What’s your BHAG?

Cover via Amazon

Devotees of Jim Collins and Jerry Porras and their book Built to Last will know this acronym immediately.

A BHAG is a core defining features of companies that endure.

• Big
• Hairy
• Audacious
• Goal

So, driving the other night, I realized what the BHAG for Never Stop Marketing is.

For the clients I serve:

1. every person in the org understands what marketing really is
2. every person thinks of themselves as a marketer (in addition to whatever else they are charged with doing)
3. everyone lives by the mantra: never stop marketing

Big and hairy enough for you?

So, what’s your BHAG?

Post was written while listening to: Public Enemy - He Got Game

Blood for Water?

Image via Wikipedia

The mantra used to be “no blood for oil,” but what about “blood for water?”

In the very depressing moving “Blue Gold: World Water Wars,” the filmmakers explain the global impact of not only the privatization of water resources managed by companies like Suez and Veolia, but equally important, the ecological impact of taking water from one place and moving it to another place.

This, apparently, has dramatic impacts on watersheds, water tables, and the natural environment. If you think about it, this makes sense. The problem is, most of us don’t think about it.

Bottled water, I am now more convinced than ever, is one of the great hoaxes of all time (I wouldn’t call it marketing, since it’s not really based in fact).

In any movie like this, the point is to shock you and get you to act. Plus, it’s easy to dismiss it as an anti-capitalist screed, but given how efficient our production/technology systems are, the underlying thesis doesn’t seem so far fetched.

I highly recommend you watch this to, at a minimum, educate yourself about something we all need.

If even half of what they say is accurate, a water war is not that far-fetched.

Updated: an article that shows this isn’t fantasy.

Law: out of control…

For all of your lawyer friends (and more)….here’s a fascinating talk by a lawyer saying that law has gotten to the point where it has taken away our freedoms. And what we can do about it.

And no, it doesn’t involved “killing all the lawyers.”

How to Buy Disability Insurance

The foremost expert in my world when it comes to all things insurance (health, that is) is my cousin, Lee Nathans.

Here's an interview of the two of us discussing how one should go about buying disability plans and what you should look for when you do.
You can reach Lee at 800-846-4120 or LeeNathans AT gmail.com

Fantasyland: a movie for fantasy sports folks...and others

My friend, Jed, is the star of this movie and it is HILARIOUS.
I avoid fantasy sports because I'm worried about getting too addicted to thm.
Well, Jed...he almost missed the births of his twin kids because he was trying to trade some players.


More info at: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/fantasyland/

Seeing the Unseen Los Angeles

Image by colros via Flickr

Before my recent trip to LA, I get a note from Jeremy Cohen who says, “I’d love to sit down and pick your brain about my business.”

Now, I didn’t know who Jeremy was (except that he followed me on Twitter), so I made the following offer:

So, I’m a traveler by nature…and wondering if you might be able to help me take advantage of my time in LA and…at the same time..we can brainstorm about your future.

I’ve been to LA, but nothing extensive (Santa Monica pier, Venice Beach, Getty, Universal Studios), but am looking for something “uniquely LA.”

Perhaps we find something that is sort of close to the LA office and go do it for an hour, all the while discussing your biz. 2 birds, one stone.

Well, did I do well!

Here’s what he proposed…and what we did…all while discussing his business and career.

Here's my idea for an itinerary. I promise it's the LA no one else would ever show you, and it's filled with stuff from a bygone past and places only a real local would know.

• Walking tour of Broadway, home to the most ornate movie palaces of early America. Beautiful architecture everywhere in a revitalized neighborhood.
• Angels Knoll Park. One of the coolest hidden gems in LA. Get a great view of the city in a rare green space.
• Grand Central Market if you want a bite to eat. An incredible, ethnic food court, with cheap, authentic grub.

Not only did I find another marketer at heart, but a history buff as well.

I hate business trips that are airport-hotel-office-airport, so I always try to inject something (even if it is small, like the Roger Maris museum in Fargo, ND).

That makes each trip more memorable.

Survey for Entrepreneurs…

If you are an entrepreneur, check out this survey. They are looking for an “entrepreneurial gene.”

Otherwise, feel free to forward to a friend.

Even will send you a kit for a saliva sample.

It’s a bit long, but I’m interested in the results.

Still, they should have had a question that said:

“do you feel like you are wasting time by taking this survey and you could be doing something else that is more productive?”

State 47 in the books…

Image by Scout Seventeen via Flickr

It took 18 months since my trip to Michigan to knock off state #47, but I did it.

24 hours on the ground in Portland, Oregon and I made the most of it.

First, a stop at Stumptown Coffee Roasters then a walking tour of the magnificently beautiful Pearl District. Read the Wikipedia entry. It’s such an inspiring piece of urban renewal with a very European feel. I loved it and the two centerpiece parks are just fantastic.

And after a presentation, you know where I crashed for the night? The home of the couple I met on the plane a few months ago ;-)

Ok, what’s next, you ask?

• Nebraska
• Alaska
• Hawaii

California Dreamin’

I don’t know about you, but the IDEA of California for me has, for a long time, represented the great possibilities of America.

Maybe it was Grapes of Wrath in 9th grade or the idea of Tinseltown.

But, I suspect, in the American psyche that California holds a special position among states.

And, building off that, the citizens of California bought into the vision in an effort to create an American Utopia.

California, in my mind, was always a glimpse of where America would be in 5-10-15 years.

Usually, that was an exciting or good thing.

Now, it’s not.

