Ouch -

Thanks to Mike Atkinson for sharing this video from YouTube.

We have ALL been in this situation at one time or another. Perhaps you are there RIGHT NOW. If so, use this little video to kick yourself in the butt and make a move.

The ultimate recycling program

There are significant concerns over all the used electronic gear we dump into the world's landfills, but my cable tv provider seems to have figured out a way to reduce the amount of tech junk it generates -

When you bring in a DVR that doesn't work, they simply stick the defective one on a shelf and grab a "reconditioned" unit from the other end of the pile.

Today, when I asked the Service Rep to give me a "new unit, one that comes in a box" I was told there are "no new DVRs, anywhere."

"You mean I can't get a NEW one, even if I'm willing to pay for it?"
"No sir. They just aren't giving us any new ones."
"So, when this one quits working, like the last one did after two weeks, what should I do?"
"Bring it back and we'll replace it - FOR FREE."

I wonder how many times I'd need to return a defective unit before I got one I'd already brought in. I wanted SO much to be a fly on the wall so I could watch the Service Rep take the one I had just brought in and place it on top of the stack the minute I was out the door.

Caption Contest

A friend snapped this photo of me during a seminar in Atlanta.

Have fun.

Can you guess who I'm trying to choke?

Some guys have all the luck

CBS Sunday Morning ran a segment this week on the singer Ron Stewart.

This guy has always been one of my favorites, but I came away with a fresh appreciation for him after watching the feature.

In a musical career that spans five decades, Rod Stewart is a living example of my axiom that to successfuly navigate change you need to:

Do different things or do thing differently.

The blonde rocker has re-invented himself half a dozen times and has come out each time smelling like a rose.

His latest success - according to CBS, his biggest to date - has been the series of albums he's done covering classic American tunes from the 40s and 50s.

One of Stewarts biggest hits is Some Guys Have All the Luck and Rod Stewart proves he's able to make his own.

A good example to us all.

Cloning Grey?

Now that Grey's Anatomy has over-taken CSI as the hottest show on TV, will network programmers begin to clone the quirky medical drama as they did with CSI?

Will we soon see Grey's Psychology? Grey's Gastroenterology?

Oh, the possibilities are endless. How about Blue's Anatomy? Green's? White's?

Duct Tape and NASA

I get a new photo from NASA's historicial files every day.

Here's the latest, a shot of Gus Grissom being helped into his Liberty Bell capsule in July 1961. You'll recall that Grissom's capsule sunk while he was being picked up after splashdown.

Look closely at the hatch - is that DUCT TAPE around the window?

Harsh Realities Set In

Wow - our nearly 20-year-old daughter came home from her summer job this week with the sad realization that she has a much stronger work ethic than nearly everyone else in the retail store at which she's employed for the summer.

She landed hard when the store manager, someone with a college degree and corporate training, came to unlock the place 35 minutes late - carrying a cup of Starbucks and looking hung-over. The manager tried to brush it off as getting up late, to which my daughter replied, "When you're late, you shouldn't stop for coffee."

I was about 4 years older when the reality hit me and I recall phoning my Dad to ask his advice. He told me the same thing I told my kid - "Don't set your standards by what others do."

In others words -

Don't let the bastards drag you down to their level.

Curious - what would you say (or have your said) to a young worker in a similar situation?

Renew Your Mind

I may be the last person on the block to have read something, but that's never stopped me from shouting about it - so here goes:

Thanks to Mike Atkinson, I am reading A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink.

Nutshell - a tremendous examination of the difference between right and left brain thinking. Folks on either side of the divide will find value in his ideas.

I would write more, but I want to get back to the book.

Twilight Zone?

Forget fireworks and backyard BBQ parties - my favorite thing about the 4th of July is SciFi Network's annual Twilight Zone marathon. Thanks to TiVo, I have enough Rod Serling to last me until the next video obession takes hold.

Are you addicted? What is it that keeps us glued to the set when Serling's little gems are on?

Is it the excitement of seeing a current "big star" in perhaps their first role? Is it the not-always-subtle jabs at conventional wisdom or societal norms? Perhaps the odd plot twists. Or even the often corny acting.

