I need to write a speech for an executive who's sharing her VISION
with the high level exec. audience.  Can someone give me an
interesting story -- no more than 3 paragraphs long, ideally shorter
-- which illustrates the POWER of a vision -- when shared -- to
achieve great things?  (Her speech is the first one, and will focus on
vision ... the next exec's speech focuses on Implementation.)  FAST is
a good thing here!  THANKS.  mike

MikeGinNYC -

It's rare that the Google search strategy starts out with personal
information, but this is a case where it does.

I first met Rob Glaser, the chairman of RealNetworks, when he was a
mid-level product manager at Microsoft, handling Microsoft Word.  That
was circa 1983.  He moved into executive positions at Microsoft and
made enough money for most of us to retire.

However, circa 1995, he founded a company then called Real Audio to
exploit the Internet and the ability to deliver audio over the 'Net. 
He's adjusted the company strategy to take advantage of the capability
of the Internet to deliver multimedia, adding video to the Real Audio
product.  Eventually the company changed its name to recognize that
the market had expanded:
Real Networks
"Management Bios"
http://www.realnetworks.com/company/investor/execbios.html#glaser

It was clear when I last talked to Rob (a couple of years ago) that he
realized that his company had to move rapidly to exploit market
opportunities ahead of Microsoft - by relying on the VISION of
streamed audio (and now video) on the Internet.  A very risky
strategy, but one which requires the smaller company to use its
flexibility against the market domination of Microsoft - and also to
rely on the VISION of being the leading supplier of streaming
audio/video and continually adjust the strategy.

So the real question for you is: what articles on the 'Net best
represent Real Networks (the new name) ability to pursue Rob's vision:

C/Net
"Can Real Networks Roll a Strike"  (2002)
http://news.com.com/1200-1120-959430.html

Here's an audio interview talking about adjustments to the strategy,
dealing with digital rights management and open source strategies:
C/Net
"Tech leaders share their visions" (undated)
http://www.cnet.com/broadband/0-7057175-7-21144801.html

A Business Week article from 2 years ago that gives you a good chance
to examine where they've gone in the past 24 months:
Business Week
"Rob Glaser is Racing Upstream" (Sept. 3, 2001) 
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/01_36/b3747602.htm

This Wired article describes Glaser about as accurately as I could in
an essay on the person, except that Rob's not as chubby as they
contend:
Wired Magazine
"Rob Glaser, Moving Target"  (August, 1999)
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.08/glaser_pr.html

An illustration of the flexibility that the company has shown has been
its aggressive move into providing content, being the infrastructure
partner for Major League Baseball and other sports.  In executing this
part of the vision, Glaser's been able to move his company from
relying on software revenues -- to one that generates income from a
service.  Instead of a one-time license, revenues now come from the
annual or monthly service of providing streamed multimedia for sports:
CNN.com
"Challenge for Real Networks" (Feb. 19, 2003)
http://money.cnn.com/2003/02/19/technology/techinvestor/hellweg/

Rob understands that commercial and political influence go together
and was astute enough to hire a former Congresswoman as VP Marketing. 
Later, she became a U.S. Senator from the state of Washington:
The Standard
"Maria Canwell" (2001)
http://www.thestandard.com/people/profile/0,1923,1695,00.html


Google search strategy:
vision + strategy + "Rob Glaser"
"Real Networks" + "market share"

This is a case where, if this Google Answer doesn't fit what you're
seeking (for all I know you're writing the speech for a Microsoft
exec!), please let the researcher know before rating this Answer  and
we'll try to find an alternative.

And I hope that the rapid response overcomes the brevity here. . .

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

---

Request for Answer Clarification by mikeginnyc-ga on 23 Jun 2003 01:40 PDT

the SPEED of the answer is *outstanding*.  the personal perspective of
the answer is CHARMING.  and though i will N-O-T hold it against the
researcher, the aptness of the answer is ... alas ... not much.

let me acknowledge immediately that it's tough for the researcher: i
didn't reveal the industry of the presenter, nor really anything else.

