Jeff comes up to me the other day.
Doesn’t even say hello.
“You know, you’re wrong,” he says.
“Uh, what are we talking about?” I ask. “…and nice to see you as well.”
“You can’t let your son root for teams as a day trader. It’s precisely because sports are unimportant that it’s a good way to teach loyalty.”
Scott also had really strong feelings on the subject, as you can read in the comments to the post.
Say you are Pro-Choice. Would you buy a car from a dealer (assuming it was the best deal you had found, of course) if you knew the owner gave money to Pro-Life causes?
What about the reverse?
What about someone who supports Obama? or McCain? Or Hamas? Or enables Chinese suppression of Tibet?
Was talking to someone who sells products online the other day.
He’s got very strong political views. He was expressing concern about how “open” one can ‘afford’ to be in social media, given that there are those who would punish you economically (i.e. not buy your product) if they knew your political opinions.
He said, “I’m not willing to sacrifice profits for social media,” so he’s keeping his opinions offline.
A nice discussion of this in the comments section of my buddy Adam’s blog.
What are your thoughts?
I worked with a guy for a year whom I liked personally, but just seemed to be ineffective in his job.
His co-workers didn't respect him.
They mocked him behind his back.
Some called him "incompetent."
Not surprisingly, he left his job at the end of the year.
I saw him a few weeks ago.
He's in a new role now. He's thrilled.
I talked to a few of his co-workers. He's perceived as a rock star.
We're so quick to judge an individual by performance within one environment, but we don't always take the larger view.
It may not be the best example (due to attitude problems), but look at Randy Moss.
He goes to Oakland and it's a disaster. People say he doesn't have a work ethic. He's a trouble maker.
He gets traded to New England and he breaks all types of records.
Right player, wrong system.
Wrong player, right system.
Context matters.
Next time, I may be less quick to judge about an individual person and ask myself, "is he just a good player who's on the wrong team?"
Following Seth Godin's lead, I tell people that I don't maintain a resume anymore.
Between LinkedIn and my blog, I figure, anyone who would look at a traditional resume would have a deeper contextual understanding of my abilities and perspectives with those two vehicles.
Plus with LinkedIn, you get to see
And, now I'll add one more thing...the comments and blog posts written by others about you.
A big call out to Jimmy Gardner for his profile of me. I'm honored.
If we're truly in the "attention economy," then a book like Hypnotic Writing could definitely be a competitive advantage for any of us.
I liked the concrete suggestions on how to improve your writing, the recognition that it's not a "quick fix" to do it, and that there are MANY complex parts to a well-written story.
What I didn't enjoy so much was that, well, to be honest, I didn't find the book all that hypnotic. I wanted to be enraptured the way I was with,say,Kite Runner, but that didn't happen. In fact, it's taken me about 3 months to finish it (ok, we had a baby-liveblogged birth here, but still).
At the end of the day, good writing, like anything else is a discipline. It requires practice, refinement, and hard work. That much, I got out of this book.
If you (or I) am not willing to make that investment, it's probably not worth the read.
I know I've got a different approach than most when it comes to keeping in touch with distant friends (time/space).
But, there are a few folks who really do a good job of providing high value updates, even if they are infrequent.
My ol' buddy from Japan, Steve Wechsler, did just that today. I provide the below, with permission, as an example of a solid update that doesn't take a long time.
Just wanted to check in and see how you're doing as a family of 5. Having a 3rd child has been described to me as "It doesn't cry and less, you just hear it less". That being said, our 3rd, has been a pretty easy baby. She's now 10.5 months old.
We just got back from 5 days in Florida and it was good to get away and spend some time in the warm weather. The kids enjoyed being in shorts and swimming every day.
Following your email about your seeing Carnie and Paulie in St. Louis, Ken Hartman emailed me. We had lunch a few weeks ago. He works only a few blocks from here.
Well done. I think we can all learn from Steve's approach. Brief, but filled with content.
The BEST analysis I've read thus far of how branding must adapt/evolve to an Internet-enabled world.
