On the Show: Are You a Business Maverick?

On a recent show I had the opportunity to interview Polly LaBarre, author of the best selling, Mavericks at Work. The book immediately caught my attention (it is one of the many that comes in my mail box). After all, I always considered myself something of a maverick.

In the interview, I found Polly to be bright, insightful, and practical. So often, individuals with a writing background (she was formerly with Fast Company magazine) tend to lack the real world experience necessary to bridge the gap between business and academia. She certainly fills that void.

The core values of the book are demonstrated on the website: "Business as usual is bust. In industry after industry, the old guard is cutting back and losing ground. Meanwhile, organizations and entrepreneurs that were once dismissed as upstarts, wildcards-mavericks-are making waves and growing fast. There's a reason: In an age of hyper-competition and nonstop innovation, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something truly original. Mavericks show you how-by helping you to rethink your strategy, reinvent your approach to innovation, reconnect with your customers, and rediscover the power of your people."

The following is that interview, which is definitely worth hearing again.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Too Fast Cities?

I've looked at the fast ones (which are suppose to be good), and I've looked at the slow ones (which are bad). Now we are tackling the cities that Fast Company believes are "too fast." "Too fast" has problems too.

Cairo, Egypt

"The push for democracy has stalled, and corruption is as rife as ever. No wonder so many Egyptian entrepreneurs are looking elsewhere for opportunities. "

I never knew Cairo or Egypt were ever fast. I have long perceived it as a city stuck and chaotic. I have never considered chaotic as "fast," but simply chaotic. I'm surprised it is on the list.

Almaty, Kazakhstan

"There's new construction everywhere. There's also crime, corruption, and nuclear waste. Culture? Uh, no."

This is true. The remnants of the corruption pervasive in the old Soviet Union remain alive and well in this old Republic.

Greenwich, Connecticut

"A luxe enclave of superrich hedge funds. But one meltdown and this party's over."
This small "fast money" empire has done well on hedge funds, but at some point you have to wonder how it is going to work long term.

Las Vegas, Nevada

"An environmental pileup in the making. Can the casinos find enough water to fill all those pools?"

Las Vegas is one of those few cities that I felt like I was getting motion sickness even while sitting still. On the other hand, when has it not been fast? And when has it not been making people uncomfortable about its future? I'm not sure if it is a smart bet to make a wager against sin city.

Shenzhen, China

"Think Vegas, except in China. Home prices have doubled in four years."

Home prices have doubled in four years because the vast majority of the people were virtually homeless. They have gone from rather primative conditions to big money in a very short period of time. Should Shenzhen make you a little nervous for investing? Maybe, but I'm not sure it can help its rapid pace of change.

I think "too fast" is a little subjective, but I still believe such a list has merit. I'm just not sure if I would have made Fast Company's choices. Maybe I will address those in a future post.

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Too Slow Cities?

Recently I wrote two articles about "fast cities" according to Fast Company magazine. According to Fast Company, these cities are on the cutting edge of culture, entrepreneurship, innovation, and other areas that major progress. Fast Company's analysis didn't end there, however, they also have opinions about cities that they describe as "too fast" and "too slow." In this post I'm going to focus on this latter group.

Budapest, Hungary

"Breathtakingly romantic--but its economy is broken. Among the world's 150 biggest cities, last in predicted GDP growth, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers."

I have to agree. This is the most beautiful city I have ever seen and one very difficult to make a profit. I traveled extensively through out Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union following the fall of Communism and Budapest was one city I had a great deal of hope for and it is a city that has shown little progress. Very sad indeed.

St. Louis, Missouri

"Too normal for its own good. It ranks dead last on CityVitals' "Weirdness Index," a measure of passion and engagement."

My dad grew up near this once great city and he use to often sing its praises. It is sad to see that it to has reached such a lowly position.

New Orleans, Louisiana

"We wish it weren't so. But NOLA was slow before Katrina. The cleanup debacle has only reinforced that reality."

New Orleans is a tragedy that I believe we remain a shell of the city it once was. The political leadership in both the state and city have done everything they could, in my opinion, to prevent this community from turning around.

Detroit, Michigan

"Last one out, shut off the manufacturing line. Tragically, inevitably bound to the U.S. auto industry's failings."

When I left the Motor City in the 1970s the joke was "will the last person leaving Detroit please turn off the lights." Fast Company's statement may be better. In addition to being a slave to unions, the city hates innovation and seem to prefer dying a slow death than doing what is necessary to revive this once great city.

