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HR Execs are Stressed

There is a great article on Human Resource Executive Online today entitled What’s Keeping You Up? It describes what is on the minds of today’s top HR executives. Accompanying the article is a detailed survey on the various workplace issues HR execs are dealing with. No one will be surprised to find that 80% of their respondents report that their stress has gone up in the last 18 months, that employee morale is down, and it is harder to keep people engaged and motivated.


We have written before about the productivity problem, and that people are so overworked they will respond quickly when new opportunities begin to appear in the job market. In this article, HR Execs express their agreement by indicating that employee retention is a top concern, even in this kind of market.

Another interesting point is that a key stressor for HR Execs is the inability to take action on key issues. One example mentioned is wanting to develop people to aid in retention, but not having the budget to do so.

HREO is always full of interesting articles, so take a look when you get a chance.

How to Resign

If you are about to accept a new position, you probably made your decision with logic and reason. If you are currently employed, you may be on the brink of the emotional roller coaster.


Resigning from your company can be accomplished in one minute (as you will see in the script below). Most people take 45-90 minutes, and the conversation beyond the first minute is usually not pleasant for the departing executive. Follow my advice, and keep it short, simple, and close out any possibility of a counter-offer – if you are interested in a counter offer, you shouldn’t be resigning your job! (See my previous article called The Dead Meat Theory)


Here is a potential script for your resignation. You should put this into words you are comfortable with, and rehearse it the day before in your mind, so that it comes out naturally for you. The important thing is to be definitive – don’t leave any room or provide any invitation to negotiate, counter, or argue with your decision.

I want to let you know that I will be making a change. I’ve had a very enjoyable and successful time here, and I’ve decided to accept another opportunity. It is important to me to leave you in good shape, and transition my work over in an organized way, so I’m giving you two week's notice. My last day here will be: __________. It is also important to me to depart on very good terms with you, so I want you to understand that I’ve thought this through very thoroughly, came to the decision with great care, and I’m very comfortable it is the right thing for me. I’m not seeking a counter offer, as I don’t believe that is ever wise, and I hope you’ll accept this and wish me well so we can part on the best of terms.

Allow your boss to express their thoughts – you are under NO obligation to give details about your new company, except to say it is not a competitor. If you are so inclined, you can reveal just the basics – it is a VP position, with great potential in a company you expect will grow substantially, and where you can have a big impact. Don’t disclose your new compensation package. If your boss indicates that they intend to counter or want to come up with something, say:

With all sincerity and respect, I appreciate what you want to do, but I’d ask that you respect my decision, and to make sure we have no hard feelings and part on good terms, let us not go there.

Reiterate if needed. Stand up. Don’t go to lunch with your boss. Prepare your transition out. Stick to your plan.

Guilty Pleasures - 10 Good for You Vices

Thanks to Lou Adler for pointing out this CNN article today entitled: America's Healthiest Pleasures: 10 'Vices' That are Good for You (original article here on Health.com) 

Balance is really important in being effective at work, so if these "guilty pleasures" can keep me in balance, I'm all for it!  A healthy mind, body, and high emotional IQ make people more productive.  So, engage those brain chemicals and make them work for you!

My 3 Most Important Books

There are several books that I would consider to have been life-changing for me. Here are the 3 most powerful books I've ever read, and the lessons I learned from them.

3. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success – by Deepak Chopra. I read this book in the mid 90's, when life was pretty intense. It seemed like an easy-going self help book, UNTIL I got to the most shocking thing I've read in the last 20 years – a chapter called The Law of Detachment From Results. The very title of the chapter knocked me back in my chair. Detachment from Results? Un-American! We have to be driven to results, right? This chapter came right after The Law of Intention and Desire. When I read the two together, I got it: All your thoughts and actions must be in alignment with what you want to have happen, then when you have done everything you can do, whatever happens, happens. This allows me to be in the present, and greatly reduced my anxiety level. It is hard to do – I don't say that following this is easy, but it is totally worth it. It is the serenity prayer: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. When you can live this, you can have peace in your life.

2. Man's Search For Meaning – by Viktor Frankl. Written in 1946, this book is the chronicle of Frankl's experience in concentration camps. He was incredibly lucky, and went through absolute hell, losing most of his family. Frankl was a Psychiatrist, on par with Freud, and reopened his practice after the war, mostly counseling other victims, who were hard pressed to find meaning in their lives after the horrors of the holocaust. I read this book in the late 70's, and it taught me forgiveness and tolerance of other's foibles. Nobody is perfect, and it is a blessing to see everybody as perfect just the way they are. Learning to fully accept people as they are, warts and all, is one of the greatest gifts I have ever gotten. Again, this is hard to do, but I try every day to be better at it. I'll never be perfect, but who is?