Just first rate. If you are in marketing, advertising, communication, or PR (and who isn't?)...
When I interview people for a position, I often ask them about their passions outside of work.
You know why?
I like to find people like me. People who, in their own free time, pursue activities that are similar to what they get paid to do.
On my own time (after the kids are in bed and the usual "life stuff" -exercise is in that category), you know what I do?
It's true.
Now, in category #1, there are some folks I listen to more than others. There are a lot of self-proclaimed "marketing pundits" out there (I think I am one as well!) but I have a Hall of Fame.
And, in that group, are Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell.
Their book, Citizen Marketers
When you read a blog, you get to know the author(s) on a different level than if you read an article or a book.
I know Jackie is a football fan (Steelers). I know they moved from Chicago to Austin last year. I know that Ben likes music.
Over time, I've built a relationship with them.
First was my *famous* series of Metamucil related posts. Then, I won a contest on their blog. We "friended" on Facebook.
So, I summoned the courage ;-) a few weeks back and said, "hey, I'll be in Austin on Jan. 15th, would you like to meet up?"
They went for it!
And, for me, at least, it was just a great experience. Having some serious 1:2 time with two of the leading thinkers where I could pose specific questions about my business and career to them and get personalized feedback...which I'd 'earned' in the sense of participation within their community.
If you read this blog, you know that my marketing hero is Seth Godin.
So, I was pumped up when he had a blog post two weeks ago titled "Nickel and Diming" when I had the same title last April! Yeah, baby!
Ok, ego boost over.
Back to reality. His post was better anyway.
Microsoft won't be the same
Video: Bill Gates Last Day CES Clip
Now, if we at MSFT can take this attitude and ability to laugh at ourselves and extend it out through all parts of our organization, I think the relationship we have with customers and partners will be revolutionized.
When you prepare a presentation, er performance, for any group, may I suggest this:
Prep as if you were going to talk to a class of four year olds
Adults need the same thing, though you won't get the same instantaneous feedback, in terms of involvement and attention.
My daughter's nursery school has a program called "Star of the Week." Each parent is invited to come in to do an activity with the class.
I elected to create a digital movie with them as the co-creators and main stars.
I knew, however, that the attention span of a 4 year old can be very limited.
I scripted out each step and prepared vigorously for it, knowing that any glitch or hesitation could cause me to lose my audience.
I got there early to set up.
Here's my checklist:
Set up
- confirm activesync bluetooth connection between Phone and PC
- open Phone to pictures folder (Computer\T-Mobile Dash\Storage Card\My Documents\My Pictures)
- open One Note
- confirm tablet ink is working properly
- open up audio recording for One Note
- open Paint
- open MovieMaker
- hook up speakers
- hook up projector
I knew that involvement was the key. It had to be a dialogue.
"Do you guys like to watch movies and DVD's?"
"YES!!!!"
"Good, because today you are going to help me make a movie."
And here's the script I used to make sure that everything flowed smoothly.
Start in One Note
Give four kids a chance to draw in one note
Copy picture to Paint
Save to CDE star folder
Begin recording in One Note
Let 3 kids sing in one file
Save to CDE start folder as .wma
Take pictures of kids on camera phone
Take pictures of 4 kids
Show them the picture on the phone
Refresh the folder on the PC
Show them "like magic" how the picture moves from the phone to the PC
Move pictures to CDE star folder
Import all media to Movie Maker
Start in Storyboard
Add pictures
Let 4 kids choose the order of the pictures
Add effects
Let 2 kids choose effects from these four (3d ripple, ease out, ease in, spin)
Add transitions (Let 2 kids choose the transitions)
Import the previously recorded song (from one note)
Add music
Let 1 kid choose the music
Put in the Title/Credits in (the names of the students)
Show the movie
Sounds extreme, but I'll say this...
They made me show the movie 4 times! (we changed it a little bit each time, too for fun)
By the 3rd time, there were 16 kids dancing to the soundtrack.
And, in spite of it all, there was one kid who said "I'm bored of watching the movie."
