So today, I received an e-mail from someone I don’t really know. In fact I’m not even quite sure how this person has become connected to me via my LinkedIn network. Nonetheless, this is the e-mail message he sent me:
Why did you leave Photobucket and Local Matters? How come you haven’t contacted me? Considering only your professional life, what do you believe in? How do you create value – for your customers and their customers? What is your vision…i.e. how are you preparing to create value in 3, 5 10 years?
Since I’ve been doing some interviews and getting these questions I felt it was necessary to publish my thoughts to these questions. Thus here is my "off-the-cuff" response:
Fox Interactive Media, owners of Photobucket, laid off 10% of their work force across multiply properties such as MySpace, IGN, etc. — Photobucket had let go of about 20 people out of 100 (or about 20%). I was the last to be hired for the Sponsorship team and thus the first to go. I’m sure there will be subsequent lay-offs in the future. Nonetheless, it was a great place to work and I’m sad that I’m not able to continue working with such a great team.
As for Local Matters, I acquired the opportunity through some friends that currently work there. At the time, I had to leave due to some personal family matters but shortly after my leave I was offered the Photobucket opportunity that I had been pursuing for about six months prior to Local Matters. I had the opportunity to go back to Local Matters but with the timing of Photobucket and the fact that my personal family matter had worked it’s self out it had eluded to giving me the advantage I was looking for.
As for not contacting you [Mr. Smith], I would have to say that it’s because I have yet the need to capitalize on my LinkedIn connections due to other networks I’ve been working such as my family and friends. With that said, LinkedIn is an avenue that I was about to explore in the coming weeks.
As for me and what I believe in, in regards to my professional life, I think that lifelong education from childhood through to our golden years is what make us who we are. Through formal education, hands-on experiences, trail and errors, day-to-day encounters, the people we interact with that pushes us to become bitter or beneficial to our family, friends, employers, and communities. Because we are given free will, we are all responsible and accountable to making the best choices when we interpret such engagements and should chose to use such opportunities to better ourselves, those around us, and the companies we represent without personal or greedy motives or degrading one’s morals and ethics. Thus, it is important to me to work in an environment that promotes advancement and exploration beyond our hired roles as well as an environment that values and understands that in this world it’s about people and the relationships of those people.
Creating value for your customers and their customers ultimately comes down to relationships. Seeking to understanding their situations, their needs, and their problems is the only way you can truly providing a creative solution that meet those objectives. I personal feel that it’s even better if you can address those needs through the "K.I.S.S." model. However, as a solution provider it’s important to constantly take a step back and try to make "it" better and that can only happen when you properly develop those relationships.
Lastly, through those relationships and through a consistent plan of action for growing, learning, adapting, being aware of market/industry trends can one sincerely generate and advance any such created value for any length of time.
Hope that helps to explain my actions and viewpoints. Please let me know if you want me to elaborate on any of it.
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