Polly Pearson's Blog

Culture Contrast: Harnessing the Power of People

A colleague emailed me this NYT article titled, "Apple's Obsession With Secrecy Grows Stronger."

It reeked of old world thinking to me. I truly hope it isn't true ... because up until reading this I've had a secret professional crush on Steve Jobs. Let's face it, he's charming and the products his vision and his team create either make you smile, or woo you with their beauty.

But wow.

Contrast the "lock it down, speak nothing, tweet nothing" culture, as depicted in this article, with what EMC has going on.

While we take confidentiality seriously, we're also moving at warp speed to the model that leverages more connections, more collaboration, more sharing, and everything else 2.0.  (Kudos to EMC leaders like Board Member, Jack Egan; Division President, Mark Lewis; HR EVP, Jack Mollen; and CTO, Jeff Nick; Marketing VP & CTO Chuck Hollis; and the influence of folks who joined us from RSA Security like Dr. Burt Kaliski, for "getting this" early on and encouraging EMC to learn new skills to unlock the business magic within 2.0 management and behavior models.)

The evolved EMC culture is a mecca for empowered Intrapreneurs, for people who like to be treated like adults, who enjoy the riches of connections and collaboration, and who have an abundance of gifts to share which, when harnessed, can fast-forward growth of nifty things like revenue, profit, markets, market share, brands, life-saving efforts, market value, awards, and customer appreciation of game-changing strategies.

Earlier today, I wrote a comment on another blog which discussed how one might position the value of a 2.0 model to companies looking for ROI.  My reply is intimately related to this discussion of workplace cultures -- and the business value of that culture model decision. It follows.

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"Yesterday I presented my thoughts on the next wave of social media to an audience of business leaders for the TARA Exchange. I found myself using the analogy of a Triangle to show the value.

 

Imagine the top of the triangle as the "normal" top down driven way of getting information out and engaging audiences.  This is the typical command-and-control world.

 

Now look at the relative size of the bottom of the triangle.  Consider the backdrop of today's global business world where things change in a flash, and companies are looking for "strategic agility" to get growth, growth and more growth.

 

Would you like to have just the precious few engaging the world with your mission -- the top?  Or everybody? Will “just the top” get you there fast enough?

 

• Entrust your people. (99% will do the right thing; they really do want to help your business rather than hurt it.)

 

• Allow them to practice these new skills.  (Try an internal social network first. Ensure that the environment is supportive, and people understand that mistakes will happen – this is good. This is the place to learn. Encourage peer mentors in these new skills.)

 

• Provide them with some guidelines. (Be genuine yet positive; Connect & Engage as well as promote; Be careful to share only 'public' information; Mentor your peers with external tools as well and look out for one another; invest your time wisely; etc.)

 

And watch them become the most powerful and engaged organic brand managers you've ever seen! They'll do it for free, willingly, on their own time even ... and have a blast as they see the needle moving as a result of their efforts! They are a new type of leader in the 2.0 world. Here, leaders emerge at every level and pay-grade … and they come with faithful followers.

 

By leveraging the other side of the triangle, everyone is working with you to achieve growth, growth and more growth.

 

Look again at your triangle. 

You know what else it represents?  Think 'Delta,' the symbol of 'Change.'"

------------------------- Talk Back ----------------------

Thoughts?

I like to think that when the triangle is turned upside down, it really makes music ... for your shareholders, your business results, and the happiness of your really engaged people.

http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson

EMC: Best Place to Work, New Video

It is crunch time for every company working on big Best Places to Work submissions, such as the one for FORTUNE.

Kudos to Taline Badrikian in EMC's Executive and Internal Communication Group who volunteered to put a little video together to share EMC's recent slew of recognition in this regard!

I especially LOVE the Austin Powers-esque sound track! Dig it baby.

----------- Talk Back -----------

Talk back all right. For EMC, the FORTUNE survey is currently taking place in America. Next week the Boston Globe Best Place to Work survey happens in Massachusetts. And the week after that, every EMCer can add his or her voice in the global Employee Satisfaction and Motivation Survey.

What? It's end of Quarter?  Didn't anyone tell the survey hungry people that?!

Well, at least someone is asking. I just saw a research report by an HR consultant firm that listed everything companies are cutting back on given the cost environment.  Seems a ton of companies cut the employee survey.  

http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson

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The Other Kind of "Culture" Alive and Well at EMC

Artists.

This gorgeous, living photography show is a Flickr stream populated by EMC photographers, globally. It greets me every time I log into our internal social network, EMC|ONE.

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Another art-oriented group really seems to be taking off at EMC as well.  This one is known as the "Creators, Artists and Art Lovers" group.  In this group, they encourage and celebrate one another's work via monthly "art challenges." Lately, they started a monthly personal challenge by posting an illustration for inspiration (that evolution of the idea came from an employee in India). The work created, as a result, is posted in the community for all to appreciate.

Creators, Artists, Art-Lovers Group

A place to share creative efforts or discuss them. Painting, Photography, Dance, Sculpture, Poetry, Music, Literature, Pottery/Ceramics, Fabric, etc.

Featured work within this group has included watercolors, poetry, quilts, Persian rugs, and oil painting portraits like this employee-created wonder by Ian Kabat:

------ Talk back -----------

Suprising? Cool?

I think so.

Polly Pearson
http://www.pollypearson.com
@pollypearson

"The Start-up Within ..."

What is the value of being part of EMC?

 

Soon after EMC added several software companies on the West Coast to its family earlier this decade, EMC's recruiting organization was tasked with attracting and hiring over 300 top-notch software developers into a newly formed software division (now known as the Content Management and Archiving Division).

DATELINE: March, 2006: The head of recruiting gave me a call asked for my help in shaping the conversation the recruiters had when presenting the EMC opportunity to the talent market.

To tackle the best way to convey EMC as a place to work, we decided to interview software developers to get their view.  We interviewed developers who recently accepted a position with EMC's software division; who refused a position with EMC's software division; and who have worked at EMC in software development for some time.  We asked them questions such as:

- What aspects of EMC did you find appealing?
- What aspects of EMC did you find unappealing?
- How would you describe the ideal situation/job for a software developer?
- How would you describe EMC as a place to work to a peer who worked elsewhere?

This ended up being one of my favorite projects.  I've worked in high-tech nearly my entire career and still, this little research project taught me so much. I won't say that the research was industrial-grade quality or that every element stands the test of time. But it did serve to validate some assumptions and cast new light on a true, compelling value of EMC as a place to work.

So what were the findings? Let me jump to the "unappealing" perceptions before I go to the appealing and the ultimate discussion point when seeking to engage people in the value of being part of EMC.

The Unappealing attribute perceptions:  There was a fear of the unknown. They were concerned about process at such a big company and the work challenge, in particular.

The Appealing attribute perceptions: EMC's company strength, inclusive of management, strategy, finances, viability, benefits, resources, market leadership and people.

The Ideal situation:  Technical challenge and an environment with technical management, freedom and flexibility, honesty, friendly, high-energy teams, technical resources, celebrations & rewards, visibility for work and a variety of challenges from which to learn and grow.

Many described EMC in quotes similar to this:  "EMC is a place where multiple, cutting edge projects are taking place -- all fueling growth and a differentiated strategy," and this: "EMC offers the challenge, career advancement, energy and freedom of a start-up."

Netting it all out:

"The Start-Up within ... a $10B+ Global Leader."

"At EMC, you experience the flexibility, freedom, and energy of a start up,
but with the resources and opportunities that a global leader brings."

In the subsequent years, we explored more deeply what EMC brings to the table as a place to work -- such as the ability to innovate every day -- you can find out more about that at EMC.com/careers and you can listen to folks, many of whom come from companies once acquired by EMC, on EMC's Career site on YouTube. There, you'll also hear words that get reflected across every product group and organization within the company -- like "passion," "energy" and "drive" in a "dynamic" environment. As one person said, no two days here are ever alike!

-------------- Talk Back ---------------

What's your ideal situation in a place to work?



Polly Pearson
18 years with EMC
"I signed on intending to stay for one year. It has never stopped being interesting or inspiring. My role here has changed as often as I've wanted. For me, that's fun."
http://www.pollypearson.com
http://twitter.com/pollypearson

Coolness and the Cash Register: New Way to Engage Employees in Strategy Execution

Yesterday I visited EMC's internal social network (EMC|ONE), and I noticed a lot of activity around a new group known as VCE -- standing for the VmWare, Cisco and EMC strategic vision involving Cloud Computing.

The VCE vision is new, and compelling, and interest in it is spreading like wild fire throughout the community of information technology buyers and beyond.  Let me stress the word "new," from the vantage point of sales reps that would be engaged in this discussion -- and the word,"compelling" from the vantage point of IT customers. 

That is the Wonderful Problem.

Customers are eager to hear more. Sales reps are being asked to discuss the strategy so customers can start planning for this new paradigm in their shops. Time is money to everyone involved ... but how do you ready your field organization and beyond to lead such new strategic discussions ... NOW!?

ENTER: The Internal Social Network.

Within this platform the experts on the strategy, in the field and in HQ, are sharing real-time updates. They're sharing tips for how a rep can engage in the discussion. Reps are offering play-by-plays for how discussions went during recent Executive Briefings between customers, VMware, Cisco, and EMC. Everyone is acknowledging concerns a rep might have to a degree you wouldn't see in a "normal" piece of communication from HQ to the field forces. (Example: no one wants to mess up.) It is all very personal feeling, very real-time, very two-way, and very helpful. It is serving to build knowledge, confidence, and lessons learned. It is genuine and honest. It is motivating!