I was in LA for three days and discovered a state where the surface still looks good; People, beautiful weather, activity, but underneath, the structure is rotting.

My hosts own a construction company that does work for the state. Their chief complaint? Unions.

“I can hire an electrician for $14 per hour, but if I am doing a job for the state, I have to use someone from the union. Know what they make? $71 per hour!

I don’t care, really, because the markup is the same, but that $57 per hour per electrician that the state is paying out of taxpayer money that they don’t have to. It’s just a huge shame.”

Then, he pointed out the other side of the equation (for him). “Illegal immigrants.”

“50% of the people in this area are illegal. They are consuming services, but not paying taxes. I don’t care,” he said, “about the message it sends if we just make everyone legal. At least this way, we’ll get the money. Right now, fewer and fewer people are paying to support more and more people. It just doesn’t work.”

So, on the one hand, less revenue. On the other hand, more expenditures to support more services. And, add a hugely inefficient union-centered state system and you have a recipe for disaster.”

This wasn’t one person’s rant alone. It was repeated again, and again, and again.

So, what happens?

As one woman said to me, “well, either we figure out a way to get more money, spend less….or, well, we’re screwed.”

Not the California Dream of yesteryear.

Working with National Speakers Bureau

I am super-excited to announce that I’m now working with one of the leading speakers bureaus in the country, the National Speakers Bureau. Here’s my speaker page.

So, if someone you know is are interested in having me speak at one of your events, feel free to contact them at 800-323-9442 or info@nationalspeakers.com 

They are super-fast responsive (after all, they Never Stop Marketing)

Never Stop Marketing Job Board

I’m fortunate in that a lot of people come to me with job openings looking for good people. Also, that a lot of good people looking for jobs come to me for networking.

To simplify the connection process, I’ve started a job board where I will post opportunities that come across my desk.

You (or your friends) can subscribe here if you are looking for a new position (or below).

If you are looking for people, just send me the opening.

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Subscribe to Never Stop Marketing Job Board

Email:

Visit this group

Appreciation over time…

Image via Wikipedia

It is great how your appreciation of the past can grow with age. (Like wine, I suppose).

Back in 1997, I was fortunate enough to receive admission to the International University of Japan for a two year Masters program in International Relations.

The academics were great, but it was my classmates who really made it special.

There were people from over 40 countries and the insight they provided on the world helped truly prepare me for the globalized, “world is flat’ era in which we live.

What’s more, the promise of “a network of people around the world” has proven to be of immense satisfaction to me.

For example,

• A friend of mine is headed to Sarajevo, so I put him touch with Amer, a fellow IUJer who lives there.
• My kids and I were watching the Finland-Sweden Olympic hockey game, which gave me incentive to ping Heikki in Helsinki and reminisce
• Christiane drops me a note via LinkedIn. She and her husband are doing some exciting stuff in Kabul

These connections, forged in the rice fields of Niigata-ken, are really fascinating and very rewarding as I get to see the world evolve/develop from multiple perspectives.

Culture Clash…

Was invited to a meeting at a government contractor’s office that does security-clearance level work.

When I got there, the receptionist said, “You will have to leave your cell phone here, since we don’t allow cameras in the office.”

Also, any other devices you have that can capture or record data.”

“Like a USB thumb drive?” I asked.

Yes.

I looked through my bag.

1. cell phone
2. iPod Touch
3. Netbook laptop
4. Flipcam
5. 3 USB thumb drives
6. 2 SD RAM cards

Finally, I just said, “you know what? Take the bag.”

All I took into the meeting was a pad of paper and a pen.

In the middle of the meeting, I looked around the room and noticed that there were no clocks.

I haven’t worn a watch since 1999, since I always have a device with me with the time.

The meter was running (literally, I had parked in front) and the NFO expected me home.

I had to actually interrupt the meeting to ask my prospective client what time it was!

I laughed, “I wonder if our cultures are just too different!”

It was like visiting another world.

What Unions Get from Obama...

According to the Economist...
and taxpayers overpay by 12-18%.

Art on a Plane…

Longtime blog readers know that I have a penchant for conversations on airplanes.
Sometimes I run into ignorant anti-Semites and lose. Sometimes, I meet awesome public health officials and win.
Most of the time, I win.
On my recent flight to Chicago, I met Heidi Neff, who is an Assistant Professor of Art at Harford Community College.
We started talking elements and principles of design and drawing (actually, she did the talking and I did the listening).
She agreed to a “design crash course” for the time on the flight from the moment when they told us to turn off our electronic devices until we could use them again.
And in that time, she managed to take the Sky Mall magazine and turn it into a textbook of design principles, explaining why photos were shot the way they were or why colors were placed as they were.
It was a great example of “world as classroom” and gave me a nice right-brain exercise early in the day.

Why You Should Ask Questions at Events…

At an event the other night with Alexandra Levit and Daniel Pink (client) speaking about their new books (links not available as I’m on a train), a few brave souls raised their hands to ask questions.
They got good answers.
But, what happened after the event was even more interesting.
Others in the audience went up to the question-askers and offered their own insights.
So, Ellen Perlman not only got ideas from Dan and Alexandra, but from a few of the other people in the audience who wanted to help her. (I suggested she check out Jeff Jarvis re: the future of journalism).
It was like a two-fold benefit to the question.

How to Better Control Your Facebook Privacy

One of the critiques I hear most about Facebook is fear of exposure of unwanted personal information.
Not financial or stuff like that, but “what if someone tags me in a photo that I don’t want shared?” kind of stuff.
Well, here are two posts that help you assert some control.