What ever it is, I can't wait "til next year when I'll watch them all again.

Seems to me that whatever it is that makes Twight Zone "sticky" could be replicated for other products and services. Yes?

Happy Birthday to PodCasting

Wow - July 5th, 2006 - Just noticed that iTunes is celebrating the FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the podcasts on the iTunes application.

Everyone needs new ideas

There's a TV spot from VISA that makes my heart flutter everytime it airs because the four companies profiled in the 30-second commercial are all ripe candidates for the type of work I do.

Every organization, regardless of their size and experience, needs a constant flow of new ideas.

Go to the VISA site, and scroll down to find the commercial titled Business Inspiration.

Watch it few times and ask yourself (or your team) two questions:

1) Which of the four companies are we most like?
2) Where could we stand to have some new ideas?

If you can't answer the second one, you're in trouble.

New logo -

Is anyone left?

So, it's been about two months since anything was posted here and a month or two of limited postings before that.

Truth is - I have been writing a book and there haven't been any creative juices left at the end of the day.

Now that the manuscript has been delivered (pub date is Spring 2007) I can start directing some of my limited mental capacity back to this blog.

If you are still around - thanks for your patience. Please take a minutes to check out my brand new web site and check in periodically as I start to fill the Fool's Box with the random meanderings of a different mind.

Feels good to be back.

Running Your Own Race

Scott Machado is a triathlete and marathon runner. He writes a periodic newsletter to inform fans of his progress and he gave me permission to share a portion of his latest with you. As you read Scott's description of the race, think about the strategies you use to interact with competitors in your field of endeavor.

Scott writes:

As we reached the turn around, I began to pick up the pace. I began to look to the athletes ahead of me and use them as carrots. I would work to reach the athlete ahead of me and, once I did, look to the next one as my target. One by one, I was catching athletes.

At about mile nine, while still focusing on athletes ahead of me, I found myself with two runners who were able to match my pace. Now it was a race. Many thoughts ran through my mind, "Do I want to engage in this race?" and "This is what you train for and this is why you are here, to race, so go for it."

One of the two athletes began to push forward and the second followed. I dropped back. I was comfortable with this decision and felt that the race was not over. There where two miles left and, if I tried to match their pace at that point, I knew that I would not survive to the end.

My experience seemed to pay off. As I watched the second athlete, I noticed that he would follow the contours of the road instead of run a straight line through the curves. He was doing more work than I! Slowly, I was able to reel him in and finally caught him right before the big hill (the first athlete was far ahead by this point--he was just faster).

This race has a very steep hill about three-quarters of a mile before the finish. As we reached this hill, I let the other athlete go. Again, I was comfortable with this decision. I cannot explain it, but my instinct told me that this guy would try to surge on the hill and pay for it before the finish. I choose a moderate pace up the hill to save myself for the finish. Again, it worked! As the finish line drew near, I slowly drew closer to my competitor and, with about a quarter mile to go, I passed him. I then pushed myself to the brink of vomit to make sure that no more passes would take place and crossed the finish line ahead of him.

Observations

• Scott is clearly aware of his own strengths and doesn't allow the other runners to dictate the plan he had before the race began.
  
• He adapted to changes but did not toss out his initial plan when faced with a challenge.
  
• He pours it on at the finish, despite being ahead, to ensure no one else passes him.

Suggestion:

Ask your leadership team to read Scott's story and take some time as a group to discuss similarities between his experience on the course and your approach to competition in the marketplace.

Scott is sponsored by WealthWise, LLC and Running Warehouse.

See you in the future,

Jim

The Beatles, Elvis and Leonardo da Vinci

Wayne Hastings is a friend of mine, the Bible publisher at Thomas Nelson and a HUGE fan of The Beatles. He and I were emailing some comments back-and-forth recently about a new book on the life of George Harrison. (For those of you "too young" to remember The Beatles, they were the band Paul McCartney was in before WINGS).

Wayne commented on how amazing it was that, despite not having actually released an album in almost 40 years, The Beatles remain an extremely popular brand. As he put it, "Imagine NIKE not releasing a new shoe for 40 years. No one would remember who they were."

