Thursday, October 19, 2006

Bad Haircuts .. and more


Question: Are you one of your friend's clients or customers?


I recently just had an appointment with one of my friends at a local salon. She cuts hair, and for a good price. She's worked there for a while now, and her skills are, (well I usually walk away satisfied). that's it... satisfied. Not YES! This is a great haircut, I feel great. Everyone knows that if you look good you feel good. Well, I want to look GREAT, and therefore.....


Her last appointment with me, well, wasn't even satisfactory. She's just not consistant. How far do you value a relationship with a friend as to where it might hurt either your image, brand, or own personal value. What about your company? When do you end it?


I have some figuring out to do.




Tuesday, October 17, 2006

From the Void of Nothing-ness?


I felt compelled to write an original idea...

(If there is such a thing, Void from all influence) I think not, something has to come from something, right? Something cannot come of nothing. (Is that philosphical or what?) So I ask you, what are your biggest influences, and how can you channel them into creating something worth while. How can you use that energy to leave your mark on the world? Who in your life is your biggest influences, and have you reached out to them lately? What in your life is helping you excel, and what isnt? If it isn't why are you still letting this source of energy bring you down?

And remember not only who has influence you but more importantly.... Who have have YOU INFLUENCED? Who around you shares your ideas and views on life, so much that they take a part of what you say or do and make it thier own. WHO? Make sure to ignite that connection again and again.

Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and wherever he
may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light and a power.
Henry George
(1839 - 1897)

Sunday, October 15, 2006

SILENCE is NOT GOLDEN.....

That's right, SPEAK UP. Important, candid conversations are being overlooked in favor of diplomacy in the boardroom. When I think CEO, I think "Important", "Skilled", umm.. "can make huge corporate decisions in a blink of an eye, and have the all encompasing, "BIG IDEAS" . . well turns out, that's not even as important (kinda):

Great Article from Management Issues:

Almost to two-thirds of all major companies have replaced their CEOs
within the last five years. Previous studies have suggested that failing
to deliver on critical initiatives is one of the primary reasons for this rate
of CEO churn. In other words, CEOs' shortcomings are less about strategy and
decision-making than about their ability to execute their plans.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

I'm LAWLESS not FLAWLESS

So much Great Stuff at Fast Company....

My boy Doug Sundheim writes about the same thing Keith Ferrazzi does on gaining "buy in" and really making deep connections by letting your guard down and letting go of some of your insecurities, they could be your greatest assets:

We all have insecurities. Things that we believe make us look bad or weak.
Convinced that they'll hold us back if exposed, we often go to great lengths to
try to hide them. Rarely do we consider the opportunity we miss as a result.
With the right perspective, our shortcomings aren't liabilities - they're
assets. Exposing weaknesses takes strength. It shows confidence. Moreover, it's
a powerful way to ease tension, connect with others, build trust, and show your
humanity. Not to mention it's refreshing.

Are you Alone?

Thanks to JohnMoore at Brand Autopsy for finding this lil' diddy . . . .

If you go to YouTube . . LonleyMarketer16 (meet "Drew")



I have to admit, I think Drew thinks like me . . We're both in these Fortune 500 Companies who like to think complacency is the way to go. The old adage, "If it aint broke, don't fix it!" But... It's not going to keep that way...

He had me saying, "What if?" What if at 'The Rock", I was able to leverage this "WOMMA" (Word of Mouth Marketing) and get people to start talking about the important things like.... LIFE, DEATH, and the pursuit of happines in saving... for retirement. Alright, I'm off my little soapbox. This now concludes our message, we now return you to your regularlry scheduled program.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Innovation: A good disease . . .

I thoughts this was a perfect post from Fast Company:

Imagine a world where individual managers of departments or restaurants weren't compensated on sole performance of the store or group, but instead . . . ONE LEVEL HIGHER.... perhaps a specific division or district in which work groups would have to be transparent and share best practices. Everyone would be focused and probably performance driven - sharing ideas and innovations.

I know for a fact that Prudential Retirement does this . . . and it kind of makes proud. Go PRU!

The incentives that are best at spreading innovative practices reward performance neither at the individual level or at the company level. They operate one level up from the level of greatest individual control. In Chet’s case, that means shifting the weighting in the restaurant managers’ bonus
formula from single restaurants to districts. That way,managers not only have an incentive to innovate, they have an incentive to help spread those innovations to sister units.

"T" Squared - as in TOOL



It was only a matter of time before I started writing about my favorite band TOOL ...


I just attended an awesome display of artistic phenomena Monday night at the Wachovia Arena. To say the least, it was an enchanting, as well as enlightening event. I would just love to say, you want to understand who I am? Umm.. read this, while listening to the albums. I'm seeing them again on Friday Oct 5, 2006 in East Rutheford, NJ.

I would also love to share these reflections of life with everybody I've ever met, without them of course feeling force-fed.... hmm.... I wonder if this is what Jehova's Witnesses feel like?

I will leave you with a song about Trancendance, Progression, and our Evolution as human beings toward enlightenment


Lateralus

Black then white are all i see in my infancy.red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me. lets me see.as below, so above and beyond, I imagine drawn beyond the lines of reason.Push the envelope. Watch it bend.Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.Withering my intuition, missing opportunities and I mustFeed my will to feel my moment drawing way outside the lines.Black then white are all i see in my infancy.red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me. lets me see there is so much more andbeckons me to look thru to these infinite possibilities.as below, so above and beyond, I imaginedrawn outside the lines of reason.Push the envelope. Watch it bend.over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.Withering my intuition leaving opportunities behind.Feed my will to feel this moment urging me to cross the line.Reaching out to embrace the random. Reaching out to embrace whatever may come.I embrace my desire toI embrace my desire tofeel the rhythm, to feel connected enough to step aside and weep like a widowto feel inspired to fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral to swing on the spiral to swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human.With my feet upon the ground I move myeslf between the sounds and open wide to suck it in. I feel it move across my skin. I'm reaching up and reaching out. I'm reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me.what ever will bewilder me.And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been.We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been.Spiral out. Keep going.Spiral out. Keep going.Spiral out. Keep going.Spiral out. Keep going.Spiral out. Keep going.