Links for September 18 2011

Rethinking Measurement by Jamie Notter
Quote: …rethinking your metrics is probably a GREAT way to start changing some trajectories. Measure different things, and at different intervals, with the intention of actually learning more about your system and how it operates. That can lead to some behavior that changes trajectories. You won’t know the answer when you start down the path (which can be scary for stakeholders), but this is the kind of courage we need right now to break free from what has been holding us back.

Are you Committed? by Jay Platt
Quote: Sadly, however, most people aren’t willing to “burn their ships.” They (like the soldiers in the story) want them there in case things get too hard they can use them to escape with.

But What if it Works? By Seth Godin
Quote: The thing is, if they make a fortune, you make five fortunes. Don’t worry about it. Go ahead and give people the opportunity to have their risk pay off. More than ever, people are motivated by the opportunities that come with scale.

Thinking Small — Thinking value by Mark McDonald
Quote: By thinking small, we can expose BIG thinking bias and consider alternative ways in which we create value, in the performance the business understands, in time and in context. Thinking small about IT helps re-imagine value and its realization in ways that build up our capacity/capability rather than consume cost.

The IT Light Switch by Elliot Ross on Strategic Technology for the Small to Medium Enterprise
Quote: Computer technology will continue to become invisible – by that I mean the ‘server’ or plumbing will be out of site and out of mind. Technology professionals will need to shift their focus to managing the experience of technology – becoming device agnostic versus trying to manage the end to end environment. Or as Mr. Greengard states – become ‘information-centric rather than device centric’