1. Tao Te Ching – by Lao Tzu. The basic philosophy (not religion) of Taoism. This book is about 2500 years old, and is attributed to an author that we don't even know truly existed. It is 5000 Chinese Characters, 81 chapters, and you can read it in an hour. It is the most important book I've ever read. I own many translations, including a beautiful poetic one by Ursula LeGuin, but if you are just starting out, the Stephen Mitchell translation is good, even though scholars say it deviates from the original too much. The Tao teaches balance, the concept of Yin/Yang. You cannot understand beauty without understanding ugliness. You cannot understand good without evil. We can sometimes get as much done by doing no-thing as some-thing. The Tao is exquisitely simple – even simpler than Zen, but very hard to embody. I try to give a pocket copy of this book to everyone I know well, because it has brought so much comfort and meaning to me.

Well, there they are. Who am I to pontificate about these books? Just a seeker who found brilliant lights on the path along the way.

Drucker’s Most Important Lesson

If you read my newsletter, you know that I have written in the past about valuable lessons from Peter Drucker.

I got an e-mail today from HumanResourcesIQ.com, which has really good articles, written by Dr. William Cohen, one of Peter Drucker's earliest students, and an expert and author on Drucker. Cohen's article, just published yesterday is entitled Uncovering Drucker's Most Valuable Lesson. This terrific article points out a number of Drucker's key teachings, like doing the right thing, not overpaying executives, focusing on customer perceptions of value, staffing for key strengths (not assuming "well-roundedness" about execs). Ultimately, Cohen answers the question: What was Drucker's most valuable lesson? He taught us to think and ask questions.

I love reading about Drucker, because he was a common-sense visionary, and his ideas are timeless. Cohen has many articles and books about Drucker. Take a peek at some of Drucker's ideas, and I am sure you will find something that you can apply this very day.

Employee Recognition and Motivation Week (not actually a real holiday)

I received an e-mail promo with this heading, and thought, gee, wasn't that in March? It isn't actually about a real holiday week. The promo is for a Training Course by Workplace Training Center, and they are simply calling the week-long course by this name. This made me think, it isn't such a bad idea for employers to be thinking about recognition and training more than one-week per year!
There are detailed descriptions of each day's program. Just reading about the individual one-hour daily courses is enough to increase your awareness:

• Is your Employee Recognition Program working?
• The Levity Effect: Why It Pays to Lighten Up
• Why You Want to Be Known as a Great Place to Work
• Motivating a Demoralized Workforce: Getting to the Source of TRUE Motivation
• Bud to Boss: How to Motivate the People Who Used to Be Your Colleagues

WTC is offering this on CD and Live, next week. I have no idea how good the course is, and I'm not specifically endorsing it, but if you do visit their site, whether you take the course or not, you will remind yourself what you need to be doing every day to keep your employees productive, happy, loyal and motivated.

Interview Mindset – “The Customer Visit”

One of the many tips I give to executive level candidates going on job interviews is to have a customer visit mindset. When people think to themselves "I'm going on an INTERVIEW," they become more humble, modest, respectful, etc. They speak when spoken to, and accept the one-down hierarchical aspect of the interview setting. This is highly counterproductive.

On the other hand, executives who visit customers are proactive, engaging, and on an equal footing with the customer. They ask lots of questions, and understand the value of an "incremental close" – getting small agreements that the product or service they offer is being "bought." This approach works wonders in an interview.

Position yourself to be an equal to the interviewer, not one step down. Engage in an active discussion, but remember to let the interviewer set the pace of the discussion. Proactively show the employer how you can do the job (how the product meets their needs) by making sure you discover the objectives for the position, then offer illustrations of how your experience fulfills those objectives.

You are the "VP of Sales & Marketing" for the "YOU" company, and "YOU" are also the product. Find out what benefits the customer needs from the product, and then make sure they are convinced that your "product features" will meet their needs. At the end, "ask for the order", by determining if the employer feels you are a fit for the job.

Justification vs. Rationalization

True Story: As Freshmen in Architectural school, we had practicing NY Architects come in weekly to critique our work. These brilliant, talented and egocentric people weren't professors teaching us how to design; they just commented on work in progress - what we had already designed.

