Stone Uncensored

What's Love Got to Do With It?

2012-01-24T04:24:00.000-08:00

I might be showing my age with this one, but the song "What's love got to do with it?" keeps refraining in my head this morning. Perhaps because my parents are celebrating their 42nd anniversary today. It's got me thinking -- Why have Diane and Dan (AKA Mom & Dad) not only stayed married for so long, despite the odds, but blossomed and enjoyed marriage for all of these years?

What's love got to do with it? The truth is everything and not very much at the same time. I've come to recognize it's not love alone that's made their marriage a model I can only aspire to learn from. My parents taught me how to fight and most importantly to forgive. They taught me how to look past the unmade bed, or burned pot and laugh. They taught me how to show appreciation for their marriage in a hundred small ways - like not complaining when CNN loops for the third iteration that afternoon, or when your partner asks for the 8th time today what you want for dinner. And of course their marriage is sprinkled with the occasional grand gesture -like a surprise 15 year anniversary gift from dad to mom back to their honeymoon resort.

In fact, love doesn't have all that much to do with it, it was the commitment to love that really mattered. It was the signs of appreciation, the laughter, the forgiveness that has endured for 42 years that's made it last.

Maybe because I just finished Steve Job's biography but I can't help but see the parallel between my parents 42 year marriage and the most rewarding professional teams with whom I've had the pleasure of working. No, we didn't "love" each other in the marriage sense, but we did love our work. We were united with passion for a common cause - launching a company, building new features into a product, getting the word out about our services. We made mistakes, but we made them together. We laughed. We disagreed, sometimes violently, but we forgave and got behind each other. We demanded excellence, but we held out a helping hand and appreciated all that each of us did every day. We loved our work, but more importantly we were committed to that affection.

So the next time you build a project team, maybe you too can learn a little something from 42 years of Diane & Dan's marriage. I sure did, and I couldn't be more grateful.

Inflexible Policies? Bye Bye Potential Customers

2012-01-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolutions generally involve improving oneself in some way -- often by losing weight, saving money or doing more for the community. If someone was observing my behavior of late they would swear my resolution for 2012 must be buy lots of furniture. While not exactly a resolution, it is a reality in my world.

Much of my furniture is 15+ years old and is showing its wear. With the kids getting older its time we started to invest in household furnishings. For obvious reasons this isn't urgent. I'm taking my time, looking around. But I am a serious buyer, with very specific needs. Anyone who knows me will verify, once I see what I want I buy on the spot.

I was thrilled when Bob's Discount Furniture moved into Woburn. Reasonalby well made, family friendly furniture at decent prices. They even have a mini-ice cream bar in the back where the kids can eat for free while I shop. Good marketing - check!

After looking around I found a bunk bed set that was perfect for us. I even ordered it. Then the trouble started. They could not narrow down my delivery schedule to less than a day, and I wouldn't know what time of day until 48 hours before delivery. For a working mom this was not pleasant. But I resigned to work with their inflexible policy. Unfortunately about two weeks before delivery I recieved a message the furniture would be late. Frustrated I cancelled my order. Poor operational planning -- negative check!

In fairness they promptly refunded my money without any hesitation. Excellent customer service - check!

A few weeks later I needed to buy a coffee table. My experiences with customer service were good so I decided to give Bob's another try. I walked in, was pleasantly greeted and promptly shown a coffee table that met my exact needs - storage for blankets, hard surface, dark wood stain. But then a problem - they would only sell the coffee table with two end tables; end tables I don't need or want. It's a shame, I left without buying anything due to another inflexible policy.

Two strikes for inflexibility. I won't likely go back to Bob's. Nice sales staff, the right inventory and an easy return policy aren't enough. Their inflexibility turned away this would be buyer.

Some simple employee empowerment could have made me a customer for life. I guess it's back to Jordan's for me.

An Open Plea to Telemarketers - 4 No No's To Avoid

2011-12-09T01:34:00.000-08:00

It must be the end of the year. I can't tell from the unseasonably warm New England weather or the holiday decorations on sale (they've been in stores since before Halloween!). Nope, I can tell by the increasing volume of vendors who want to sell me their expertise, product or service to support my "2012 marketing efforts".

There are some great tele-sales people out there - I know because I've done business with them. But sadly they have been few and far between this last month. Most of the requests I receive are a waste of my time, but more importantly a waste of the callers time. In fact, I've experienced a ridiculously high volume of what NOT to do. So in an attempt to get time back in my schedule for productive conversations here are approaches that guarantee I will hang up unsatisfied and annoyed from the call. I beg you - don't do these!

Offense #1 - The Lazy "Colleague"
The most common offense -- "Hi, my name is Jack, and I'm calling from XYZ company. I'd like to learn about your marketing plans". I'm sorry Jack but you've given me absolutely no reason to take time out of my busy day to tell you about my plans. It would take approximately 30 minutes for you to do a web search on my company - you'd learn a lot about our SEO efforts, paid advertising strategy and who we sell to. Then maybe you could tell me how you can improve what we're doing, or save money on what we are doing, or heck even just sound like you care my time is valuable.

Offense #2 - The Know It All
Congratulations, you said something that caught my attention. Now we start to talk specifics about the buyers I want to focus upon. But wait -- here's the kicker you tell me I don't actually NEED to focus on those buyers and you spend 10 minutes explaining why the data filters I requested aren't necessary. Word to the wise - DON'T waste our time. Listen, then go back and figure out how you CAN meet my needs.

Offense #3 - The Fraternity/Sorority Recruiter
"I'm reaching out to you because my audience has been asking about your company." Well that sounds like a great way to get my attention - except 90% of the time its not true. You can't tell me who has been asking about us or why they want to talk to us. All you can do is try to make a case for "not being left out". You know what - I don't want to do what everyone else is doing - I want to do better.

Offense #4 - The Clinger
9 out of 10 times when I answer the phone to an unsolicited caller it was by mistake. I didn't check caller ID, thought it was someone else or momentarily let Thursday Sangria afternoon put down my guard. So when you ask if I have time to chat, and I say no. I mean it. Take the time to ask me one important question that can be answered in 10 seconds - then ask to send me some follow up materials. Then hang up and send me a well crafted follow up email that shows you listened. Desperately dragging on the call to meet some mandated average call time doesn't do any of us good.

Callers - your job is hard enough with being a clinger, know it all, frat recruiter or lazy colleague. I know you have it in you to do better. And I promise when you do, I'll be polite, up front with my needs and you never know, I might even buy something.

Celebrate Loudly

2011-10-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

For most of my thirty ninth year I was obsessed with turning the big 4-0. I tortured myself on the scale each day determined to lose 10 pounds before THE BIG DAY. I vowed to go to the gym. I promised to start a college fund for the younger boys. I made my family swear we wouldn't celebrate, and my work friends were sworn to secrecy. Instead of acting on all my good intentions I had the extra slice of pizza, the double scoop of ice cream. And the gym, well I started many on-line applications. All in all, I was a terrible sitcom stereotype of a woman about to turn forty. The whole time my mother and father kept telling me to celebrate 40 "it's the big day".

As the weeks progressed and my birthday came nearer my mother's mantra "Celebrate 40" got louder and louder. Her subtle hints, became cries for a party invitation list. I resisted.

The more I said I don't want to make a fuss, the more determined she was that I would "celebrate 40". Eventually I gave in, telling myself at first it was for my mother and my younger sister who had joined my parents in the quest for me to "celebrate 40".

