Self Imposed Deadlines

For as long as I can remember, I have had a lot of ideas swimming around my head. Even as a kid, I was amused by things around me that got my mind going. To call me curious would be an understatement. And while I am forever grateful for my curiosity, it can make execution difficult. Add being a perfectionist to the mix, and you have a perfect cocktail for a lot of dreaming and not a lot of doing. I know I am not alone in this. I talk to others on a regular basis who face the same struggle—I believe it is at the core of human nature. Some call it fear of success, some call it fear of failure, and I have even recently heard it referred to as the lizard brain. Whatever you call it, it is real, but it is only as strong as we allow it to be—which sounds nice, but is sometimes easier said than done.

I have been very blessed in my life to have some incredible experiences. All in all, I am a very lucky man. But as I look back on my life, I can distinctly see the mental barriers that slowed me down or even stopped me from pursuing certain opportunities. I look back on my past with a sort of fond determination. Fond because I am full of gratitude for where I am, and determination because I am always striving for more. It is a delicate balance—one I am working everyday to achieve.

There are several tools I use to help fight the blocks and overcome the nebulous cloud of ideas floating around my brain, but there is one in particular I am especially excited about and want to share here. I recently organized a small group of close friends to form a creative consortium of sorts. We meet every week on a weekday morning. The group is designed to serve three purposes.

1) Give each of us a platform to share our ideas and crystallize them into coherent thoughts. And I mean ANY idea. So far we have discussed everything from Sketch Comedy and Comic Books, to E-commerce and sales efficiency and beyond.

2) Use honest feedback to decide which ideas are worth pursuing. This is the weeding out process. After we empty our brains out into reality, we start picking the best ideas.

3) To execute, or as Seth Godin puts it: to ship. Through the group, we impose self deadlines and we actually report our progress to the group each week. On top of that, each week one of the group members has the chance to present and discuss their most exciting ideas.

I am very excited for where this might take us.

Guest Appearance on Job Club Radio

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to talk with Robert Merrill and Jennifer Armitstead as a guest on their weekly Job Club Radio podcast.

I had a great time. We discussed my recent post about lying to yourself, and how the concept applies to personal and career development. If you missed the live show, you can listen to it on demand on Blogtalkradio. Please feel free to come back and share your thoughts here in the comments.

Focus and the future: America’s Public Transit Dilemma

After spending a couple of years in Europe, I realized just how limited the public transit network is in the US. Some cities are better than others, but overall we are pretty behind. This is especially true in regards to interstate travel. In recent years, as energy costs have continued to rise, this issue has been pushed to the forefront of American political and environmental debates. So what happened? Why did America spend its time, money and energy building cars and roads while other nations focused on rail, bus and subways? The answer is simply really, it was a matter of choice.

In the post WWII era, America’s focus was clearly based on the belief that cars were the future of transportation. And they (cars) did become the future of transportation, because that's where the focus went. Get it? America believed cars were the answer, so accordingly, we built factories that built cars, started business to repair the cars, and built more roads etc. Our reality is a literal result of our focus, our energy and our actions. Other nations took a different approach. At varying levels, they chose to focus on building railroads, buses, and subway stations.

So here we are today, and after years of focusing on the car, America is struggling to catch up with other transportation infrastructures. Were we wrong to assume cars were the future? That’s a hard question, because we can’t know how everything would have played out, and I don’t think we need to know. But I believe there is an important business and life lesson here: The things we focus on today will become our reality. Accordingly, it is vital that we ask ourselves the following questions:

“Are there things I am focusing on today, that I will regret in the future?” and “What am I failing to focus on now that I will need in the future?”

Those are tough questions, because we can’t see the future, and in order to move forward, we have to make decisions, set goals, and work hard to achieve them--but there is always value in taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

You can't lie to yourself

It is pretty difficult to lie to ourselves. Darn near impossible. Sure, we can lie to friends, neighbors, coworkers and even family—in fact, some people are pretty good at it. But we can’t lie to ourselves, because no matter how clever our words, no matter how persuasive our argument, we know the truth. Try and tell yourself you don’t know the truth, and it just complicates things even more.