How To Stop Facebook From Publishing Recent Activity To The News Feed

How To Avoid A Facebook Photo Tagging Disaster

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• How to Market Your Book Through Social Media… http://bit.ly/5Jt2yL
• Revisiting 10 Golden Rules of Social Media http://om.bit.ly/7RQhVd from @webworkerdaily @alizasherman does it again
• How To Stop Facebook From Publishing Recent Activity To The News Feed http://bit.ly/7QDg32

One Semester of Spanish Love Song

For your viewing pleasure.
Click here or watch below.

HT: Barak (not Obama)

Aimee Mullins: The opportunity of adversity

I read a great book a few years ago called ".Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities" It really helped me understand the value of adversity in your life. Well, I highly suggest this inspiring video along those line
Aimee Mullins: The opportunity of adversity | Video on TED.com

Evolution of the Legal Marketer

My dad is in the process of reinventing his legal career and service offerings.

This video is his first and 2nd efforts at explaining his competitive offering. He’s open to feedback.

Audio isn’t phenomenal, but hey…it’s a rough draft.

Let him know what you think: SirDavid1 AT mac.com

Spot Interviews…Family Patriarch Edition

I’ve become a big fan of the service Cinchcast to record spot interviews.

My mother’s business (for many years) was conducting oral histories of family members for their descendants.

It was a big undertaking. Now, however, you can do it from your iPhone (app) or any phone.

Here’s my dad pontificating…

 

Movie: Ripple Effect

Image by sea turtle via Flickr

Once again, I have NO idea who recommended this movie to me.

While the reviews I read on Netflix were overwhelmingly negative, I felt that it had some redeeming qualities.

It did start a bit slow (and I watched it in two installments), but I found the latter part of the movie to be a nice commentary on life and a moment to help you reflect on how, in an instance, things can change and that that has dramatic effects down the line.

• “Cry When It’s Over” http://bit.ly/bvNIfC
• Conversation isn’t Community…Connection Is. http://bit.ly/cmkeJA

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Brief Interview with Paco

Meet Paco (not his real name). My 4.5 year old son.

Here’s an interview I did with him.

Inch by Inch….

it’s a cinch.

I despise doing taxes.

I’d honestly rather clean up my kids projectile vomiting from the floor than prepare them.

In the past, I’ve said, “Ok, I really hate this job, so I’m just going to do it in a marathon session so I can just get this out the door.”

What happens is that I spend 4 hours doing something I can’t stand and, what’s more, there’s always some information that I don’t have and thus can’t complete it.

This year, I took a different tack. Perhaps because I felt like I couldn’t devote a marathon session to it.

I just said, “ok, I’m going to do an hour every other night for 2 weeks [deadline] and then I’ll be done.”

What happened?

I got it done, still hated it, but the stress level was much lower. It was manageable (or at least more so).

A mental trick perhaps, but for me, it worked.

40 Free Hours of Time…

By far, the best business decision I made in 2009 was hiring a virtual assistant, Mary.

She is INCREDIBLE and can do as much online as 98% of the people you know.

What’s more, however, is that she saves me valuable time.

Here’s an example.

I needed a label created for a package I was going to send. Mary has access to my calendar and contacts, so I wrote a 7 second note to Mary saying, “Label for Sara Miller.”

Next thing I know, a PDF comes back from Mary, which I print out and tape to the package.

Elapsed time: 15 seconds.

Now, contrast that with the effort to go to the USPS.com site (admittedly, it’s pretty good), fill out the form, click next, verify the credit card info, etc. 4 minutes? 5 minutes?

Now, multiply that out by 500 tasks.

That’s 2500 minutes of time that Mary has done for me (and more).

Which is 40 hours.

An ENTIRE work week of time savings.

Just HUGE.

Wild and Crazy…with Kids

What is the hallmark of your young “wild and crazy days?”
I’d say that one of them is doing things without fully considering the consequences.
The other night, we put the kids to bed around 7.15pm and the NFO and I were so exhausted from accumulated late nights, we decided to take a nap.
Set the alarm and everything.
Then, hit snooze.
She got up at 10pm. I got up at 11.40pm.
We knew that come 6am, the activity would begin again, but hey…who says you can’t “live in the moment with no thoughts of tomorrow” when you have 3 kids? ;-)

Future of Mapping…

Very cool TED talk (click through to blog if you can’t see the video below).

8 minutes, but worth it.

Have You Thanked a “Frientor” Today?

Motivated by this post of my friend, Brent Leary, I have been reaching out to a number of my Frientors.
Take a moment to reach out to yours today just to say thanks for the impact they had on your life and career.

Long-term benefit of crazy…

Blog readers who have been with me for a while know “the Maine story.”

It’s helped shape my life attitude in many ways.

What I’ve recently discovered is that “Maine” moments have a secondary residual benefit, which I hadn’t originally anticipated.

Back in 1996, Chuck and I got in a car in DC at 10pm and drove all night to Atlanta to participate in the Olympic games (I went to watch a Judo match).

As part of our ritual, we sang that famous Olympic tune every time we entered a new state.

Well, the other night as Paco, Tonka, and I were watching the Olympics, I told them the story of driving all night to be there.

So, when I was 23, I did something that was “a bit crazy” and that has become the fodder for a bonding moment with my kids.

Man vs. Snow Travelogue, Part 2

…and sure enough, it was a fantastic finish.

We landed at 2.40pm (remember, the event where I am the keynote speaker starts at 3.30pm).