Reality TV and Warp Speed

It is also oddly exciting (even to me, as a person who has lived in this world for years). Like watching Reality TV right before your eyes on how a company of our size and scale (3 companies, actually) charts new territory -- only now, it is at 2.0 warp speed and everyone at EMC gets a voice and a seat at the table!

------------  Talk Back ---------------

If you're inside of EMC, check it out and share your impressions on this new model. 

Outside of EMC, has your company experienced this shift?

To me, I've seen great value and benefits from the happenings inside of EMC|ONE -- but this one is special. It feels really big. It represents mega engagement from the field forces to a new degree with obvious $$$$ value.

Kudos to the EMC folks who moved to leverage this platform and share your real-time info. Wild-fire away!!

Polly Pearson 
http://www.pollypearson.com;
http://twitter.com/pollypearson

Workplace Culture: You want "Passion?" Here's 6 Times the Passion.

A colleague of mine just wrote a blog post that shows the mood flowing through a lot of this place.

I had to chuckle, then I had to stop and count the amount of times certain words were used:

"Passion" 6 Times
"Cool" 4 Times
"Amazing," "Wonderful," "Engaging," and "Success"  2(+) Times.

All in a normal-sized blog post!

Makes me recall this recent quote from another EMCer's blog:

[photo: NBC]

"Optimism Returns To The IT Professional?"

We seem to have moved beyond the doom-and-gloom life-really-sucks outlook of just a few months ago and firmly towards the newer opportunities that lie ahead for all of us.

I'm just glad so many of these IT optimists are associated with EMC -- our employees, our partners and our valued customers. 

Makes working here more fun, it does.

------------------- Talk Back --------------------

Are you feeling it?

If you're not, connect with someone who is.   And, consider reading this short wonder of a book:

Shellana Henderson over at Gallup Consulting made my day last week when she sent me the book "How Full is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life."   It is filled with proof that moods are  contagious -- and -- the destruction that comes from lack of engagement (either positive or negative).

Actually, she sent me TWO books.  The other was "How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids."  The latter is a gorgeous and powerful children's book -- that potentially does as well, or better, than the adult book at conveying the concept.

My daughter Margo was so excited with the kids book that she brought it to school and had the teacher read it to her first grade class.  The teacher was so excited, she wrote to me and asked where she could get a copy of her own.

 

Margo's passion for the concepts in the book continue. She has sound effects she uses for when people are adding to the environment, or subtracting from the environment. She suggests time outs when someone is operating in the wrong direction.

The economy is lousy. We can get sucked in by it, or look to the opportunity within it. 

Brand Promises: Google and EMC Compared.

We usually take for granted what we're good at. 

Rob Enderle's recent article in Datamation, "EMC, Google and the Enterprise Market," spoke to me.  In this article, and a second with the same theme, this long-term tech analyst compares EMC's strengths as a company managing truly critical information with Google's. 

What these articles made me think about:

So much of what EMC's brand stands for to customers, and what we're really good at generally doesn't get headlines.  Inside of EMC, it is sort of taken for granted.  We don't promote it and we don't revel in it. We just "are" it.  (On reflection, isn't that a near-perfect illustration of "brand?")

What are the necessary strengths required by the organizations that the world depends upon? As Rob sees it (and I agree):

• You have to be trustworthy.
• You have to maintain relationships and protect the buyer.
• You have to deliver consistently what you promise.

You don't get those things overnight, or without millions upon millions invested in what makes things work like oxygen. (See Rob's articles for his recap of Microsoft's journey in this space.)

On-line Information and Oxygen.

 

Are they Sexy? Not really.  But the world doesn't run without them. As an executive affiliated with HP recently said to a large audience:

"When EMC is not present, really bad things happen."

   

EMC is present where all information deemed important is present -- from critical surgeries to President Obama's blackberry. 

In research into EMC's brand conducted by Interbrand, the number one one take away from our customers was this:

"EMC is seen as a Promise Keeper."

So is Google or EMC in a better position? Read Rob's article (s) to see his views, and then share what you think.

--------------- Talk Back ----------------

What do you think?

Personally, I can't imagine not having the great search product that Google developed. I also can't imagine my life without the many applications and activities that depend on EMC to operate. 

Like what?

My Visa card, ATMs, Fast Lanes through toll booths, Check-free banking, my blackberry, on-time airplanes, on-time package delivery, and EMC's Mozy back up for my home PC, for example.

You can find Rob on Twitter at @enderle. You can find me at @pollypearson



Polly
http://www.pollypearson.com

Workplace Culture: "If you can see it, do it."

Culture at EMC

About eighteen years ago, in my first week working at EMC, I asked the head of my department this question, "How do I become successful at EMC?"

I love that the answer he gave that day is still so appropriate.

He said, "If you see an opportunity to do something, ask if you can do it and chances are they'll say 'Yes.'"

An even more up-to-date version of this, thanks in large part to social media tools and EMC's 2.0 management philosophy:

"If you can see it, do it."*

There is ALWAYS opportunity to jump in and work on something here, regardless of how it fits into your official day job. 

My colleague Dave Spencer, wrote a post on this today sharing a bit of his story and other observations he had while at EMCWorld. Below is an excerpt:

"A while back I told Polly one of the things I’d tell a new (or potential) employee about EMC is that there’s always something that needs doing that isn’t being done, and that if you can find a way to do that, you’ll always have a place here.  It’s never been more true, or more easy, than it is today.  I can’t imagine this is unique to EMC, but I certainly admire the way which EMC has allowed and encouraged us to explore those opportunities."

Dave was kind enough to sit down with me a couple quarters ago to answer the question, "What inspires you about EMC?" This is one of two clips we posted to the EMC Careers channel on YouTube with his answers.You can get to know Dave a bit better and hear more on this in the short clip below. (At 1:19 he talks directly to this subject of this post.)

* The only caveat, deep in the code of the EMC Culture, is that you continue to execute your official job inclusive of meeting all your goals. Anything you wish to do on top of that is essentially an open door.

--------------------- Talk Back -----------------------

What's your story? Are you doing things at work because you saw an opportunity and jumped in?

"How to do Social Media for Business" Case Study in Action

How EMC is leveraging Social Media at its conference, EMC World, is a great case study to observe. It must be far from perfect -- and at the same time I'll say I've never seen anything as comprehensive and engaging on this scale. There are global followers of the thousands of tweets, blogs, news clips, and videos coming from the attendees originating from 96 countries  -- interacting with the attendees as if they were there, too. And that is from the "target audience!"  The "official" content from EMC  and mainstream journalists is on top of that.  

What's been happening?

- ENGAGING COVERAGE: Our customers and other attendees have been doing the reporting on what they find noteworthy in real-time on Twitter, with a hashtag (#EMCWorld) for everyone to keep track of one another's "coverage," and in their blogs and news reports.  (One  remote observer compared it to the relative silence that comes from Live Webcasts.  Twitter engages; it is 2-way communication.  Webcasts inform, but don't engage.)

- ENGAGING COVERAGE CONTENT: Our customers, bloggers,  employees and traditional journalists are sharing the photos and video clips -- you're seeing the event in the eye of the attendee.  See this cool composite of photos they're taking over on my colleague's Len's blog. He did a search on Flickr, embedded it in his blog, and it shows up as a living photostream. In another example, an attendee turned on his flip cam during a Q&Awith CEO Joe Tucci and had it loaded into his Tweetstream moments later for everyone to see.

- ENGAGING RELATIONSHIPS:  See the blogs by my colleagues Stu, Dave and Chuck. They all remark on the sea change they're feeling and experiencing in the quality of relationships with the attendees -- due to the fact that we've been engaging all year long via our blogs and Tweets  (on top the more typical "remembering people from last year's event.")

- ENGAGED AUDIENCES:  See what this "cynical" journalist had to say about EMC's use of social media and how EMC actually listened and responded in real time to what attendees needed and wanted during the conference, thanks to microblogging over Twitter and EMC's attentiveness to it. She also mentions how following the conference on Twitter made it that much easier for her to know what was going on where. In short, it added clear value and service to her.

- COOL and ENGAGING OFFICIAL COMPANY CONTENT:  Frankly, seeing this site is what put me over the edge to write this blog.  Check out EMC's social media site for this event containing video, blogs, presentations, event news updates via @EMCWorld on Twitter and more  -- most having  a 2.0 feel -- from the official company channels. See the 1min, in-the-hallway video of Frank Hauck, EVP of most of EMC, giving you the take aways from the conference. That's cool. See also the EMCWorld 2009 site on YouTube -- filled with customer videos, EMC brand videos, and an even an EMC employee/exec rock band, RunEMC playing a tribute song to our 30th anniversary as a company (look for my cameo!).

- Infotainment!  Attendees and observers alike seem to love it! This buzz is rounding the globe.

So with my marketing and branding leverage hat on, what this engagement communication model has done is to multiply (100x?) the value of the event itself.  This is one tree that didn't fall in the forest where no one could hear it.

So what about the substance?!

Is this just a pretty bowl of marketing whipped cream?

 

[photo: @ferne Arfin]

I'll point you to my colleague's Chuck's blog on that one.  There Chuck reminds us that this is no marketing event. Aside from the keynotes, this conference is all about engineers presenting technology to audiences of engineers. There are over 500 EMC Engineer presenters. I don't make a habit of going to this event because frankly it isn't meant for me. It would make my head explode. They're talking in techie speak that hurts even the minds of advanced Phd's. Its like a Mensa-convention-meets-MIT on steroids.

 -- The audience for this event spans 96 countries and numbers about 7,000. After JUST 1.5 days of the show, it was reported that over 1500 tweets were sent by attendees with the hashtag #EMCWorld. As over 200 attendees joined Twitter just today at the conference, I imagine this is growing exponentially as well. --

Kudos to everyone at EMC who put together what is clearly such a fine, well-received, and valued event.