One of my classmates was enduring a particular brutal critique ("Why did you do this? Why is this here?") as the Architect slammed the pinned up blueprint with the back of his hand. My classmate tried to explain.  Then, this frightening genius of a man gave us all one of my life's most valuable lessons. He stopped his criticism, and said, "I want you all to go to a library tonight and look up in a big dictionary the definitions of justification and rationalization. Never rationalize what you create."

Of course, we all ran after class to look this up, and there were lots of discussions over the next week. A justification is a solid reason in advance to do something. It propels what you do in the right direction. Even after you've taken action, the justification holds up. A rationalization is an explanation after the fact that usually amounts to an excuse. You are coming up with reasons that don't justify the action you took, but seek to explain it away. The two words often get mixed up, and are considered synonyms, but if you get the meaning behind this piece of teaching, that is what is important.

If you find yourself explaining away what you've done, and it isn't resonating with the listener, than what you did wasn't justified. This includes partial and inadequate apologies for errors big and small. Justifications make the listener feel ennobled about what you've done. Rationalizations make people feel diminished.

Sharing the P&L with Employees

There are two significant ways in which you can share the P&L within your company, financially and informationally. Let’s talk about both.

  

Many companies are now “sharing” company losses with employees, in the form of layoffs, reduced hours, pay cuts, etc. This is getting companies back to break even, and from what we hear, employees have been tolerant of the changes. We hope that these same companies will be willing to share on the upside as well. We are strong proponents of incentives tied to specific individual performance.

 

Open Book Management provides company employees with a clear view of company financial information. There are pros and cons to this approach, but we believe that in challenging times, you can make this work to your benefit. Here are some tips on how to effectively use Open Book Management:

• Train employees to understand the financial basics 
• Provide appropriate visibility. Example: Cost of goods sold could be completely transparent. Some G&A accounts, like office staff compensation, should be shown selectively, or as an aggregate number.
• Empower people to own the numbers under their direct control, and to be able to use the information to improve their performance and the company’s performance.
• Provide clear direction on how each individual’s actions specifically and measurably impact the financial results of the company.
• Give people a stake in the company’s success – provide performance based incentives.
• Listen to the reactions of the employees – allow for a variety of feelings and responses when the information is received and processed.
• Take it slow – don’t overwhelm people with data, or expect them to be experts overnight.

Jack Welch has said “When people know what they’re up against, they feel a greater sense of ownership and urgency. And the sense that ‘we’re all in this together’ can jumpstart teamwork and innovation, often sparking improvements in processes and productivity.”  

 

Open communication is high on the desirable list of most CEOs. Open Book Management is an opportunity to lead by example and get solid return on investment – investing trust and confidence that employees will utilize properly presented information to your advantage.

Ayres plays White House to celebrate ADA 20th

LA Times columnist Steve Lopez befriended a homeless man named Nathaniel Ayres, about 6 years ago. Steve's articles about Nathaniel were so compelling, they were turned into a movie, called The Soloist, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. Nathaniel Ayres is a former Julliard student, fascinated with music, who was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, and as a result, was lost for many years. He has turned his life around, partly because of the fame and direct help that resulted from Steve Lopez recognizing him as a person.

Well, Mr. Ayres played at the White House, and met Barack Obama this week. Please read Steve Lopez's article in today's LA Times, which is really heartwarming.

It is valuable to remember that the occasion of Nathaniel's performance and meeting with Obama is the 20^th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. I wonder how far we've come. This is a good time for companies and business leaders to reflect. Is the ADA a nuisance to you, or have you embodied the spirit of the law? Is mere compliance your objective, or are you really considering how to best deploy the "Differently Abled?" Ramps and wide bathroom stalls are one thing. Sitting down and really figuring out how you can capitalize on the assets of every individual takes human capital management to a whole different level.

Some companies do a great job of this. For example, I learned about a great program called Sentinels of Freedom from one of our clients at General Dynamics. This program, and Wounded Warrior Project, have corporate sponsors that help injured returning veterans to get meaningful work.

I hope that Nathaniel will play again to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of ADA, and that in the next five years we can make more progress than we've made in the last 20.