Yes, I know…I’m lame…I check baggage. I don’t really travel so lightly. I like to be prepared (I also bring giveaways for the crowd), so I had to wait at the baggage claim for what seemed like forever.

Justin, my local Never Stop Marketing fan in Minneapolis (he of the famous New York Times article), had graciously agreed to pick me up at the airport and was waiting outside.

Meanwhile, I was emailing/texting with the MS folks who wanted to know if I would make it.

FINALLY…and I do mean, finally, the bag arrived and I ran outside, saw Justin (the guy is smart since he owns a Hyundai Elantra as do I :-) and threw the bags in.

My guidance “drive as fast as you can without getting the attention of any authorities.”

And, wouldn’t you know it, at 3.11, I walk into the Microsoft office, ready to rumble.

Not usually my style, but we made it happen. Hey, when it’s out of  your control, I am pretty relaxed about it.

Of course, at 5.35pm, we were back in the car on the way to the airport for the flight to Cincinnati via Chicago.

Man vs. Snow- A Travelogue

Every now and then, I just have “leave it all on the field” days that I just need to capture for posterity’s sake.

The eve of Snowpocalypse 2010 (part 2) was one such day.

But, it starts before then…

So, if you’ll recall, the weekend of Feb. 6th brought the DC area over 2 feet of snow. After playing the “Paco Toss” game where I literally threw my 4 year old up in the air and let him land in the snow-unscathed-the hard job of digging out begain in earnest.

First, we tackled the walkway, then the driveway and the cars.

By Sunday afternoon, our cars were cleared, but the street in front of us was covered.

However, 30 feet or so down the street was another road, one that is in front of a school, which had been plowed on Saturday afternoon.

So, if we could somehow create a pathway for that remaining distance, we could get our cars out to the plowed parking lot of the school.

That would mean that the NFO could get to work on Monday and that I would be able to drive to BWI airport for a scheduled 7am departure and a 3 day speaking tour to Chicago, Minneapolis, and Cincinnati.

The NFO and I planned to take turns shoveling, but as luck would have it, we found 3 entrepreneurs of El Salvadoran descent walking through the neighborhood with shovels.

“How much to dig a road for us?” I yelled.

“$75,” they replied.

“Done!”

That night (during halftime of the Super Bowl, in fact) I moved our cars out of the driveway (our concern was that when a plow did eventually come, it would close our exit off).

On Monday, the NFO went to work and reported that the roads, while passable, were just barely so.

Seeing as my flight from BWI was at 7, I elected to get up extra-early at 3.45am, to accommodate for the unexpected delays.

I was at the gate by 5.30am, seated and blogging away.

Only to be told that Midway airport in Chicago (my destination) would be closing at 10am…ours was to be the only flight from Baltimore that day.

We landed in the beginning of a blizzard and I made my way to the offices of Microsoft downtown via the CTA train a four block walk in driving winds, snow, and past two buildings that had signs saying “watch for falling ice,” which I am not sure how you can do in a blizzard.

But, that wasn’t it because a colleague came in after I was settled and said, “Midway is closed until 10am tomorrow.”

On the advice of Corey Perman, who had stopped by to visit, I immediately bought a 2nd ticket on Southwest for the not-yet-cancelled 1pm departure to Minneapolis, which would get me in on time for my 3.30pm presentation.

Their policy is: people with tickets automatically get on…if you’ve been on a cancelled flight, you get a “priority standby.”

As the keynote speaker, however, I couldn’t take the chance, and Corey said “buy the ticket, deal with the refund later.”

After the presentation (which had 120 registered and 30 showing up with another 30 attending via the rapidly assembled Live Meeting webcast), I had to call an audible.

Shari Lennon swung by in her taxi home from work—the plan had been to go there for dinner and then out to Skokie and my sister-in-law for overnight accommodations.

However, as the white-out blizzard continued and the time to get to Midway became a factor, Shari and Will (her husband) advised that staying with them would be smarter as it would save valuable time on the return to Midway the next day…given that the weather was a variable. My sister-in-law Aviva concurred.

The storm lifted at 5am (right around the time of an earthquake! No joke) and I took a quick cab to Midway and made the 12.40pm flight (which didn’t take off until close to 1.30).

Remember, the presentation I am giving in Minneapolis was scheduled to start at 3.30pm and the airport is 30 minutes from the Microsoft office.

Factor in baggage claim time and other disembarkation time and you have the makings of a fantastic finish…

Tune in tomorrow to find out what happened ;-)

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• Snow causes more headaches for travelers (cnn.com)

America’s Greatest Modern Art Collectors…

Cover of Herb & Dorothy

on the salary of a postal worker and a librarian in a rent-controlled Manhattan apartment.

Ok, so maybe they weren’t the “greatest” but they donated close to 5000 works of art to the National Gallery of Art.

This is the premise of the movie “Herb & Dorothy.”

It’s so hard to fathom how they did it, but the why is clear.

They were motivated by passion.

That alone is inspirational. I love seeing people who pursue what they love with such vigor. Carpe Diem-style.

Forget Work/Life Balance?

One term that I’ve heard a lot is the idea of “maintaining a work-life balance.”

I couldn’t quite put a finger on why I was troubled by this concept until recently.

A few weeks back, I took Paco to his gym class at 4.15pm. I was there with Nadia and we were watching him.

At 4.30, I took a call from a client. We spoke for 5 minutes and she agreed to buy a future piece of work from me.

I hung up and went back to watching the gym class and playing with Nadia.