----------------- Talk Back ------------------

What else did you notice in this case study?

This is one where new examples and value statements will continue to occur to me and everyone else who watched this study evolve for months to come.

And heck, the show isn't even half over yet.

Employment Branding and Culture Building: How to Double the Effect

"Emotions are Contagious. Your Mood Matters."

At the Simmons Leadership Conference a week or so ago I heard Annie McKee, author of "Becoming a Resonant Leader" speak. Wow. (See her, and read her books, if you ever get a chance.) 

In her presentation, she mentioned that it was recently discovered that we have in our brains, "Mirror Neurons."  (According to Wikipedia, "Some scientists consider mirror neurons one of the most important findings of neuroscience in the last decade.") These neurons offer evidence that we're physiologically tuned to pick up others emotions. Further, she said, certain emotions will shut down idea generation and creativity, and others will attract it.

An angry boss stomping toward your office will put you on high alert, for example. When this happens, you will get in "lock down," or safety mode. Idea generation and creativity shut down.  (An animal survival mechanism.)

On the flip side, when emotions such as hope, joy, compassion and excitement are exhibited, you are in an environment ripe for idea generation and innovation.

So how does this relate to Employment Branding and Culture Building?

Ask yourself what others might be mirroring in your environment. Are you creating environments where you could get two-times the goodness? Or two-times the bad?

See this post written by EMC's Dave Spencer today to get a real-time case study on a positive mirror effect and how this relates to building culture.  -- There is a ripple effect when a person says "yes," and when s/he experiences positive energy. --

Mirror Neurons bring the Gandhi quote to life, "Be the Change You Wish to See."

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Following is my tweet stream capturing take aways from this Annie McKee presentation if you're in the mood for more.

 

---------------------- Talk Back ------------------------

What do you think?

Can you see how a positive culture, tone, program, or person could be contagious?

Can you see how it doesn't have to cost any money?

I was at an event over the weekend with a family friend in the banking industry. He shared how poorly his company handled the tough subjects of pay cuts and layoffs. Clearly, these are terrible subjects.  Then, I considered how well EMC handled the same subjects a couple weeks ago. Sure no one liked the news of sacrifices, but we understood it. The company started with listening and when the time came to share the bad news, it led with empathy and the desire to save jobs and keep the family in-tact.   The employee response? Applause.

Here are other case study blogs on the power of these mirror neurons on culture building -- and how anyone and everyone in a company can add to the culture by taking the time to share the positive: Information Playground, "I'm Engaged!,"  "Confessions of an eBiz Junkie: Culture is Cool at EMC."

Other *free* options for culture building are listed in Annie's comments: "listening, caring and helping." 

Branding & Employee Engagement: Employees as Authors

 

An Environment

That Enables

Employees to Become Authors

"Speaks Volumes."

 

A few days ago I was on the phone with an editor  from BusinessWeek about the book published by EMC and written by 96 employees named, "The Working Mother Experience." 

She made a quick but assertive remark, "You'll have to update your profiles now to include the word, "author!"

Author?  Humm. 

How cool is that?  96 employees just became "Authors."

Today, it happened again. 40 EMC employees wrote a "definitive reference book" which was published with EMC's logo and blessing called "Information Storage and Management." This one is structured to be a college text book and reference guide for industry professionals.

Both books have accompanying web 2.0 properties.

The books -- both quite different -- occurred serendipitously, with no orchestration between them. 

They also have many strategic and similar attributes. They:

• Elevate EMC's brand. By merely existing, they speak to our values and culture as a company.
• Enhance the relationships we can have as a company with current and potentially new connections such as employees, customers, partners, professors, and informal influencers.
• Act as a sign of respect and recognition on behalf of the company to the Authors.
• Elevate the Personal Brands, as well as the sense of pride and accomplishment of everyone associated with writing and producing the books.
• Stretch the skills of our people and our company (we've never published books before!).
• and likely will ... meet the business case each advocate came up with when pitching the idea to his/her business unit or executive sponsor.

How cool is that?

 

This, to me, looks like the new face of branding. One that is experiential and participatory. One that has soul and is reflective of genuine people, passions and intellect. One that is not made on Madison Ave or in a PR person's office.

And unlike most ads or news releases produced by some very important and exclusive entity, you'll find regular folks who have a relationship with the company proudly telling and broadcasting the news about EMC's new books. They're telling their friends, neighbors, families and business associates. They're blogging about it, and tweeting about it.  The reach is far and wide and true.

How Cool is That?

------------------ Talk Back ------------------

Do you see potential brand and employee engagement benefits by having a company publish books by employees?

What about the same idea, on a smaller scale -- having the company be okay with employee participation on social networks in a brand-supportive manner?

The Relevance of New Fortune 500 Rankings and other Cool Recognition

I like EMC's upgrade on the FORTUNE 500 list!  By jumping from #201 to  #172, EMC is now "A FORTUNE 200 Company." Nice ring!

In related news ...

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal ran an article on FORTUNE 500 use of social media (inclusive of a snazzy quote by EMC's Chuck Hollis). Can you believe only 81 of the F500 have company sponsored blogs? Of those, only 23 have a company sponsored Twitter address linked to their blogs.  EMC, gladly, is in that elite list of 23.* 

Are more than 4/5ths of largest companies in America not aware of the shift to social media and blogs as a primary means of on-line communication -- now more popular than email? [See this Nielson report.] Or are their lawyers & leaders fearful of Web 2.0 to the point that they find it preferable to NOT engage the way customers and other business-generating communities wish to communicate today?

Other recognition I liked includes this NY Post article from last week on Employee Engagement. It profiles EMC's use of social media as especially beneficial for employee engagement and business value during an economic downturn.

Lastly, I don't think I ever called out Mashable ranking EMC as a Top 40 Brand on Twitter.

What's the point beyond "Hurray for EMC?"

Relevance.

The business climate is tough. In times like this you want to partner with companies that feel "safe," right?  But what made a company "safe" won't keep it safe.  All companies need to adapt. A FORTUNE 500 company that shows it can embrace new communication and engagement models -- and turn them into business leverage is a good thing. And, just maybe, such a company is also worthy of getting cozy with.

--------------- Talk Back ---------------

Is it important to you that companies you depend upon (financially or otherwise) show an ability to lead, adapt, and in this case, embrace emerging communication models?

Why do you think so many FORTUNE 500s are hesitant to embrace social media as a means to engage with talent, customers, prospects, investors, and more?

*Many of our bloggers can be found on EMC.com/community where you can also find EMC's FriendFeed inclusive of our Twitter accounts  such as @EMCCareers, @EMCWorld and @EMCCorp.

How I got hired ... Brands ... and the Boston Marathon

When I first interviewed at EMC, there was a recession happening in the US; EMC was laying off employees, the concept of hiring recent college grads was far from in vogue; and I had no legitimate experience for the job I hoped to land.

How did I get in?

The Boston Marathon comes immediately to mind.

To help convince the marketing department at EMC that they needed to hire me, I waged a PR campaign. Every couple of days something new would arrive at their offices which I hoped would get them buzzing, curious, and wanting more.

One of the campaign elements was a giant map of the world with a pin point over Hopkinton, Mass.  I wrote something that suggested that with me doing PR for EMC, Hopkinton would be on the global map for people due to EMC, as well as for the Boston Marathon.  (That was a bold concept as EMC was fairly small and little known at the time. Today, if you Wikipedia Hopkinton, it appears, however, the prediction came true. Wink.)

For the notion of brand-drafting and more, I love having EMC associated with the Boston Marathon. They are two enduring brands suggesting "the ultimate" in their space. They require passion, drive, mental determination, and the guts to do what many others would fear attempt. They are not for everyone -- but for those who have what it takes, there is no equal.

This week marked the running of the Boston Marathon. People pack elbow to elbow, helicopters hover overhead, VIPs make speeches, and photographers work to capture the electric mood and the gigantic scale of the packed crowd. 

 

EMC made the Marathon our own this year. We hosted in our homes, and celebrated in our headquarters, about 30 employees and customers who trained, and flew in from around the world to run this race. EMC athletes from Hong Kong to Brazil took part.

 

 

This week also marked a series of cool awards for EMC in the space of being a great place to work for the college-aged set -- Collegegrad.com named EMC a best employer for new grads, interns, and masters grads alike. (If you want to apply to EMC or connect with others about working there, check out www.emc.com/careers and the EMC page on Facebook.) 

EMC's college grads have long been making EMC their own. They're doing work other companies might say "falls beyond their years in the business."  They're helping to set the pace for the industry and the bar of what can be achieved. And they're also doing stuff that makes EMC just cooler to be part of. For example, a recent Marketing new college hire is behind a space at EMC HQ called "The Square." It has a Starbuck's-like coffee bar for lattes, hot soups, and healthy-foods to go. It has a large flat panel that broadcasts CNN, CNBC and happenings like the induction of a US President. It has a store where you can buy EMC gear, 500 gig home networked storage equipment, and candy bars. And it has a large gathering space with upbeat music where business meetings are a bit more personal, where the social media crew can hold Tweetups, and where we celebrate events such as a book launch dedicated to EMC Working Mothers and an Open House dedicated to our EMC Marathon Runners from around the world.

Where You Have to Run to Keep Up

In the realm of happenstance brand affinity and an anecdote so perfect for this post you'd think it was scripted...

A few weeks ago I asked a colleague who also joined EMC as a recent college grad about 20 years ago, "If you were a recent college grad evaluating all the top companies today, do you think you'd still choose EMC?"  His reply, "Absolutely. The culture of EMC is such that you have to run to keep up." The statement was finished with a wide smile and a head nod-- a gesture that said, "and man, that type of environment is exhilarating for folks who get into this type of pace and stimulation. 

