The Cranky Middle Manager Show #57 Linda Tischler from Fast Company Magazine
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #057 (MP3 11.0MB 32:15Min)
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For years, my favorite business magazine has been Fast Company, and Linda Tischler one of my favorite writers there. Today we talk about what she’s seen in her 6 years there and what it’s like when the people who cover the news become news- how did their management handle the recent buy-out and change of owners?
By the way, a special contest: a free copy of “Meet Like You Mean It- a Cranky Middle Manager’s Guide to Productive and Painless Meetings” to the first person who can tell me where the name ACHIS- as in my website www.achismarketing.com comes from. Even if you don’t win you could always buy a copy…..
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome all ye who toil in the vineyards of Middle Management. Since we’re talking with a writer who influenced me, I figure we’d dedicate the show to a writer who influenced me when I was a kid… Alexandre Dumas. What does he have to do with management? He ran a “fiction factory” and managed a whole staff of writers. I’m not saying I’d want to work for him but……
4:19 Our quote of the week is also from Dumas- something to keep our heads up when the weasels are in a frenzy……
5:28 Welcome Linda Tischler. She started at Fast Company at the height of the boom…she’s seen it all. She reminisces a bit and it seems the biggest loss was…free sushi. I also mutter dark thoughts about the magazine and Seth Godin.
7:40 Linda talks about some of the good stories she’s covered- and some of the wackier ideas. God love her she’s almost as cranky as we are. She says good things about some companies….and bad things about others. Hint- Don’t ever pitch her an idea about dogs on the job- or Marc Benioff at Salesforce.com for that matter.
13:30 Linda gets cranky on the subject of office space. One of my favorite articles is about the cubicle… she’s not a fan. Read it here . Yes, gang, she’s one of us and is henceforth an honorary Weasel Wacker.
15:30 Linda talks about which companies and managers she admires. Top of the list is Intuit and its boss, Steve Bennett. Google gets points for the macadmia nut muffins…. Herman Miller gets a nod….even if they sometimes build cubicles. Apparently Linda’s dream job is to be a Cirque de Soleil Bungee Girl- who knew?
18:24 Linda talks about going through the sale of the magazine and how they got through it. Big credit goes to John Byrne. For a recap of what happened, check out this article. it also comes down to passion for the job.
23:34 I am not a business geek- turns out Linda wasn’t either. Remember, though, Business Acumen is one of the four disciplines of management- and this show. (For those of you new to the show, check them out here).You can develop it over time. With writers like Linda it doesn’t have to be dull.
26:24 Managing creative types is tough, as MicroSoft found out. Linda says the best thing you can do is give them a voice. She quotes restaurateur Danny Meyer. You let them speak their piece and then step in when you have to.
28:58 Who Linda’s reading now…..
Patricia Seybold on Customer Created Innovation Note, this is her blog, the book isn’t out yet.
John Maeda on Simplicity….again we’re hearing about the book before it’s available and I can’t even link to it yet… Linda’s so cutting edge. It’s good to get advance copies of stuff.
August 2nd, 2006 at 2:02 am
Hi Wayne:
Here’s my stab at the question:
Achis was the Philistine King of Geth and that relates back to your book. Also Achis has something to do with Goliath.
August 9th, 2006 at 6:18 am
Thanks Mel.
Yup, Achis was Goliath’s boss…the king who sent him out against David, and since my first book was called A Philistine’s Journal- an average guy tackles the classics I thought being king of the philistines seemed not a bad handle to take on. You can visit my website at http://www.achismarketing.com.