So, where in the ‘work-life’ balance spectrum does that fit?

Then, I was reading an excellent post by a friend of mine, Shannon Paul, which led to a post of my own on the Never Stop Marketing blog.

I think she hit the nail on the head in her comment when she quoted David Allen (author of Getting Things Done)  “the whole concept of the work-life balance is a fallacy. It's all life.”

Now, maybe, once upon a time, the lines were clearer. Factory work or even ‘going to the office,’ but now, with mobility and communications, the lines are less clear.

I mean, our cleaning lady is on her cell phone talking to her friends while she is mopping our floor. Do I care? No. I care about results.

Sure, there are times when you have to focus on your work, but that’s also a part of life, right?

I’m still flushing this out, but am starting to come around to the idea of the seamless integration between the two, which, I believe will lead to a richer professional and personal experience.

Post was written while listening to: Carmina Burana – Orff

• RT @simchabe: Google Voice gives Apple the finger http://ow.ly/10FtN
• RT @BrentLeary: The Future of Customer Service is Here - Are You Ready For It? http://bit.ly/aM7Dru
• RT @auren: We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. -- Winston Churchill

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Before everyone liveblogged a birth….

Two years ago today, Nitzahn (aka Nadia) joined us.

Here’s the story behind her name.

And, more importantly, the liveblogged birth.

“Cry When It’s Over”

There’s a lot to learn from the way Olympians behave.

One of the things I am trying to teach my kids is that there is a time and place for different emotions.

You can certainly be sad about something, but that feeling can’t get in the way of other things that have to be done.

For example, you can be upset that you don’t get to color at the kitchen table, but you can sulk about it at the expense of not getting ready for school and missing carpool. Do that stuff first, then sulk about it.

We were watching the recording of the Pairs figure skating (DVR has totally revolutionized my Olympic watching experience…3 hours in about 24 minutes now).

One of the skaters fell down after a jump, finished her performance and then he just broke down in tears.

I thought that was a good example for the kids.

I explained how hard these people work to get where they are and how upset they must be when they fall, but they have to finish the program first and only then, can they be sad about it.

Life, as you know, does things that knocks us off track, but we have to push on.

The Innovator’s Mantra…

You want to be an innovator? An entrepreneur? Someone whose value is unquestioned?

Seth Godin calls you a linchpin. Tom Friedman call you the ““new untouchables?”

Say this mantra daily:

“Beg for forgiveness, don’t ask for permission.”

(With a nod to Sue Marks-client, who lives by this as well)

When you are 3 minutes too late…

You know when you think of a great comeback to someone’s comment, but it is only after the fact?

Turns out there is a word for that: L’esprit de l’escalier.

Very cool.

HT: Seth Godin/Linchpin

Now, I’m Shocked…

It takes a lot, from an Internet perspective, to shock me.

But, tonight, for the first time in a long time, I can say, “wow, now I’m scared for my kids.”

My personal guru of Internet technology is a VC in New York named Fred Wilson.

He blogged the other day about a site called Chatroulette.

So, I checked it out. Warning: Not Safe For Work.

Basically, you log on and are randomly connected (mostly via a camera) to people around the world.

The idea, in its purest sense, is a great one…meet people to expand your universe.

In practice, however, it’s just a depressing commentary on society.

The number of people (mostly young guys) on there who are either naked, semi-naked, or doing obscene things (two guys masturbating, for example) is mind-boggling.

I was connected to someone who just raised his middle finger to me and said “Fuck you. Go fuck yourself.”

Then, a room full of teenage boys who started making fun of the way that I look (granted, an easy target).

I failed to have one meaningful interaction. Granted, after 10 minutes, I was just revolted and felt like I was wasting my life.

Still, it’s out there…and many others like it, I am sure. There’s no use fighting it and you can’t block it, so it just made me realize how important it is to inculcate strong values into our kids.

BTW, there’s a piece in the Sunday NY Times on it with the founder, a 17 year old in Moscow.

It’s Not Work When You Love It…

Almost every day, I can’t wait to get started at my “work.”

My assistant claims she feels the same way (though I am ‘the boss,’ I suppose, but I can tell in how she does it.)

We were talking about “work” and it struck me that, though we do work really hard and a lot…it doesn’t feel like work.

Sure there are down moments, but I love challenge of keeping all the plates spinning.

Made me wonder.

If you love what you do and you get paid for it…is it working?

I Want to Work For Diddy…

Image via Wikipedia

Believe it or not, one of the shows on my DVR was, until recently, “I want to work for Diddy 2.”

Now, for those of you who don’t know, “Diddy” is Sean Combs, a rapper cum hip-hop industry mogul.

It was on VH1 and it’s kind of like the Apprentice, only I personally like Diddy more than Trump.

Anyway, I thought it would be an interesting cultural exercise to see how an African-American enterprise was run.

But, that’s actually not the point here.

In watching the tasks there, it dawned on me that success, in many cases isn’t about skill or brains.

It comes down to the ability to manage your time effectively.

To say, “hmmm…if everything works perfectly, this job should take 20 minutes. But, I need to plan as if this job will take 1 hour” (or some appropriate buffer).

Over and over, I see people who are overconfident in how quickly something can get done.

I’d rather have less stress and some extra time by being pleasantly surprised.

Growing up, my mom always made me do my essays weeks in advance. It wasn’t about being the guy everyone hated (though I was ;-), it was about having flexibility, avoiding stress, and most importantly, being prepared for the unexpected.

Now, I need to make sure my kids “get” this.