--------- Talk Back ---------------

Would you still pick your company as the place for you today?

Think back to those days you were interviewing at your company. Were you lucky enough to have your vision come true?

If not, check out some of the amazing job search and career help blogs today. A few that I'm aware of, and visit often due to my day job at EMC, are:

http://www.brazencareerist.com/*

http://www.collegerecruiter.com/jobs/*

http://personalbrandingblog.wordpress.com/

http://www.cheezhead.com/

http://lindseypollak.com/blog/

http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/

http://alltop.com/*

http://www.downtownwomensclub.com/dwc/index.php

 

*Note: These blogs/sites  marked with an (*) syndicate my blog.

Photos from HopkintonMarathonCommitte.org and NuzhatMKarim.

 

Employee Engagement Case Study in Action: Social Media to the V-Max!

Today, I believe, could mark a milestone for the case study of Employee Engagement in the Enterprise; where employees themselves, in record dimensions, are building and branding careers, culture and cool.

Such voluntary,passionate actions from employees at every grade level can't be schemed or concocted, or even effectively paid for.    

See this Tweet that just came from fellow EMCer Dave Spencer:

davidkspencer@pollypearson What's cool is I can't imagine working at a company that didn't engage bloggers/etc like this. How far things have come.

Where the Goals of Both Company and Employees Meet:  Social Media

Currently, EMC's internal social media platform -- a fully opt-in, mostly viral platform for employees to be heard, do what they love, be intellectually stimulated ,connect and collaborate with others in alignment with our company's strategy, and most everything else "good" is being enjoyed over 4.6 million times per month. Over 50% of our employees have crossed the 2.0 chasm and are actively participating every month. 

Once employees get a hang for how this 2.0 stuff works, they tend to find "their voice and have a greater understanding of the compelling value they can bring." What happens next? Many go outside the firewall. They contribute to the global discussion about your company and your products. They support one another. They become even more engaged along the way. 

• See EMC's Community of Bloggers on EMC.com
• See EMC's posted Social Media Links on that EMC.com Community page, such as FriendFeed listing all the engagement on today's launch
• And Wow! See all the EMC folks & fanatics on Twitter  (wefollow.com/tag/emc): 8,600+!! 

Today, Barry Burke of EMC is blogging all day about a product launch that, you'll see, he's hugely passionate about (I love the bootleg video he took!) and which is also highly strategic and compelling for our company.  On his blog, he's keeping a running list of all the blogs other EMCers are writing about it. 

 

------------ Talk Back ---------------

Can you feel what is happening here?  Brand and Product Marketing fully unconnected with size of budget or number of people "officially" tied to a given job task.

Great for the CEO, shareholders, customers, and employees alike. Maybe a bit painful for competitors. Bonus!

How cool is that?  

The Unexpected Reception of the Working Mother Experience Book: Part 1

The publishing of a book covering the personal lives of employees has never before been done at EMC, and for most other companies I would imagine. This book has rapidly become an invitation to having a type of discussion at work, and at home among spouses/significant others and families, which may not have ever taken place.  

In short, this is uncharted territory.

Following  are two quick interviews on the reception of The Working Mother Experience book. -- The one with Natalie opened up an entirely unexpected can of worms for me.  See "Talk Back" below. --

Seen below:  Natalie Corridan-Gregg, the first President of EMC's Women's Leadership Forum (referred to as WLF in the video) and the key force, or "Founding Mother" behind making this book become a reality, shares how it has been received within our company to date.  NOTE: turn up your volume so you can hear it well, my video interviewing skills are entirely amateur still. ;)

Seen here:  My daughter Margo, just moments after the book launch. She is sitting in my chair, in my office for this review.  I can assure you the interview with Natalie is much more informative.  The remarkable aspect of this video, for me, is the ripple effect that came from bringing to the surface the big role of working mothers for my daughter -- and by extension, 

• for her teacher who heard all about it from Margo, and who on receipt of a copy for herself expressed her deepest thanks and shared the fact that it was comforting to know she is not alone in her experiences as a working mom,  
• for the kids in my daughter's classroom who discussed this book about working moms as a result of "Margo being in a book, in a newspaper about a remarkable book, and on the computer talking about her experience with the book,"
• for the fellow teachers and administrators at Margo's school who have now seen and likely discussed the book,
• for my friends on Facebook who were moved to comment and ask for a copy when I attached a clip of Margo on the front page of the local paper doing a book signing,
• for a a long-ago friend, whom I can't recall speaking with since grade school, learning of the book via the newspaper clip of Margo on Facebook, now wanting to interview the people behind it for her Newspaper readers -- and -- start her own blog to "capture the other side;" stories of the stay-at-home working moms. She sees the opportunity to bridge awareness between moms themselves, as we all share the common goal of nurturing the next generation.

Humm. Who knew? And it has only been a week. 

You can download a copy of the book via emc.com, or if you'd like, send me an email to pearson_polly@emc.com and I'll send you a signed copy -- available while they  last.

--------------------- Talk Back ----------------------

 

 What were your thoughts on hearing Natalie's recap?

What about the Manager who, in essence, said he never felt comfortable with talking with his women employees about their personal lives before ... and that having read the book, he feels more informed and aware?

Wow. It NEVER occurred to me that this situation could be happening among men managers with women employees.  

And yet, as I thought more about it, can any of us say this hasn't happened to us at work when it comes to having a personal/casual conversation with a person of a different race or sexual orientation where we don't know the norms or the subtext of what is appropriate and what isn't?

In those instances, I too, have opted NOT to have the conversation at all rather than saying something that might offend.     Is that a good practice?  

The Working Mother's Book Launch

The launch party of the Working Mother Experience book was a standing room only, high energy event.

The authors were in demand -- signing books for most everyone in attendance. News photographers were snapping photos, and capturing names. There were balloons, flowers, cup cakes, huge smiles, lots of hugs, speeches, and a buzz that was audible throughout EMC's airport-sized headquarter building.

Here's a video of the event taken EMCer Candi Imming.

One guest in high demand for her autograph was my daughter, Margo Pearson. In addition to being the day that launched a book, which contained a story, which featured this vibrant youngster, it was her seventh birthday.  (What better way to spend a birthday than to be with other amazing and accomplished women, eat cup cakes, be photographed, sign autographs and look fabulous?)

This is what she, Margo, had to say about the event in a report she wrote up as it was coming to a close:

"I got my story in a book! And I got a name tag and since it was my Brithday I got Alot of Sticers on it! And you are sapos to onlley have One sticker. But, I got more. And I got cake and ice crem And I LOVed it. And thar wer Blun's and the coller was Black, RWit, ReD, and more RWit. And I sigded allot of Book's! And this is how I signed them! Margo."

 

(Photos by Candi Imming.)

 

The following is an excerpt from the story I wrote in the book; the story that featured Margo's view of what women can accomplish in the world: 

 I was shocked when, in 2004, my nine-year-old,"old-soul" daughter, Sophie, said as a clear statement of fact "Women can't be President." I could not control the volume and tone of dismay in reply, "Whaaaat did you say?"

...

Flash forward to 2007. My youngest daughter, Margo, is now a vivacious five-year old. Her often-whispered nickname in the family is "The CEO." She's been running the household and all who come into her presence since she arrived on Earth -- so much so that it is our biggest parenting quandary.

About a month ago, I thought I'd introduce her to prayer. Perhaps starting a relationship with God, I thought, would help reinforce values of respect and gratitude. During our first bedtime prayer, I could tell she was riveted. She joined me by repeating a long list of the people and things in our life we are thankful for. Then, when the prayer was over, she rolled over in bed to face me and asked oh so earnestly, "Mom, how do I become God? That's the job I want."

 

Today, I found Margo's star power did not end at the event.  She graced the front page of many newspapers local to our headquarter building. 

Putting the proud Mother aside, following is a photograph of a few other now famous people snapped at the event by EMCer/blogger Gina Minksof EMCer/bloggers Steve Todd and Barry Burke.

  

----------------- Talk Back ------------

What's on your mind as you read this?

As I compiled the photos, I couldn't help but notice the support of people who have come to know one another through social media at EMC. 

As great as the book is,had it not been for the social media connection, I am not entirely sure that folks like Candi Imming, Steve Todd, and Barry Burke would have torn themselves away from the Engineering labs to be at this event (just days prior to a MAJOR product launch at EMC to boot!) Or that EMCers Dave Spencer, Briane Keefe, Nuzhat Karim, Kris Cornwall, or Gina Minks would be tweeting about it. (check out #WME for a full string!)

But that is exactly what friends, family and fans do for one another.

EMC has always been a family.  In fact, "family" is the word the FORTUNE editors used as the #1 take away from their "FORTUNE 100 Best Places to Work For" survey of EMC employees last year.

Founder Dick Egan  said to me in 1992 he believed EMC stood for "Egan's Many Children."

It isn't 1992 any more ... but gee, it sure is feeling more and more like a family around here lately. And I like it that way. :)

Mothers Day ... make that "Working Mothers Day"

About two years ago I ran into an EMC woman, Natalie Corridan-Gregg, in the hallway. She recently had a baby. We shared a quick story about motherhood and working, and then went our separate, EMC-fast-paced, ways.

A few days later I received the most beautiful, goose-bump-type story from "new mom" Natalie via email. It was about her baby. I shared a story back. Then a light bulb hit us.  "I bet there are other moms at EMC with similar stories.  We should put them in a book! Imagine what a different side of EMC, and the world of working women,  it would show."

And thus it began.

 

Today, we, the Women of EMC, give birth to a new baby: The Working Mother Experience.

In it, you'll find our stories of Work, Motherhood, Parenting, and "Bringing It" every day in tandem with the values, culture, execution-expectations, and intellectual exhilaration that is "us," and that is, "EMC."