About a month before THE BIG DAY a funny thing happened. I started looking forward to turning 40. I stopped looking at gym websites and got myself a workout buddy. I stopped closing my eyes when I got on the scale, and focused on eating better. I picked up a birthday outfit to wear to my party. I even chased a life long dream to own a vacation home in the mountains. I cherished every hug from my boys. I laughed at the "over the hill jokes" my husband, family and friends threw at me. I celebrated LOUDLY.

I still turned 40. I still weigh more than I'd like to. I still stare at the wrinkles getting deeper on my face. But now, instead of cringing I smile. I celebrate.

Thank you family and friends for helping me celebrate, and celebrate loudly!

Symbols Bring Americans Togther, Even at Work

2011-09-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday evening I had the pleasure of hosting corporate guests at Rangers Stadium. This was a particularly fun evening because both the Texas Rangers, and their rival for the evening, the Cleveland Indians, are clients. Both IT managers were there to share baseball stories and their experiences of working with us. The beer was resting comfortably in ice, and there was enough ball park food laid out for every one of us to indulge across all nine innings.

The game had not yet started but our suite was full. The 18 of us had split into small groups of 2-3 people making introductions, talking about the evening ahead, generally getting to know each other. While some people braved the 100 degree+ heat to enjoy the outside seats, I sat comfortably inside the glass walls with the A/C cranking along with about half of our guests. As we chatted, the pre-game activities began on the field below. Batting practice, interviews on the big screen, loud music designed to pump up the crowd. Our group talked pleasantly over all of this. And then it was silent.

Without a word, everyone had stopped virtually mid-sentence and turned their bodies towards the field. We stood silently without hesitation, most with hand on heart, as a young man sung our national anthem. When it was over, we all turned to each other and picked up our conversations, right where we had left off.

It was a striking moment for me. With the rising debt crisis, presidential election politics in full swing, and constant debate about everything from Healthcare reform, to whether Cher's gender changed son (formerly daughter) should Dance with the Stars brewing it's easy to forget we're all Americans.

But at that moment, most of us strangers to each other, we ALL respected what it meant to be an American. As our politicians create fodder for Saturday Night Live Sketches, and our towns struggle to balance their budgets pausing for even just 5 minutes reminds us why we care so much and what it really means to be American. Cherish those moments - we're going to need them.

Managers: Be Dispensable

2011-08-05T05:35:00.001-07:00

I was once provided feedback that I should trust my team more. At first I was shocked. My team was great. I rewarded them well, we had fun working together and we kicked butt meeting our challenging objectives. I told them all the time how much value they added to the business, but also to me personally. Then I thought about it. I had NEVER taken a vacation without extensively checking email and responding with guidance and I had NEVER given a team mate official purchasing authority. I told them to make decisions and I had their back, but I was also a constant presence. Don't get me wrong - I'm still a type A personality, but I took that feedback to heart. I used my summer family vacation to test my progress. Could I go the entire 8 business days without calling into the office or checking email?

If you manage people your goal should be to make yourself dispensable. But before you roll your eyes and stop reading let me clarify being dispensable doesn't equate to not adding value. All of us should strive to add guidance, creative ideas, strategic insigts but that doesn't mean our teams should be dependant upon us for their own success. Instead we should prepare our teams to be successful and give them the confidence to do their job without you. I remind myself that if they need me, they WILL call. If you need some motivation to try this on your own think about this.

What if you could:

* Go on vacation REALLY - that means not sneaking email checks before everyone gets up in the morning

* Stop triple scheduling yourself because you HAVE to attend meetings with your team members

* Accelerate your ability to train new staff by assigning a mentor

And if selfish motivation to give yourself more time and less stress isn't enough; think about the reduced risk you provide your business when you ensure the team has your back.

I'm not advocating being unavailable, but I am telling you that you and the people who you are developing will be so much more productive if they have confidence in doing their job without you. As a manager you should be aiming for the team to WANT you there, not need you to be there. Try it on your next day off. It just might stick.

p.s. I didn't quite meet my goal on vacation. No phone calls into the office, but I did check email 3 times. But 3 times is a heck of a lot better than twice a day! I give myself a B+.

Five Ways to Say Good-bye to Long Status Meetings

2011-06-18T01:54:00.000-07:00

Not that many months ago I was like so many professionals - bored to tears sitting through 60, 90 and sometimes even 120 minute status meetings. I, along with my team mates, were checked out before they even started. We never accomplished anything. If the leader was unavailable we cancelled the meeting - often 2-3 weeks would pass between sessions. The agenda changed constantly and as a whole we did a bad job following up on action items.

Many organizations use something called a "standing meeting" to address the drone that we've all come to despise. In my experience, they may improve calf muscles, but do little to actually keep a meeting productive. The stand up meeting is just another way to make status meetings uncomfortable. No way I was going to recommend that approach! So the droning continued.

Then a change in team leadership gave us an excuse to modify the meetings. Rather than cancel the meetings all together, we were tempted, very tempted, we changed the format. We knew getting together as a team once a week was an important tool for staying tuned into the business. We also knew we had one chance to get this right.

First we changed the membership of the group, and limited ourselves to no more than 30 minutes at the same time each week. We set a standard agenda, and we rotated note taking and a cadance for follow up. Very quickly unspoken, but important rules emerged.

Rule #1 Leave your ego at the door - if you, or your department needs help, ask. If your peer has done something amazing, congratulate them. If you see a mistake about to happen point out the concern.

Rule #2 Don't measure your value by the amount of time you speak - Everyone is given an equal amount of time to present. If you have nothing relevant to say, skip your turn. If a point has been made, don't repeat it.

Rule #3 Use a talking stick - A traditional African custom allows individuals to speak only when holding the talking stick. This ensures people listen while others are speaking and offers a equity in sharing ideas. Passing along a talking stick may feel odd at first, but it creates a cadance that is immensely helpful. For the first four weeks we used talking sticks (the remote for the presentation machine), but then fell into a pattern and it was no longer needed.

Rule #4 Powerpoint is banned - trust me, you'll thank me later. If you need to share something visually print it out or send ahead of time.

Rule #5 Hold yourself accountable -make sure a summary and relevant action items are sent out the same day. If an individual can't be at the meeting don't send a proxy, send an update via one of your peers.

There are times when 30 minutes is not enough for a meeting. Teaching complex concepts, sharing detailed case studies and building long term product and corporate strategies for example. But the status meeting is not one of those places. 30 minutes is all you need. Use them wisely and you'll start looking forward to those regular touch bases.

The Do's & Don'ts of Initiating A Swarm

2011-04-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

I've written in the past about the power of a "swarm" to make big changes within organizations, even markets. And these past few months I've been fortunate to participate directly, and indirectly, in several swarming environments from the advent of social media communities with whom I participate, to being part of a fast growing, cloud-based service provider. Along the way I've seen amazing evangelism in action both within my own company, and outside with vendors, partners, and even competitors. I've even seen a call to arms swarm within the town I live. I watched a friend & neighborhood mother single handily rally parents to create our first Earth Day festival that turned out hundreds of participants and raised thousands of dollars.

Across all of these adventures there are as many different approaches to leadership as there are people. As such, there is no one guidebook of to-dos that works across all organizations. However, there are some clear things successful leaders did well to maximize effectiveness of their swarm. Because I assure you not my company's CEO, not my competitors VP of Marketing, nor our neighborhood mom led success alone. They rallied, they evangelised, and they built passion all around them.

