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Holiday Spirit

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

As I start to wind down and get ready for a holiday road trip, I reflect on all the good that has happened in my life.  When I was young (and stupid), I would react to good fortune with “Yea! I’m so talented…look what I created!”  Now that I’m wiser I know the truth:  every bit of good has happened because I was lucky enough to cross paths with someone better than me.  Someone who was willing to help.  Someone who gave me a kind word when I needed it the most.

What I now believe:  we are all angels unaware.  We have no idea the impact our words and actions have on others.  We can heal a broken heart with kind words.  We can turn around a bad day with a good deed.  We are all miracle workers, doing our magic.  My hope:  that my impact matches the intention in my heart.

May you enjoy your holidays being the spirit that uplifts everyone who crosses your path.

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How Gurus Say Goodbye

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

Takes a lot to render me speechless — and Oprah’s final episode did just that.  (And, yes, I just got around to watching it.  Three cheers for the DVR!)  I knew it would be good; just wasn’t prepared for her potent approach.  Oprah showed us why she’s the queen of daytime talk.

There’s a lot to learn in this powerful goodbye.  The biggest lesson is about what she didn’t do.  Oprah didn’t do a victory lap and make the hour all about her favorite memories.  Instead, she made it about us.  She took her vision (a big classroom) and tied her stories to big lessons with thoughtful insights.  Her goodbye was one of service and gratitude.  Her stories were not center stage; they were springboards to a greater point.  She left giving us a lot to think about.

So think about this:  how many times have we got so caught up in our story or our metaphor or our favorite word play that we didn’t focus on the insight?  This happens too often in our space.  It’s too easy to focus on the clever, at the expense of clarity.  We cheat the market out of our brilliance; we cheat ourselves out of the helper’s high.

Next time, my stories will be the spice instead of the main dish.  And I’ll watch this episode every week to remind me.

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Honoring The Real Sacrifice

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

We business owners sacrifice a lot.  We work holidays and weekends, mess up family obligations, and sometimes let our business run our life.  But whatever we give up is no comparison to those who lay down their life for the ideals of freedom and liberty to live as we choose.  Those folks dodge bullets as an everyday event so I can sit comfortably in my bat cave and think creative thoughts.

The words “thank you for your service” sound very inadequate right now.  But that’s all I know to say to every service member I meet (most of the time in airports).  Along with a silent prayer for their safe return home.  Let’s carry this spirit of appreciation all year long.  If anyone deserves it, it’s our service men and women.  Happy Memorial Day; our thoughts (and prayers) are with you.

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What We Love vs. What We Buy

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

One of my favorite people, Dan Janal, posed a great observation last month:  what we say we prefer and what we buy are different things.  His Exhibit A:  a story last month about a CNN survey on paperbacks vs. ebooks.  The winners by an 80/20 margin:  paperbacks.  Yep, I was surprised, too.  But the biggest shock was the numbers:  sales of ebooks skyrocketed over 200% over last year, overtaking both paperback and hardcover formats.  How could that be?

Dan doesn’t have an answer; neither do I.  And that’s not the point.  What we need to remember is that what folks say they want and what they buy is very different.  And it’s that difference that creates those “180 situations” where we think the prospect is interested and then all of a sudden…poof!  They’re gone.

My antidote:  ignore the details and focus on the real issue.  The one that has the most urgency.

How do you move around this situation?

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The Man in the Wheelchair

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Mom was in the hospital when the doctors told her that her ovarian cancer could no longer be treated.  The first thing she said to me, “I am very concerned about Pop’s welfare.”  Translation:  I need you to watch over him.  Reluctantly, I told her I would.  We both knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

Pop was a big main with a big personality.  Confined to a wheelchair but independent to a fault.  Hanging with him after Mom died taught me things I thought I knew but really didn’t.  Too little space to list them all here, but here’s the biggest one:  Focus on what you can do.  Ignore what you can’t do.  Help is always on the way.

My time with Pop ended on February 26th, when he left to join his “precious wife”.  He’s free now to enjoy the love of his life.  His legacy — and lessons — will live on down here with me and everyone he touched.  May we all remember that we teach more by example than by PowerPoint.

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Coming to a Kindle Near You

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Red alert:  Kindle ebooks market is about to get a whole lot more crowded.  And not with the good stuff.  Somebody got the bright idea to compile information already in the public domain and sell it as a 99 cent ebook on Kindle.  There are even learning systems out there (one for a whopping $27) to tell you step-by-step how to flood the market with these crappy Kindle books.  The business model:  the more stuff you throw at the Kindle wall, the more you can nickel-and-dime your way to success.  I don’t know whether to laugh or get mad.