It is written by about 100 women EMCers, and one, single-working, EMC dad. The stories come from 15 different countries.  Bulgaria, Spain, India, Ireland, Israel, and the United States among them. It is a glossy, 250-page, weighty-book-of-substance, filled with passion, heart and amazing insights.

The book is an unexpected "page-turner," even for me.  Wisdom, wit and tolerance comes from wonderful places, like the voices of 5-year olds and 13-year olds.  It is like "Reality TV," complete with infuriating moments, for family life at the dawn of the 21st Century. How are we really coping? What are our days really like?

I don't think you've ever read anything quite like it.  Some people comment on the "humanity" and "honesty" of it. Others on the "love" and "beauty."  I'd love to know what your comment would be.

Here are two samples:

Joanna Pelc

Commercial Channel Manager, Poland

Mother of one: one youth

Excerpt from Joanna's essay (p. 138):

“Sometimes stress eats me up, but I try to forget about it when I am spending time with daughter. I remember that some time ago I found that, because of stress caused by work, I was irritable with my daughter. One day I told myself: “This is enough, what are you doing?” I learned to control it and now, after stepping into my home, I stop thinking about work—or at least I try.”

Why she wanted to contribute her story to the book:

Participation in the project and the chance to tell my story was very important to me. I want to show how difficult it is to deal with all the duties at work and at home if you raise a child as a single mother. It takes me a lot of time to control my daily agenda and tasks so that I can help my daughter grow up to be brave, wise, and joyful. I wanted to show that women are very strong and, contrary to what one might expect, we can deal with many difficult situations. While these have a price, you should not let these difficulties at work or at home get in the way of the most important things in your life.

Toby Zeldin Yaakov

Senior Technical Writer,  RSA Security, Israel

Mother of two: two youths

Excerpt from Toby’s essay (p. 104):

“Does any woman actually dream of being a working mother? It’s a 24/7 smorgasbord of personal and work challenges all rolled into one. And for me, the icing on the cake is that I’m a working mother in the Middle East. I could never have imagined the swirled topping of ups, downs, and inside-outs of this working-mother’s life I lead: I’m a city girl from Toronto living in a far-away, out-of-the-way Yemen-Israeli community named Moshav Tnuvot, a former screenwriter now writing API documentation, employed by a U.S. corporation and working in the Israeli high-tech industry, and the English-speaking mother of two girls who speak Hebrew.”

Why she wanted to contribute her story to the book:

I think it's important to participate in projects in which employees are involved in activities outside of their usual work routines. A project such as this is especially interesting in a large, global company like EMC because you are exposed to the perspectives of people from around the world. I have a particular interest in projects about working mothers—because I am one!

I'll share more about it on this blog. I also encourage you to get more of a flavor and excerpts from the book, by visiting the blog Natalie created, fully dedicated to the global, Working Mother Experience.

A HUGE thanks goes out to my friend, EMC EVP, Frank Hauck for sponsoring the book project, and to my dear friend and colleague, EMC Executive & Internal Communications Fantastic-o/Project Leader, Stacey Yeoman, for managing it, and bringing it to life.

If you'd like a signed copy of the book, send me a note at pearson_polly@emc.com. I'll send one to you, free of charge, while supplies last. (I'll try to get Natalie's and Stacey's signature for you, too!) If you'd like to download the book, you can do so starting today at emc.com.

------------------ Talk Back --------------------

What do you think could come of this project? Will it impact Employee Engagement, Awareness for the not-at-work-world of Working Moms, Inclusion, other?  We really don't know where it will lead -- it just felt right to do it. 

Stories often start to flow out of people once they've read a page or two, especially from the dads among us. :)

What's your story?

What's your comment on this project or subject matter?

I hope you feel something when you read the book. Please circle back and let me know.

Question #1: Isn't Personal Branding Vain?

"The thought of Googling myself makes my skin crawl."

My prior post covered what I see as the top questions/reservations coming from business people on the subject of social media. The number one concern I hear has to do with taking the big jump into a pool that strikes many as overly self promotional, vain, unprofessional, or simply too revealing for comfort.

All understandable points.

Consider the flip side.

Would you go to an important meeting or an interview without first looking in the mirror?  You would want to know you look okay, and fix anything that might be out of place, right?

Today, "Google is the New Mirror."

What do you look like?  Not knowing could be like walking into an Interview with your fly down and spinach in your teeth.

When someone Googles your name (it could be a customer who wants to know what your track record is before they meet you; it could be an entity that wants to partner with you; it could be a company who is considering hiring or featuring you), what do they see? 

• Do you even show up on the first page of Google search? 

• How hard do they have to work to find you? 

• The longer it takes them to find you, the more of a non-entity you might seem to be. 

• What if the first listing under YOUR name is a photo of a Tequila swilling 40-something? A convict? A person who is the antithesis of you ... or of someone whose resume is close enough to yours to be confusing?

Is it professionally courteous, expedient, or responsible not to know what you look like to others?

 

Last year I had as radio guests on EMC's Visual Talk Radio Show Barbara Massa, EMC's head of North America Recruiting operation and Dan Schawbel, both author of the new Personal Branding book, Me 2.0and EMC's resident social media specialist.

A take away from this program is that matching talent to opportunity today is a branding two-way street. 

Opportunity needs to be able to know about You and what You stand for. 

You need to know about Opportunity and what it could mean to You/Your business. 

Today, you expect every entity to have a presence on the web.  You want to research every hotel room, baseball bat, pair of jeans, house and technology gadget before you decide. If something is not on the web, it must not be significant enough to be worthy of your consideration, right? 

Guess what? That's what the world expects when it comes to talent/people/partners.  They want to research you on-line before making the next step.  If you're not on-line, you likely are not significant enough to be considered.  Ouch.

Barbara noted the funny twist that exists today.  No one expects a young person to have a presence on the web. They're just starting out and their careers are likely far from remarkable.  Everyone expects senior people to have a presence on the web.  They have, their resume says, launched products, turned around companies, and done other amazing things.

Only the reality is exactly the opposite. 

The young people are easily found and their credentials and claims are validated on line. The senior people are not easily found or validated.

There is no such thing as "Job Security" any longer.  What got you to where you are won't keep you where you are. 

What can you do about it?

Be relevant. Be found. Be vain if that what it takes. 

The pay off?

The larger "your brand," the larger your company's brand and the larger the opportunities that can find their way to you and to your company.

If you want to know more on this subject, Dan's book is available as of March 30, 2009. It is a super read for anyone getting started with the concept of personal branding, or anyone in the job search game.  If you can't wait for the book in the mail, check out his blog. He lives this space.

 

-------------------- Talk Back ------------------------

"If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?"

Do you exist if the Internet doesn't know you?

Do you have spinach in your teeth if you don't own your personal brand, a.k.a. your digital identity?

Tossing Miracle Grow on Company Sustainability and Citizenship

What Contributes to great Company Citizenship* and Sustainability?

Though I've written a bit about what EMC has done on sustainability from a product and energy point of view (see this post ), I the spend the most time in this blog documenting the larger story on the people, events, and cool stories along the way that make for a sustainable and compelling place to work.

The area I am most proud of recently is what has happened in the realm of engagement with, and leverage of, existing resources:  our people.

Passionate people have always had voice and power here** -- but lately, there is something new in the mix!

The embracing of social media has been like tossing Miracle Grow on this company's work toward everything good.  It has taken the power of our existing resources and magnified them in a very short period of time.

With the on-set of an embraced social network within EMC, people have connected with information, found context, internalized it, found their own voice in many cases, and began spreading the word.

The people of EMC now do most of the building (and branding) of EMC as a place to work.  There is a giant ripple effect happening.  In their hallway discussions. In their actions. In their social network discussions. In the work groups they form. In their blogs. In their customer interactions. In the products they develop.  In their white papers, and speaking engagements. And in their neighborhoods, too.

The goal is not to have everyone do it on their own -- but can you appreciate the speed and impact of the transformation when thousands upon thousands join the cause?

**********************************

*Forbes came out with its list of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens this week. EMC placed on the list. According to Forbes, " These companies are doing all they can to bring their shareholders more value and make sure they are running places where employees are proud to work." 

*The Forbes award was a new one for EMC -- as was being named earlier this week as the World's Most Admired Company in our technology category for People Management, Social Responsibility, Innovation, Product Quality, Service, and more, by FORTUNE.

** I hosted a Visual Talk Radio Showa few months ago featuring the work and ideas of two individuals at EMC passionate about Sustainability.  One, Kevin Biernacki, is in facilities. He has been part of a group of individuals building and developing property for EMC in a "green" manner for well over a decade. The other guest, Kathrin Winkler, had been passionately advocating and advancing EMC's sustainability work in engineering and with a  grass roots, cross-functional "Green Team" to the point where she was given a new job as Sr. Director of EMC Sustainability. Now, her voice is heard often at the very top of the company, even as it continues to grow at the grass roots level.

 

Pictured:  Polly Pearson, Kevin Biernacki, Kathrin Winkler, and co-host Monya Keane during a Visual Talk Radio Show broadcast featuring the culture, people and passions at EMC. The show brought greater awareness of passionate people and their activities in the realm of sustainability ... which brought forth more passionate people and actions. Today, this show featuring Katherin and Kevin lives on in an on-demand format within the "Calendar of Cool" inside of EMC's Internal Social Network.

 

------------------------- Talk Back -------------------------

Do you see employee engagement as part of a company sustainability or corporate citizenship effort?

What do P. Diddy and EMC Have in Common? "Infotainment."

