Gaming Companies Need a Positive Work Environment

Whether it be Blizzard/Activision, Ubisoft, EA or others... buying a game today feels like supporting some sort of corporate monster that overwork employees or that foster a culture of sexual harassment. Sure, the games those companies produce might be fun to play but the cost of playing them goes beyond the dollar as we're directly supporting the negative environment that created these games. 

I play games because it's fun but the negative work experience many employees went through to created these games tarnishes the overall fun factor for me. I can't help but wonder how many women had to endure unwanted sexual advances in order to work on these games? How many crazy hours did these employees have to work to create these games?

A recent McDonalds ad showed that the coffee they sell are from 100% ethically sourced beans. When you buy a McDonalds' coffee, according to their ad campaign, you're supporting an ethical system which is something that may not be the case with competitors. 

McDonalds is attempting to sell peace of mind along with their coffee and this is something those big gaming companies need to start doing because we live in a world where any, angry, employee can reach millions of people by sharing details of a negative work environment on social media and this is bound to have a negative impact on the overall image of the company.

*Note: This post was taken from my https://www.geekectual.com/ blog.

Why I'm Proactive

"People place confidence in the fellow who acts. They naturally assume he knows what he is doing." -David J. Schwartz

Being proactive, for those of you who doesn't know what it means, is basically being able to add value to the company/project without being told to do so - it's about you figuring out the next steps instead of your superiors having to do it for you.
For as long as I can remember, I've always been proactive to some extend but I wasn't always adding as much value as I could due to lack of experience. Most performance reviews I've had at work as referred "proactivity" as being my biggest strength but what most people don't know is that I'm only proactive because I hate being told what to do.

You read that right - I'm proactive because I don't like being told what to do. To me, having a superior sit down with me and go over my next task is a bigger pain than just having me do that sort of work. First of all, in most cases, I have a clearer picture of what needs to be done than my superiors do and I consider it a waste of time to try to explain to them that how they want me to work doesn't really make sense in the context that we're in... So I just do it.

Here's another "secret" of mine: While I have an idea of what the big picture is I don't necessarily know all the steps/task to get there before I start. This is the crazy part to me because when I look at a proactive person, from the outside, I feel like they have a clear picture of every steps in order to get the task done but it's rarely the case (at least to me). Most things are figured out on my way to task completion.

How to be proactive?
On my proactive journey, I've identified 4 things that help me be proactive. Those are:

1. Don't be afraid to make mistakes - One of the reasons why most people aren't proactive is because they're afraid of making mistakes. By having a superior figure out the task, it becomes easier to put the blame on them when the results aren't as expected. Proactive people tend to have to take the responsibility of failures because they're the ones that came up with the steps.
2. Understand the bigger picture - In order to developed effective steps towards a task completion, you need to understand the bigger picture. What needs to be done and what is your role in it? This obviously becomes clearer the longer you are on a project.
3. Hate being told what to do - I mentioned this before but when someone tells me what to do, they are also indirectly telling me "I don't trust you with this so do it my way". Since I don't want to be told what to do my mind automatically focuses on the next steps.
4. Have a creative mind - Having a creative mind does help with being proactive since you need to be creative to come up with tasks that may not of been done before. Reading, writing, drawing and other creative endeavors can be help develop a creative mind and ultimately help with proactivity.

Are you proactive? What makes you proactive? Share in the comments!

Talent and Practice

Natural Talent or Practice? Which one is needed the most to succeed? The short answer is that we need a little bit of one and a lot of the other.

Natural talent is practically what you're stuck with as far as body/mind goes. It's what you were born with - it's all about your genetics. It plays a part especially in sports. If you were born with no legs, for example, then chances are that you won't make it in the NHL no matter how hard you tried.
Once you have the minimum required natural talent, then you need to practice. If you were 7 feet tall, for example, and couldn't dribble the ball then you wouldn't make it in the NBA.

I used to believe that everything in life could be achieved with hard work but now I understand that working hard can only go so far. In anything that you endeavor, you need a minimum of natural born strengths in order to reach the top of the field. If you're not a people's person then you'll likely won't make it in business unless you change that about yourself.
Unlike sports where height/weight/body parts matters, you could still succeed in business by learning the necessary skills but it won't be as easy for you as it would with someone that has the right skills from the start.

Figure out what you want to do with your life and then ask yourself if you have what it takes to achieve it. Do you need to be taller? Then you need to pass and move on to the next goal that you have.

