I finally ditched Corporate America! Actually...it is more accurate to say that they ditched me. A few weeks ago, I was informed that my company were having cuts and that my role in it was being eliminated.
No matter who you are...no matter what position you may hold in a company...this news puts you in one of two buckets:
The first one is the "Holy (bleep)...I just lost my job...what am I going to do now?" bucket. The second one is the "I just lost my job and the possibilities are limitless!" bucket. Fortunately for me, I found myself squarely in Bucket #2.
Over the years, I've had many people close to me go through similar situations. In thinking back on those, I remember all the terrible cliches that get thrown around:
"One door closes but another one opens."
"Things are never as bad as they seem."
"A new and better opportunity is just around the corner."
The challenge is...as corny as they sound...they are all true! Almost immediately after my "corporate career" ended in the advertising industry, a new opportunity opened up for me in the surf industry. Are you kidding me? That's a dream come true/bucket list check off moment for me! I would have missed this moment if I had been in Bucket #1.
Luckily, I just stayed focused on the fact that, there's challenges, there's a reason for those challenges, there's a pathway to get past the challenges, and the challenges DO go away. That gave me the balance to remember that the universe REALLY does give you what you need, as long as you know where to look for it, and don't miss the signs. Some of the signs and/or things the universe may give you seem terrible, at first glance, but, often times, they really aren't.
One door may close...but another one really does actually open up...
Namaste.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
The Importance of Disconnecting
The digital age we live in is amazing. Numerous devices offer us incredible connectivity and access to amazing discoveries. Art, culture, sports, food, entertainment, science, KNOWLEDGE...is available at our very fingertips these days. It's amazing, and also dangerous if not used right.
There is a delicate balance between spending the appropriate amount of time "connected" along with an appropriate amount of time being disconnected. We still owe it to ourselves to be able to interact on a personal level with each other, and with nature. We have a tribal connection to this planet while we are on it, and, on some levels, a responsibility to maintain points of that connection without the internet.
Go surf instead of watching a surf video. Go do yoga (or whatever workout you prefer) in a class or gym instead of streaming the workout on your device. Go out and listen to live music (or go play some if you are so inclined) instead of streaming it from your device. Go watch a sporting event live and enjoy the atmosphere and spectacle instead of catching the highlights on your ESPN app. Go visit an actual museum instead of googling what the art looks like on your phone!
Social media and the digital age are fantastic, so I don't want to be hypocritical here (especially since you landed on this blog via those channels)! It is simply vitally important to strike the right balance between being 'connected' and disconnected. Disconnecting provides an important element of balance, and 'connects' us back to our basic tribal human instincts, which can only be good in the long run.
Namaste
There is a delicate balance between spending the appropriate amount of time "connected" along with an appropriate amount of time being disconnected. We still owe it to ourselves to be able to interact on a personal level with each other, and with nature. We have a tribal connection to this planet while we are on it, and, on some levels, a responsibility to maintain points of that connection without the internet.
Go surf instead of watching a surf video. Go do yoga (or whatever workout you prefer) in a class or gym instead of streaming the workout on your device. Go out and listen to live music (or go play some if you are so inclined) instead of streaming it from your device. Go watch a sporting event live and enjoy the atmosphere and spectacle instead of catching the highlights on your ESPN app. Go visit an actual museum instead of googling what the art looks like on your phone!
Social media and the digital age are fantastic, so I don't want to be hypocritical here (especially since you landed on this blog via those channels)! It is simply vitally important to strike the right balance between being 'connected' and disconnected. Disconnecting provides an important element of balance, and 'connects' us back to our basic tribal human instincts, which can only be good in the long run.
Namaste
Friday, March 7, 2014
Speed in the Marketplace
I caught up with a friend of mine today who has gone from a traditional Corporate America role, to his own consulting gig. The speed at which my friend has built his new company is somewhat breath taking. It got me thinking about the balance between moving slowly and deliberately in the business world versus moving fast and being agile.
On the one hand, there is slow and deliberate. This offers you the best chance to "get it right the first time" and cut down on expensive and time consuming work arounds. It usually also follows a collaborative process which means everyone has a say, and (in theory) keeps morale up. The challenge with this one of course, is that slow and deliberate can easily morph into "indecision" if you aren't careful. There's nothing more crippling than indecision.
On the other hand, there is fast and agile. Focus, analyze, develop, and execute in 48 hours and go...and go...and go faster. This definitely delivers your speed to market...but it definitely increases the loopholes and trap doors into which things can fall. The flip side of this is that, I'm starting to believe that people that move this quickly and nimbly in today's marketplace are going so fast, that by the time all the competition notices that a mistake was made...it's too late because it's already been fixed and is in the rear view mirror.
