Are you ready to get extreme?

July 3, 2013

Base-Jumping

When I hear the word extreme my mind immediately goes to extreme sports — where people take extraordinary risks and do some crazy things. While I’m a risk taker by nature (I’m not sure you can own a business without being one) the word extreme gives me pause.

An extreme sports athlete takes incredible risks and has to be at the top of his or her game to even dare it. The exposure to potential failure, and in this example — physical injury is very real and very possible. Which is why most of us don’t do it.

But I’m sure for the brave that do — it’s an exhilaration like few can ever know. Because along with the risks comes equal rewards.

I think back to the incredible risk I took in 1995 when I started my agency. Honestly I was too young and ignorant (again perhaps a parallel to extreme athletes) to realize how risky my choice was — but I definitely knew it wasn’t the safest option. But professionally, nothing I’ve done can compare and many amazing rewards have come as a result.

I think the word extreme is probably a pretty accurate word. Not everyone is cut out to extreme surf or be airborne on a motorbike. Most are content to choose safer hobbies. And that’s okay.

So when best selling author (Radical Leap Re-Energized, Greater than Yourself, etc.) Steve Farber began talking to me about this event he wanted to bring to Des Moines called Extreme Leadership Intensive — I got curious in a hurry. His books teach extreme leadership — using concepts like love, audacity and oh shit! moments, which is why I’ve embraced them for years. Turns out my extreme sport is what I do professionally and how I do it.

Steve is bringing his day and a half workshop to Des Moines — and he’s calling for people who are ready to be extreme leaders to join him. This isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s not for leaders who are content to just be okay. This is for the men and women who truly want to leave legacy — in whatever way that matters to them. It’s for people who aspire to inspire — starting with themselves.

It’s coming this month — July 18th and 19th and I can promise you this — it will be a thrill ride and you will come out a different person than you went in.  How many workshops can promise you that?

Interested? Check out Steve’s video below and read more/register about the event here.

http://vimeo.com/69053926

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Rules of the Hunt – do you know what they are?

September 3, 2012

There’s a new book called Rules of the Hunt* that is unlike many of the business books on the shelf today.  No witty parables, no acronyms for an overarching belief, in fact it’s absolutely void of anything trendy or theoretical. Instead, this book is just down to earth and friendly advice like you might expect from a trusted mentor.

Did you ever have that one teacher, uncle or boss who you could just sit and listen to for hours?  That’s how I felt about this book — like I was learning from someone I could trust.

The author, Michael Dalton Johnson, shares a lifetime of learning and earning. Along with his practical business insights and observations, Johnson shares some powerful leadership rules that I suspect you’ll use more than once.

I had the chance to ask the author the same questions I enjoy asking all the authors and here’s what he had to say:

If you had to describe the content of your book in a single sentence (no run ons) what would it be?

An old dog’s advice to improve one’s business game.

What one book that you’ve read do you wish you could claim as your own?

There really are none.

In your opinion, what is the one trait that all uber successful business people possess?

I think they all share a real love of the game. There is an abiding excitement and sense of adventure that comes with business success. I doubt you would ever hear one say, “I hate what I do.”

What’s the biggest business mistake you’ve ever made and what did you learn from it?

By far the biggest mistake I’ve made was selling a business prematurely. Back in the nineties, about a year before the Internet boom, I was a partner in a small technical publishing and marketing firm. The champagne corks were popping when we sold it for several million dollars.

About a year later, when the Internet gold rush was in full swing, a like sized competitor sold their business to a fortune 1000 company for 70 million.

The lesson, of course, is to not sell a soon to be appreciating asset. We could have probably seen the Internet investment frenzy coming had we bothered to get quality research on business and investment trends. We never even thought of it.

Why did you have to write this book? What truth or insight was missing from the human consciousness — that you’ve now answered?

My motive was not as lofty as adding to the human consciousness. I have witnessed, and continue to witness, business people making easily avoidable errors. I see many that are doing just so-so and others missing big opportunities, losing money and destroying their health. I wrote this book to give them small advantages to play a better and more rewarding business game.

After someone is done reading your book — what do you hope they do as a result?

I would hope they reflect for a moment on the author’s soaring genius and then start enthusiastically recommending the book to friends, family and strangers at Starbuck’s.

Seriously, I hope the reader will simply remember and use these rules.