Elect Ambassadors Based on Influence & Passion
One of the most common mistakes I see organizations make is building so called leadership teams based on functional area or seniority. Each department elects someone to participate in the "council". Usually that person is the managerial lead. It's understandable why executives embrace this approach. Its easy. Unfortunately, its also largely ineffective. Instead, ambassadors must be people who have passion for the business but whom are respected not only for their official role, but for their character, their drive and their intelligence. They must be problem solvers who can carry a message beyond the confines of their department, and who aren't afraid to learn from others. They must also be individuals who are capable of representing more than their functional roles during discussins and debates. Swarms are largely organic but you have to get them started somewhere and that means carefully pulling together delegates who can carry forward in unison. I can tell you first hand our neighborhood Mom didn't start our Earth Day festival by finding a professional fund raiser, or making sure each grade had a parent & teacher representative on the committee. Nope, she started by recruiting a few people she knew were passionate about the environment and painted a picture of what could be done. Then she personally created a couple of small victories that proved the task could be accomplished i.e. getting school committee approval, and nailding down the first corporate sponsor. Eventually, the event committee grew and did include coverage for every grade, vendor sponsors and a whole lot of coordination. But those came from unusual places you might not have expected - sparked from the passion of the initial delegates and her hard work.

Don't Forget External Stakeholders
Assuming your swarm is only comprised of internal team members is a classic mistake. If you want to make a real difference you need to embrace ambassadors no matter where they reside, and most often that's both within, and outside your corporate walls. Sometimes having an outside meeting facilitator or guest speakers provides enough of a dynamic charge to strip away the constraints of hierarchical structures and turn an event from a meeting into a rallying cry.

Don't Confuse Setting Objectives With Building Vision
Initiating swarms is hard work, and swarms don't happen unless participants feel a part of the process. A swarm leaders job is to create vision, participants will take that vision and turn it into objectives, measures and plans. Vision is something bigger than your revenue/fund raising goal. Vision is bigger than your 12 month road map. Vision is inspiring and often even appears to be an unattainable rallying cry. Vision can be articulated in simple terms. If you constrain your swarm to thinking about specific goals you miss the opportunity to tap their passion and instead of a swarm, you have a management team. Not a bad thing, but certainly not a living, breathing entity that will shape the future of something big. Whatever difference you want to initiate, whatever swarm community you need behind you - it happens by unlocking desire, not by dictating objectives.

Swarms come big and small. From initiating transformative business change like Microsoft is making as a result of increased pressure from Google; to my neighborhood parents instilling healthy living habits in our elementary students. It could even be a short term swarm designed to rally your team to kick butt at an industry trade show. Wherever your passion leads you next, remember the power of people and you'll be more effective, and perhaps have more fun along the way.

Love what you do and your audience will too

2011-04-08T06:09:00.001-07:00

Last night my son's middle school put on a talent show. There were 30 acts from blasting on the drums, to a unicycle ride across stage. We even were honored to see a skate boarding trumpet act. A wide range of talents were fun to watch and yet one young lady stood out from all the rest. She sang and she danced, and she looked like she was having the time of her life.

The whole night my eye kept coming back to her. It wasn't because she had the best voice, or the most versitle dance moves. Candidly her talent was mediocre. But you could tell she loved being on stage, and her enthusiasm was literally contagious. The crowd cheered, a little girl in the front row grooved out and everyone around me was smiling while she performed. These weren't just the polite claps of the crowd.

She reminded me that if you love what you do, so will your audience. Whether it's a 10 person sales training class you lead, a prospect you are demoing, or coaching your son's baseball team remember love what you do, and the people around you will too.

Who Said The Live Webseminar Is Dead? Oh Wait, I Think That Was Me

2011-03-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I listened to a very informative webseminar hosted by Hubspot on the Science of Timing marketing communications.

Not long before attending the session I was munching on a croissant, sipping hot chocolate and lamenting the death of "live" webseminar events. Lo and behold,two days later Hubspot proved me wrong by hosting a 20,000+ person live event. That doesn't sound like a dead medium to me. (Picture me eating crow now)

How did they do it?

* They knew their audience - marketers love actionable, fact based research. It's what they promised, and more importantly it's what they delivered.

* They practiced, what they preached - embracing targeted communications, a clearly articulated value proposition and leading with a credible speaker

* They actively promoted a Twitter hash tag encouraging community involvement, even running a little "give away" to the best idea

* They staffed for the event - with large registration numbers they geared up to have a flawless technical experience that engaged

Congrats to them for a great event! But it wasn't perfect. I'm a huge fan of Twitter for engagement. But when 20,000+ people are all tweeting to the same hash tag it is impossible to have a meaningful dialog with the stream. It literally creates a flashing flow of tweets that fly by you with each new post. I felt like I was entering one of those amusement park rides with the strobe lights (those with a heart condition or seizure disorder should not ride). During the webseminar itself they only answered 3 or 4 questions verbally - sadly all them had been answered in the content delivered. It was a shame they couldn't have extended the verbal Q&A to some of the more complex questions.

That all said - I humbly ask Hub Spot to take on some of the more intriguing of questions and host topic specific follow up webseminars with a limited audience appeal to encourage more intimate engagement. Then again...I smell a new book in the making.

Now, I know that most of us couldn't attract 20,000 people to our events, nor would we want to. Our markets are focused. BUT, this event did make me take pause and rethink our online event strategy. In this "On Demand" world there's still value in creating a sense of urgency around a compelling event. And I for one am not giving up on trying.

Boys In Black

2011-02-13T05:19:00.000-08:00

As a marketing professional I plan lots of events; everything from four person briefings to 500 person training events. While each is completely different, I'm always amazed that my event checklist is virtually the same for all of them. So I wondered, what would happen if I applied that planning checklist to my son's 10th birthday party. I already knew my objective, now it was time to get into the details.

Step 1: Brainstorm venueWhen brainstorming a venue think about your audience, consider external factors such as the weather and take your budget into account. But, don't hesitate to think creatively. Picking the right location often leads to an easy theme, and encourages attendance. In this case I had to entertain 10 year old boys taking into the unpredicatble New England winter. Let's just say having the party at home was NOT an option! After exploring several options, 5Wits Espionage topped our list http://www.5-wits.com/espionage.aspx Forget the Men in Black, the Boys In Black were coming to town.

Step 2: Visit the event siteDon't skip this step! By visiting the site you understand traffic and parking expectations, get a hands-on feel for the venue, and aren't hit with on-site surprises like the two rooms your reserved are a 10 minute walk apart (yes, that's happened to me before at a convention). For our birthday bash we went through the 5Wits adventure before inviting guests - And its a good thing we did. We learned there are some dark spots that mighten frighten younger siblings -- SOLUTION: Glow Sticks for our guests. They were the perfect addition to our theme.

Step 2: Plan your scheduleFor 10 year old boys this might be the most important part! Down time is not a chaperone's best friend. 5Wits took care of the adventure but we had a 45 minute drive to address. We carefully planned drop off times, scheduled the bus, and even planned when we'd break into teams. We opted to use the time on the bus to get into the spy groove. With a home made CD of spy music (think Mission Impossible meets James Bond), black fedors, sunglasses and fake mustaches our party animals were transported secret agent style. And of course - we didn't forget the snacks (for both directions) -- boys are ALWAYS hungry.

Step 3: Make contingency plansLet's face it - one of your party guests is going to get sick, or your key speaker's flight is going to be delayed. While you can't plan for every contingency, you can ensure the most likely problems won't throw you a curve ball. In our case we had extra mustaches (they don't always stick), plenty of water and a bathroom on the bus!

Step 4: Menu selection
Every time I plan an event I hear my grandmother's voice reminding me that if I don't have left overs I didn't cook enough. Not the most cost effective advice, but important none the less. Leave all of your guests satisfied. For our party we had pizza and snacks for the kids. For the parents we had chocolate covered strawberries, a goat cheese roll and crackers and some veggies and dip. Turns out the boys loved the strawberries too, good thing I made three dozen - Grandma was right!