Ordinarily, I would ignore these shenanigans but want to give you a heads up.  Why do you care?  Two reasons:  first, will the volume of 99 cent books drive down the price?  And, if so, how low can legitimate experts go?  And, second…buyers tend to paint with a very wide brush.  If spam books take over a particular segment — business growth, for example — will legitimate content be seen as the same thing at first glance?  It will be interesting to see how Amazon deals with these content farmers.

Bottom line:  spammers tend to bring the channel down with them (Exhibit A:  email marketing).  So we will have to work even harder on branding and promotion.

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In The Jungle

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

Last month, I blogged about looking for the big game — tigers — during a safari in India.  Because many of you asked, I’ll follow up.  Bottom line:  I’m sorry to report that no, I didn’t see any big cats on this trip.  The tigers were there, just too deep in the forest to find.

Here’s what I did see:  monkeys.  A ton of them.  A day-old baby monkey with mom.  Monkeys on the road not ten feet away from us, acting like we were the curiosity.  Why didn’t they run away when they saw our jeeps?  Because they knew we were coming.  They had friends — other monkeys — in the trees watching for predators.  If we were a threat, the distress call (a noise that puts fire alarms to shame) would go out and they would’ve been long gone.  The monkeys were never alone; they took turns watching out for one another.

Wouldn’t it be nice if humans had each other’s back more?

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A Two-Year Window

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

One of my favorite forecasters came out with insightful predictions for the economy. According to global futurist Mary O’Hara Devereaux, we are in the sweet spot to take advantage of a two-year window of moderate growth opportunities. What happens after that? Another recession – not as bad as what we’ve gone through, but it has enough volatility to slow down those who didn’t speed up.

Folks, the time for treading water is over. If you haven’t made your bold move yet, get going. If you don’t get momentum now, the next recession can be fatal. Check out Mary’s report here, especially her strategy-guiding principles for 2011. They apply to all businesses, regardless of size.

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The Bias of the Buddy System

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

Favorite thing to do in my market analysis:  talk to real people.  Had a rollicking good conversation with an anonymous source (you’ll soon see why) who sits on several national program committees.  Want to know how these folks really select speakers?  Fasten your seat belt…it ain’t pretty.  His frank observations:

  • Speaker recommendations are based by the last person they saw.  So if they loved you six months ago, you’re dead to them now.  Typical discussion goes something like “hey, I just heard Billy Bob; I think he’ll be good.”  Doesn’t matter about the content or if the message fits the theme.  No thought on what the audience needs or who else is already on the agenda.
  • Got a relationship with staff?  Not gonna help you.  Staff won’t facilitate; “they just let the volunteers run wild”.  When staff does speak up as the voice of reason, committee members listen and agree.
  • The buddy system is alive and well.  Direct quote:  “The information is obsolete and the guy barely has a pulse.  The only reason why this dinosaur got in is because the chair supports him…I can’t believe it!”
  • That said, the loudest “buddy” will win.  If you don’t have an advocate who is assertive, you won’t get on the radar.  Comment:  “The guys will talk the loudest, but the assertive women get a word in edgewise.”  Moral of the story:  ask your advocate “are you willing to push hard for this?”  In general, advocates are well-meaning, but lazy.
  • What about RFPs (requests for proposals)?  Yep, the committee looks at them.  And takes everything you say about yourself as gospel.  No one checks out the details.  His comment:  “They want to think as little as possible.”

Now, you know one person’s experience doesn’t make a trend.  But as someone who has sat on national committees before as well, I’ve seen most of these dynamics in action, too.  Bottom line:  if someone says you’re great and gets rowdy about it, and no one objects with equal force, then you’re basically in.

Navigate the mine field with this one-two punch:  first, get out there and speak.  Showing up is now a premium.  Second, fire up those advocates.  Fans with the biggest mouths are worth five who only cheer you on from the sidelines.

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How the Recession Changed Us

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Lots of talk about the Great Recession and its lasting impact.  Here’s a chart from The Atlantic (yes, another visual from my collection) that reveals some lesser known but still major shifts in our culture as a response to the economic meltdown.  Most interesting findings:

  • Out of 50 states, 48 have budget shortfalls;
  • In hard-hit Nevada, food-stamp recipients grew by 63%;
  • For all the preaching about saving money, it took unemployment and foreclosure to double the saving rate.

What I noticed:  look how fast we can change when we have to.  Why am I showing you this?  Because I’m talking to too many people who waited too long to change.  Case in point:  one internationally-known speaker waited over a year before asking for help.  Result:  after spending his savings on personal expenses, he no longer had the resources needed to jumpstart his business.  And because so much time had passed, he was now desperate to get revenue in.  He had little money and therefore little time to make the turnaround.

The longer you tread water, the more energy it takes to stay afloat.  Sooner or later, you’ll get tired.  By then, you won’t have the energy to save yourself from drowning.  Too many of us change only when we don’t have a choice.

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