 

Note: If you purchase the book on Amazon (see the * affiliate link above or click here) and then go to the Rules of the Hunt website (click here) you can get a bunch of extras from other authors like Zig Ziglar, Jeffrey Gitomer,  and Bob Bly.

 

 

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How winning works

June 20, 2012

I know a lot of tough people but Robyn Benincasa has to be one of the toughest.

She’s a member of the only all-female firefighting crew in the country and when she’s not saving people’s lives, she is a world champion adventure racer, a Guinness world record kayaker.  Oh yeah, and she started a non-profit called Project Athena, which helps women who have survived a medical challenge like cancer by taking them on a dream adventure (like climbing a mountain) as part of their recovery.

Robyn is a remarkable human being.  She’s also an incredible leader and knows how to win – and what is worth fighting for.  So I was thrilled that she captured her expertise in a book that outlines how each of us can climb to new levels of professional and personal success.  In her book, How Winning Works, (click here to buy*) she shares the eight essential elements of teamwork that she believes is responsible for her own successful and fulfilling life.

Here are Robyn’s eight elements of winning and teamwork:

Total commitment:  There are four P’s of commitment – preparation, planning, purpose and perseverance.

Empathy and awareness:  Do you care about your teammates as much as you care about yourself?  Can you truly put yourself in someone else’s shoes so you know what they need from you?

Adversity management:  Something is going to go wrong.  That’s a given.  How do you deal with things when something goes awry?  Winning at business and in life is really recognizing that the road ahead is filled with problems to solve and is never going to be the easy straightaway you’d hoped for.  How you deal with those setbacks, frustrations, surprises and challenges will determine if you win.

Mutual respect: On any winning team, there’s a high level of mutual trust, respect and loyalty.   You have to be able to recognize what each person contributes and celebrate that at the same time you’re minimizing the elements you aren’t crazy about.

We thinking:  You have to constantly be looking for ways to utilize your collective resources for the best possible outcome.   This is the lesson glory hounds have the toughest time with.   This is about finishing strong as a team – not racing across the finish line first and then waiting for your teammates.

Ownership of the project: For a person or a team to be successful – you need to be able to absolutely immerse yourself in the mission.  You need to see the goals as your goals.  See the outcome as your responsibility and attach a significant amount of emotion to accomplishing that desired outcome.

Relinquishment of ego: Every successful person realizes they come equipped with both strengths and weaknesses.  Every team member will be both the strongest and the weakest link somewhere along the way.  You need to be able to recognize your strengths so you can offer those to the effort but you also need to know your weaknesses, so you can expose them to your team – so they can help overcome them.

Kinetic leadership: Leadership, on the best teams, revolves among the teammates.  That requires that everyone on the team can both step up to the role but even more important – step away from the role, when they’re not the one best suited to lead at that given moment.

What I loved about this book is that it goes beyond listing the eight elements.  Robyn tells amazing, impossible to forget stories, offers pragmatic exercises and what she calls synergy starters – ways to actually put the teaching into practice.

If you’ve already achieved success and want to make sure that you, your family and your co-workers experience even more or if you’re just starting out and are hungry for success – grab this book and enjoy your adventure with Robyn.

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Introverted or not – this guide is a must read!

December 21, 2011

lisabook
Lisa Petrilli’s guide for introverts

No matter what personality test I take, I tend to score off the chart on the extrovert scale.  I like big crowds, I’m comfortable speaking in front of thousands of people and I get a buzz from being at conferences, networking events and new situations with new people.

So you might think a book titled The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership would hold very little for me.  And boy, would you be wrong.  I learned quite a bit by reading Lisa Petrilli’s guide.

For readers who tend to be more introverted — you’ll learn how to create a strategy that leverages your strengths while navigate networking events, relationships with key team members, and how to connect with influential leaders who can help build/grow your career.

You’ll also learn how to make sure your ideas and good thinking sees the light of day in your organization.  Lisa also talks about how introverts can successfully motivate others, tackle decision-making, collaboration and asking for that raise or promotion.  There are some great tips on how to manage/maximize public events like conferences too.

As an extrovert — many of the suggestions applied to me as well.  I read the ebook, so I could highlight and take notes to my heart’s content! Plus, I gained a great deal of insight on how to work with introverts and help them bring their best to any project or team.

I’ve known Lisa for a few years and am more impressed with her as both a business leader and a person every day.  She’s a natural storyteller which makes her book a fun and fast read.  This would be a great read to fire you up as you get ready to take 2012 by storm.

You can buy the ebook by clicking here.