This is what I attribute to that eating feeling you get when you are not living up to your potential. When you are sitting in front of the TV instead of writing a chapter in your book. When you are surfing the web instead of setting goals. Sleeping in instead of working out. Wandering aimlessly, waiting for the next idea to come around instead of creating a strategy. You know what you should be doing, but you aren’t doing it. And as much as we like to deny it, that is a conscious decision. So you get that pit in your stomach, that nagging feeling in the back of your mind. I have never met anyone who likes that feeling. I know I don’t. The interesting thing is that despite how bad we hate it, so many of us put up with it for so long. We look for ways to ignore it, to justify it, or to delay it, but those solutions aren’t permanent and neither is our relief.

The only real solution is to stop hiding and start doing.

LaunchUp: The Entrepreneurial Rock Concert

There is something magnetic about people pursuing their dreams. Not just thinking, hoping or wishing, but actually making the dream a reality. This is why I love being around other Entrepreneurs and start-ups. The energy, the excitement, the fire, the positive goal driven mentality—it’s all, well, awesome. I could literally sit and listen to Entrepreneurs tell their story for hours on end. I love hearing how the idea was born, how it moved from their brain to paper or prototype, and how they overcame obstacles. In a less mystical way, I also love hearing about the business plan, their launch strategy, and long term goals. Seriously, in many ways, hearing this kind of stuff is better than a rock concert. This is why I was naturally drawn in by the LaunchUp Events.

If you live in Utah, and you don’t know what LaunchUp is, you really should take a look. In essence, it’s a room full of passionate people listening to Entrepreneurs and start-ups share their dream turned reality. And it gets even better, because after each young company presents, the group engages in Q&A and the whole event wraps up with break-out sessions in every corner. Launch-up is great because not only do you get to bask in the energy of Entrepreneurial greatness, you get to be involved. You can offer advice, insight, or even financial support. I dare anyone to go to a launch-up, truly get engaged there, and then leave not feeling challenged and inspired. The energy in a room full of entrepreneurs is invigorating, it’s contagious, and if you live in Utah, it’s right at your fingertips. I give my endorsement with one warning, however, attending a LaunchUp is the gateway drug to pursuing your own dreams, so be prepared to have your fire stoked and your passion ignited. And like all great gateway drugs, LaunchUp is free.

(Disclaimer: I am not connected to LaunchUp.org in any way. This is not a paid endorsement, just me sharing something I think is great. Also, I don't do drugs, never have, never will. I don't need that stuff to get a rush on life. My reference to gateways was for emphasis and a tongue in cheek joke, nothing more.)

Is industry experience really a deal breaker?

From my time spent in the recruiting field and as a job seeker, I often came across open positions that REQUIRED a certain number of years is a specific industry. For example a software sales position would require 5 years experience in a software sales role. This often left me scratching my head. I can understand there are certainly some jobs where this is very relevant (think Surgeons), but is industry related experience really a deal breaker? Yes, I see the logic here, someone from the industry might have a shorter learning curve, they might bring relevant best practices, and they will speak the lingo—but does that automatically make them a better candidate? This logic is especially concerning to me in the realm of business, sales and marketing.

Here are some reasons why someone without industry experience might actually be a better candidate. This list assumes the candidate is otherwise qualified, meaning they understand how to build a brand, write copy, make a sale, or manage a team (depending on the specific needs of the hiring company)

1. Varied experience brings varied ideas: Sure, it takes some time to learn an industry, but that guy from consumer goods, might just have some incredible cross over ideas for your non-profit.

2. Industry Recycling: This is when the same people jump from company to company inside a certain industry. This is especially prevalent inside smaller markets and smaller industries. Recycling can lead to burn-out, failure to innovate, and just plain poor hiring decisions. Loyalty becomes a serious issue as well.

3. Sometimes it’s time to get out: In my experience, a good portion of active and passive job seekers and not only looking for a new desk, they are looking for a new challenge—often that means a new industry, but they are stuck in a catch 22. People inside the industry can’t get out because they don’t have experience elsewhere, and people who want to get in can’t for the same reason. As a result, people often take jobs out of desperation or because they feel like they don’t have other options—not exactly an ideal situation for employee or employer.

4. They come from the competition: In many cases this can be good, but only if the competition is beating you and you need their ideas to succeed. If a company is seeking competitive parity with its competition, using their ideas is a good strategy, if the company wants competitive advantage it might want to look elsewhere.

We hear a lot of terms being thrown around with 2.0 tacked on the end, Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, Sales 2.0 etc. How about recruiting 2.0? I am not just talking about the tools companies use to recruit, I am talking about the way companies think about recruiting. Innovation towards greater efficiency and results should be a goal of every department—including HR/recruiting. Making a shift in thinking like this would be hard, it might be risky, and it would require change; but I am pretty sure I heard somewhere a time or two that great companies do that kind of thing.