Both Sean P. Diddy Combs and EMC are embracing new ways of connecting with audiences to build deeper levels of brand awareness and affinity. "Infotainment," via tools like Twitter, amuse while at the same time provide real-time synthesized bits of information merged with genuine personality.

InfoTainment at Financial Meetings?

Surely you must be kidding.  The market is nothing to be amused about these days.

On the other hand, analysts like Dave Vellante of Wikibon are seeing an opportunity. Today, Dave sent Tweets live from EMC's Strategic Forum for Analysts.  

His Tweet stream was a heck of a lot more "in the moment" than any analyst note you'll read (or delete). And for someone like me, it was fun to see the real-time reactions popping into my day's information stream like little tic tacs: 

Small, sweet, and mint-y!

 To get the full story, check out EMC's 2009 Strategic Forum webcastvia EMC.com.

EMCers, join the discussion on the EMC strategy discussed in public today via our internal social network, EMC ONE, here.

------------------------ Talk Back  -----------------------------

Do we like to be infotained? 

How are you/your company's brand leveraging an Infotainment model to connect with audiences?

Building "Company of Choice" Status

This week something amazing happened.

Well, amazing if you're the type who sees the hard business value in having a workforce fully engaged and passionate about a company.

Okay, who doesn't want that for their company?  But how do you really get anything of SUBSTANCE changed for the better? How do you get this subject on the hard-core priority list of people with no time for "soft" stuff?  Of people who focus on "the mission critical" work of hitting the numbers every quarter, without fail?

 IT happened.

EMC's top 200 or so leaders from around the world (out of 42,000 total staff) came together last week to work on priorities for 2009 and identify further opportunities for success moving forward.

The leaders broke into subgroups to drill down on a handful of topics.  

"Company -- or Employer -- of Choice" was a drill down subject.

About 25 of us went hard at the subject for 3 hours, beginning with a single question to the group on an otherwise blank slide, "Why is this important?"

Up until the session started, I truly wondered if many in this group would have any sort of interest or desire to engage on this subject.  A few of the leaders were "old EMC," meaning they were here at the company at a time when a subject like this could have been laughed at as fluffy and irrelevant to the sales effort. There was an EMC President in the room, an EVP, some SVPs, a COO, several country managers, a Channel Sales VP, a Professional Services VP, a "classic" Sales leader, a Marketing VP, a Manufacturing VP, a Finance VP, and yes, a couple International HR VPs too.

You know what happened? 

The subject had them at "hello."

They got it. Immediately. With full and total passion. Then, we showed data showing the value to revenue, profit and market cap. We later conducted a participatory quiz on actual drivers of satisfaction on the job. (Ouch! Not everyone got the answers right!) This only added fuel to the fire.

I was almost fearful that all EMC's success in this space during 2008 would suggest to the team that this subject needed no further effort. 

EMC, had, after all received a RECORD number of "Best Place to Work Awards" from around the Globe in 2008.

We received Best in Sales; Best in Engineering; Best in IT; Best Place to Start a Career; Best Place to Intern; Best in Six Sigma; and Best in most regions of the world.   Almost too many logos to cram on a slide! Oh, and then there was that mainstream book which profiled EMC as one of the world's "Eight Engaging Companies."   And the fact that we just exceeded our peer group in 2008 in revenue and profit growth.

... And they still intuitively got the value and recognized that we can get better.

They saw the tie to revenue, to profit, to productivity, to being a better place to be. Soon they were citing the need for training programs and measurement tied to compensation.They were asking to examine our Values and further promote our Vision.

They saw the need, as leaders, to own the subject on a personal level.

At the three hour mark, it was clear to many that this topic had opened eyes wider to the many business benefits of doing more in this space.  Someone suggested that we continue as a work stream on an on-going basis.  A voice clarified, "All of us or a smaller group?"  The reply from the room, "All of us!"

The result of the session was a live "Report Out" to all of the Leadership Meeting attendees.    It was done by a giant of a guy known for focusing on what is important to the company and getting it done. He shared the group's conclusion that we must be an employer of choice to succeed in the execution of our aggressive vision .. and that is was the responsibility of everyone, at all levels of the company, every day. And in true EMC execution fashion, a list of actionable priorities and an accountable team was identified.

When all the Report Outs were done, CEO Joe Tucci took the stage.  He cited call to actions against each of the drill down subjects.  On this topic, he told everyone to "be there for your people" and I could have sworn I heard this New Yorker use the word, "Hug."

That, in my opinion, is what leaders do in a company of choice.

------------- Talk Back -----------------------

Should you work on management skills, company vision and values, career development, and listening with heart at a time when analysts suggest your growth market will move into revenue decline in 2009? At a time when, in order to thrive in the turbulence expected ahead, you actually had to cut jobs? At a time when no company, it is predicted, will be unscathed by the global economic decline and employees presumably have few other employment choices? 

Surely, this subject should not be a top area of effort ... or should it?

Building an Employment Brand ... beginning with the Genuine.

Over on the Personal Branding Blog today, Dan Schawbel outlined "ten employer branding strategies to become an employer of choice" and featured our work at EMC prominently -- thanks Dan!

He captured organizational considerations, highlighted innovative routes to market, visual brand identity, and tone as among the steps. All great content. What informs the content however?

At the end of the day a brand is a relationship.  To have a healthy relationship, you should know first who you are and what you stand for.

In EMC's Employment Brand journey, we spent our first few months in the unsexy (but incredibly moving) process of researching internally and externally to unearth and validate our brand attributes and the target market's desires in an ideal place to work.

We then built an "Employment Brand Message Architecture" to document who we are in a way that 

A) genuinely reflected our culture, values and life at EMC 

B) aligned to the target market's ideals in a place to work.

Our architecture begins with the customer view of EMC and then moves to the internal environment and working norms of our people.  Its language is B2C, particularly in the promise and value prop segments. The architecture content flows as follows:

Our Company's Role in the World

Our Master Brand Identity Goal

Our Company Mission

Our Company Strategy

Our Culture

Our Employment Brand Promise

Our Value to Employees/Candidates

Our Credo (inclusive of values)

The architecture informs everything we do in communicating EMC as a place to work inclusive of EMC.com/careers; recruiter messaging; ads; blogs; new hire content; and more.

After researching, documenting, and validating/refining the architecture, the next steps were:

A)  Documenting and implementing the strategy for bringing the employment brand to life -- in our case, we want to 'humanize' the brand and feature our peoplespeaking for it and exemplifying it as a place to work  vs. showing a packaged presentation by the Company.

B)   Understanding and identifying opportunities to improve the brand itself while furthering the company's strategy execution -- our programs, policies and actions that reflect a continually improving company as a place to work, influenced by our strategy and the expectations and desires of the talent market. Examples of this would be making use of Web 2.0 work tools and behavior models as well as enhancing EMC's programs for working moms/families. 

So for the first year, we built the foundation and began the process of bringing it to life in a more focused and exciting way -- a way that is better aligned to forge positive, trusting relationships with the Talent market.

The next stage was where Dan picked it up -- where we started bringing it to market via exciting routes like Twitter and Second Life and in exciting packages such as ads and the banner of this blog. 

Woven in between every move is the tough stuff -- the soul searching -- reflecting our inner beauty (what truly is compelling about EMC as a place to work) and our inner devil (our "over-used strengths") and working to adjust the cultural norms ever so seamlessly so that we can be better than when we started.

Which reminds me of the question I asked when CEO, Tucci and EVP of HR, Mollen stated that they had a goal for EMC to be recognized as a "company of choice" and a "FORTUNE 100 BEST PLACES TO WORK FOR." 

I asked, "Do you want to get the shiny award or do you want to be it?"

The reply, "We want to be it."

We're getting closer every day.  And along the way we're getting some shiny awards. 

Yesterday, the "Boston Globe Top 100 Companies to Work For" shiny award was added to our 2008 trophy case.

------------------------ Talk Back ------------------------

What do you think of this approach?

Energizing Innovation & Culture Pt 2: Innovative and Visionary CEOs. And the Winners ARE...

 

 

Congrats to

• Apple's Jobs
• EMC's Tucci
• Facebook's Zuckerman
• Amazon's Bezos
• Salesforce.com's Benioff
• Oracle's Ellison
• Cisco's Chambers
• nVidia's Huang
• IBM's Palmisano
• Netsuite's Nelson

on being honored in Internetnews.com's CEO Vision Awards! The results were released on Sept 17.

The full story on why these folks were honored.  Their write up on Joe can be found here.

*******************************

While we're on the subject of CEO congrats, the last such list I noticed came from Conde Naste's Porfolio.   

 

That ranking re-visited the list of the CEOs with the highest approval ratings (by employees) according to Glassdoor.com.  While I continue to believe that Glassdoor.com data is not statistically valid (reference this blog post) -- watching trends there is interesting. 

CEOs that made both the top CEO list and the Most Visionary List:

• Tucci (EMC)
• Jobs (Apple)
• Chambers (Cisco)
• Bezos (Amazon) 

************************************

I tend to be a pattern seeker. Let's check out the overlap from the BusinessWeek tech company ranking in the "Best Place to Launch a Career" feature that debuted about a week ago. (Reference this blog post.)

 

Companies/CEOs that made the most visionary list and the BusinessWeek list included:

• EMC (Tucci)
• Cisco (Chambers)
• Amazon (Bezos)
• IBM (Palmisano)

*******************************************************

eWeek also put out a ranking earlier this year -- see this full list from eWeek of the 100 Most Influential CEOs in IT or this blog post on the top ranked.