Step 5: Make it feel special
While most work events don't have to entertain 10 year old boys, we do need to use our guests time wisely. Never underestimate the appreciation people have for the little things; whether its easy access to the daily newspaper, a chocolate turn down service on their hotel pillow or planning time in your agenda for checking email. For the boys the music, disguises and fun adventure were enough to bring on a chorus of "that was the best birhtday party ever".

Step 6: Promotion
The best event won't be a success if you don't meet your attendance goals. Invitations are a great time to use your creativity. For our party the Secret Agent Recruiting Office inviting our guests to join Mission: Celebrate Derick's Birthday. You don't always have to be "cute" with your invitations, but you do need to be memorable.

Step 7: Confirm, confirm, confirm
Enough said.

Step 8: Event Day Prep
Cooler packed, check. Goody bags on the bus, check. Copy of event contract, just in case, check. You get the idea. Write down your event day needs in advance and methodically review things are you go through the day.

Step 9: Have fun!
I'm not kidding. As a host your guests take your emotional auro as their queue. If you're not having any fun, they won't either. At the event know you've done everything you can to ensure a great event, roll with the unexpected bumps and remind yourself -no one but you will even notice the goody bags are missing the invisible ink pens you bought three weeks in advance. Have a blast - you've earned it.

Three Cheers for Kennedy Middle School

2011-02-01T06:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning was the fateful day I had been invited to share my experiences of living in Liberia with my son's 7th grade class. Having been a middle school student in Liberia by no means made me an expert, but it certainly gave me hands on cultural experience that Nicky's class could learn from - or so I'd been convinced by an eager Nicky.

My cold left me with a horse voice and some trepidation about keeping a roomful of 7th graders entertained for 40 minutes. Armed with fresh tropical fruit, fried plantains, and a Liberian handshake lesson to kick off the class, I arrived a few minutes early to set up. My main goal - don't embarrass Nicky, and if I'm lucky, maybe the class will learn something interesting about West Africa as seen through the eyes of someone their own age.

Mrs. Downing, the teacher who hosted the class, invited me to stay for her homeroom attendance call and morning announcements. The bell rang, everyone sat in their seats. Much to my surprise a formal attendance roll call wasn't the focus. Two girls in the class shared Facebook chats they had been having over the weekend with a sick class mate who was in the hospital. They talked for a few minutes about what more they could do to make the ill student feel connected to the class. Mrs. Downing gracefully guided the discussion but let the kids share their feelings and thoughts.

Then in the back of the room a boy raised his hand. Remember, these are 7th graders. He asked Mrs. Downing if she had seen the news about the riots in Cairo. She acknowledged the news, and set the students up for a discussion they would have later in the day about this very timely topic. Then everyone rose at once, faced the flag and said the pledge of allegiance - with seeming honor, or at least no eyes were rolling.

All of this transpired in 10 minutes. What a wonderful way to start the day. In my head the kids should have been passing notes back and forth, and spitballs would be fired as the teacher formally called out the students name. This was so much better. Something wonderful was in fact happening at the Kennedy.

My hopes of simply not embarrassing Nicky were raised to an optimistic desire to engage the class in a dialog.

I had heard about similar experiences at the Kennedy. Nicky comes home every day with a new fact, a silly joke or other story he read in the Newspaper. Long ago I stopped asking who shared that with him - it was always Mr. Murphy, his Spanish teacher.

And let's not forget Nicky's math teacher, who's last name I'm embarrassed to admit I can't spell! This teacher has Nicky as eager to hop on Study Island and take on his teacher's latest challenge, as he is to play any of his video games.

Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Downing and this math professor - teach more than Social Studies, Spanish and arithmetic. They, along with a fantastic staff at the Kennedy teach students to love learning, to be inquisitive and to relish story telling.

My talk with the 7th graders went well, but I suspect I learned a whole lot more than they did. I learned a new respect for this public middle school - a respect I knew lingered but hadn't fully surfaced. A respect earned not by the slightly run down building that houses these students, or the well used text books the students lug home every night. A respect earned by the quality of the staff - in the classroom, and throughout the school.

I look forward to the weather getting warmer for many reasons, but today, it's so I can proudly wear the Kennedy Middle School shirt the class gave me.

Way to go Kennedy - you are what public schools are all about.

5 Signs You Have Holiday Hang Over

2010-12-28T12:09:00.001-08:00

Each year late December rolls around and I can see the glassy eyed tell tale signs that my co-workers, friends and family are suffering from holiday hang over. It affects each of us in different ways, but the symptoms are clear.

Sign 1: Casual day takes on a new low
Do you consider going to work in your PJs? While most of us won't actually show up in the new snowflake flannel nighty we got for the holidays, we do settle for our most comfortable jeans usually reserved for the hang out BBQ in the backyard, wool socks and shoes that could almost pass for slippers.

Sign 2: Fruit trumps chocolate in a head to head match
Would you choose a fresh fruit basket over a box of chocolates? Normally one to indulge chocolate in all of its forms, has the over-eating binge finally caught up? Today, I walked by a perfectly good box of Godiva chocolates and grabbed two clementines. My mouth watered, usually reserved for decadent desserts, at the possibility of getting some much needed Vitamin C.

Sign 3: You long for an empty mailbox
Have you avoided the mailbox lately, fearful of getting yet another card you must return? I love sending and receiving holiday greetings but by the end of December my stamps are used up, and my ability to write thoughtful notes is a skill of the past.

Sign 4: Missing Meeting Syndrome attacks
It's hard to believe, but you start to long for the routine Monday morning meetings. A predictable agenda that doesn't take much emotional contribution looks awfully good after weeks of special occasion celebrations.

Sign 5: Christmas music makes you cringe
At the beginning of December you couldn't get enough Jingle Bells. And today, one more chorus of dashing through the snow and you're ready to throw the radio out the window.

If you suffer from any of these symptoms I encourage you to take two naps, drink lots of water and return calls next week! You'll be doing yourself, and those you care for a big favor. Trust me, I just retyped this sentence four times, and I'm still not sure I got it right! Time to shake off the cookies and get back to reality. I think I'm just about ready.

The Power of Energy

2010-12-04T05:03:00.000-08:00

Last night a few friends and I went to a seminar led by a medium. Before you roll your eyes and stop reading, let me tell you a bit about the journey that led me to the outing.

First, I will tell you up front I do not practice any particular religion but I do consider myself spiritual. I believe there are many things that science can not explain, and while I don't presume to understand what they are, I accept they do exist. I practice yoga and I believe the human mind is capable of amazing things. Second, I'm very skeptical of any one individuals ability to talk to dead people, or to do other energy based practices like heal with their hands or read the future. So it was with low expectations but sincere curiosity that I said yes when my friend, almost reluctantly asked, "Would you like to go to a strange class Friday night?"

Held in a small bookstore in Braintree about 20 people joined Suzane Northrop http://www.suzanenorthrop.com/book.php

for 90 minutes of discussion. The first 15 minutes was a bit discouraging as she told us about her amusing, but not particularly insightful, troubles travelling through Massachusetts on Rt. 93. Then she talked about how she receives, I should say how she believes we all receive, messages from those without physical bodies.

Towards the end she passed along a message from one audience members husband, another from a brother who recently passed, and a long time gone Mother still wanting to give out advice.

Was Suzanne really talking to dead people, or were the folks in the room somehow projecting to her what they needed to hear? I can't tell you with certainty. But what I can tell you is there was a lot of acceptance and comfort in the telling of contact from afar regardless of the source. The energy in the room was palpable and calm. The audience felt connected to their loved ones, but strangely also to each other.