it would have been ideal (from a speechwriter's point of view) to have
an anecdote "already" written.  but more to the point ... it CAN'T be
a story like the one suggested, even for me to write from the info. 
for one thing, it requires that a non-technical audience *understand*
what REAL networks is, and the context w/ microsoft. for another, it's
a story that's still being written. it's too contemporary.  i might
have in a speechwriter's book (to illustrate the point) some story i
can find about Cecil  B. DeMille and the old days of Hollywood that
everyone could relate to, where the story is done, and you "get it"
right away.   I COULD (but won't) find some story about sports ... the
TEAM aspect would be great if i found it, but it's best for all kinds
of reasons to stay away from sports. (unless mayyyyybe it were a
woman's sports team, but i'm trying not to go there.)

the idea (still vaguely) is that this team - the audience - is being
asked to go into a new direction from competition, one that will set
it apart (but that involves perceived risk.)  if everyone decides to
WIN TOGETHER, however, the message is they CAN not only succeed ...
they can triumph.

if any further/better ideas for my need come to mind (soon) ... great.
 if not, i'll either post the request again, hoping someone else has
an inspiration, or will forget about it and solve my problem some
other way.  EITHER way, i will not hold the unusability of the story
against the research.  to be "personal" in my reply as the researcher
was with me: i pride myself on fairness.  and i can't expect ANY
researcher to be able to read my mind, or  get where i'm coming from
when i  have to hold my cards so close to the vest.

i was hoping to be lucky.  we'll see.  either way, thanks,
omnivorous-ga.  mike

---

Request for Answer Clarification by mikeginnyc-ga on 23 Jun 2003 02:03 PDT

also -- she can't be in the position of praising leaders from other
current industries.  too controversial and would (PERCEPTION) diminish
*her* position as "our" leader.  hope that helps, but even if it
doesn't, thanks for the fast earlier effort.  deliberately withholding
rating, as requested.  mike

---

Clarification of Answer by omnivorous-ga on 23 Jun 2003 07:14 PDT

MikeGinNYC - 
 
It wasn't SHORT either!

I may have a better anecdote: Fred Smith.

Everybody knows Federal Express.. Fred Smith developed the
hub-and-spoke delivery concept in a business case at Harvard Business
School.  He got a C on
the paper.  Then he went on to raise the most venture capital ever
assembled to that time in the early 1970s -- to start an overnight
competitor to the U.S.
Postal Service and United Parcel Service.  The company now has more
than 200,000 employees and revenues of $21 billion:
http://www.chiefexecutive.net/depts/innovators/181.htm 
 
Fred is famous for his vision.  A FedEx manager told me this story in
a management class one time:
"We were having trouble with deliveries in Manhattan, just like
everyone else.  So Fred asked for a meeting with our civil engineering
company and laid out a detailed proposal to solve the problem: 'Let's
build an airport in the East River.'

"When we took a break during the meeting, the head of the civil
engineering company said, 'He's kidding, right?'"

You may not be able to use the anecdote but Smith is widely credited
for his vision, even if Harvard thought it was only worth a
Gentleman's C.  Try this Google search strategy for data to back this
up:
"Fred Smith" + vision + "Federal Express"

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

the truth is, it was a 3-star answer, but i'm rating it 4-stars,
because i got a 5-star effort, which i appreciated.  the "tip" i'm
leaving, therefore, is not because i received an "exceptional answer"
(as the guideline puts it) ... but to reward the effort.  the reason
the answer was only 3-star is that it's very tricky for an executive
in one company to use an exec of another company as an example (which
i know as a speechwriter, but don't expect someone else to get, though
i tried to convey it) UNLESS there's a special, relevant connection. 
so i needed an anecdote that was less contemporary and more universal.
also the fed ex 2nd try was not fully apt.  it showed that the fed ex
guy had vision, but there was no direct successful pay-off for the
vision.  NONETHELESS, the willingness to help was clear -- and, again,
appreciated, as i want to show with my tip. i'm currently solving the
problem w/ 3 brief QUOTES (classic) about vision and being visionary
... if i can't ultimately sell that solultion, i may come back to
google and try the well again.  mike

MikeG --

Thanks for the comments.  My next pass would have been to recommend
Churchill.

We hope that you do use Google Answers again.  If you do, please try
to give researchers as clear an idea of what would work and what
wouldn't.  Though I know that FedEx is current, it's become such an
icon of industry that I thought it might work.  Smith and the company
are especially people-oriented, being one of the few companies that
has employees rate managers -- and acts on poor ratings of managers.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA