Monthly Archives: May 2012

May 31 2012
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Discipline, Focus, Leadership

Yig-Wig

We have a saying in our office that is the final statement of our core values: You Get What You Give.

Abbreviated into YGWYG, I refer to it as “yig-wig.”

This is a foundational thought that will live in every company I’m blessed to participate with throughout my career.

It takes courage to give.

So if you’re after more joy courageously give more joy.

Not getting the information you want from your customer? Then freely, unashamed, and Santa-Claus-like, tastefully, give them more GREAT information they can use.

Givers are very beneficial to receivers. Don’t forget that.

This will take you being vulnerable too.

The commerce of the future will belong to those who do not stray way from this vulnerability, but to the ones who embrace it.

Watch. Much of what we pay for today 10 years from now will be freely given. But done right, the customer will see that and in return give currency in return for something else.

In his song “Wheel”, John Mayer sums this up perfectly. “I believe that my life is going to see the love I give return to me.”

#LTMP

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May 30 2012
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Business

Value

Honesty is value.

Better service offers more value.

Better systems bring better value.

And all of this is scary. Because you put yourself out there in your honesty. You put yourself out there when you serve. You put yourself out there to create, design, tweak, and launch what you think is a better system.

In a weird way, could it be that we avoid providing great value due to a fear of being shot down?

A mentor of mine once told me to always separate yourself from your product. They’re not saying no to you. They’re saying no to your service (at the time), your product, your book, your idea, your _______.  Point of the story? Fail forward.

If a bedrock focus for everything you do is to create, provide, and share value – the markets will respond with an acceptance ratio in your favor.

The end user always has one last question. “Where’s the value?” The hard, rewarding, part is writing the story for them to understand your answer.

Alas, Our instruments make our music and our music tells our story.

May 29 2012
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Business, Creativity, Discipline, Focus, Imagination, Let The Music Play

Opportunities

One day an opportunity will arise for you the salesman to say I’m sorry. I was wrong. It was my fault. My product or service did not work the way it was intended to.

Everyday an opportunity will arise for you to serve.

Most days an opportunity will arise for you to not ignore the call.

Probably everyday an opportunity will arise for you to make the call you don’t want to.

When we don’t take the opportunity alloted, we miss a musical opportunity.

Noise is what the market expects (you’re not going to serve well, you’re not going to say you were wrong, you’re going to ignore the difficult call, and you’re not going to make the follow-up call). Noise is par. Noise is average. Noise is vanilla.

I’m giving you 2 permissions:

1) You are allowed to ignore the small voice inside your head that wants you to play the blame game, not serve, ignore the call, or not make the call. The more we give in to this voice, the more shallow life becomes.

2) Talk to your fears. Call them out. Address them. Demand they weaken. They’re responsible for most of where we’re lacking music in our lives.

Now that you have this permission, what are you waiting on?

Our days are full of endless opportunities, and it is the result of these opportunities that will cause your brand continue living in an economy where there are brand causalities happening all around us.

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May 28 2012
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Discipline, Focus

Your Big Break

When you finally know what you want you will find yourself on the brink of your big break.

When you know you know what you want you find ways to get it.

When you know what you want Divinity starts clearing a path.

Unfortunately, we’re bombarded with thousands of messages everyday telling us what we should want. Resistance gets its fix on a confused population.

Have you asked yourself lately what you want? Hint: It’s probably more of an outcome your after than it is money, looks, a person, or a thing. And as time evolves, the wants change.

Your big break is just around the corner. When you get around the corner there will be turbulence, frustration, and resistance. Stay the course, dodge the bombarding noise, and find your music.

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May 25 2012
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Discipline, Leadership

Cut, Lead. Cut, Lead. Cut, Lead.

Want to be the efficiency leader, be the cutting wasted time leader. The proverbial smoke break has swapped places with social media. Think about it.

Want to be the customer service leader, then lead your current customers and cut out chasing the customer that will never be yours. You current customers will be mainly responsible for your new customers in the years ahead anyway.

Want to be the profit leader, be the cost cutting leader. Do more with less.

More of something is always available when less something is around or being attended to.

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