Rest assured there was no group hug after. But Suzanne did indulge my curiosity by joining my friends and I for a couple of drinks. She spent almost two hours answering every question we could think to ask about her "gift" and the people she helps. We talked about her travels to Japan, Czechoslovakia, and other parts of the world. How much more accepting and open to the idea of energy people are outside of the US, how much more connected we would be if we opened our eyes to seeing the connections. Did I get proof she talks to dead people - definitely not. But I did get proof that she helps people and she does it by understanding what they need to know. Regardless of the source of that knowledge, I consider that type of skill a true gift.

Last night, none of my loved ones spoke to me through Suzanne. At least not in the way the audience might have expected. But I could feel my Grandmother with me - in just the same way she's with me every day. In my thoughts and in my heart. Maybe I didn't need Suzanne to send me a message because she's already always with me. Perhaps Suzanne's gift is simply helping people remember what they already know. Perhaps she's really sending messages from dead people. She can't prove it either way, and by her own admission she doesn't try.

Yes, I'd like to believe that my grandmother is watching from afar. Getting to know my kids and learning how much her life influenced me. But at the end of the day does that really matter? What I know for certain is that she's with me in my heart and my head. That she influenced so much of how I show love to my kids, how I make my pasta, how I over feed by guests, how I tell jokes with my girlfriends. Whether that's because of the time we shared together while she was alive, or is being fed by her contacts from afar doesn't matter. It only matters that she does live on with me.

With last night's experience fresh in my mind I have a renewed commitment to bring my best energy to my kids, to my work and to my friends. After all, when I'm gone who I was is what I leave behind. Whether or not Suzanne can pass along messages to my loved ones. And I'd say that reminder was worth the $30 seminar fee.

Four Things Worth Insisting About

2010-11-12T02:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Veteran's Day. A time to reflect the many sacrifices our military makes - the lives lost, the births missed, the homemade chocolate chip cookies dreamed about but not tasted. Our soldiers, past and present, make a type of sacrifice that compares to nothing else.

Despite these almost unthinkable things we freely ask soldiers for; at work we often hold back, afraid to "insist" for fear of disrupting the work place.

But let's face it - if we can ask soldiers to miss tucking in their kids at night - we can certainly ask our workplaces, customers and partners for a few things that will make us more productive.

1. Thank Yous - Yes, Thank Yous (although I'm not at all sure Yous is a plural I should be using :)). Many of us have this silly notion that expecting acknowledgement for our hard work is arrogant and self-serving. Somehow we're being noble if we go unrecognized for our efforts. I say HOGWASH. While the satisfaction for a job well done is the only real motivator for giving your all -- it's OK to expect a thank you. I'll never forget several years ago I spent the first 3 months on a new job eating, breathing and sleeping our new small business product offering. The team rallied and delivered a really successful partner launch. The next day the executive sponsor for the product came to my office and went directly into demanding the next set of deliverables. I smiled and said "You're Welcome". After the slightly startled look came off his face he told me "you know how much I appreciate the work you did". I looked him straight in the eye and said "Today is a day for thank you. I'm exhausted and the team needs 24 hours of celebration. Tomorrow, we talk about the next steps". We shook hands and talked about the partner excitement we generated. And the next day -- we went back to the grindstone. I felt better, my team felt appreciated and we were that much more focused on moving forward. Thank you means a lot- don't be afraid to insist on it.

But don't forget by expecting a proper Thank You, you must also be willing to give them out. Be generous but sincere with your gratitude.

2. Open Mind - Having an open mind doesn't mean accepting your ideas without challenge, but it does mean giving you the opportunity to voice them and challenging you to drive them to be your best. Insist that your partners, management team, and co-workers keep an open mind or innovation won't occur.

3. Honest Communications - Most modern organizations talk about transparency. But let's face it, open communication isn't always easy. Often we don't like what we hear. Yet without truth you can't improve. Demand open communication even when its hard.

4. Clear Expectations You know the old adage "when asked to Jump, say how high". Despite the authoritarian implications of this saying - there's an interesting truth to it.If you want to meet expectations you need to understand them. How high do you want me to jump? In fact, you should ask not only how high you need to jump, but where do you want to go? And why? If you understand the ultimate outcome you are trying to achieve you might just come up with a better approach. Let's face it at 5 foot, no inches tall I'm not likely to reach much by jumping. BUT if I understand you want to reach the cookies on the top shelf - well then I'll go find my 6 foot tall colleague down the hall and ask him to reach them. (This is my second cookie reference in just this one post - think that's a sign I'm hungry?) What if instead of reaching treats you are asked to get 500 more leads -- ask why? Am I trying to get to a certain revenue number? Or is there a new market segment we want to penetrate? Is a particular territory falling short of their forecast? Understanding the expectations behind the request will lead to a more effective outcome. After all, what good is 500 new small business leads when your company needed you to seed the health care market in preparation for an acquisition?

When it comes to appreciation, communication and expectation setting don't be afraid to insist. Just don't forget your please and thank yous! (and there's that yous again).

Time for a cookie.

Even Selling Cars Has Changed; Imagine How Much Your B2B Sales Approach Must Evolve

2010-10-21T02:35:00.000-07:00

It's 7:45, laptop bag strapped on your shoulder, you head out the door to go to work. Imagine in your driveway sits a gentleman in a suit with a brand new car. Unfortunately, he's not there to give you the good news you won the local radio contest. Instead he offers "Boy do I have a deal for you. Buy this brand new Yugo right now and I can cut you a fantastic deal."

How likely are you to buy on the spot? Forget that it's the most uncool car on the planet. Were you even in the market for a new car? Will your 6 Ft. 5 inch tall car pool friend fit in it? Has the sales person taken into account you just bought a new house and are rebuilding your savings? Let's face it, you're about as likely to buy that car as I am to be America's Next Top Model. It's not happening folks.

I know when you read this you think what a ridiculous scenario, he's crazy to show up at your door unannounced. But unfortunately, what I described isn't all that different from how many B2B sales and marketing professionals approach potential clients.

Now what if instead of trying to shove a contract under my nose, that same sales man showed up at my door but this time offered "I know you're running out but I have these free car wash gift certificates I'd like to give you in exchange for answering just one question". Now I might be a little annoyed, but my car could use a good wash. So yes, I'd let him ask me one question. He hands over the gift certificate and says "What is the most important criteria for you when buying a new car?" This is easy for me to answer - function I have four kids and I need a practical car that can accommodate a family of six. Mission accomplished.

Now about three weeks later when I've had a chance to turn in that gift certificate the sales man calls me and asks was I satisfied with the job they did on my car. I thank him yes and then he says "oh by the way, when might you be in the market for a new car?" He's now earned the right to ask me another question. Unfortunately for him I'm not in the market for three years. Unfettered he responds. "Thanks, before I let you go I wanted to tell you about a free child safety seat inspection we're having at the dealership next Saturday. The local police have noticed a lot of accidents lately where children were hurt because their seats were not properly installed. If you come by, bring the kids we'll be giving out stickers and cookies too."

Whether I show up or not, this sales man has just resisted the urge to sell me something I don't way, instead he's demonstrated he listened to my needs and is offering a service I do in fact value.

Now three months go by and my teenage son crashes my car. He's fine but the car is totalled and I need to find a replacement fast. Am I likely to call the first sales man that showed up to my house saying "buy the Yugo now"? Not a chance. I'm calling the nice guy who showed he might actually know what I want.

Now think about this, if buying a car can require this complex of a sales journey, how much nurturing does your B2B technology or service offering require?