Stay Young: Make the Unnatural Natural

I read a fascinating book called Herd: How to Change Mass Behaviour by Harnessing Our True Nature (which I reviewed here).

One concept that was mentioned, sort of in passing, was the following:

“technology that appears in your life between birth and your 15th birthday is not technology at all, but just ‘natural’; technology that appears between your 15th and 35th birthday is wow-technology; and anything after your 35th birthday is ‘unnatural.”

I look at my dad and my grandfather and one thing that strikes me about them is how they embrace technological change and try to make all of the stuff that arrived after age 35 as natural as possible.

I think it helps keep you young.

And I see it in the way that people talk about Facebook or Twitter, for example.

I don’t care if you don’t use it. I don’t care if you’ve tried it out and decided it’s not for you.

What I do care about is people over 35 (and I’m now one of them) saying “I don’t get it. It’s stupid” (or something to that effect.)

I look at the way my kids accept cell phones, DVR’s, on-demand, web browsers, in-car DVD’s and GPS.

It’s natural for them. It’s wow for me, but I do my best to make it natural.

That, though, requires investment of time. It requires a challenge of your habits. It’s a mindset.

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How Mundane Updates Can (sometimes) Build Relationships

Though heard less frequently, one of the knocks against social media is that “I don’t want to know what you had for breakfast.”
No doubt, there is a lot of noise out there, but sometimes the ‘noise’ can be a valuable relationship enhancer.
Every few days, I will devote about 30 minutes just going through the Facebook status updates of my friends.
Now, I’ve filtered it (as below) so that I can think about groups in buckets that are important to me.
So, the other day I was just scanning the updates (to me, this is in lieu of looking at the headlines in a newspaper and the best way to get a “pulse” on what is going on…and trust me, when important things happen, your friends will tell you.)
Among the 300-400 updates I scanned, I saw that Jessica was driving to Jacksonville and Orlando.
I had left a VM for Jessica the week before and wouldn’t you know it? About 10 minutes after I was done with Facebook, she returned the call.
“Well, look who is in the car driving across Florida and has some time to return calls?” was how I answered the call.
She laughed, getting the joke.
Now, does this little piece of information mean that I am now best friends with Jessica? Of course not.
Was the greeting “remarkable?” (she said it was).
But, I would venture to guess that the mere act of knowing this about her and connecting with her on this level means that, in an infinitesimal way, she and I are a bit closer as friends.
What’s the ROI on that? I don’t know, but I know good friends are important in your personal life and in your business life so they are worth some investment of time and energy.

Your “Jerry Maguire Moment”

A few weeks ago, I met Jim Benson.

A smart guy, he told me about his frustration with his previous employer, which led him to start his own company.

I interrupted him (politely), of course, and said, “you had a Jerry Maguire moment.”x

He nodded.

Someone once told me that I’d had that prior to leaving Microsoft. Maybe.

But it resonated and I liked the idea.

Since, I’ve met many others who’ve had one. Maybe they didn't write a manifesto or email the CEO, but it was clear...they were having a Jerry Maguire Moment.

So, why not? Now, there’s a Facebook Group for all of those people who have had one.

Join with your kindred spirits.

5 Ways to be Happier

As you know, Gretchen Rubin is my client and her book, The Happiness Project is currently #1 on the NYT best-seller list.
My buddy Connor pinged me to say that he saw it on the local DC news (and that I make a cameo).
In it, Gretchen offers 5 tips to be happier. (Video here)

Snow and the Beauty of Siblings..

There’s something about a huge snowstorm like the one we had that makes me pensive.

Last night, after everyone had gone to sleep, I was reading on the couch.

Every 20 minutes or so, I found myself staring out the window to see how the “blizzard of 2010” (aka Snowlapalooza) was taking shape.

Perhaps it is the tabula rasa effect that a huge amount of snow has on the world. Everything is so pure and clean that leads to that desire for introspection.

The book I was reading was Michael Chabon’s Manhood for Amateurs, which I liked but didn’t love (I had high expectations after The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.)

One of the more vivid pictures he paints in his prose, at least for me, was his recounting of the day that his younger brother came home from the hospital after being born.

“Until then,” he wrote, “I’d had no one to share my story with. At that moment, my story began.”

I shared that sentiment with my own first brother, Asher earlier in the day.

Periodically, but not frequently enough, we get together to schmooze. 

Yesterday morning, as we were preparing for the Blizzard, we reminisced about a massive storm in 1979 (we think) that afforded us the opportunity to jump off the top of our parents station wagon and build a network of tunnels throughout our neighborhood.

“I haven’t thought of that day for 30 years,” Asher said and, as I finished Chabon’s book last night, I thought of the fact that my story (and his, I suppose) are so dependent upon each other.

Going upstairs, I decided to check in on the kids, if only to savor one of those fleeting moments of parenthood that in the blink of an eye are gone.

As I peeked into the room that Paco and Tonka share, I did a double take.

The two of them were sleeping in the same bed.

It’s happened before, but not very often.

For whatever reason, the two of them decided that they wanted to snug with each other, I’m sure, and fell asleep next to each other.

Peaceful as they were, I thought about the fact that their stories were dependent upon each other and that the memories of their childhood would not be preserved by their parents but by each other.

After dinner last night, I told them, “this is a snowstorm that you may not see for a long time,” so we all seized the opportunity to go outside for a 10 minute walk, creating a lasting memory that the two of them will (hopefully) be able to share 30 years down the road, as Asher and I did about our own snowstorm adventure 30 years ago.