If you can keep a class of 4 year olds engrossed (for the most part), then you can keep a room full of adults hooked!
If you think about how you brand yourself, you may enjoy this meme: Marketing Blocking and Tackling (from my work blog)
Start a blog.
I'm not kidding.
Why?
Well, for a moment, let's leave out the reasoning of your argument and think about the method.
If I call you or email you and begin to pitch my idea, you are being interrupted. I am forcing you to react in real-time. It's an intrusion, either way, into your life.
If, however, I just put my thoughts out on a blog and you voluntarily go there, the nature of the conversation has already changed.
Now, you are, potentially, more open to my ideas.
You don't have to agree, that's fine, but because you are willingly putting yourself into the dialogue and thoughtstream, the conversation is likely to be more productive.
We've all been in conversations where the manner of presentation destroyed the content.
And, don't worry about numbers, worry that the "right" people are reading it (be it internal or external).
A quick example...
I have a friend who is a lawyer in DC working in pharmaceutical regulatory issues. He's a big reader of this blog and he decided that he could be a blogger.
He's got 300 readers a month, not huge, but you know what? It's the right 300 people. He's viewed as an expert in his industry and that helps him build out his business.
See Seth's post (a slightly different take) on an internal blog.
Netiquette is Internet Etiquette. The following question came in from an FOJ, who shall remain anonymous :-)
What do you think is the correct answer to his dilemma?
(My thoughts are at the bottom)
He writes:
I am emailing you because I consider you to be an expert on email etiquette and online networks.
By now you may or may not have seen my invitation to you to join Doostang.
I wanted to "connect with" perhaps 10 people and I inadvertently invited my entire gmail address book who aren't already Doostang members to join Doostang. You might be able to imagine how this happened.
I wanted to find friends who were already on Doostang and "connect with" them so I used my gmail email address and password on the Doostang website to do this. It then found and checked the boxes next to everyone in my address book who were already members AND it checked the boxes next to everyone in my address book who are not yet members.
So I unchecked the people who are already members who I did not want to "connect with" (like someone in the Admissions Office of Fordham Law School who I don't know at all). I then neglected to uncheck the boxes of everyone else who isn't already a member. I then carelessly clicked on "Connect with Friends".
There are over 400 email addresses in my gmail address book and voila, I had just sent an email to nearly all of them.
I just wanted to make sure that my instinct is correct and I should not email my entire address book to apologize. Rather, I am just going to apologize if people respond to me asking me what is going on or to remove them from this list. One person already has and please see the PS for the text of what I responded. I am assuming that most people who don't know me or barely know me are just going to delete the Doostang invitation.
On a somewhat surprising note, a partner at the law firm where I used to be a paralegal, and with whom I am not all in touch, accepted my Doostang invitation!
Any advice would be most appreciated.
Thank you,
(Name withheld)
PS Here is the text of my response to someone who responded to me.
Mr. [Name Removed],
I am really sorry. I wanted to send the Doostang invitation to perhaps 10 people. I inadvertently sent it to my entire gmail address book.
Once I did that, though, I did not want to send yet one more piece of unnecessary email to my entire gmail address book apologizing for doing so. I am sending a personal apology to whomever responds to me as you did Mr. [Name Removed].
My apologies again,
It's a tough call to generalize about all 400 people's responses, of course. For those who already like you, like me, I'll just ignore it and move on. It's not enough to damage our relationship and you don't do it very often (unlike those annoying Vampire=referrers on Facebook), so you are probably ok just moving on.
Your response to the person who wrote to you was right on, so that was ok. No need to contact all 400 probably.
The last part, I would think is that, possibly, you can use this as an opportunity for a segment of your 400.
Not all of your contacts are equal.
You can write to those in your gmail book in group 3 w/whom you have less contact and offer them an apology, acknowledging that you made a mistake (which can be a great sign of strength), and then use that to strengthen your personal bond with them.
Work and enhance your network relationship and linkages.