The Art of Networking

Whether you are looking for a new job, trying to win more business, or just need to find a solution to a challenge, networking is often the answer.
Most people need some help to capitalize on their own contacts, and certainly when calling strangers. Here's some key tips on how to get people to joyfully help you:

• Walk in their shoes. Understand who they are, where they are in life, in business, and what motivates them. Be cognizant of their point of view at all times.
• Create value in the conversation itself. Being asked for help can be a huge downer to the recipient of the call, or the bright spot in their day. How you come across makes the difference. Be cheerful, positive, flattering, thankful. Make it a joy to just talk with you.
• Define the benefit to the buyer. Why should the networking target help you? How will it reflect well upon them to do so? How will the person they refer to you benefit from your ultimate request? You must have the answers to these critical questions, before you get on the phone.
• Help people help you. When you call, out of the blue, your networking target isn't going to be immediately responsive to your request. They may need to think it through. Be prepared to offer prompts to stimulate their thinking, and help them figure out where and how they might know the person you're asking to find.
• Give them time. Let them ponder your request, and offer to call back in 1-2 days. Providing this "deadline" will actually put them to work for you.
• Offer to reciprocate. Suggest ways that you can be helpful in return, and actually be available when called upon.
• Ask open-ended questions (who, what, why, where, how, when) not closed-ended questions (do you know anybody that….?). You don't want a yes/know answer – you want valuable information.
• Be grateful – even if the new info, connection or lead is not useful – say thanks and mean it.

E-Mail Signatures - Your Personal Brand

Jibber Jobber Blog has a post today on making your e-mail signature count.  The post dissects someone's current so-so signature, but doesn't really point out how to construct an ideal signature.  At my firm, we constructed signature boxes, and we feel they work well, so let me use my own as an example:

Here's what is included:
Name, title, company (with hyperlink to company website)
Personal e-mail with hyperlink
Telephone numbers
Company motto (at top)
Visual links to LinkedIN profile, Twitter, Company FaceBook page, and this Blog
Opt-in sign up for company newsletter

As you can see, this is all accomplished in a compact, well-organized box.  My regular contacts get used to seeing this, so it has become a personal logo / brand.  The only challenge is that some people who view this on a PDA don't realize right away that all the "pictures" they see at the end of the message are just part of the sig box.  But those folks are "Luddites" anyway .

Create an attractive, simple, informative signature box for yourself, and help to have a personal brand.

Making Reference Checks Count

Employers are uneven on the subject of reference checks. Many check references very thoroughly, and even employ outside services. But, I also hear, "why bother – HR will only give name, rank and serial number, and what candidate will give you someone who isn't just spouting rehearsed answers?"
Here's a peek at my method:

• Ask for too many: Ask the candidate to provide 12 references, which must include a boss, a peer (or two), and a subordinate, for each job for the past 15 years. Stellar candidates can provide this list. Mediocre candidates can't. You won't call them all, but the candidate no longer can predict WHO you will call.
• Engage the reference: Start by having them talk about how they know the candidate, were they the supervisor, what was the framework of the relationship.
• Easy questions first: What was your overall impression? What special skills or talents stand out in your mind?
• Then the questions they don't have rehearsed answers for: If you have prepared performance objectives, simply turn them around: "One of the things the employer needs done is [describe]. What experience did [candidate] have in getting this accomplished for you?", or, "What did [candidate] do to prepare him/her to accomplish this for us?" The reference will not have a rehearsed answer for this, and you will get a clear, candid response. Listen carefully, probe, notice generalities and platitudes. The real opinion will be there.
• Shortcomings: Ask late in the conversation about areas in which the candidate could have been better, or needed improvement. Probe: "What impact did that have on the work." Ask how others saw it: "How did your peers feel about this trait in [candidate]." Most of the time, the clarifying questions actually make the candidate seem better, not worse, but it is still worth probing in this area.
• Close with open-ended question: "What have I not asked you that would be useful for me to know?" Lots of info about what the candidate is like personally will emerge from this question.

Trust the process, and know that you really can get legitimate references, if you use a structured approach, call a broad range of people, and probe for the real answers.

Flies in Urinals

Amsterdam's Schipol Airport famously had pictures of little black house flies etched into the porcelain, near the drains in each of the urinals in the men's rest rooms. "Spillage" (men are notoriously bad at aiming) was reduced by 80%.


School cafeterias in many countries including the US have experimented with placing desserts at the front of the food line, the back, and on separate counters. They have also tried putting the yogurt and fruit right up front, with the chips and other junky items last on the food line. Such positioning has always resulted in kids making better food selections.

These little tricks of manipulation are known as "Choice Architecture" – reorganizing the context in which we make our decisions.

