

  • The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather which wolf would win.
  • The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed"

Stay Whole

Like many of you, I've signed and crafted many a Non-Compete.  I'm very affected by what it means to "not" compete in an area where I obviously share a great interest, and more so passion, with my past and current colleagues.  We build social circles and frequent the same professional clubs.  When is getting a client in one of these settings a violation of competition, or more so, just a negative ding on the soul of friendship?

I like the analogy of declaration of intent.  If my buddy has spent a week talking about someone, that's not an individual that I will pursue trying to meet.  It's just being fair and friends.  I might even ask about how we arrange the connection as a team, but I believe in honoring the concept of "dibs".  I also like the principal of time, to really wait a year and not contact the clients of your past employer, and not just those in active legal restriction, but the ones that you knew they were intending to sell.

But think, why are so many marriages, the brother or sister of the original high school heart-throb? If we are true to ourselves, won't we work in the same space as many of our friends?  How can we make connections and not appear to violate some spoken, written, or even unspoken non-compete?  What about striking out in a new direction?  This company has been dedicated to creating new service lines, just to avoid stepping on the SOX toes of past co-workers.  The Cloud and Virtualization efforts were fueled in part, by a genuine desire to avoid direct competition in service.  It was a means to create new reasons for business, that would not directly compete.

Earning business is really intimate.  People make decisions to spend a great deal of time together, to share details about their greatest possession in the world, their baby, their business.  When is it reasonable to say, "all bets are off, my relationship with the business owner earned that work fair and square?"  (By the way, I get fair.  What makes it "square"?)

I care about competing with my friends.  It's a big world.  Oh, wait, no, "It's a small world", and let me add a really tiny world.

If any of you are in nearing the end of your first social networking decade, you may have collected a few thousand facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, twitter (long list...) connections.  Maybe you keep in touch with up to half of them well.  So where did you all meet?  Were you at a function, paid for by a past employer?  Was it the co-worker or client of a friend?  Were you introduced by a connection who legitimately sells service in your space?

I'm very interested in how to grow an ethical business.  Is it reasonable to send advertisement regarding a new service offering to all my LinkedIn connections?  Are they friends?  Is it a mailing list?  If you did not want to hear from me, why did you send me a request to link?

I know the rules of external mail lists, but is mailing your first connections on a par with phoning people about work during supper?  Is not using this avenue just a sign that I am a chump or weak?  (Don't just answer in your head.  If you just thought, "You snooze, you lose" please also communicate it back.)

People say, as a business leader, I am both timid and bold.  It's true.  There are times that I am not sure, and this is one.  In areas where the ethics are clear, I am bold.  I don't mind aggressively earning and serving any business.  Hesitation can be a good thing.  It gives me time to consider which Wolf shall be the one I feed.

Talk2me.  Chat back. Send me a tweet.

Chicks are cool2/2/2012