Comments on: Signs, Signs, Everywhere the Signs http://blog.jthawes.com/2009/03/06/signs-signs-everywhere-the-signs/ Helping Smart People Think Clearly About Strategy Fri, 27 May 2011 09:41:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tom http://blog.jthawes.com/2009/03/06/signs-signs-everywhere-the-signs/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Tom Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:57:05 +0000 http://tomhawes.wordpress.com/?p=34#comment-18 Oh, now I see that your previous post talks about job postings... sorry. I was wondering why you didn't include that. Oh, now I see that your previous post talks about job postings… sorry. I was wondering why you didn’t include that.

]]> By: Tom http://blog.jthawes.com/2009/03/06/signs-signs-everywhere-the-signs/comment-page-1/#comment-17 Tom Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:52:29 +0000 http://tomhawes.wordpress.com/?p=34#comment-17 Very excellent post. A couple additions - The first, and very obvious, one is to always monitor the job openings and hiring of companies you are interested in, also people leaving if you can find out. The second is social networking, like LinkedIn, which may be useful depending on the connectedness of competitors. Some treat this is a sort of new revolutionary source of information but it is really no different, except in degree, to what was always present through inter-competitive personal relationships. Both of these points relate back to a principle of getting to peraonlly know your competitors. Sure you are competitors and you have to viscerally hate your competitors but you are at the same venues (trade shows, etc.) with them quite often so it doesn't hurt to "chat about the weather and the kids and family" in the exhibitors' lounge regularly. Trust me, it will pay back handsomely. If nothing else you will get a good idea of ones you do NOT want to hire away. tf Very excellent post. A couple additions -
The first, and very obvious, one is to always monitor the job openings and hiring of companies you are interested in, also people leaving if you can find out.

The second is social networking, like LinkedIn, which may be useful depending on the connectedness of competitors. Some treat this is a sort of new revolutionary source of information but it is really no different, except in degree, to what was always present through inter-competitive personal relationships.

Both of these points relate back to a principle of getting to peraonlly know your competitors. Sure you are competitors and you have to viscerally hate your competitors but you are at the same venues (trade shows, etc.) with them quite often so it doesn’t hurt to “chat about the weather and the kids and family” in the exhibitors’ lounge regularly. Trust me, it will pay back handsomely. If nothing else you will get a good idea of ones you do NOT want to hire away.

tf

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