GM Labor Strike and the Rise of the Machines

I recently came across an article about GM workers being on strike. As usual, money was at the forefront of the negotiations but something else came up that struck me the wrong way. Apparently, one of the reason for the strike was for the workers to keep their jobs following GM's longer term plan that would have most of the manual labor done by Engineers on computers.

What we have to understand here is that there are no strikes that can fight off progress. Manual labor, in factories and elsewhere, is going away to give place to machines.
If you are in such field now is not the time for you to put your head in the sand. You need to plan the next 5-10 years accordingly - adapt to the change because you won't be able to fight it off. Don't be afraid of those future "aggressors" that are sure to come. Think and plan ahead.

If GM doesn't do this their competitors surely will.

Why isn't this good news? We should be rejoicing at the news since this means that many, mindless jobs, will be taken over by machines while workers will be able to pursue something that is, perhaps, more fulfilling and meaningful. We don't see it that way because most are content in that position or are genuinely loving what they do.

I've been through a few layoffs myself and each time I was part of them it was ultimately for the betterment of the company. Here's the thing though; I'm not a machine and manage to learn some new skills and found myself a new, better, opportunity each time.

You can too!

Customer is King - Seek out Bad Reviews

"Customer is King" has always been true in business and even more so today. A customer's entourage is unknown to a business and in today'social media world, it's impossible to know the extend a customer can reach.
One bad user experience, turned into a Facebook post, can go viral and make your business loose thousands of dollars in the process. It's therefor important for any business to have processes in place to look for those bad experiences in an attempt to repair them. The below are a few suggestions of processes as well as where you should be looking for the negative feedback:

• Don't Let A Customer Leave Angry - It is better to fix the issue immediately than trying to pick up the pieces later. Make sure that you've done everything you could before the customer leave the premise.
• Feedback Section on Company Website - A customer may not share his bad experience on social media platform if he can reach out to your business directly.
• Social Media Page - On social media, customers can share their experience either via a personal post or directly to a business page. Similar to the Feedback Section on a Company Website, have a social media page so you can better monitor user experience.
• Yelp - Yelp is a review application. If you look for your business on there, chances are that you'll be able to see some reviews. Look out for the authors of negative reviews to help resolve the situation.
• Third Parties - If you're selling a product to third parties, be sure to monitor their website for the reviews.
• Google Map - If you have a business, then chances are that you placed yourself in Google Map so that people can find your location but did you know that it's also possible for customers to leave reviews on there?
• Google Search - Search for your company online in an attempt to dig out bad reviews from other sources.

It's important that you know how your business is doing since your success depend on the customers. Seeking out the authors of bad reviews, in an attempt to fix the problems, may not resolve every issues but there are still benefits in having other customers seeing that you're actively trying to make things right.

Go above and beyond for your customers - you can't afford not to!

Bring Value

Why are people at the top of their careers make more money than those at the bottom? Because they add a lot more value.

I had an argument a little while ago with my father. He was telling me how stupid it was for professional athletes to be making so much money compared to those working in the medical field. What my dad failed to understand is that the reason why the athletes make so much money is because they are adding a little bit of value to a lot of people.
While doctors offer a better service to society, the reality is that they are limited in the amount of people they can help during a given day. A professional athlete, on the other hand, entertains millions of people and his salary is a reflection of that.

If you think of Sydney Crosby, Michael Jordan or John Cena ... everyone of those people are at the top of their game and help the company/brand they work for make billions of dollars. If those companies want to keep making billions of dollars then they have to take care of their top assets. If Sydney Crosby was to switch team, for example, that could have a huge negative impact on the brand.

"Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you make in payment."
-Bob Burg

How can we add more value?
The short answer is by being more valuable. In the words of Ortega:

“... we distinguished the excellent man from the common man by saying that the former is the one who makes great demands on himself, and the latter the one who makes no demands on himself, but contents himself with what he is and is delighted with himself. Contrary to what is usually thought, it is the man of excellence, and not the common man who lives in essential servitude. Life has no savor for him unless he makes it consist in service to something transcendental. Hence he does not look upon the necessity as serving as an oppression. Nobility is defined by the demands it makes on us - by obligations, not by rights. Noblesse oblige. “To live as one likes is plebian; the noble man aspires to order and law” (Goathe).”

The reason why there are so little people at the top of any field is because not a lot of people are willing to put forth the effort necessary to be at their most valuable. Some find comfort along their journey and never really improve beyond that point.

I have this to say to those of you who have found comfort: We are all students in the school of life. Learning doesn't end when school does - it ends when the student is dead. Learn until the day you die.

