I started a business. It made me want to drink copious quantities, smoke myself into oblivion and hit my head against a brick wall. Instead I wrote a blog.
Site Launch Day: 28
User Count: 43
Going right: Mentioned again as revolutionary idea "Monet Revisited" in Enterprise Architecture Blog
Going wrong: I have little idea of the impact of my blogging and social media antics...
Comment: How does anyone know if their voice noticed among the crowd of people trying to make themselves heard? It's like that falling tree thing.
Once I did an IQ test on the internet and although I don't remember the score, I do remember the accompanying veiled insult.
"Appearing almost genius to others"
At first glance it seemed very complimentary. But the more I thought about it, the more annoyed I became. I was NOT a genius - and although I had unfortunately known this for a while - some app who thought it was cleverer than me, was telling me so. But that wouldn't stop others from thinking I was, apart from the REAL geniuses who would regard me as a fraud. So there I was, stuck between a rock and a hard place. (Isn't it always the case when you're 21?)
15 years on, I am pretty content not to be a genius - although of course I don't have a choice in the matter. Never did. Imagine the envy, the loneliness and close proximity of insanity. Imagine that there are only a few people in the world who can understand the level of your conversation and your capacity for thinking.
I am very happy to be able to laugh at low-intellect fart jokes without anyone being aghast.
But the team behind Investment Impact carries some formidable brainpower; it couldn't have gone live without some amazingly talented consultants already prepared to put their muscle behind it. And in order to get them, I had to get behind the psyche of those experts who are true geniuses in strategy, finance and business management. The point about Investment Impact is that it should attract talent otherwise not given the opportunity to shine, talent hiding in the dark recesses of the monotony and mundanity of repetitive tasks. Because much of corporate life is like that - process driven - according to someone else's mind. No one is going to employ these guys (or girls!) for a few months to dream up Nobel prize ideas for the company. That stuff only happens in Google. Or Apple. (hmm possible correlation with companies ending in 'le')
Here is a group of traits behind the personality type I call - in all humility - the "Stephen Hawking class".
- Big Insecure egos leading to frustration at not being appreciated for their intelligence and contribution to the world.
- Inability to communicate their expertise properly to "average shaped" moderately intelligent folk.
- Obsessive and competitive in their pursuit of excellence. Huge attention to detail.
- Annoyance at never being promoted in the workplace. Difficulty relating to people and playing office politics.
- More than likely to be inclined towards Douglas Adams; probably know the whole debate of base 13 behind '42' thing.
Yes. Geniuses. We're surrounded by them. But in many instances, we - the masses - do not recognize them as such. Perhaps because of their inability to communicate their genius in words that mean anything to us or perhaps our inability to empathize with people who lack an ability to empathize with us.
But in general when geniuses - who also happen to be human beings - are offered the chance the excel and appreciated for it, they are just the same as you or I. Kind. Generous. And hugely fun to be with.
There are two free downloads on the Investment Impact website which together enable the quantification of customer happiness. Imagine that. It's by a genius :) who also happens to be a very funny, great guy (Yes, Paolo I'm talking to you. No, you don't have a big insecure ego).
Now. Back to my latest iPhone app, 'Pig Shot', where a rolling pig collects stars and farts to go faster. Yeah, I'm still laughing.
If you want a peek at the business that's driving me insane you can click here.
Site Launch Day: 31
User Count: 47
Going right: Daughter said Mamma for the first time yesterday.
Going wrong: Who cares?
Comment: Daughter said Mamma for first time yesterday. Surely nothing is more important than this.
A lot of stuff happened last week. For one Steve Jobs finally gave up the ghost. Huge news. And for another my boyfriend and I went out alone together for the third time since our daughter's birth. Even bigger news, for me at least.
Steve Jobs' resignation interested a lot of people. There was analysis (What will Apple do now? Will Tim Cook be up to the job?) And then there were analyst's analyzing the analysis (Why is there so much reaction to Steve Jobs' resignation? Does this outcry mean that Steve is bigger than Apple?). You couldn't move for tweets and - for want of a better word - obituaries. Hold it folks. He's not dead - yet.
I should have just stuck to reading Dan Patterson's analysis on G+
'Jobs' announcement was sad but well-timed. He will continue to advise Apple. He will be at the Fall product announcement. He will continue to innovate. We will applaud. He wins. And then he will die and it will still be sad.'
The end.
So back to the bigger news. There was a Greek night with a band at the one restaurant on Brännö. In a community of 800 people that means a lot and many of them turned up to drink Retsina. Being an analyst and a Greek, I turned up to watch how the Swede's 'did' Greek night.
"Ooh Souvlaki." I said.
"Souvlaki's off" said the waitress.
"Ooh Kleftiko." said my boyfriend.
"Kleftiko's off." said the waitress. "We've run out of both main courses, but I can offer you a nice rib eye steak instead."
It was 8.30pm.
When the band started, the singer spoke in a broad Gothenburg accent and most of the band were nicely bald (in the very large shiny way that big Swedish blokes are) or blonde - apart from a highly erratic version of Bill Nighy who had a grey fringe around his ears. The token Greek guy (small, big conk, dark hair) sat to one side playing the tambourine. And then the middle eastern belly dancers came out.
For dessert we plumped for a Magnum ice cream. Yum. But not Greek.
Greek obviously means different things to different people. But many of my [Greek] friends would be pretty upset by this representation of their country and culture. Wise to remember in these circumstances that there can be as many different interpretations of concepts and people as - well - there are people.
This person was charmed. A beautiful rib-eye steak instead of some cheap dry pork kebab? A yummy Magnum instead of sickly sweet honey soaked pastry? A mental Bill Nighy jamming on the piano out of time to the Bouzouki? My boyfriend also had a good time (I'll give you a hint, the belly dancers had something to do with it). Swedish-Greek night was probably more fun than Greek-Greek night.
Steve Jobs surely also means different things to different people. He is not only synonymous with Apple. He is also - most importantly right now - at home being a father to his children, a husband to his wife and concentrating on himself (albeit surely listening to a relaxation podcast on his iPod). But I didn't find any articles about him other than an Apple Founder. He is bigger than Apple but not in the sense that most analysts mean. Apple is not all of his life. Of all his quotes, this one should be remembered now: "Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people."
Both Mr Jobs and Mr Nighy have reminded me of lessons today; Investment Impact is driven by many users and I am both their student and their teacher. It is also many things to many people - a strategy game, a source of income, a flexible consultancy, a forum for idea exchange, a MS Excel shop and a fun blog. And to the person who told me it shouldn't be many things to many people, I say "Bugger off".
The end.
If you want a peek at the business that's driving me insane you can click here.