Did I miss anything? I would love to hear your arguments for and against the industry experience requirement.

Greatest Personal Sports Triumph

I am a sucker for sports. I have never been an elite athlete, but I love playing just about every sport I have ever tried. I think it's the challenge of competition and overcoming your own weaknesses. If you fit somewhere in the category of sports lover, you will really enjoy this blog post I found which invites the readers to discuss their greatest personal sports triumph. I have already commented, and I would love to see what you have to say as well (if you do comment there, please comment here too so the rest of us can go read and enjoy.) For some reason both of the stories I told there result in the receiving of a nickname. I am open to theories on what that means, if anything...

The blog was introduced to me by Tim Walker. Go check it out for yourself (If you don't know who Tim is, you really should, he is great)

(On a side note, I also tend to cry during sports movies at the most inopportune times)

Does your Brand tell a story?

A brand is more than a logo. It is more than clever commercials, low prices, or memorable mascots. When done correctly, a brand is just a few steps away from a living, breathing organism. The more tangible your brand, the more likely your customers are to connect with it, emotionally. When consumers make a connection with a brand, loyalty increases, word of mouth evangelism spreads and your sales rise. If you want your brand to stick, it has to tell a story. That story must be compelling and consistent.

It must be compelling

Think about it, behind every great book, TV show, or movie is a great story. Chances are, you are in love with your significant other because of their story. I am not talking about a history, that’s different. A story has feeling, it has emotion, it has driving purpose, a protagonist to root for, and an antagonist to fight against. Your brand’s story must be compelling because it’s your identity. Your brand should drive decisions throughout the organization from the products you develop to the people you hire and more.

It must be consistent

For a good example of the importance of consistency, check out a blog post by my friends at Sprout Marketing. Consumers are not stupid. If your messaging does not match their experience, they will quickly notice and will likely become disenchanted. Or even worse, they will stop believing you. If you are a hotel, and your advertising promises a restful stay, your check-in process better be stress-free, and your beds must be comfortable.

It must be told well

A great story told poorly is not a great story. Ever heard two different people tell the same story or joke? Each account is a very different experience. Nuances in timing, body language and voice inflection (just to name a few) dramatically change the effect. In your company, the way you tell your brand’s story is just as important as the story itself. This is true externally and internally. Externally, you tell your story through advertising, pr, word of mouth, product design, pricing strategies, and customer experience. Internally you tell your story through things like management style, working conditions, training, and compensation. Don’t ever fool yourself into thinking you can simply ignore this. You cannot avoid developing and sticking to a brand by simply not branding at all, because in the meantime you will develop some sort of brand. And just like that last sentence, the brand you create will be disjointed, confusing, unlikable and unmemorable. I can’t imagine any business owner would want those adjectives used to describe his company.

Start today

If you don’t know your brand’s story, it’s not too late. Start developing it today. It’s more than a mission statement—but that’s a start. It has to have emotion and compelling reasons for people to be associated with and do business with your company. And remember, make it compelling, make it consistent, and tell it well.

What Twilight can Teach us about Marketing

Say what you want, the Twilight films have been a huge commercial success for Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the phenomenon. Recent reports claim the Vampire vs. Werewolf saga’s latest release, New Moon, has raked in over $280 million domestically with some sources suggesting a worldwide haul of over $450 million. With numbers like that, even the harshest critics would have a hard time arguing the commercial success of the films. And the best news for Summit is there are at least two movies left in the franchise.

Twilight’s success, however, has not come without some opposition. Husbands and film critics everywhere are smearing the characters and plot line in a whole host of creative ways. (Here are some examples: 1, 2, 3.) Though creative, the naysayers don’t even put a dent in the Twilight machine. In fact, many of the self-proclaimed haters will inevitably end up in the theater along with everyone else. (I saw it just a couple weeks ago with my wife).

And while it is been center stage lately, this polarization between raving fans and adamant critics is not unique to Twilight. We see it all the time in the marketplace. If you bring a successful product to market, or create a recognizable brand, you can be certain you will have opposition. Not just competition, but real, in your face opposition. This is the lesson we can learn from Twilight: You cannot please everyone, and what’s better, you don’t have to.

Know your consumers, know what they want, and then deliver it.