End of the Mom/Pop Corner Stores?

A global economy means that locals stores are competing against stores anywhere in the world via the internet. In a pity attempt to find relevance, it's not uncommon to hear people say that we should be "buying local!" and I can't help but ask "why?".

If you are in business and you are currently begging your customer to buy your products or services ... well you either need to change or face the fact that your business is doomed to fail.
In a free economy, the strongest always wins but strongest can be anyone. The internet not only put another nail on the mom/pop shops' coffin, it also opened the door for great ideas to reach more people than ever. You can literally make money by filming yourself and putting it on youtube.

This "revolution" is not the first of kind. It isn't the first time that the mom/pops type of shops have had to fight a war. Previously, Walmart came in and put a lot of those type of business obsolete. They had a better system than anyone else - hence why they pretty much won that battle.
We could say that Amazon is currently winning because it pushed the idea of Walmart even further. Walmart is now trying to find relevance in this new market.

This shift is beautiful and it is normal. It is up to any entrepreneurs to come up with better ideas to change the world. Keep inventing!

Subtle Employee Retention Tactics

Companies uses a multitude of subtle tactics designed to retain employees. These are by no means secrets but they may not be obvious to some. I’ve identified a few for you below:

• Insurances. Dental/Vision/Medical … insurances, which you pay part of in most cases, are an obvious hook for employee retention.
• RRSP/401K. The RRSP/401K offering from companies varies but it’s another way for companies to entice new-comer and retain older ones.
• Seniority. Senior resources may have a more advantageous parking spot, take priority when it comes to taking vacations or get first dibs on incoming projects.
• Raises. Small raises, every year, is another way to keep employees around for longer.
• Additional Vacation Days. Some companies will give additional vacation days based on the years you’ve worked for them.
• Severance package. A severance package is basically money the company gives you when you leave. Some companies, for example, will give a month’s pay per year you’ve worked for them. So if you decide to quit (or you got a layoff), after 10 years, you get 10 months pay from the company.
• Work from Home. Working from home can also be a way to retain employees. This can be even more appealing with employees that have kids.
• Social Activities/Employee Moral. Paid company event such as Bowling, Paintball or night at the bar, which are aimed at keeping the moral of the employees high, are also ways to keep the employees around for longer.
• Bonus. Bonuses, in all of it’s form, are also ways to keep the employees around. This also help motivate the employee to accomplish more. It can be in the form of “Employee of the Month”, extra vacation, money, miscs gifts ...etc

What other subtle tactics have you noticed in the workplace? Obviously, it is sometime not enough to keep employees but it’s not difficult to know why they were put in place.

Give the Employees a Break

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” - Richard Branson

We've all heard of the atrocities going on in the Amazon warehouses. We also know that this is not an isolated issue. There are other companies that seem to think that they can do whatever they want with their employees.

If you treat your employees like automaton, they will eventually burn out or leave.
This issues hit close to home for me. There's a close relative of mine that was recently put on leave ... That person requested vacation on many occasions but the company failed to comply to the request. Saying things like "who would take care of your responsibility if you're away?" ... well who's taking care of things now that this person was forced out?

It's funny when you think about it. On one side, you have people saying that employees are disposable - that it would take a week to replace anyone ... and on the other, you can't give someone a break for more than a week because they are needed every day. So you can go without a person for a week, until you find a replacement, but you can't let that person on vacation for a week.

If the employee requests a vacation, it is the responsibility of the employer to make it happen and they should be moving heaven and earth to make it happen. Everybody deserves a break from time to time.

Bad Publicity

Ever been on a website where an ad just started playing in the background? The ad is a video and it shifts the content you’re reading or takes over your entire view area. Aren’t those annoying?

Not all publicity is good: there is such a thing as bad publicity. If the goal of an ad is to paint a positive picture of a company then this kind of strategy is failing. The feeling I get, from those type of ads, is one of frustration. I’m asking myself “Why are you pushing this on me?” Is this the type of feeling those brands are looking for in their potential future customers?

I doubt it.

The goal of an ad is to make people happy and to associate that happiness with the brand. I shut off when ever I see these types of shady tactics being forced on me.

Is it the same for you? Do you just shut off when you see these types of ads or do you enjoy them?

Adaptability: Plan Vs Unplanned Changes

I’ve recently came across an article of a CEO looking for employees that were “adaptable.” I always worry when someone ask me the question “Are you adaptable” in an interview. To me, there are 2 ways of seeing this question. You either need to adapt because there are plans to expand/grow or you need to adapt because the company is a mess and doesn’t know where it’s going.