As this blog is about balance...I feel like I'm supposed to say the proper mix is somewhere in between, but I don't fully believe that. For those of us that are in a company or an industry that is trying to dramatically change culture or shift paradigms, we need to be fast and agile. For those of us that are in industries where things like continuous process improvement is key...then slow and steady probably wins the day.
All I know is...my buddy that is out in the market place and moving fast is having one hell of a good time doing so.
The only people smarter than him are my friends that are bartenders and waiters. Now...truly...THESE guys have the right idea. They always have money for a beer and always can find time to get a cold one with friends. Lobster season in the keys? No problem...they can take a week off and head down. Surf's up? No problem...they always have time to paddle out! Actually...it's this crew that has the right idea and have definitely struck the right balance! I think I need to go join them!
Namaste
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Living in the moment?
Ferris Bueller spectacularly taught those of us from a certain generation that "life moves pretty fast and if you don't stop and look around sometime, you are going to miss it".
I was stunned yesterday to hear of the passing of a friend of mine. This guy had just turned 51. He led a healthy lifestyle, and was fortunate enough to have turned his excellent eye for photography into a successful business. He had a family and a massive network of friends. He apparently had a hemorrhagic stroke, and just could not recover. It's crazy to think that one little internal malfunction can cause such dramatic devastation, but there you go. From what I can tell from the tribute site that is already thriving for him, he epitomized living in the moment. While I'm sad he's gone now, it is somewhat comforting to know he made the most of his time on this planet.
So, thinking about Ferris' advice and stopping to look around now...I see so much negativity, it makes me sad. Try sitting through 10 minutes of the local or national news sometime. It's nearly all bad. Turn to social media and see what's happening there. In my own current experience, people seem to be taking darkness to social media as well. I see so many rants about Obamacare, corrupt officials, police brutality, the right to arm yourself to teeth, the neighbor's dog crapped in their yard, and on and on and on.
I applaud these people's passion...AND...I worry about their balance. There's no way to know if some of these passions are obsessive without observing these people 24/7, but some of them sure seem to be. I hope they are also carving out time to spend with families or friends, or playing or listening to music, or doing something outside which puts them in touch with nature somehow...or all of the above.
Remember...there is always suffering, and there is a reason for the suffering. The suffering ends though, and there is a path to the end of that suffering. We are only here for a short time. Life does move fast and we need to look around. Being passionate about something is great, we just need the balance of other things to keep that passion in the proper prospective.
Namaste
I was stunned yesterday to hear of the passing of a friend of mine. This guy had just turned 51. He led a healthy lifestyle, and was fortunate enough to have turned his excellent eye for photography into a successful business. He had a family and a massive network of friends. He apparently had a hemorrhagic stroke, and just could not recover. It's crazy to think that one little internal malfunction can cause such dramatic devastation, but there you go. From what I can tell from the tribute site that is already thriving for him, he epitomized living in the moment. While I'm sad he's gone now, it is somewhat comforting to know he made the most of his time on this planet.
So, thinking about Ferris' advice and stopping to look around now...I see so much negativity, it makes me sad. Try sitting through 10 minutes of the local or national news sometime. It's nearly all bad. Turn to social media and see what's happening there. In my own current experience, people seem to be taking darkness to social media as well. I see so many rants about Obamacare, corrupt officials, police brutality, the right to arm yourself to teeth, the neighbor's dog crapped in their yard, and on and on and on.
I applaud these people's passion...AND...I worry about their balance. There's no way to know if some of these passions are obsessive without observing these people 24/7, but some of them sure seem to be. I hope they are also carving out time to spend with families or friends, or playing or listening to music, or doing something outside which puts them in touch with nature somehow...or all of the above.
Remember...there is always suffering, and there is a reason for the suffering. The suffering ends though, and there is a path to the end of that suffering. We are only here for a short time. Life does move fast and we need to look around. Being passionate about something is great, we just need the balance of other things to keep that passion in the proper prospective.
Namaste
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Business Partner vs Vendor? Finding the balance...
Are you a business partner to your clients...or are you simply another one of their vendors or suppliers? It's a tricky question...especially for those who have long time, large clients, where there is some level of a personal relationship that has been built up over the years. The interesting thing is, in order to be really successful in direct sales, you need to be BOTH a partner AND a vendor.
The salespeople who are "relationship builders" out there are currently squirming while reading this. It is completely true that the relationship is still important. However, in this day and age of real time sales data and up to the minute ROI projections, the relationship can only get so much accomplished anymore.
The "hunter/killers" out there who sell on the features and benefits of their product and then turn clients over to account managers are also squirming. Yes...they deliver the numbers, but without the personal interactions, there is no opportunity to capitalize on the all important #RonR (return on relationships).