I wish I could tell you this story was true, but sadly I've met more cheesy car sales man than nurturing ones. I wonder if this is an American phenomenon, or if car sales man across the world do the "check with my manager jive" before they offer you a 1% discount as if they are bending over backwards for you.

None the less, I do hope it's illustrated for you why nurturing matters. Going for the hard sell because you can doesn't work -- our buyers are educated and they want to be treated that way.

Now go share this with every car like sales man you know! We all might just benefit. (And you may enjoy this past post too about the buyer's journey)

Grandma Was Right; It Really Is the Thought That Counts

2010-09-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

We've all heard the old adage "it's the thought that counts". We pull it out when a friend complains about the hot pink plaid sweater he got from his girlfriend for Christmas. Or when a well meaning colleague let's slip the date of the surprise baby shower you have been planning for weeks to your very pregnant co-worker. Both examples of good intentions gone horribly wrong.

But when you take a step back, "it's the thought that counts" means so much more.

Take this evening for example. After 11 hours in the office I drove home exhausted, my mind on tomorrow's meetings. Then I walked in the door to the most wonderful surprise. Nicky, my 12 year old, had made a bouquet of beautiful paper flowers. His thoughtfulness made me smile instantly.

It got me thinking about all the ways you can apply thoughtful gestures at work. After all, most things being equal, people do business with individuals they like. When I gave it some thought, I realized there were examples of thoughtfulness all across my business in just the last two weeks alone.

Forget email, give it a hand written touch - one of our top producing sales reps stopped by my office looking for note cards. He had just come back from a meeting with a prospective client and wanted to write a thank you note. In the land of mass production, this small gesture with a personal reference to the meeting, went a long way towards building trust with this potential client.

Chocolate really is a girl's best friend - Oh wait, was that supposed to be diamonds? The truth is whether it's a box of chocolates, a personalized photo album or a donation to a local charity it's not about how much money you spent, but how well you listened. Thanking someone with a small gift that shows the recipient you remembered how much they loved the chocolate on your desk, or the off hand comment they made about their weekend charity walk, shows you care. It always wins hands down over an impersonal gift. In my case, a client mentioned how much his wife liked good chocolate - as a token of my appreciation for an interview they conducted, a box of my favorite chocolates was on the way - it made for a great surprise.

Show your gratitude publicly - Our sales department has been very busy this week closing quarter end business. With each win an announcement was sent to the sales & marketing team congratulating the sales person. But it was more than a pat on the back to the deal closer. Each note carefully thanked all the individuals who participated to support the deal. Saying thank you is important, but recognizing someone in front of their peers or even just their supervisor goes a long way towards building good will.

I'm very fortunate that there are a dozen other examples I can share but in the interest of time I hope these samples have inspired you to add a little thoughtfulness to your day to day business. It's remarkably easy, and surprisingly effective.

5 Things You Can Learn from FDS Syndrome

2010-09-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

Last week was the first day of school in Woburn, MA. From the outside you would have thought we'd started weeks ago. After all we'd been planning most of August. I started to believe we suffered from First Day of School Syndrome (FDS). It started with a back to school clothes shopping trip four weeks ago. Followed quickly by looking up teachers, buying supplies and packing back-packs a full five days before go live.

A friend at work teased me "OCD much". For those who suffer from this condition it's anything but funny. But for busy, working parents, a little obsessive planning comes with the territory.

And it turns out I'm not alone. I started to do an informal poll of my friends and family via Facebook and casual conversations. And you know what - almost everyone had pulled together "get ready for school" to -do lists. School supplies were purchased well in advance, and back-packs (and in the case of my sister - school lunches) were ready to go days ahead.

In talking with so many other parents (admittedly mostly moms) it occurred to me that we weren't displaying an unnatural obsession. Rather we had simply planned well.

1. Learn from the past - With a senior, seventh, fourth and third grader you'd figure planning to go back to school would be old hat to me. First day of school battle scars - "Mommy you forgot to pack tissues for the classroom", and "Mom I was the ONLY one in school with a pink eraser" tend to leave their marks. I've learned to shop early - that's when the sales are hot, and the choices wide. And most importantly, to bring the official school list with you. It's long, and dull, and you're bound to forget something without it. And trust me, your kids won't let you forget even the smallest of first day of school transgressions.

2. Honor traditions - Without a single word passing between the bus stop kids or parents, everyone knew to meet at 60 Kilby Street after school. A first day of school celebration cake would be waiting. It reminded me of our "Beer Thirty" Friday afternoons at Dataupia. Both were a fun way to settle in after a long, hard day of work, and both seemed to happen organically. These organizational traditions are what makes a culture come alive- whether it's in the office, or in the neighborhood. Don't underestimate the motivation and comfort traditions bring to your kids, friends and colleagues.

3. Heed the advice of others - Last year was my now 12 year old's first time in middle school. While I was well entrenched into the protocols of elementary school, I was not familiar with his school. Lucky for us, his friends had older sisters and brothers that attended the year before. So I called their moms, who helped us answer some of the most important questions plaguing my almost 6th grader -- Bring or buy lunch? Walk or get dropped off? Trapper Keeper or Three Ring Binder? The consequences for mistakes in your office might be more impactful than the terrible 6th grade nickname you'll earn by making a FDS mistake, but the principal is the same. Find people who have gone before you, ask questions and then take their advice. We went with buy lunch, walk with friends while the weather was nice and Trapper Keeper.

4. Expect the unexpected - Despite weeks of careful planning, unexpected things will happen. At work your competitor might launch a new product, or a strategic supplier might go out of business. On the first day of school - our bus didn't stop to pick up the kids! Yep, it slowed down, waved, and kept on going.

5. Lean on others - Although the bus didn't turn up, there were plenty of willing parents to drive the boys to school. Together we stood in line at the office to make sure the ride home wouldn't end in the same disaster. And thanks to some polite team work on our part, the principal personally rode the bus home to make sure there was no more confusion. Him going above and beyond was really appreciated, and it saved the driver from a loud rendition of "STOP" from six anxious kids if he tried to go by their drop off on the way home. Everyone benefited.

It turns out getting ready for school has a lot more to do with planning in the office than I thought!

The 10% Law - Harness The Power of Swarm

2010-08-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry to disappoint but this post isn't about the rising cost of sales tax. Or the proper gratuity you should leave on mediocre service. This is about something much more impactful - human swarm behavior.

In 2007 a German biologist Jens Kause and Dr. John Dyer held an experiment (thanks to Elisa French for providing the English translation of the article). They brought together 200 people in a large room. The audience was told to keep moving and nothing else. Left alone, the group moved in a disorganized manner. And then they changed the game. Twenty of the participants were told to move towards a specific target spot in the room. Those 20 people were dispersed throughout the group and could move towards the target but not tell anyone they had been given instructions. There was nothing marking the target and no signage pointing the way. And yet, in minutes the entire 200 person audience had moved towards the target. After experimenting with various participation levels, the 10% rule was born. Think about the implications - it only takes 10% of an organization to create a swarm.

This makes total sense, right? Think about when you get off the airplane in an unfamiliar airport. What do you do; you follow the mass of people walking towards the baggage claim area. Or what about the last web seminar you attended. After the first couple of people started asking questions, did more follow?

What if you could harness the power of human swarm dynamics to accelerate fundamental improvement in your organization?

I believe you can. The environment within which you must re-create the experiment is not static. Your peers are not locked in a room. Moving in the same direction for a few feet is much easier than over the course of several miles. And unlike the imperative of walking towards a target, transformation objectives are often complex. All of this is true, but you can replicate the principal of the experiment within the context of your environment to achieve remarkable results. Here's how I've seen it work.