Of the Top Ten on this eWeek list, the overlap with Internetnews.com Top 10 Visionary List is as follows:

• Tucci (EMC)
• Ellison (Oracle)
• Palmisano (IBM)
• Chambers (Cisco)
• Jobs (Apple) 

Finishing up trend watch, let's see what the overlap looks like from the Electronic Design Magazine's Best Places to Work Top Ten rankings (this one included patent filings, employee ratings and financial success)  and the Top Ten Most Visionary List:

   

• EMC
• Apple
• Cisco

*****************************************************

Does this, all in, indicate that, year-to-date, two CEOs are really shining when it comes to Innovation, Employee Approvals, and Great Places to Work?  If so, kudos to you John Chambers of Cisco, and Joe Tucci of EMC.  And kudos also to another apparently innovative and appreciated CEO who placed on 4 of these 5 lists: Steve Jobs of Apple.

 

PHOTOS:
Cisco's Chambers; Source: Cisco            EMC's Tucci; Source EMC

Editorial note:  Coincidence? Joe and John actually worked together when Joe ran Wang in the 1980's.

*****************************************************

What's next for Joe?  Hopefully more mainstream media such as TIME and its "World's Most Influential People" listing. Hats off to Joe's top CEO peers Zuckerman, Chambers, Jobs, Bezos, and Ballmer for making that list.

----------Talk Back: ----------

Surprised? What CEOs in high tech do you think are making an impact?

Feel like Eavesdropping?

 

Last week I was a guest on a radio show called "Smash the Ladder with Anita & Diane."

Official Description:  "It is an on-line radio show that believes the corporate ladder no longer needs to exist.  Each week, hosts Diane K. Danielson, CEO, www.DowntownWomensClub.comand Anita Bruzzese, USA Syndicated careers columnist rotate interviewing authors, executives and other experts who share career skills, thought-provoking ideas, and insights into cutting age areas that will help you smash that ladder and create your own.  Smash the Ladder can be found at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AnitaBruzzese"

I just listened to a replay of our show.  It offered the experience of eavesdropping on two people (Diane and me -- Anita was off that week) discussing what they’re passionate about. If Diane and I were meeting over a glass of wine, the conversation would have gone much the same way.

What did we discuss? Some of the questions/topics raised included:

-         What is the title “Strategy Engagement and Employment Brand” all about?

-         What am I working on?

-         What are we doing to further EMC’s brand?

-         What are we doing of interest with Innovation?

A paraphrased quote from Diane: 

               

“An American Idol for Innovation at EMC?! Tell me more.”

-         What is an example of something we’ve done to make EMC a better place for women?

-         Do I believe a woman can hold an important job and still be a good mom?  
          (Consider McCain’s running mate.)

-         What is happening with Social Media at EMC? Does management support it? 

Throughout, you’ll hear personal stories and opinions -- with just a tad of creative license for entertainment value ;).  You’ll hear what is on my mind and what Diane finds newsworthy in the realm of leading practices for companies seeking and retaining top talent. 

In addition, you'll learn about some of the ways EMC is blending what we stand for in the products we sell and how we market EMC as a place to work. 

            A paraphrased quote from me:

   

         “We’re hoping to Trip Advisor the Work-at-EMC-Experience.”

You might find that this Radio Show sounds more like a conversation between two friends than a usual media interview. You might be right. 

The following offers a link to the interview:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/AnitaBruzzese/2008/09/02/Smash-the-Ladder-with-Anita-Diane

You can also find reference to it in Diane's Sept 7th blog on the DownTownWomen's Club "Womensdish."
THE WOMEN'S DISH with Diane & Friends - http://womensdish.typepad.com/the_womens_dish/  

and

in her book review  of The Breakthrough Company by Keith R. McFarland:
Top Shelf Reading Picks - http://topshelf.entrepreneur.com

Diane is the founder and CEO of the Downtown Women's Clubs (15 chapters nationally) and a former lawyer. Along the way, she's written two books about networking and is a frequent speaker on the topics of networking, generation y, social networks and women in business. She is a contributing writer for PINK Magazine, a blogger for Entrepreneur Magazine(http://topshelf.entrepreneur.com) the Boston Globe'sBostonworks Job and HR blogs, and the WomensDISH. Her books can be found on Amazon.com.  

----------- Talk Back ------------

If you listen to the interview you'll start to get a better feel for what we're doing with the employment brand, why we're doing it, and why I'm passionate about it. I'd love to hear what you think.

More Cool on the Small Screen

This just in from my daily news tracker:

FOX TV: RSA SecurID hardware tokens to be featured on new TV show “FRINGE”

http://www.fox.com/fringe/

Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 9, (9:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT) the FOX TV network in the U.S. will premiere “FRINGE”, a new TV show from J.J. Abrams (“Lost") and the team behind "Star Trek" and "Alias". It is described as a series that will “thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between the possible and the impossible.” We expect to see one or more characters with an RSA SecurID hardware token attached to their lanyard. Check your local listings!  

EMC brand is getting more consumerific every day. I like to see it!

Where's the Mo? BusinessWeek's Top Ten in Tech to Launch a Career

When I worked with the Wall Street crowd, everything was about the "Mo" --  momentum as a telling sign.  Positive momentum was an indicator of more positive momentum, negative momentum was an indicator of more negative momentum.  You get the picture.

BusinessWeek came out with its 3rd annual listing of the top places to launch a career today -- the top story of its Sept 15th edition. When looking at the year-over-year movement in the company rankings, that "Mo" image came to mind. Hiring is a sign of mo, yes?  Hiring vibrant, connected, college grads is also a sign of mo, yes?  Making yourself even more attractive as an employer of choice is a sign of future revenue and profit mo, yes? (I tend to think so. The Wall Street charts of "best places to work" and "best overall shareholder returns" also support this thesis. Insert "forward looking statement" disclaimer here ... my comments should not be connected with EMC's or any other company's expected near-term performance; please read everyone's SEC filings.)

10 Technology/Internet companies to made the list.  
 
The Top Ten, as I eyeballed the list, are as follows.

 

Where is the mo?

Let's start with the negative mo: Google, IBM, MSFT, HP and Dell.  Humm. 

Now, the positive mo:  Intel, Cisco, Amazon, Siemens and EMC.  The latter three in this group all made their debut on the list this year. Humm.

The ranking is based on three separate surveys: a BusinessWeek poll of career-services directors at U.S. colleges; a survey of 40,000 U.S. college students conducted by Universum USA; and a BusinessWeek poll of the employers themselves. Expanded coverage of the entire list can be found on BusinessWeek.com.  

Earlier this year EMC was also among the top ten techs -- and top 50 companies overall -- from CollegeGrad.com's ranking of the top entry-level employers, based largely on volume of hires. The top three on that list were Intel, Microsoft and EMC.  More information here: http://www.collegegrad.com/topemployers/

While we're on this subject, I just remembered this item from June of '08 -- "Top 100 Places to Work" according to Electronic Design Mag (Apple and EMC led the list): http://www.pollypearson.com/main/2008/06/quiz-what-are-the-best-companies-to-work-for.html

I'm feeling the Mo!

If you feel like learning more about where the mo is in high tech, keep reading my blog (!), other EMC folks' blogs (they're listed on the right rail), and check out our careers site on EMC.com. 

Congrats to our University Relations Team on this new BusinessWeek and the CollegeGrad.com listings ... and thank you to people of EMC for doing the right things to build our mo!

--- Talk Back ---

What are you seeing out there? Do these rankings mean anything to you?

 

Best Tech Stock of the Double Decade!

The verdict seems to be in.  Crackerjack EMC Investor Relations guy, Erik Wolf, did some further investigating into the best performing tech stocks of the last 20 years. 

He looked at all NYSE Listed large-cap (defined as 10B+) tech companies, as classified by Thomson Financial who have been public for at least 20 years and charted the results. See the chart above.

That's EMC on the top in the dark blue (again showing over 16,000% return), followed by Texas Instruments in light blue, ADP in red, HP in green, IBM in yellow, Kyocera Corp in burgundy, and  Motorola in light green.

Erik also pulled all traded tech companies (inclusive of NASDAQ) with a market cap of $10+B who have been trading for at least 20 years. Again EMC came out on top.

Here's the list of companies who qualified:

Apple
Adobe Systems
Automatic Data Processing
Applied Materials
CA
DELL
EMC
Hewlett-Packard
IBM
Intel
Kyocera Corp
Motorola
Microsoft
Oracle
Texas Instruments.

 I'm getting in a bell-ringing mood!  I was up on the NYSE bridge to ring that closing bell in 1995 for the first time. This was in tandem with a software launch, which we held at the NYSE.    The first time is always special.

We did another bell ring in 1999 or 2000 celebrating a networked storage launch. That was the most fun one. We dressed hundreds of folks up like Superman (or Storageman, really) ... because the top Storage company was coming to the party to unite the information nation (in our world, this is information that travels in little packets on the Internet and in BIG chunks on bullet-proof networks inside companies).   Though the Supermen were my idea and I worked with the great folks at the Exchange to make it happen, I didn't join for that ring. I was across town presenting EMC's story to investors at the Salomon Smith Barney Conference.  I have a great photo of a bunch of Supermen carrying Richard Grasso, former Chairman of the Exchange on their shoulders as they walk the Floor on my bulletin board.

The next ring was the "Stock of the Decade" ring. That's on my bulletin board, too.  That ring was to celebrate EMC's achievement as the best performing stock of a decade on the NYSE -- we had the best performance of any stock over 10 years in the 217 year history of the Exchange.  We opted to ring the opening bell on that one ... symbolizing, of course, that we were just getting going (we were SO RIGHT!).  Best factoid about that ring was that we bumped Rudy Giuliani to do it. (Remind me to tell that story later ... it is a GREAT one).

Our most recent ring was to celebrate our 15th anniversary for being a listed stock.  Thus, my lack of sleep the other night with thoughts of opportunity lost. This is our 20th year of being listed. We're the best performing tech stock of that duration ... and I like ringing that bell!  :)

Congrats to everyone EMC for such an accomplishment!!