The trick is having a good enough consultative relationship whereby you know all of the important stuff, while remaining detached enough to compartmentalize all of it into what's best for the business goal. It's a fine line to walk, and the lines are often blurry on both sides of the equation. It's especially difficult in instances where one client makes up the bulk of someone's whole book of business. In that situation, the scales often get out of balance and tipped in entirely the wrong direction.
A few tips on how to strike this balance:
1. Be memorable for the right reasons (be prompt, professional, courteous, relevant, informed, insightful, and...don't overdo it on any of these).
2. Be personable, but not overly so. This makes it easier to keep the necessary levels of detachment so that you can do the next thing on this list, which is...
3. Embrace the horror that your clients are not always right. If your client is about to do something which is absolutely not going to work, you have to call them out on it (yes...this even goes for those of us who have one huge client that we are always afraid of making angry...in fact...it ESPECIALLY goes for those of us who have one large client that we are afraid of making angry).
4. Always bring some sort of value that is relatively measurable to every business interaction with your clients, no matter how small.
If you can focus on doing these 4 things consistently in all your direct selling relationships, you will have an excellent chance of striking the right balance between being a partner AND a vendor...and you will really be able to capitalize on your #RonR (return on relationships).
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Leveraging #RonR with complete strangers
In an earlier blog, I referenced this concept that I found on Twitter (through Ted Rubin) about Return on Relationships (#RonR). The theme of that blog post centered on balancing ROI and #RonR. As I mentioned previously, #RonR is a fascinating concept that can fit in almost any context. Followers of this blog know that my thing is all about balance. So, to balance out my thoughts on #RonR, I'd like to shift from measuring it in a business sense, to measuring it as it relates to complete strangers.
My wife shared a fascinating story with me that other day about a DJ in LA who has tapped into a serious stream of #RonR and might not even know it. This guy, DJ Wolfie, found himself in the unfortunate circumstance of having his cell phone number be 1 digit off the number of the Cancer Ward at the local hospital. He told a story of how infuriating it was to get call after call from people trying to reach someone on that ward. He freely admitted that he would lose his cool often and go off on people and challenge them to "learn to dial", "get their numbers right", etc.
One night, he mentioned getting a call about cancer that was not a wrong phone number. A dear friend had been diagnosed with cancer and was reaching out to him for support. This shifted his whole attitude. He reflected back on all those people that had reached him in error, and how they must have felt so bad trying to call into the cancer ward to find out information about a friend or a loved one, who was certainly in some sort of distress.
He felt terrible for being rude to all of those people. The next time he got one of those "wrong number" calls, he handled it much differently. He explained the mix up, and wished the person the best of luck with their loved one. He's made it a habit every time he gets one of those calls now. Now, it's unlikely that he'll ever interact with any of these people ever again, but who cares?
Karma is real, and if anyone out there doesn't believe that, they are kidding themselves. By treating these people differently, and showing some compassion, he is leveraging #RonR to build up GIGANTIC levels of good karma. Go ahead and laugh...cue the music from John Lennon's "Dreamer"...I don't really care. It's true. #RonR is a very powerful concept in any situation...business, familial, social, or otherwise. For me, it's ESPECIALLY powerful when leveraged with complete strangers. There have been terrible news stories this year from elementary schools being shot up, to star athletes (allegedly) committing murder, and a host of others. You have to wonder how much could have been different if any bit positive #RonR was leveraged in those situations.
I love this story of the DJ in LA, and his decision to invest in some #RonR with complete strangers. I went through my own tragedy earlier this year, and wrote a blog about it that got much more attention than I would have thought. Complete strangers reached out to me to tell me how much it helped them. While it did not change my situation, I was immensely happy that it helped someone else. I'm going to continue to make it a habit going forward.
Namaste!
My wife shared a fascinating story with me that other day about a DJ in LA who has tapped into a serious stream of #RonR and might not even know it. This guy, DJ Wolfie, found himself in the unfortunate circumstance of having his cell phone number be 1 digit off the number of the Cancer Ward at the local hospital. He told a story of how infuriating it was to get call after call from people trying to reach someone on that ward. He freely admitted that he would lose his cool often and go off on people and challenge them to "learn to dial", "get their numbers right", etc.
One night, he mentioned getting a call about cancer that was not a wrong phone number. A dear friend had been diagnosed with cancer and was reaching out to him for support. This shifted his whole attitude. He reflected back on all those people that had reached him in error, and how they must have felt so bad trying to call into the cancer ward to find out information about a friend or a loved one, who was certainly in some sort of distress.
He felt terrible for being rude to all of those people. The next time he got one of those "wrong number" calls, he handled it much differently. He explained the mix up, and wished the person the best of luck with their loved one. He's made it a habit every time he gets one of those calls now. Now, it's unlikely that he'll ever interact with any of these people ever again, but who cares?
