business-to-consumer oriented; however, the lessons are easily applied to business to business operations as well.  It's been said many times before, but first impressions are critical.  As such, your "broken windows" will always affect a customer's first impression.  This applies to companies that conduct business via the web as well, your website is where you make your first impression and it better be organized, logical and well-functioning.  Misspellings, broken links, slow response speed and outdated content all affect a prospect's perception of your company. 

Broken windows can also be people within your organization and they must be dealt with immediately.  Failure to do so will cause a virus of apathy and poor service to spread.  Hire for attitude and compulsive attention to detail.  Train yourself to notice broken windows and reward employees who point them out. 

Levine makes the observation that "bad customer service is the ultimate broken window."  Customers put their trust in you.  You must exceed their conscious AND subconscious expectations, and don't relegate this responsibility solely to your customer service department.  Every encounter between a representative of your company and anyone who might EVER be interested in buying from you is classified as "customer service". 

And if you hear about a problem from a customer, you'd better assume that numerous others have noticed the same thing and never mentioned it – and they may never come back.  You can recover – sometimes – but it takes an immediate full repair (not a patch), as well as the willingness to say, "I'm sorry".  (Two words that I've personally found to go a long, long way…)