If anyone crunches some numbers and comes up with another result, please share.  We might have missed something. As shared in my prior post, even coming close to this AMAZING accomplishment in the land of tech is something to be hugely proud of. 

Cheers to the folks at EMC and to our customers who have put their faith in us all these years!

 

- Polly

Employees Don't Want to be Sold

A little over a year ago, my boss laid out a challenge that looked like this:

1. One
50% percent of our workforce is new in the last 4 years. 20,000 new people and about 40 new acquisitions make up our company today.  We will hire almost another 10,000 this year.

We need to be “ONE” company and offer a unified experience to the customer.

 

2. Hot
We have achieved tremendous strategic and financial success in the marketplace. We’re hot outside; do we feel hot enough on the inside?

We need to feel hot in the hallways.

 

3. Satisfied
Our transformation, business complexity and growth makes it hard on our people to keep up with how all the pieces fit together. Our employee survey shows we can do a better job connecting our people with our new strategy.

We need our people to connect with the strategy and be able to put all the pieces together.

 

4. Breakthrough
In the War for Talent, how can we breakthrough relative to the competition and be seen as a company of choice?

We need to stand out.

 

5. Best
It is important that we be a well recognized, best place to work.

We need to "be" a FORTUNE Best Place to Work For Company.

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PICTURED: EMC's Web Czar Len DeVanna and "Storagezilla" techie, Mark Twomey. 
Mark co-hosted Visual Talk Radio with me yesterday: Len was a guest along with EMC's Whitney Tidmarsh, VP of Content Management and Archiving. Len and Whitney work in California. Mark works in Cork, Ireland and I work in Hopkinton, Mass. We are just four of the many thousands at EMC who are joining the conversation, voicing our opinions and feeling closer for it.

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Going through everything we did since that day would take longer than I have today … but I can tell you that I feel really good about what’s happening here. The engagement is tangible and the results can all ready be measured. 

A vendor told us that it would take us 3-5 years to make a dent. Anythinglonger than a couple quarters – or a year at the out most – is way to long to wait around here for a lot more than a dent.  We hired no vendor and, instead, started a conversation.

Please see the blog by EMC’s Web Czar Len Devanna, a guest on yesterday's EMC "Visual Talk Radio" for a peek into the progress on this journey. Note: Len is no company shill. When I first talked with him about the challenge and ways we could engage our people on the EMC strategy and culture, he didn't outright puke but he didn't gush either. He started with the words, "I'll be frank with you Polly ..." spoken in his dry, serious, baritone voice.

We have a lot to do in every corner of the company (as you can see from David Spencer's blog today as well) ... but you know what, I think we're having fun doing it.

See Len's blog for a bit more color on the journey. http://lensblog.typepad.com/

For a lot of us, EMC is a much smaller place today -- in a good way.

 

Talk Back ----------------------

 

What would you do if you were given this challenge? Really, I'd like your ideas. We have a lot of fun left in us.

- Polly Pearson, VP Strategy Engagement and Employment Brand, EMC

Today's Dose of Cool

 

So EMC bought the company Iomega recently ... as a result, EMC products are now being reviewed by Popular Mechanics.*

That's cool (and funny) point number one, at least for those who might view EMC's offerings through another lens. ... The lens that says only the world's largest data centers buy (or could afford) EMC's highly reliable products on which valued information is stored and managed.

Cool and funny #2 is that EMC products now show up in video reviews like this: http://video.popularmechanics.com/services/link/bcpid1688437613/bctid1699225584

I feel like I've just been punk'd. (Reference to juvenile but funny Ashton Kutcher show by the same name.)

I liked it.

Cool #3 is that you can buy EMC products in stores like Best Buy. -- I hear EMC Iomega product also has an upcoming apperance in a consumerific sitcom that may or may not take place around a geek that works at a company that looks a little like Best Buy. 

Another cool? EMCers are about are about to get all this great, consumer-information-sanity stuff that we're selling (including Mozy, and LifeLine) at an employee discount. We call that Perks squared.

*None of this coverage is new to our pals at Iomega of course. Which is the ultimate cool  -- adding a company with a consumer brand and consumer know-how to EMC's powerhouse on the B2B side of the market is worth getting happy about.

----------------Talk Back: ---------------------

Funny? Cool? Or just another example of the New EMC to you?

Thanks, Polly

Magic Happens: Culture and the Customer Brand Experience

On Friday, my day started off with a meeting with Craig Moodie, EMC Creative Director and six-time fiction book author, to discuss how we articulate the customer-facing EMC brand and the aspects of EMC’s brand as a place to work. (Note: Craig’s latest book is just hitting the market now – see it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Seaborn-CraigMoodie/dp/1596433906/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210628429&sr=1-2; http://moodiebooks.com/)

My day ended by reading a popular blog by EMCer Barry Burke, a.k.a., “The Storage Anarchist” on the power of strong brands and how they contribute to success in high tech. In it, Barry featured a business-school paper that Tom Broderick, fellow EMCer and product marketer, wrote in 2002 on “The Technology Brand.”

http://thestorageanarchist.typepad.com/weblog/2008/05/1003-maybe-it-r.html

The Customer Experience of a Brand

What I love about this paper: it brings to life the crazy world of survival in high tech. Last week I wrote about the importance of a company’s culture and of its leadership for your own career continuity. Tom’s paper puts this and more in the spotlight.  If you’re in high tech, your heart will race a bit while reading it and you’ll likely shake your head, smile and say, “Yeah. I can relate to that.”

Tom writes about the benefit of a strong brand and how it can help companies ride the inevitable misstep or missed timing on a new product roll out. It made me recall a brand study we did just off the tech wreck and a subsequent string of EMC acquisitions in 2003. EMC’s entire offering to the market place was being re-shuffled reflecting new market dynamics and our own maturation as a company. To help us understand how our customers were receiving these changes we asked them,

“What does EMC’s brand stand for to you?”

The customers’ reply? “EMC is a promise keeper.”

How do you become seen as a promise keeper?

In my view, the culture -- the people and their values -- are behind everything a company does for its customers.

In my meeting with Creative Director Craig we were discussing some of the special elements that make up the EMC culture. The people of EMC, we noted, are “motivated, energetic, passionate, smart and ‘real.’ They put customers first and always, always set the bar at the ‘best’ in everything they do.”

"You. Energized."

Craig used this phrase, “You. Energized.” to describe what happens to people when they become part of EMC. I rather liked that.

• Life at EMC is “Championship Play” as a friend of mine, EMC EVP Frank Hauck, recently said. When every member of the team brings an “A game” every day – everyone’s game gets elevated.
• A member of our EMC family, a 24 year-old who recently “graduated” from our inside sales group to the field and who last year delivered $5.9 million in revenue against a $2.5 million quota shared this comment with me,
• “When I look at myself and the success I have accomplished since college and compare it with my college buddies I think, “It is a little bit of me and a whole lot of EMC.”
  

Magic Happens.

As I see it, when you take a smart, passionate person and put him/her into a soup with thousands of other smart, passionate people who set the bar at “success,” magic happens.  By having a team that works in a no excuses fashion for this level of play (see Tom’s paper for further illustration) you inevitably get a pretty good track record with customers. And you get to stay in business a little longer than the rest.

2009 will mark our 30^th year in business.

Talk back -----------------------

Have you lived the “Technology Brand?” Do you have a view on the connection between “Culture” and the “Customers’ Experience” with the brand?

Culture Chat - What is in it for you?

I was surprised to hear recently that today's kids under the age of the 12 could likely live beyond the age of 120.

If you were going to live to 120 do you think you'd have just one career? Do you think you would toil away in a job that wasn't quite right for long?

Who can blame those entering the workforce today for being a bit particular about where they work?

In my role at EMC Corp. - a sizable high tech company that thrives in the world of on-line information management - I've been working to crack a new kind of code, our "Employment Brand."

What is an "employment brand?"

The most similar concept with kitchen sink language is likely a company's "culture."

Why does it matter?

It matters because of YOU. You are a free agent. You have power in the employment equation today. If you're good and fit our culture, we either want to get to know you or we want to keep you at EMC. To get to know you, we need to tell you what we're all about and make sure we have our genuine story presented in a way that engages you as a potential consumer of our ‘product.'

Why else does it matter?

SHAREHOLDERS. In the industrial age, factory productivity meant a lot to shareholders. It meant competitive advantage and out-sized returns. In the knowledge era, the new ‘Aha!' is that people and their ideas represent the modern factory. If people are feeling good about what they're doing, who they're doing it with and what ‘bigger thing' they are part of they will likely deliver outsized returns for shareholders.

The Red Velvet Rope.

The vision I like best to describe a great Employment Brand is that of a "Red Velvet Rope Experience." (Thanks to author and Professor Dr. John Sullivan for bringing this analogy of sorts to my attention.) It is an experience, in Dr. Sullivan's words "behind which talent will line up clamoring for an opportunity to be let inside, much like patrons at a hot night club." Adding to this image, I see the people on the ‘inside' feeling privilege and honor -- and knowing that they are "where it is at."

In this blog, I will open up for discussion stories about employment brands, jobs, careers and EMC's culture. I will also cover in candid terms our journey toward being the best place on the planet to work for people who best fit our unique employment brand. "Best" is a core word in the EMC culture. "Best" is where the bar is always set for everything we do. "Best" is also a moving target. We're still learning - through the words, voices and actions of our people and free agents in the marketplace - where we're pretty darned terrific and where we could shape up to create The Ultimate Velvet Rope.

You are cordially invited to add to the dialog.

Are you living behind the velvet rope? What about your company's culture inspires you to do your best work?