TED 2014 – Year in Review

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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

TED

Is Money the Object?

A large portion of the planet measures profits over people. To some, what you make, what kind of car you drive, how much money you have in your investment portfolio has become more important than embracing relationships and experiences.

I was recalling a situation with a client a few weeks back with regards to compensation. She is doing very well in her current role and from all evidence it appears she’s being groomed for a big promotion. She is a sharp, talented, authentic leader, but she’s stuck on the number on the bottom of the page.

It’s Not the Paycheck

We talked about her new role and she kept coming back to her salary. She was excited about getting a big raise so she and her husband can get a bigger house. That’s great, we celebrated her hard work. But the deeper issue is her motivation.

She realized that the reason she wanted the new role and responsibilities was because it’s going to give her more time to coach and lead an expanded team and it’s not really about the money. We celebrated even more. That was it! She wasn’t ruled by money or stature or position, her passion was being a great leader and continuing to improve.

Living by Numbers

I told my client about a time in my career when I was offered an exciting new opportunity. It was the culmination of a decade of hard work and I was about to be rewarded for my efforts. But I had it in my mind that I wanted to make a certain amount as a signal of my success.

Two months into the new role, I thought to myself, the extra money didn’t make me feel any different. In fact, I was more focused on the expanded responsibility. The number was some self-fabricated yardstick which eventually meant nothing.

The Real Bottom Line

If we focus on money, it will become our only measure of achievement. Business needs to see black ink but there are three motivating factors at play – to make a name, to make a living, and to make a difference. Making a name for ourselves doesn’t seem quite as important as making a living while making a difference in others’ lives.

If the focal point of all we do is profits, we may lose the opportunity to spend time with some remarkable people.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership and management consultant helping leaders, teams, and companies get clear on their goals and results.

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Defining Innovation

It’s that time of year when we see all those lists – top this, best that, prediction this, future that. The list published on this site each year is simply some of the items I’m thinking about, you may do the same.

Fast Company began as a magazine in November 1995. After 17 years it remains a well respected outlet (and website) for technology, business, and design ideas from around the world. FC publishes many year-end lists and recently outlined what contributors and editors deem The Most Innovative Companies in the World.

Innovation may mean different things to each of us. It's akin to words like; important, good, essential, and leadership. Often it's a word attributed to the newest and shiniest simply because it's shiny and new.

For 2010, the Top 5 were Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, and Huawei.
For 2011, the Top 5 were Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Nissan, and Groupon.
For 2012, the Top 5 are Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Square.

Other notables this year include; DropBox, LinkedIn, Kickstarter, and PayPal. But there may be some you don't know.

To some, it might just be another arbitrary list. But it could lend insight into how to improve leadership and business ideas within your organization.

Kneale Mann

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