A Netflix Competition Highlights Trends in Talent Management

By Sean P. Murray

August 5, 2009

3 Min read

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In October 2006, Netflix announced a competition to significantly improve the recommendation system currently used at the popular movie rental site.   Teams and individuals were competing for a $1 million prize.   Last week, an article in the New York Times reported that two finalist teams have been selected and a winner will be declared in September. There was no shortage of entries for this competition, so what was it that contributed to the success of these two teams?  When pressed, these...

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8 Rules for Driving Innovation

By Sean P. Murray

July 22, 2009

3 Min read

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The global cellphone market is huge with many different players, but when I read this recently, it really caught my eye: Apple and Blackberry’s Research In Motion accounted for only 3% of all cellphones sold in the world last year but 35%of operating profits. It was a reminder of how innovation can really pay-off for a company.  This is why so many CEOs cite innovation as a key strategy, and so many companies include innovation as a cultural value. Innovation is largely regarded as one of the...

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What Cancer Patients Can Teach Us About Leadership

By Sean P. Murray

July 14, 2009

4 Min read

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Almost everyone is familiar with Lance Armstrong’s journey from cancer survivor to seven time Tour de France champion.  In his autobiography, It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, he credits much of his success to the mental transformation he went through while enduring a gruelling treatment regimen and narrowly escaping death.  Throughout this phase in his life, Armstrong maintained his commitment to return to professional cycling, something he cared deeply and passionately about...

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Using Soccer to Teach Leadership

By Sean P. Murray

July 6, 2009

4 Min read

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Soccer is by far the world’s most popular sport.  In many ways, soccer, or football as it is known outside of America, transcends the sports world and is deeply embedded in the culture of most countries.  The hype and media saturation of soccer is going to increase steadily as we approach World Cup 2010 in South Africa.  The Confederation Cup Final, June 28th featuring the United States versus Brazil, was an exciting prelude to what we can expect next summer.                                   ...

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The Economic Value of Trust

By Sean P. Murray

June 30, 2009

3 Min read

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Trust can be difficult to define and measure, but there is wide-spread agreement that high levels of trust correlate with high levels of employee engagement.  RealTime Performance has done considerable work helping companies define values and identify competencies, and in almost every instance, establishing and building trust is designated a critical component for leadership development and organizational culture.  This result holds up across all industries, job functions and leadership levels...

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How do you build trust?

By Sean P. Murray

June 16, 2009

3 Min read

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The following is the fourth in a series of five questions and corresponding answers on leadership. See questions:  How to motivate and inspire others? What is the biggest challenge for leaders? What steps or strategies do you use to develop others? 4. How do you build trust with your team and peers? There are a few things I try to keep in mind.  First, I always try to keep the interest of others above my own.   People will trust you if they believe you have their best interest at heart.  A good...

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Developing Talent

By Sean P. Murray

June 2, 2009

2 Min read

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The following is the third in a series of five questions and corresponding answers on leadership. (See questions #1 How to Motivate and Inspire Others? &  #2 What is the biggest Challenge for Leaders?). 3. What steps or strategies do you use to develop others? The first step is to understand what people want for themselves.  I always ask my direct reports, where do you want to be in 5 years?  It’s surprising how many leaders simply assume they know where people want to go.   I want to know...

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What is the Biggest Challenge for Leaders?

By Sean P. Murray

May 15, 2009

2 Min read

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 The following is the second in a series of five questions and corresponding answers on leadership.  (See question #1: How to Motivate and Inspire Others? ) 2. What is the biggest challenge in leading an organization? Communication is the most important and most challenging task when leading an organization.    Leaders must communicate organizational goals and strategies, especially during difficult times,  but there is also the need to communicate at a personal level with everyone in the...

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WolframAlpha: The Answer Engine

By Sean P. Murray

May 12, 2009

3 Min read

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When I was studying mathematics at the University of Puget Sound in the early 1990s my professors were extremely excited about a newly purchased, and quite expensive software program called Mathematica.  There were only a few copies available to our department, but when I got my hands on one I immediately recognized the power of Mathematica as a teaching tool.  You could type in a complex function, press a button and voila, there was a graphic representation in two or three dimensions.  Then...

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Inspiring and Motivating Others

By Sean P. Murray

May 11, 2009

3 Min read

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I was recently involved in a research project asking me to submit my views on leadership development.   The following is the first in a series of five questions and corresponding answers.  I found the exercise to be extremely useful and encourage you to come up with your own answers to these questions.  It will help you clarify your personal approach to leadership. 1. How do you inspire and motivate others when you lead? In a nutshell: communicate the mission and vision of the organization and...

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