Leader’s Blog

A client recently asked me how I knew the associates we were recommending for development on his project were the right resources for the job. My answer was just a few words – “Because each team member has done it before”. He responded somewhat surprised stating that “No one has done this before!”

I was pleased to hear that response because it gave me the opportunity to explain why I was so confident in how we have been addressing his project.

To give you the background on what would generate such a response, the project is innovative – a truly amazing concept and I have been eagerly anticipating its development. As much as it is innovative, it is also massive – its database structure is complex and the word “rich” would not give its functionality the respect it demands. As a result of its many value-adds, it truly is differentiated from the competition.

But although it is forward-thinking and ground breaking at its core, the project has three aspects to it that have been accomplished before and are going to be critical to its success; (1) great usability, (2) engaging interfacing, and (3) amazing performance.

So that said, why were we so confident in our recommendation to him?

I explained that the associates we are recommending have worked on large enterprise database projects. They also have demonstrated in their past successes that they are able to plan for long term growth. And their experience on other large database driven projects essentially translates to risk mitigation for him – they anticipate possible challenges long before they reveal themselves and work to navigate away from them.

Then I told him the exciting part.

I told him what really makes this team special is their ability to implement dynamic interfaces. The database and application guys really understand the front end developers.

And of course now intrigued, he asked, “And why is that special?”

So I further explained that when the backend guys understand the requirements and goals of the front end work the result is efficient code and intelligent data structures. For the user the result is great usability, engaging interfacing, and the system responds to user’s clicks at lighting speed for downright awesome performance.

We talked for a while longer about other aspects of the project but I wanted to share this portion of the conversation in hope that it may help others when organizing their project teams.

Always remember that although some projects may at face value appear to be uncharted waters, if you break down the project to the core of what will determine its success you will typical identify the qualities that are critical to have in the team members who you will entrust to deliver to your expectation.

Good luck leaders – and thanks for reading!

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The word “accountability” gets thrown around a lot.  You hear it when discussing everything from elected officials to the CEO’s of the big three automakers. 

But what does it mean?

As a professional, it means that you accept responsibility for the outcomes expected of you.   Merriam-Webster defines accountability as “The quality or state of being accountable; especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.”

Merriam-Webster’s definition is good, but there is an important difference between “obligation” and “willingness” to accept responsibility or account for actions.

As individuals and businesses, we are frequently faced with obligations to be accountable.  A congressman must be accountable to his constituents and an employee must be accountable to their boss.  These obligations for accountability don’t drive real results.  This definition accepts that there are always things you could have done differently to change an outcome.

The willingness to be accountable is different.  It is an inherent characteristic that drives you to surpass expectations, outdo goals, and actually deliver on your obligation.  An individual or business that possesses this trait accepts your success as their own success.

My definition of real accountability isn’t just the willingness to accept responsibility but to actually deliver against it.  This definition understands and accepts that if you are unable to deliver on the obligations you weren’t really accountable at all.

No disrespect to Merriam-Webster.

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To launch the new Metropolis3 Worldwide website it is only appropriate that my first blog post recognize all the team members who worked so hard to make the project a success.

I would like to call special attention to our junior and senior content team members who collaboratively worked to recreate our business’s messaging and a voice for the future. Your work will enable our business to speak with clarity and consistency to who we are and how we work with our client’s businesses to succeed.

To all of our development team members who worked to scope, document, and build our framework – your oversight and accuracy has clearly provided the solid foundation required to grow our business and assets.

To our application programming team members – your flexibility managing change throughout the process and precision in managing quality has lead to a bug free environment – a critical aspect of the project and one that will enable us to move forward together to tackle new opportunities and challenges.

And to those who managed the projects – each of you were amazing at keeping the work on time and on budget. Your accountability, focus to stay on point, and willingness to assist your team members to overcome hurdles throughout the entire process was impeccable.

Like our clients I have nothing but praise for each of you and the work you provide. You are all at the core of what makes working with Metropolis3 Worldwide great!

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