Look at your supermarket layout the next time you shop, or the layout of any retail store. Odds are, you have to walk the farthest to get the most critical item on your list. Milk and eggs are always at the back. At my market, I have to walk through the fresh baked desserts to get to the toilet paper aisle. This isn't random.

Companies are increasingly using Choice Architecture with their customers, and with their own employees.
If you are a subscriber to my newsletter, watch for my upcoming review of the book "Nudge - Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" (Thaler and Sunstein). If you aren't already a subscriber to my newsletter, click here to SUBSCRIBE NOW, for more on this interesting new business tactic.

Oil Spill – Focus should be a Solution!

I just returned from 2 weeks in Europe, and it was interesting to see how the press there is handling the Gulf Oil Spill, especially in the UK.

Apparently, while I was gone, Obama has been referring to BP as "British Petroleum", when BP is in fact an international firm, with 40% of its stock owned by Americans. He also said he would have fired BP CEO Hayward, and he is infamously reported to have said he is trying to figure out "whose ass to kick."

Although there is vast criticism of BP in the UK press, they are not so happy with US-based Brit-bashing. Other factors: BP paid $1.4 billion in UK taxes last year, and BP is a major component in many pension investments. This has Brits worried, because the stock had plummeted after the spill. A BP bankruptcy would have worldwide economic implications.

Interestingly, today, a conservative US Senator (who has accepted lots of campaign contributions from O&G companies) APOLOGIZED (and has just UN-apologized) to BP, setting off a huge backlash.

In their final show of the season, Saturday Night Live ridiculed BP, in an opening sketch offering ludicrous and unworkable solutions to the spill by parodied BP execs.

All this has me thinking, why bother with all the rhetoric? When there is no solution, apparently all the leaders (corporate, US, UK, etc.) can do is TALK, with little results. When SNL does a spot-on parody of you, you know you're in trouble. What a waste of effort – looking for whose ass to kick, who has to apologize to who, who is to blame, and on and on.

All the more reason for everyone involved to be focused on results – what do we need to do to get a solution. Please, no more wasted words, hearings, press briefings and leaks. JUST CLEAN IT UP!

Flexibility in Staffing – Give Yourself Wiggle Room

Almost always, I advocate precision in hiring: Specify the critical results (in the form of SMART objectives) you want from a candidate, and hire someone who can deliver those results. This usually creates a job profile with very narrow parameters, and as recruiters, we aim to hit the bullseye.

Recently, we’ve had a client situation that calls for greater flexibility. An entrepreneurial company is replacing one senior executive with two people. To protect their confidentiality, I won’t state the exact functions, but the current person’s job can be clearly divided into two functional disciplines. Because the company is still growing and evolving, it is possible that a successful candidate could be found for each of these roles at different levels of experience. In fact, a couple of the key responsibilities could easily slide from one position to the other.
This employer is fortunate to be able to have this level of freedom in hiring, and it is really only happening because they have two slots to fill at the same time.

We never advocate changing a job description to fit a particular candidate. We say don’t hire around people, hire people to fit the specific slot – round pegs for round holes. In this situation, we can take a view of the whole system - in other words, the sum will be equal to more than the parts (each individual job), because strong top performing people in these roles will cover the whole set of key functions. I’ve written before about constructing a skills matrix, where you ensure that all the key functions are covered by a team. One person could be seasoned, another greener, as long as they cover all the objectives. A key ingredient will be to ensure that all new hires fit well into the management team, and can operate with credibility as peers with current senior execs.

When appropriate, a systemic approach – looking at how all the critical objectives are executed by a team - can pay off, if you hire excellent people no matter what level. I learned to be flexible to fit my client’s needs in this situation, and perhaps the same attitude can help others recruiting for multiple roles.

Robin Hood and The Tea Party

Summer is the time for blockbuster action movies, and one that recently opened is the umpteenth remake of Robin Hood. This time, director Ridley Scott and actor Russell Crowe (both reunited from Gladiator) do less folklore and more political allegory.




I loved NY Times critic A.O. Scott’s review, in which he asks if this new Robin Hood is one big medieval tea party. Scott / Crowe apparently portray Robin not as a socialist bandit who is robbing from the rich to give to the poor, but more as a libertarian rebel, fighting against high taxes and a government trying to impose its will on the people. Peter Travers, in the Rolling Stone review, also brings up that Tea Partiers will love the movie for this connection. Fox News writer Steven Crowder calls Robin Hood the “First Tea Party Activist.” This comparison has legs!