1) Recruit Ambassadors. In this experiment the stakes were low - "walk towards the corner". In a business environment you can't simply say "start selling more" or "build a better product" and make it so. You need to embrace your ambassadors on the journey of creating a plan. But here's the great part - not everyone has to believe - just 10% - your ambassadors. Other research supports this notion. For example, Malcom Gladwell observed similar results in his case study driven book The Tipping Point.

2) Articulate a Clear Direction - In the experiment 10% were told clearly to walk towards the target. The swarm worked because they understood fully what direction to follow. In your business, charity or family dynamic vision and strategy will rarely be as clear cut as "walk to the North corner" but the more your ambassadors can understand their mission, the more likely a swarm will follow.

3) Keep Obstacles Out of the Way - Ambassadors led the pack because they could. Similarly, people followed instinctively because they could. But what if in one portion of the room a table had been set with cookies? Or a pile of rocks had blocked a passage. Would the swarm have formed as neatly? Not only must we create clear direction, we must empower ambassadors to take obstacles out of the way to clear the path for their followers.

4) Reinforce The Swarm - If instead of walking to the corner of a room, you wanted the participants to walk 10 miles, would you have the same affect? In business to transform an organization you need to sustain progress over time. That means to keep the swarm progressing you must reinforce behavior by provide new compelling incentives to keep the movement forward. Don't forget to replace ambassadors who are tired and poop out at the 3rd mile, or the 8th. In affect, you have to keep creating little swarms that move you towards your designated goal. Swarms are relatively easy to get started, maintaining them takes patience and focused effort.

The next time you need to make a big change remember, you can get started with just 10%. The swarm will follow.

Talking Sticks, Music & Colored Pens Do Belong In the Workplace

2010-07-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

I was recently introduced to a strategic leadership framework called Nine Conversations. Over the course of several weeks you and your co-workers are coached through nine conversations (+ homework) about leadership, communications, strategy and vision. I've only just begun the journey and will save a more complete analysis of the approach for a blog post down the road. In the interim, there are two components to the early conversations that I found particularly compelling.

The first was something I've never experienced in a business workplace. Our team, or in nine conversation nomenclature, cell, was lead through exercises that forced us to think using different parts of our brains. At times we sat on the floor in a circle using a traditional South African talking stick to guide our dialogue. Elsewhere we listened to music during journal writing exercises and at the end of the second morning we even drew pictures. Each of us was supplied with color markers and some large, blank pieces of paper. We were instructed to draw what leadership meant to us. It was an interesting challenge and one that I took on with some unease - but of course that was the point. We'd spent the day reading, writing, debating - now it was time to use a different part of our brain. Luckily, the quality of our artistic ability was not at task - it was about telling a story through an analogy. You can imagine the outcomes. There was no right or wrong answers - no picture was better than another, but there was truth.

If someone had explained the day to me and I had not participated, I imagine I'd describe the activities in my father's words as "touchy feely". But they weren't. We weren't seeking out our feelings, we were carving a path to drive organizational efficiency through better communications, clarity of vision and a rock solid strategy.

The second intriguing technique was almost annoying. The facilitator had the most frustrating habit. Every time someone asked a question it was posed back to you - what would you like to do about it? I almost felt like I was lying on a coach in a counseling session. As it turns out, the approach was not only a frustrating habit, but an empowering one.

The Nine Conversations approach brought together all of the best pieces of coaching, communication techniques and whole brain thinking. I'm energized by the reminder that meetings don't have to follow a familiar pattern to be productive - in fact, a little moving and shaking can do us some good.

My Kids Have More Focus Than My Co-Workers

2010-07-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my kids have more focus than most adults I know. On the surface that statement feels counter intuitive; but think about it. Kids spend six hours a day in a classroom - 5 days a week. They stand on a baseball field for hours, most of the time doing nothing. And yesterday, my boys repetitively jumped into the pool from the exact same spot for 90 minutes straight. They only stopped because I was ready to leave. And don't even get me started about the video game trance all pre-teen boys seem to zone into in an unnatural obsession with getting to the "next level".

Contrast this to your last all day planning meeting at work. How many people were "taking notes" on their laptop while checking their email? Or doing the "lowered head concentrating look" while thinking they were being sneaky checking their black berry under the table? Did a group bathroom break get triggered when one brave sole got up to leave?

What can teachers and parents show us about keeping someone's attention for long period's of time? It turns out a LOT! The next time your facilitating a long meeting - be it two, three, or six hours keep these tips in mind.

1) Make Your Content Relevant - Do fourth grade boys enjoy learning about grammar rules? NO, but they do pay attention because the teacher makes it relevant - they have a scheduled test planned. You may not be able to "test" your audience, but you can explain why they need to pay attention, give them relevant examples, and understand their needs.

2) Set Expectations & Layout Goals - Review the agenda and meeting objectives in advance. Explain how long the meeting will last, what topics will be covered and any meeting rules (i.e. no black berries, planning assumptions). Determine up front what will be accomplished in the meeting - will a decision be made on a new product direction? Will you be sharing important new benefits information? Are you soliciting input for a new marketing strategy?

3) Schedule Breaks - It may not be recess on the playground, but just like kids, meeting participants need a chance to stretch their non-brain muscles. Schedule sufficient time to check emails, stretch your legs & for informal chatting. I recommend one or two long breaks as opposed to several short breaks. There is always a transition getting back from a break and too many cycle breaks can hurt the efficient flow of a meeting.

4) Feed Them - Snack time isn't only a favorite for the kids. After sitting for long periods of time people need an energy boost. I recommend laying out food for grazing as opposed to a formal "break" - I find it helps people focus if they are munching on their own schedule.

5) Honor the Plan - While it's important for meeting participants to feel they have some ownership of a session, its critical you honor the goals and objectives of the meeting. Just like a teacher keeping lessons on task, it's the job of a meeting facilitator to balance good quality discussions spurred by creative thinking, with the actual meeting goals. Many people use a "parking lot" system for managing important, but irrelevant or complex topics that arise during a meeting but can not be addressed in the current session.

6) Send Out Post Meeting Notes w/In 24 Hours - Classroom teachers assign homework to reinforce the lessons of the day. In the workplace we shouldn't shy away from homework assignments of our own. Nothing will stifle the success of your next meeting more than a lack of follow up on a previous session. Time is valuable to all of your co-workers they want to know it was used wisely for themselves, and the organization. Be sure the notes articulate any decisions made, next steps and assign "homework" action items with due dates.

Sometimes going back to the basics can make all the difference. These simple guidelines can work for classrooms and swimming pools across the globe, keep them in mind to help your next working session be a wild success.

It's Louder In My Room

2010-06-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Bright lightening strikes and rumbling thunder wake me up at three in the morning. Within minutes my seven year old Johnny is curled up next to me in bed. After a couple of minutes I offer to tuck him back into his bed. He looks up with his big brown eyes, wide as they can be, and says “but mommy, it’s louder in my room”. In reality the storm is no louder on the other side of the wall our bedroom’s share, than it is in my bedroom right now. Or was it?

At work your “storm” might take a different form. It could be an aggressive new competitor going after your most profitable clients, or a change in management that has everyone reeling, or perhaps even a budget crisis that requires significant cuts. While I don’t recommend you try to curl up next to your collegues in the way Johnny and I weathered the storm together. I do suggest you huddle together and remember these key mechanisms for coming out the other side a stronger team, and perhaps even a more effective organization.