I’ve been in the consulting/service field for almost 10 years now. Adaptability is the name of the game. You never know what project you’ll be on, what type of people you’ll end up working with, what systems you’ll be using … for the most part, everything is changing. That unpredictability is expected for the type of field it is.

In the case of a product companies, however, unplanned changes doesn’t have its place. Of course employees will still adapt to whatever mess is thrown at them but in the end it is not for the greater good of either parties.
The company needs to know where it is at and where it plans to be in 1,2,3...years to allow the employees to provide adequate suggestions on how to get there based on their individual expertise.

If you’re a product company, a clear plan is what you need if you expect your employees to adapt to the changes. You have to share the big picture.

Job Security?

"If you take the risk, you might eventually fail. But if you don't take the risk, you've failed already." -Dale Carnegie Training

As a job ever been secure? Factors outside of the employee's control is what determine a job's security. Companies go bankrupt, wrong decisions are made and project get cancel - all of which is done with complete disregard of the employee.

Is going in business risky? Absolutely but so is allowing someone else's to make career decisions for you. With your own business you can, at least, make the decisions that are the most beneficial to you.

Planting seeds or Chasing Shadows?

Every tree cast a shadow. Money is not the tree. It is merely the shadow of the tree. Money is not real. It is but the shadow of the things that are real. Too many people spend their lives chasing shadows instead of planting seeds that will grow into trees." -Daniel R. Castro

Are we busy at chasing shadows or are we planting trees?

American Dream or the American Way?

The American dream is the big house, big cars, financial freedom, success etc… Employees are not signed on the American Dream; they’re on the American Way. They work for someone else's American Dream - not their own.

"An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off the cliff and builds the wings on the way down." -Roy Spence

Business owners and entrepreneurs have a better shot at the American Dream than the employee. Are you living the dream or following the American Way?

Entrepreneurs Can See

"Entrepreneurs are not experts at finding something new. They are experts at finding things hidden in plain sight." -Daniel R. Castro

I don't currently possess the eye of the entrepreneur but "Hidden Solutions All Around You - Why Some People Can See Them and Some Can't" book by Daniel R. Castro is giving me some good insight of what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

"If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse." -Henry Ford

Entrepreneurs are masters at finding solutions to the needs we don't know we have. To develop that skill, we first must pay attention to the world around us to identify the problems.

The Success Boat

Success in business is to build a boat, learn to ride the boat yourself to then eventually find and train a captain to take it away from you. Sure, you might want to help by calling and advising the captain during storms but you shouldn't be on board steering the wheel.

In the beginning, a captain needs a clear direction of where to go. If the boat tends to go the wrong way every time you leave it, then you either have the wrong captain or you haven't trained him properly. After a while, the captain should have a general knowledge of where the boat is supposed to go and should get there with little to no supervision.

It's important to develop to trust with the captain so you don't feel like you have to deal with the problems of the boat.

The Culture Maker

The culture of an organization is determined by the person who makes the decisions. If you tell people what to do, instead of teaching them how to think, and then complain about the culture, look yourself in the mirror and chances are you'll see the negative side of the culture in you.

Stop putting people in a box, by making all the decision for them, and then asking of them to think outside of it.

Partial Business Ownership

There are ways to own part of a business through purchasing stocks. However, many business owners prefer to remain in the private sector so they can keep 100% of the profits (there's always the risk of loosing as well obviously).

Many companies will ask of their employees to "treat the business like it's your own" but how can one do so if doesn't actually own it? If you want employees to treat it like it's their business then give them the option to own part of it by selling stocks to them.

Business Vs Job

"It's crazy how some people feel that five to ten years being an entrepreneur is a long time to achieve a level of success and wealth but don't feel that 40 years at a 9-5 job is a long time to stay broke!" -Unknown

*This post can also be found on Men 2.0

The Professional Look

The professional look is use in business to exert the feeling of "trust", "I'm ready to go" or "I value you as a person hence why I went the extra mile".

There was a time when it held ground but I feel like this look is now flawed. The business world is filled with crooks who only wears a tie to deceive or manipulate people into thinking that they can be trusted.

It's not about looking professional, it's about being professional. It's more important to be a man of your words than to look like one. I would rather have an honest politician in jeans than a dishonest one in a suit!

"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)

Professionalism is more about who you are than how things look. Focus on your heart as well as your physical appearance.

*This post can also be found on Men 2.0