After the recent recession, one could easily understand that a movie that shows underdogs rising up against a privileged upper class that didn’t earn what they’ve got, would certainly be topical and relevant.



Roger Ebert didn’t like the film too much; he only rates it 2 stars. He longs for the folklore and story-telling side that was more present in prior versions of this story. I’m with Roger. Winter is the time for movies that make you think. Summer movies should simply make us want an ice cream afterward! Or maybe an ICED Tea.

Job Hunting Tip #6 – A Graceful Exit

I predict many executives will change jobs this year, hoping for a better situation at a different company. Base on 25 years experience, I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of how people conduct their personal exit from a company. Ideally, when you leave a company, it is a graceful exit, without burning bridges. Here are my top tips on how to do this the right way:

• If you are leaving voluntarily, be sure of the decision. Counter offers rarely work to your advantage. Never leverage a new job offer to get a better deal at your company. If you have legitimate reasons to leave, stick with the decision.
• Keep your own counsel: Thinking about a job change is a private matter. Don't share with others - the gossip mill will start talking as soon as you do.
• Plan to give notice, but be prepared to leave immediately. Some companies want people to work two weeks to make a smooth transition, and some ask for even more time. But, some employers walk people to the door, especially if they will be going to a competitor. Be prepared for all scenarios.
• The resignation discussion: Make an appointment with your boss. Don't just drop in. Rehearse your speech, and keep it simple, concise and to the point. We advocate:
• "I have decided to accept another position and I will be leaving as of [date]. Being with this company has been a valuable experience to me, and it is important to me to leave on excellent terms with you, and remain a valued contact down the road. [If your company has a history of making counter offers, preempt that with:] I have thought this through carefully, my decision is made, and this isn't about getting a counter offer, so I hope we can quickly dispense with that. I will be happy to work diligently through the next 2 weeks(or as negotiate) to make a smooth transition."
• Keep it simple. Be concise in responding to questions. Do not reveal too much.
• Hand over a written resignation letter, essentially stating what you say verbally.
• Thank your boss. Be positive. Be graceful. Don't do anything to burn a bridge. If your boss is angry, validate their feelings, don't argue. Take the approach that you may work for this person again, or may need a reference from him/her.
  
• NEVER say anything negative about your boss or company to co-workers, people outside the company, or his/her peers. Every complaint can be spun around and reframed to the positive, usually by thinking about what you want instead, or what you want in the future. Example: "My boss is a micromanager who second guesses me all the time" becomes "The new position will offer me more freedom, responsibility and autonomy."
• If you are being let go, ask about a severance arrangement, and evaluate the offer before responding. Don't agree or sign anything immediately. Think about consulting an attorney for advice if appropriate.
• Ask for letters of reference at the time of your departure - make the request in writing, and "suggest" things that you were proud of, that the writer may want to include. They will usually write what you suggest!

In summary, use common sense and imagine you were reporting on the exit scenario to your next boss. Make sure you would be proud of the story you would be telling.

Executives To Watch

Lots of publications, news organizations and bloggers write annual "Executives to Watch" columns. They usually chose very visible CEOs and others whose names are in the news all the time.

As a recent buyer of a Droid phone, three executives that I want to watch are Vic Gundotra, Vice President, Engineering, Sundar Pichai, Vice President, Product Management, and Mario Queiroz, Vice President, Product Management – all with Google, which is responsible for the Android operating system.

Google recently held its Google I/O event in San Francisco, hosting 5000 developers who attended 80 sessions, 100 demonstrations, with deep technical content featuring Android, Google Chrome, Google APIs, GWT, App Engine, open web technologies.

Vic Gundrota in particular made strident points about how Android 2.2 is so much better than Apple's I-Phone. He particularly bashed Apple for pushing a closed rigid system, and said Android was so much more open, and added to the debate started by Steve Jobs about whether users are focused on applications or search on mobile devices.

Google, partnering with many phone makers including most notably Motorola, have been hyping Android based phones, and the Motorola Droid as "I-Phone Killers". If you check the forums and user boards for both phones, you will find complaints galore on both sides.

I think the Google execs are at a crossroads on this issue. What Vic, Sundar and Mario do over the next year will be key to whether Google really can "take over" this market space from Apple. Sure lots of people are buying Android based phones (100,000 a day), but will they really make the functionality superior? We'll watch and see….