Karma is real, and if anyone out there doesn't believe that, they are kidding themselves. By treating these people differently, and showing some compassion, he is leveraging #RonR to build up GIGANTIC levels of good karma. Go ahead and laugh...cue the music from John Lennon's "Dreamer"...I don't really care. It's true. #RonR is a very powerful concept in any situation...business, familial, social, or otherwise. For me, it's ESPECIALLY powerful when leveraged with complete strangers. There have been terrible news stories this year from elementary schools being shot up, to star athletes (allegedly) committing murder, and a host of others. You have to wonder how much could have been different if any bit positive #RonR was leveraged in those situations.
I love this story of the DJ in LA, and his decision to invest in some #RonR with complete strangers. I went through my own tragedy earlier this year, and wrote a blog about it that got much more attention than I would have thought. Complete strangers reached out to me to tell me how much it helped them. While it did not change my situation, I was immensely happy that it helped someone else. I'm going to continue to make it a habit going forward.
Namaste!
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Balancing Core Values with Disruptive Thinking
I had the pleasure once of hearing former NFL Head Coach Brian Billick talk about the effort it took for him to build a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. He talked about needing a balanced squad. His metaphor was simple, yet direct. He said:
"In order to have a really delicious bacon and eggs breakfast, the chicken has to be involved...but the pig NEEDS to be committed".
Of course, he got the requisite laughter from the audience. He also explained in a fascinating fashion how he never would've won that championship without the right balance. Too many pigs....too many guys ultra committed and running out of gas down the stretch. Too many chickens...to many guys involved but not committed enough to step up and give the extra effort when it's required at a crucial point in the game.
It's one of the best sports stories I've ever heard. Corporate America loves it's sports comparisons, and it also has it's share of ex-athletes. There are many companies at odds today over whether it's more important to protect core values, or to promote and engage disruptive and innovative thinking.
Let's quickly peruse a couple of case studies (we'll leave out actual company names, in order to protect the innocent). Several years ago, a large national retailer stubbornly hung onto it's core values and insisted on continuing to mail out an absolute brick of a catalog. Another retailer came into the space with more innovative ideas about store layouts and lower pricing concepts. The mailer of the big brick of a catalog is still trying to play "catch up" to this very day. Too many chickens.
In the other, a national provider of streaming video services decided to simply totally abandon it's core services...AND...raise the cost of the monthly service it provided it's loyal customer base. Service cancellations sky rocketed...and, it was too late by the time they actually figured out they'd made a mistake and needed to apologize. Too many pigs.
The obvious answer here is that organizations need to do both. Core values must be protected while disruptive and innovative thinking is allowed to flourish. The chickens and the pigs have to communicate though. They need to understand where each other are coming from. That way disruptive thinking and innovation can occur in DEFENSE OF and PROTECTION FOR the core values.
If this doesn't occur, there will be miscommunication, protection of "little kingdoms", silos, and a general atmosphere and culture that is not productive. That doesn't win the game. The right balance of chickens and pigs, and the right balance of communication between the two is the formula for success.
Namaste!
"In order to have a really delicious bacon and eggs breakfast, the chicken has to be involved...but the pig NEEDS to be committed".
Of course, he got the requisite laughter from the audience. He also explained in a fascinating fashion how he never would've won that championship without the right balance. Too many pigs....too many guys ultra committed and running out of gas down the stretch. Too many chickens...to many guys involved but not committed enough to step up and give the extra effort when it's required at a crucial point in the game.
It's one of the best sports stories I've ever heard. Corporate America loves it's sports comparisons, and it also has it's share of ex-athletes. There are many companies at odds today over whether it's more important to protect core values, or to promote and engage disruptive and innovative thinking.
Let's quickly peruse a couple of case studies (we'll leave out actual company names, in order to protect the innocent). Several years ago, a large national retailer stubbornly hung onto it's core values and insisted on continuing to mail out an absolute brick of a catalog. Another retailer came into the space with more innovative ideas about store layouts and lower pricing concepts. The mailer of the big brick of a catalog is still trying to play "catch up" to this very day. Too many chickens.
In the other, a national provider of streaming video services decided to simply totally abandon it's core services...AND...raise the cost of the monthly service it provided it's loyal customer base. Service cancellations sky rocketed...and, it was too late by the time they actually figured out they'd made a mistake and needed to apologize. Too many pigs.
The obvious answer here is that organizations need to do both. Core values must be protected while disruptive and innovative thinking is allowed to flourish. The chickens and the pigs have to communicate though. They need to understand where each other are coming from. That way disruptive thinking and innovation can occur in DEFENSE OF and PROTECTION FOR the core values.
If this doesn't occur, there will be miscommunication, protection of "little kingdoms", silos, and a general atmosphere and culture that is not productive. That doesn't win the game. The right balance of chickens and pigs, and the right balance of communication between the two is the formula for success.
Namaste!
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