Follow up with a call for 5 minutes to chat, send an article that you know s/he might find relevant. Re-connect in some way so that, next time you mess up, you can count that person as "solidly in your camp," the way you can count me.
Will it take some time to go through your list of 400 and figure out to whom you should reach out? Yes, of course, but you are only as valuable as your network is strong (I've blogged about this a lot, here and here, for example), so it is probably worth it.
And, thanks for considering me a guru, though it's probably not deserved.
Wonder what others think...
My mother-in-law is a great reader. She's also a published author
When she reads stories, she reads with a soft cadence that brings the listener into the words of the book.
For whatever reason, she was my inspiration tonight as I read two books (this one
They have each heard the book dozens of times, but I could sense their focus tonight.
With each word, I imagined-and I know this sounds corny-the word getting implanted on their brains, expanding their vocabularies, and enabling them to picture ideas and images in their minds.
A moment of truly being present...and a gift.
Think that being a "Citizen Marketer" doesn't really work? Is one person really More Powerful Than Microsoft?
Well, I took a video that saved my parents $1800.
It's not so much what happens in the video, it's what happened because of the video.
Backstory:
My mom had made arrangements to host dinner prior to my brother's wedding at a hotel in St. Paul, MN. Despite some requests, she hadn't received a final cost estimate for any fees payable to the hotel (the catering and wait staff were externally arranged)
So, it's Friday morning (dinner is Friday night) and my mom finds out that the fee would be $3000 for the room alone (more than the cost of the food and service staff) because of "union rules" or something like that.
As my mom says in the video, "I feel like you have me over a barrel."
Citizen Marketing...
And once upon a time, that would be the case. The discussion, in the back of the sales and catering office, would have ended up with my mom caving because she really had NO leverage whatsoever.
Not anymore.
As I said to my mom (she thought the video approach was a bit controversial), all I did was "level the playing field."
If the hotel folks wanted to say, "too bad," or "my hands are tied," (2.50 into it) that's fine.
Today, though there's a measure of accountability. You can't pretend later that it didn't happen. You can't expect that the story won't be told. And you can't expect that you can treat customers however you want and that no one will know about it because the conversation took place in a backroom.
As an employee, you are always accountable for your actions on behalf of the company. It's a tough, paradigm shift, but it is the new reality.
On a side note, I happen to think that the employee was trying to do the right thing and listened very well, but didn't feel empowered by her organization to do so, which is a whole different problem. She wasn't rude or offensive, she was just holding up the "party line," when someone else probably gave the order to do so.
Bottom Line
Hilton agreed to lower the fee to $1200.
Video Notes:
Most of the video is my mom talking (0:22 through 2.50). It only gets interesting when the rep says (3.30) that "if I am going to be on film, then there's nothing more to say" [which sort of proves the point of the post, IMHO).
Updated: after thinking it over, I've decided to remove the video. I have no animus towards the particular employee and feel that it's just not worth embarrassing her to further make the point.
I took a walk around the neighborhood today at 3pm. The street was quiet.
Middle of the day and I'm on my front yard.
Once upon a time (agrarian), you got paid for manual labor based on your output (say bushels of cottons picked).
Then, (industrial), you get paid for the hours of work you perform (say assembly line).
Now, you get paid for the knowledge you produce. Time doesn't matter. Can't be measured in physical terms.
A total paradigm shift.
There are hundreds of micro-moments in a child's life that can have ultimately have a major impact down the road.
I dropped Tonka off at nursery school on Thursday. As we were hanging up her coat, a friend runs up to her and says,
"Don't play with Jane. She's not being nice."
Tonka didn't really react, but I intervened in a BIG way.
"Tonka, just because Jane isn't playing nicely with Molly doesn't mean that you shouldn't be nice to her."
And I continued to drive home the point of
When she got home, Tonka made a point of telling me that she played nicely with Jane.
Like the comment made to me in college about a professor that changed my outlook on business. Call it the Iceberg Theory of Change or what you will, but, when your kids are young, if you are there to help shape character, the impact can be tremendous.
*Names changed to protect pretty much everyone.
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