Havana, Cuba

Celebrating a half-century of economic decay. Thanks, Fidel. Seemingly no cars on the road made after 1968.

Well put.

I liked Fast Company's assessment of slow cities far more than those they described as "fast." What about those they deem too fast? Those will be examined in a future post.

Order Kevin Price's audio program The Accumulators, which explains the impact that the Internet is having on marketing and consumer behavior. It is available online here for only $10 plus p and h. Receive the Houston Business Review e-zine free each week by clicking here.

Fast Cities Continued

In my last post I reviewed Fast Company's comments on the fast cities and reviewed several categories. In this post that review continues with a look at "Urban Innovators," "Culture Centers," "Unexpected Oases," and "Startup Hubs."

In the "Urban Innovators" section we find "Salt Lake City" as the only US representative of the list. Salt Lake City, urban? Yes, it is a city, but as a person who grew up next to 10 Mile near Detroit, I have a very difficult time considering a city like Salt Lake, an urban area. It doesn't have the social or economic demographics pervasive in most large cities. When I think of Urban innovators, I have a hard time not seeing Houston on such a list. This town was largely dead two decades ago and after several years has brought entertainment into the downtown areas to encourage night life and the conversion of old buildings into popular and successful lofts, Houston is one of the nation's most vital cities. It has incredible opportunities, it is a great place for entrepreneurs, and enjoys low unemployment.

When it comes to "Culture Centers," we find Miami, Florida making the cut from the US among the three cities cited. I'm sorry, but my first exposure to Miami was Miami Vice (the TV series), so I have a very difficult time seeing it outside that prism. I'll have to take their word for it.

No US Cities made it to the "Unexpected Oases" categories. I would think that with all that water that Miami would make the cut, but... Oh well. Instead cities like Dubai, Istanbul, and Sydney. Istanbul...Turkey (see video)? My primary exposure to Turkey was the movie Midnight Express (starring Brad Davis). Enough said.

Finally, there are the "Startup Hubs" that feature Austin, TX; Tuscon, AZ; and Madison, WI. This might surprise you, but I have no argument here. They are all noted for being cutting edge in entrepreneurship.

I have been a little rough on Fast Company's choices because they seem so predictable and so political. The choices were "sexy," "diverse," and "surprising." But are they accurate? I would have produced a different list. That will have to be done on a later post.

Fast Comments on Fast Company's Fast Cities, Part 1

Fast Company has rated fast cities, too fast cities and cities that are slow. I always find lists fascinating and appears others do too, since we seem to see them virtually everywhere.

You can find the complete list of fast cities here. I'm going to comment on a few that I found interesting.

In the "Creative Class Meccas", New York, NY and San Francisco, CA turned up in this list of five. This isn't a surprise, but certainly seems predictable. It would seem a little creative to me if they chose some where, any where else, for such distinctions.

In the "Global Villages" section there was no US representative. The US has a reputation of being "ethnocentrist" and the "Ugly Americans." You couldn't expect to find the US there. Although I would think New York, San Francisco, or even my Houston, Texas would be excellent candidates for such.

In the "R & D Clusters" section the US had two of the three destinations (Ft. Collins, CO and Raleigh-Durham, NC). Seoul, South Korea showed up to represent the rest of the world. I'm sure many will point to this as an example of the US being "Ugly Americans."

In the "Green Leaders" department we find Chicago, Illinois and Portland, Oregon making up two of the four cited. Chicago, Illinois? I realized it has made some serious advances, but should a city get such high recognition for simply playing catch up? It is easy to look like you made major progress when you start at zero.

"High Tech Hot Spots" has Boise, Idaho in with Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Chandigarh, India. This seemed a little weird. I read many high tech magazines and these names simply don't come up that often. It was almost like they said, "let's see if they notice." Very strange indeed.

In other posts I'm going to review the magazine's "Urban Innovators," "Culture Centers," "Unexpected Oases," and "Startup Hubs." Finally, I'm going to review the cities cited as "Too Fast" and "Slow." I would love to hear your thoughts on these cities.

Order Kevin Price's audio program The Accumulators, which explains the impact that the Internet is having on marketing and consumer behavior. It is available online here for only $10 plus p and h. Receive the Houston Business Review e-zine free each week by clicking here.