I sat for a while on the other bed, just watching them sleep and so appreciative of the stories that they were creating with each other.

The snowstorm was, in this one sense at least, a blessing.

Samoans in the NFL…

This was on 60 minutes a while back, but for long time football fans, you’ll appreciate the story about why there are so many Samoans in the NFL.

 
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Only if you are motivated, add a Facebook fan badge for Never Stop Marketing to your site. Code is below.

If you do, send me the link…I’m going to create an Honor Roll on the site and link back to you.

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Nextworking…

My friend, Tom Harshbarger, sent me the following note:

I think I just made up a new term for networking towards your next job. If the term already exists, I’m pretty sure you would know!

I call it “nextworking.”

Well, I’m honored and I have definitely never heard of the term.

The only thing that concerns me is that it could, potentially, imply that “nextworking” is a defined period. One that starts and stops.

That flies in the face of Never Stop Marketing and the lesson we learned from Jason a while back about the best time to look for a job.

However, if you “Never Stop Nextworking!” then I’m ok with it!

It’s All About the Question….

My dad told me a few years ago that exposing your kids to new experiences is not about imparting knowledge.

It’s about teaching curiosity.

Your objective is to get them to ask “Why?”

We have a Statue of Liberty print by Peter Max in our home (not this one, but you get the gist) and one morning, out of nowhere, Paco began peppering me with questions?

• “Why does she have a crown?”
• “What is she holding in her hand?”
• “Why is she on an island?”
• “Why is she in New York?”
• “Why are there stars behind her?”

It WAS tiring (I’d be lying if otherwise), but it was impressive and a moment of pride.

It also gave me the inspiration to keep on working at it.

How to Measure a Day…

A number of folks asked me following my work with Gretchen Rubin (client) whether I, too, had a Happiness Project.

And, if that was how I would look at my day and life.

While I do have a Happiness Project, I think my scoreboard at the end of the day is much simpler.

There’s a refrain among football fans about players who give their all on every play. It is, perhaps, the highest compliment around.

“He left it all on the field.”

When I lie down at night, I just ask myself that question.

Some days are more up than down, but it’s in the down moment (when you are sad or bummed), that you have the chance to really live life.

If I can honestly say, “yep, left it all on the field today,” then I declare victory.

Inglorious Basterds…

When I was younger, I didn’t really appreciate Quentin Tarantino all that much.

For whatever reason, I see the humor and appreciate the style and ironic twists of his film.

So, too, with my recent viewing of “Inglorious Basterds” which plays off the hilarious Seth Rogen line in “Knocked Up” (roughly paraphrased)

“I loved the movie Munich! In almost every movie, it is the Jews getting whacked. It’s about time we did the whacking!”

Well, the Jews do most of the whacking in this movie and it makes for some interesting “what if?” scenarios as well as some good ol’ not feeling like the victim always in Holocaust era films.

Irreverent? Absolutely.

Violent? You betcha.

If you have a stomach for these things, worth checking out. If not, skip it, you’ll just walk away offended.

Why Opposites Attract…

Over the last few years, as the NFO and I have gotten to know each other, I think we’ve come to appreciate how different we are in so many ways.

While the core, fundamental values are the same (thankfully), the other stuff?

Well, 180 degrees.

I mean, she’s the NFO. I’ve got a blog with almost 3000 posts.

She’s not on Facebook. I am…in full force.

And on and on and on…

But, the other day, it dawned on me, possibly, why it is that opposites do, in fact, attract.

It may be a Darwinian thing.

See, if nature is selecting for the best traits, then the mating of two different people will allow their offspring to develop and enhance (in theory) the traits that are most suited for survival and adaptation in the next generation.

If we were completely similar and the societal requirements of our offspring were such that our traits would not be beneficial, that would serve to hurt the future successes of our children.

Clearly, I have NO idea if this makes any sense, but my limited understanding of genetics (coupled with the fact that we occasionally drive each other nuts ;-) brought this idea to my mind.

A Rant About Women...

A fascinating take on women...and their inability to self-promote...and the consequences.

The author is a professor at NYU and someone who is at the forefront of the communications/social media thinking world.

Speaking Tour of the Midwest

Following on the heels of the successful East Coast tour, the good folks on the Local Engagement Team at Microsoft (client) are taking the Marketing Survival Strategies for the Attention Economy show on the road.

 

You (or your friends) can catch me in the following cities.

Would be honored if you helped spread the word.

City	Date
Chicago	Feb. 9
Minneapolis	Feb. 10
Cincinnati	Feb. 11

How To Increase Your Odds of ‘Going Viral’

Read my new e-Book (PDF) Dandelion Marketing: How to Increase Your Odds of ‘Going Viral’
This will give you an idea of where I think marketing is headed.
Read, enjoy, share.

Dandelion Marketing: How to Increase Your Odds of 'Going Viral'

Appreciating the Harp…

I meat a harpist the other day….here’s my interview. I learned a lot. Perhaps you will as well.

If you can’t see the video, click here.

Why blog about your personal life?

Every now and then I’ll meet someone who asks me “why do you share so much about your personal life online?”

(Sometimes I meet people who make fun of me, but that’s a different story.)

Why?

Aside from the fact that I like sharing it, I also like hearing how it makes people feel.

I got a note from Jacob the other day, saying he was unsubscribing from this blog.

I didn’t recognize his name and thought that, perhaps, as is sometimes the case, he was a business associate looking for the Never Stop Marketing blog and, accidentally, had chosen the wrong blog.

