Companies are People, Too (p. 44)
Article

• Are companies really like biological organisms - living things that learn, evolve, and eventually die?
• Does a company's personality ever match that of its CEO?
• Do you agree that once you figure out who you are, you can differentiate yourself from your competitors?
• Would you be open to having your company take the Companies Are People, Too test?

Looking for Talent? Take the Train (p. 68)
Article

• Where do you look for talent?
• What's the greatest thing about the Internet? Does it really not matter who you are?
• Is the Internet really all about whether you can do the work? In the end, are results all that matter?

Does Your Startup Measure Up? (p. 84)
Article

• Have you sized up your company? How?
• What kind of valuable experience are you gaining as a team member over time?
• Is your company more 'me-focused' or is it team-oriented? Does it have 'founder's syndrome'?
• In your company is there a power divide along gender, generational, or other demographic lines?
• How do you make sure that you're working on the right projects?
• How do you make sure that your talents are being recognized?
• Does your company deliver its product or promise?
• Have you lost passion for your project(s)? Why?
• Are you still improving your skills? How?
• Do you feel that you're contributing at your full potential?
• Do you focus more on learning or on winning?

Voyage to the New Economy (p. 142)
Article

• Are you right for a dotcom, or should you stay with a 'notcom'?
• Why do/did you want to make the journey to dotcom?
• Are you afraid of being left behind - or do you thrive on risk?
• Are you comfortable operating on Internet time?
• Is it really so bad to stay behind?
• What would you be giving up by going dotcom?
• Do you prefer insulation to excitement?
• Do you need rules? Or would you prefer to make them up as you go?

Should I Go .Com? (p. 164)
Article

• Do you have Web DNA? Are your talents best suited for the Internet?
• Do you radiate vision? Do you seize the day? The second?
• Are you in it for a quick buck or for the long haul?
• Would you give up money for personal significance? Why?
• Would you trade your parking space for stock options at a different company?

Why?

• Do you see the Internet as a better way of doing business?
• What's your level of comfort with risking having a failed company on your résumé?
• What's your attitude toward uprooting your family geographically or in terms of lifestyle?
• Are you motivated to be a part of building something from the ground up? Why?
• Do you see taking risks as obstacles to overcome or as opportunities to make your mark?
• Are you comfortable with being behind on your work?
• How do you get the right stuff done? How do you prioritize your work and time?
• Do you agree that it's better to be 80% right today than 100% right tomorrow?
• Are you afflicted with analysis paralysis?
• Do you feel naked in Internet space?
• Are you as lucky as you are smart?

Free-Agent Clubhouse (p. 210)
Article

• Do you agree that being an independent creative can isolate you?
• How important is finding the 'right space'?
• Would you join a club immediately just for its sheer beauty? Would you join Baby?
• Do you agree that in the future, a lot more people will work in places like Baby?
• Do you agree that the people who run most Internet communities don't get to know their customers very well?
• What do you think about the concept of WorkBaby, a Web-based portfolio accessible to all members of a network community? Could this double as a self-run dating service?
• Do you waste time just finding people to do jobs and getting things to work?
• Would this type of club benefit you? How?
• Do you agree that the best way to operate is to have everything lined up long before you start a project?
• Is it cool to be a critic?

Beyond the City Limits (p. 228)
Article

• What does 'urban consumer' mean to you? Do you automatically think 'minority'?
• Do you think of urban centers as niche markets?
• Do yo agree that urban centers affect a larger whole, forcing marketers to recalibrate their approaches?
• How do you communicate? Who are you trying to reach, exactly?
• What are the 'points of fusion' that your company targets? Why? How do you use them effectively?
• Do you listen before you talk?
• Does your company rely on focus groups? Could a one-on-one talk with your consumer work better?
• What do you think of the concept of using StreetSpies?

Digital Matters (p. 302)
Article

• Does the wireless-technology gap pose a genuine threat to America?
• What can the United States do to amend this problem?
• Do you believe that technology experts will move abroad, or that America will lose its strong talent market to Scandinavia?
• Will the United States get its act together before it suffers a severe talent exodus?
• Would you move to Helinski, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Stockholm?
• Where does the future really lie?

Market Jitters (p. 332)
Article

• Do you agree that companies don't move markets, but that markets move companies?
• Will tech stocks will be volatile forever? Why?
• Have your expectations changed about the logic of the market?
• Have you rethought the way that you evaluate stocks?
• What kind of 'growth vector' is your company on?
• Does your right brain win over your left brain?
• How fast do you decide to decide? How fast do you actually decide? At the speed of technology?
• Will the biggest winner in the Internet economy be civilization itself?
• Will people all around the world forget about their nationalities and talk?

Zoe Barton contributed this month's Flash Points.

July 2000 Connexus | Flash Points | Next Steps

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