That dialog got me to pondering why certain things (brands included) have such a strong hold on us. I think there's more than one reason, not the least of which was the subject of a Market Intelligence issue I wrote back in December of 2002. It's relevance is just as fresh today, as it was then:

- - -

The Beatles, Elvis and Leonardo da Vinci

My wife and I were doing some pre-holiday cleaning this week and came across a long-lost CD of The Beatles Number One Hits.

I couldn’t wait to slip it into the slot of my car stereo and sing along.

"She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah."

It’s been almost 40 years since Capitol Records asked us to "Meet The Beatles" but the songs still resonate with anyone who hears them. My 16-year-old listens to all sorts of "music" but she can sing all the words to "I Wanna Hold Your Hand."

On September 24 of this year (2002), RCA Records released a compilation of Elvis Presley’s No. 1 hits and it became the first Elvis album EVER to debut at Number One in the United States. Quoting the Reuters News Agency – "the King of Rock 'n Rock still rules even 25 years after his death."

The secret of staying power? Four chords, straightforward lyrics and a basic beat.

"I’ll give it a 95, Mr. Clark. It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it."

Ah, the power of simplicity.

So, what does this mean for your organization?

Your customers live in a complex world. The degree to which you provide simple solutions to their needs could be the competitive edge that puts you at the top of their "hit" list. The "better mouse trap" must be easier to understand and operate than the one it’s replacing. If you need to explain it, again and again, you’re wasting their time (and losing their business).

Every organization needs someone who functions as the Vice President of Simplification. Their job should be to ask these questions:

• Do our customers understand what we do for them – the first time?
  
• Where do we waste our customer’s time by making things too complicated?
  
• Is there a way to take business from our competitors by simplifying something we do?

Final note – Simple does NOT mean unintelligent or unwise. This month’s inspiration comes from Leonardo da Vinci, who wrote – "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Go forth and simplify.

I resolve to change my mind

Reggie McNeal is an "intuitive futurist" and author of The Present Future, a book that looks at significant changes facing protestant churches in North America. While his message ostensibly targets those in church leadership, McNeal is a master at getting people to think differently and I want to share a challenge he recently tossed on my table.

Near the end of an intense two-day seminar, Reggie posed a question he promised would not be easy to answer. He said the question "would not go away" and that we'd be thinking about the answer for a long time.

To a room full of people quite comfortable with new ideas and different directions, he asked:

What [have you] changed your mind about lately?

My initial response was something like, "Well, that's easy," and I started to make a mental list of new things I'd recently learned. After all, I'm the guy who helps companies find new ways to do things so this was going to be a snap. I change my mind all the time - or so I thought.

The challenge

Many of us are very good at acquiring new knowledge and applying it - with great benefit - to existing behavior and strategies. We adapt when our environment changes. I've developed a pretty good knack for anticipating change and adjusting before it arrives. My Strength Finder profile describes me as being "more comfortable in the future than the present."

But Reggie's question goes deeper than all that. He didn't ask if I'd applied new knowledge to old ideas, or even new knowledge to new ideas. To rephrase his question:

Have you recently discovered that an assumption you keep, or a belief you hold is based on knowledge that is no longer true?

A friend of mine who had, for many years, publicly advocated a controversial practice in his industry recently made a 180-degree turn and is now agreeing with those who criticized his policy. It's a major change and when I wrote to ask what contributed to the decision, he shared some evidence he'd come across convincing him to change his mind. It wasn't a case of "joining the opposition" or "going with the flow." He admitted that his previous position was no longer valid.

So?

You shouldn't be able to come up with a quick answer to McNeal's question. I think he posed it as reminder that success in the future will require you to vigilantly examine your assumptions against current realities. What works today will not work tomorrow and trying to build your successful future with today's ideas is a recipe for failure.

Exercise

I've been told that readers to my longer articles appreciate the two or three questions I pose at the end of each installment. I regret not doing so this time. Instead, I want you to save this article and read it - slowly - each day, for a month. IF you do come across something that might pass for an answer to Reggie's question, drop me a line and share it with me.