You can buy the Kindle version by clicking here.

And…you can buy the Nook version by clicking here.

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What can the average Joe learn from Steve Jobs?

October 10, 2011

I can’t remember a world mourning the loss of a business leader like we’ve witnessed this past week after the announcement of Steve Job’s death.  The fact that FEEL the loss, that we GRIEVE this man’s passing and that we WORRY that no one can take his place tells you something.

What other business leader do you have genuine feelings for?  What other CEO’s speech did you search for on YouTube?  For me, the answer is no one.

As I read, watched and listened to the many eulogies and memorials written for Steve, I kept thinking — but how does who and what Steve Jobs was all about relate to you and me?

Odds are, we aren’t going to work for a company like Apple.  We aren’t going to bring products to market that literally re-define the category.  We aren’t going to have hundreds of thousands of people downloading our “state of the company” addresses.

So what’s the take away?  Other than loving our Apple products and marveling at how they’ve changed our behaviors and habits — how can we emulate the legacy of Steve Jobs when we’re just average Joes?

I believe that Steve Jobs was genuine and that he would have been the same Steve Jobs had he run a hardware store or worked in obscurity for his lifetime.  Here’s what I think he would have been like, no matter what, and what you and I can strive for:

He believed with his whole heart in what he was doing: There were plenty of naysayers and we all seem to forget that Steve and Apple had a falling out.  But he believed in it to his core.  He believed in it enough to go back and try again.

How about you?  Do you believe in your product/service to that degree?  If the company fired you…. would you fight to get back there to finish what you started?

He understood the power of simplicity: Whether it was a speech or a product, Jobs boiled things down to the essential and then made it easy for us to grasp.  He didn’t blather on — he told us a story that led to one core message that we could remember and re-tell.

Take a look at your website, your brochures, your sales proposals and your presentations.  Are you trying to shove five pounds worth of information and bullet points into a one pound bag?  At a glance… could I tell you the most important takeaway?

He knew you couldn’t fake it long term: The man was who he was, warts and all.  He didn’t try to be anything different.  He knew he couldn’t sustain it.  He didn’t wear ties because a meeting was important.  He didn’t hide his giddiness over a new product because it would be unprofessional.  He wore his heart on his sleeve because he understood that for many people — he was the brand.  And brands are all about consistency and trust.

If I visit your office, your website or your home — do I see the same person?  Do I recognize the same values and beliefs?  Even if you don’t own the joint — surely you want to work for a company that shares your values, don’t you?  Do you not allow your business contacts to be Facebook friends because they might see something you don’t want them to?

He understood marketing: Watch this very old and so so quality video as a very young Steve Jobs talks about marketing and brands.  He got it.  I think much of his success can be tied to his understanding that every company, big or small, needs to stand for something.

If you asked your clients what your company was all about — would they list what you sell or would they talk about what you believe?  (Email subscribers — click here to watch the video)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmG9jzCHtSQ&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]

No matter what you do — you can bring a little of Steve’s heart and business acumen to your work.

Godspeed Steve Jobs — thanks for reminding all of us how it should be done.

HT to our friends at brand dna for reminding me that this video was worth sharing.

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A week of many perspectives

April 16, 2011

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The many sides…

As you may know, I am a regular guest blogger on a couple sites beyond this one.

And I occasionally will share my thoughts on some none marketing/branding related sites as well.

It just so happened that several of these guest appearances coincided with each other, so I thought I’d share them with you here. I invite you to check them out and join in on the conversations…

Taglines and Brand Equity: In this post over at Marketing Prof’s Daily Fix, about taglines and brand equity, we’re discussing the National Pork Board’s decision to completely discontinue use of The Other White Meat and change taglines again. (click here to view post)

Leadership versus Managing: The best leaders understand that they need to build their team’s leadership abilities as well.  In my post at IowaBiz.com, there’s an incredible video of Seth Godin talking about managing versus leading.  You’ll want to check it out. (click here to view post)

Civility: I serve on the board of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and just wrote a guest post on the importance (and apparently loss) of civility, especially online for their Business Ethics and Leadership blog.  (click here to view post)

The Power of MultiMedia:  We all know how potent video can be but don’t forget to include Facebook in your distribution of that video.  My post on the MENG Blend blog explores some stats on where videos are actually viewed. (click here to view post)

So….those are the many sides of where my brain was headed last week.  Hope one or more of them gives you a spark of insight or a new idea!

 

 

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