“No,” he wrote, “I subscribed back when I was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer and was reading about your experiences. I enjoyed your blog and reading about your family and your other musings. It’s just gotten to the point where I can’t keep up with all the other blogs I read.”

So, for 2.5 years, this random guy decided that the stuff I was sharing was of interest to him.

In some ways, though the comparison is probably not apt, I suspect this is what artists look for.

Affect people you’ve never met through your work.

Rapping Rabbis…

Just when you thought you’d seen it all…

click here.

Ethiopian Carry Out (DC area)

So, our nanny has started a side business.

If you know folks in the DC area who might be interested, feel free to share the word.

It’s not kosher, so please don’t get confused.

However, she has cooked in our kitchen and I can definitely vouch for her skills!

The most remarkable “save the date” video…

STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Watch this video. The most remarkable "save the date" invite ever.http://bit.ly/5IgrIh

Four Marketing Lessons from the US Navy…

Image via Wikipedia

Quick background:

I was invited by the US Navy to participate in their “Distinguished Civilian Program” because I am a “prominent blogger” (their words, not mine, I promise).

The incredible offer?

Spend 24 hours on the USS Stennis aircraft carrier, get briefed by an admiral, the captain of the ship, watch the day and night flight operations and get a deeper understanding of the sacrifice made by the dedicated sailors on board. (Here’s how Guy Kawasaki captured it when he was invited a few months ago).

Plus, I would have the opportunity to meet some people whose work I greatly admire in my field, including Jeremiah Owyang of Altimeter and Chip Heath, author of one of my favorite books ever, Made to Stick, plus a slew of other really great folks in the marketing/social media world. (Jeremiah made a Twitter list of the folks slated to be on board together.)

So, what can we learn from the Navy?

1. The Navy understands that it is an attention economy.
   The old model of having their story (broadcast via TV ads, for example) may not be the best way to tell their message. So, they are investing time and effort to identify, create, and activate Raving Fans (aka Community Driven Marketing)
   
2. Recognize that “everyone is in marketing.”
   By bringing us on board and having the chance to meet sailors and officers, they recognize that “everyone is in marketing,” one of the core tenets of Dandelion Marketing. The Navy could tell us a story that was “sanitized and scrubbed” or they can let us tell it as we see it, by talking to real people, to add a level of authenticity to it to increase the credibility.
   
3. Use your assets to build community.
   Not everyone has an aircraft carrier, but you do have things which your network would like to see in action. Bring together like-minded people around a “social object” and allow those connections to grow with each other. By applying Reed’s law to their community, the Navy grows the value of their network and their brand.

So, the plans were laid. Tickets bought. I was all set to arrive at the Naval Air Station in San Diego at 8am on Sunday, Jan. 24th.

Until this email came in, which was the last marketing lesson:

I'm sorry to inform you that due to weather conditions in the northwestern U.S., USS STENNIS was unable to get underway as planned, which has a direct impact on your scheduled embark.

Your group was to fly aboard the carrier as part of the first wave of flight operations. However, due to the one-day delay in the ship's departure, there will no longer be any flight operations on the 24th, which means we are unable to accomplish the overnight embark on the 24th.

I'm sorry for any issues or hardships this cancellation may cause you, but this is something that is beyond our control.

4.   When things go bad, just be upfront and honest about it.
They emailed AND called. And they used a truly human, personal voice to do it. They knew we would be disappointed and that came across in the communications. (And this is the Navy we’re talking about here!)

In preparation for the trip, I had been watching the PBS series Carrier and one of the phrases that stuck with me from the sailors was that “in the military, you have to learn to roll with the punches,” and that is what we’re all doing.

In the meantime, the Navy managed to create some positive Word of Mouth and cultivate me (and many of the others) as a Raving Fan…and we didn’t even have to get on the ship! (but we still want to! and we’re hopeful for a future date.)

My hunch is that your organization is less formal than the US Navy. If they can do it, so can you. Just go get an aircraft carrier and you are on your way ;-)

[I should add that my kids were thrilled that the trip was cancelled, since I’ll be home and we can watch the AFC/NFC championship games together-I’ve done a decent job of creating football Raving Fans in that category, if I do say so myself.)

Post was written while listening (intentionally) to: SmashMouth - - I get knocked down!.mp3

Why Scott Brown Won in Massachusetts…

Image via Wikipedia

This isn’t about politics.

It’s about marketing and perception.

By now, you know that Scott Brown, the Republican beat the Democrat and presumed winner, Martha Coakley for the open Senate seat in Massachusetts. (I won’t call it Ted Kennedy’s seat, since it wasn’t his…it belongs to the people of Mass, but I digress.)

There are many factors at play here, but I’ll focus on one in particular.

As loyal blog reader Jeff said, “Martha Coakley didn’t stay true to your philosophy. She stopped marketing.”

Between Xmas and New Year’s, Coakley took a vacation.

Meanwhile, Scott Brown was out shaking hands at the NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day at Fenway Park in Boston.

It’s in moments like these that perception can be strongest. You have to show people that you really want it. You have to ACT like you Want the Business.

Now, I’m not saying that you can never take a break. You certainly can, but it’s the perception of that break which is important.

The perception that Coakley gave was “this is in the bag.”

Not “I’m running as hard as I can and taking 1 day to regroup during this sprint to the finish and to focus on my family since they are the most important thing in my life.”

Brown? Well, let’s just say he’s the first political winner of the Never Stop Marketing award (here are other winners).

 

Post was written while listening to: MC Hammer - - Too Legit to Quit

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