Private: From Phonebooks to Google Books – by Liz Donehue

Admit it, you’ve probably Googled something today – the current temperature, the latest NFL playoff standings, maybe even yourself.

In the last ten years, Google has successfully replaced the phonebook (not to mention actual books), the farmer’s almanac, grandma’s cookbook, your travel agency: what were once hundreds of tools that were comfortably located within an arm’s reach is now resting peacefully at your fingertips.

The 90s were a time of infinite struggle. Every time you wanted to use the internet, you had to forcibly remove another family member from the telephone. AOL actually gave away their platform on a disk. If you had a Motorola Bag Phone, you have my deepest condolences.

It’s clear that Google is today’s all-encompassing powerhouse. Because of their productivity and functionality, we can increase our productivity and functionality, as well. We can prosper from their successful practices by learning from the front runner of digital culture.

Google asks the important question: who is going to be your savvy team of personnel to increase business, implement the best tasks and tools, and attribute to the team in such a way that heads will happily turn instead of just turn? In order to acquire the best individuals who can achieve such things, Google offers up a list of Dos and Don’ts for the hiring process:

• Hire people who will add value to the product and culture – don’t waste time hiring someone who cannot contribute to both.
• Hire someone who is ethical and communicates openly. You don’t want to waste time on someone interested in participating in a political game or is openly manipulative.
• Hire enthusiastic, passionate people that will get things done. Hiring people who think about problems, or people who simply just want a job could land you or your business in hot water.
• Hire “smart creatives” people that loath being micromanaged, rather people that manage themselves and deliver innovation.

Most of these tips from Google seem like common sense to me, but many businesses are too quick to fill a position. The speed at which a company hires can hurt their chances of hiring the best possible candidate. Think of it like your morning cup of coffee – you can settle for the gas station stuff just because you need it, or you can wait a bit longer to get something really good at the locally recognized brewhouse.

Another successful practice Google touches on is the idea of decision making. General Patton said, “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” Companies will offer shy away from the idea of even confronting dissent, that one bad egg could spoil the rest of the bunch. Smart hires have good ideas and are eager to implement them into their surrounding environment. However, this often means that there are many good ideas to be decided upon.

Some hires are often intimidated and shy around the brightest thinkers. Others choose to stay quiet until other input is heard first. In order to get the ball rolling, Google offers a simple exercise to spark ideas and opinions from everyone: ask a few “stupid softball” questions.

“This afternoon, we should tie a hopeless woman to a railroad track in exchange for a lucrative ransom. Any objections?”

“Friday is now going to be Fiesta Fridays! Each Friday we’ll go down to Mexico. It’s one-way though so you’ll have to pay to yourself get back. Comments? Questions?”

Unless you’re already a crooked tycoon with a mustache, or you’re already located in Central America, these ideas are going to seem immediately objectionable, which can prompt the flow of ideas and opinions from all sides. The right decision is the best decision, and it’s important to uncover all possibilities to ensure the wrong decision won’t be made. You may not have your own way, but you’ll have the best way without the help of your Snidely Whiplash boss.

Most of these wild decisions usually manifest throughout the course of the meeting, and these meetings must have a single decision-maker amongst the contributors. This decision-maker should ensure the meeting is going smoothly and not off the rails. If the meeting is not ran well, it can end up being an excruciating waste of time. Diane falls asleep, Ramon is playing 2048, Chad is watching Ramon play 2048, etc.

Google offers concise ways to keep the meeting running while maintaining maximum productivity:

• Meetings should have an owner: whether it’s a brainstorming session or shareholders meeting, the gathering should have a key person to determine the agenda, flow, and objectives.
• Manageable size: too many people in a meeting can cause delays in productivity. Remember when you were in Kindergarten and Ms. White had 36 kids she couldn’t keep on track to naptime? The number of attending members should not exceed 10 people; communication is streamlined, and all should be able to give sufficient input.
• Time is a factor: people need to break for lunch, personal voicemails need to be returned, and your local timezone might not be as favorable for contacting your office located in Beijing. Begin on time, end on time, and schedule accordingly.

In the long run, your employees will thank you for the consolidated time and the efficiency produced. It’s certainly worked for Google, and it’s not like everyone knows who they are.

There is a definitive reason why most of the planet is aware of the Google colossus. It’s largeness isn’t something to be feared, but to be embraced. The practices that Google has implemented to reach this apex of recognition and power can leverage many others. It’s safe to say your company has succeeded when it becomes a commonplace verb and not just a name.

Liz Donehue
Prospectr Marketing
https://www.prospectrmarketing.com/blog