Define the storm/crisis
For Johnny this was one bad storm. Telling him to ignore it and pretending it would go away was not going to settle his nerves one bit. Instead, we talked about what was causing the storm – hot & cold air coming together. We estimated how long the storm would last – counting seconds between lightening bolts and thunder roars. For your business this is about isolating the cause of the crisis from the outcomes. Understand what is in your control and what’s not.

Estimate the potential damage
What’s the likely outcome at the end of the storm? Johnny was very worried about our recently sprouting tomato plants. What if the storm knocked it over? What if our top 10 customers migrate to another vendor? What if we cut the budget so much customer service suffers? This can be scary to articulate but it’s critical to lay out the possibilities. More importantly, it’s critical to create a plan for addressing the potential outcomes. For Johnny and I we talked about how we could replant the growing tomato plant in another location if it fell. And if it didn’t grow further how we could use the green tomatoes in their current form.

Mitigate risks
What can we do during the storm to lesson its impact? For us we closed the windows to keep the heavy rain from coming into the house. We closed the curtain tighter to lessen the brightness of the lightening strikes. And we hung out together talking to reduce the anxiety the storm was causing. By taking control of the small things you can address; you empower your team, and with this comes passion and often solutions you’d never imagine on your own.

No matter how hard we try to plan for success, storms will sometimes surprise us. In his own sweet way Johnny reminded me that getting through a storm of any kind is better when you do it together. I couldn’t agree more.

Louie's Pizza Is Proof, The SMB Market Does Not Exist

2010-05-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

I spent most of last week in Scottsdale, AZ attending the Sirius Decisions conference along with 500 senior sales and marketing executives from around North America. (photo: courtesy of Google images)

In addition to extremely peaceful 5:30 am walks across the property, (I was still on east coast time, lest you think I'm an early riser by nature!), I participated in several interesting sessions. Most of which I found insightful. And yet,
even at this conference which was all about the buyer's journey, demand centers and the value of segmentation - speakers talked about SMBs, small & midmarket companies as if they are grouped together as a single market. Or in the case of Sirius Decisions the SME, small & midsized enterprise market.

I'm here to tell you there is no SMB/SME market. If you believe that there is such a thing as the SMB market you would treat Louie's pizza in Woburn, MA the same as Domino's. Do they have some things in common - yes. They both have roughly the same number of employees at a given location. The primary menu is pizza of various sizes and in my neighborhood they serve the same community.

And yet, the businesses couldn't be more unlike. Louie, the restaurant's namesake gets up in the morning and makes fresh pizza dough. He has no fancy on-line ordering system, pizza toppings are traditional, and the lunch line is out the door every day. Pizza is served until the morning dough runs out...could be 2pm, it could be 5pm, but every day it runs out.

Even though the individual restaurant looks similar on the surface, the business operations are starkly different. Domino restaurants have national advertising. They have centralized buying processes and their technology decisions are made by committee.

For everything they have in common, they have more that is different.Louie's is a small business. Domino's regional division is a midsized business.

As you are planning your next product launch, channel recruitment strategy or customer acquisition program think of our pizza example and remember there is a small business market and there are midsized businesses - and how you define them varies by industry, objective and organizational structure.

Lumping together organizations into the fallacy of an SMB market is a mistake. And so it would be if I ate anything for lunch tomorrow except Louie's cheese pizza with mushrooms. My mouth is watering already.

Three Ways to Make Sure Work Gives You Butterflies

2010-05-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

My eleven year old was called in to pitch his first baseball game - bases loaded, no outs and the team down by three runs. Terrified but determined he walked out to the pitcher's mound. I took one look at his face, my heart began to race and my stomach turned into a knot. His first three pitches were balls. And at that moment I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be. And so did he. The fourth pitch was a strike.

After the inning was over I was beaming along with my son. He made it through and was on his way to pitch many future games. After I caught my breath I couldn't help asking myself when was the last time I felt this rush. To my pleasant surprise it was during a workshop at the office earlier in the week.

Nervous, excited, unsure. Parenting may be the best job in the world, but its also the hardest. And yet, it reminds me everyday what I should expect from my professional life. The way I see it, we spend more than 2000 hours a year in the office - we deserve to feel a rush now and then.

Here are three ways I make sure work gives me butterflies.

1) Get outside your comfort zone - create invigorating projects that not only drive bottom line results, but challenge you to think in new ways. This could be joining a committee in another department where you don't know the ropes, attending networking events that stretch your connections, or simply volunteer to help a peer brainstorm.

2) Don't settle - budget constraints, complex priorities and never ending meetings can make it easier to simple accept mediocre results but it doesn't have to be that way. Need more time - say no to 10% of your meeting requests, need more dollars - seek partnerships, unsure about your authority - earn it by jumping in to help a peer.

3) Celebrate success big or small - the act of recognition gives you a natural motivator - just like it did for my son.

The love you feel for family can never fully be replicated professionally, but you can set yourself up to feel proud, excited and enthusiastic about your work - and you shouldn't settle for less. You'll be doing yourself, and your business a favor.

Join the Good Enough Club, Get More Done

2010-03-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Over the past 12 months businesses across the country have been trying to do more with less. Fewer employees, less incoming revenue, increased competitive pressure. During this time, most professionals I know went back to basics exclaiming sentiments like "we can't predict when the economy will rebound, hunker down"; "revenues have declined, cut costs and stick with what you know works". While these are prudent economic moves, they are also missed opportunities.

I believe in planning. Collecting data, testing hypothesis and building support; these are essentials for good fundamentals. But to be wildly successful you have to take risks and trust your instincts.

How many times has your organization suffered from analysis paralysis? I remember many years ago working for a technology company and the Executive Team set up several task forces. I was asked to lead one on strategic channel enablement. We brought together a cross functional team of professionals. We spent many meetings brainstorming, testing ideas and developing thoughtful recommendations. The time came to present to the Steering committee who had chartered our efforts. The presentations went well, we all left feeling energized and looking forward to implementing one of the three paths outlined. Instead, we were chartered to conduct additional studies. Ultimately, we missed a window of opportunity and while the company proceeded to move forward, these initiatives were thwarted by an aggressive competitive organization that recruited many of our best potentail partners. We may never know if the recommendations would have driven additional revenue streams. But I do know, many employees, including myself, ultimately left the company to pursue other more action oriented cultures.

For all you perfectionists out there, this is going to hurt. But unless you are a surgeon, civil engineer or my hairdresser (yep, I said hair stylist), where precision is life or death critical, stop trying to be perfect. So many professionals are stifled by our desire to predict outcomes that we miss opportunities for great success.

If you remember nothing else, take note: good enough does not mean poor quality - it simply means good quality delivered in time to make a difference; and a sincere acceptance that we will make mistakes.

If you're having trouble accepting the "good enough" philosophy I recommend reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell and Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard by Chris & Dan Heath

p.s. If you couldn't already tell, this post was written with the good enough philosphy in mind.

Stop, Drop and Focus

2010-03-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

Sitting in my office this afternoon I realized I was on a conference call, checking my email and responding to an instant message all simultaneously. I was the picture of multi-tasking perfection. Admit it, you too have juggled your fair share of opposing tasks. Talking on your cell phone, commuting to work, while scribbling yourself a note to call your electrician. Well, maybe not those things, but we all multi-task. No harm done, right? Wrong.

If you are constantly keeping several balls in the air, when do you have time to stop and think. The dirty little secret our busy calendar's don't want to enable, is when we stop doing things long enough to think we actually accomplish the most.

We all have to DO things as part of our jobs, home life and family obligations. Many of us use our hectic schedules as an excuse; telling ourselves we don't have time to stop and think. And yet, it's when we take a step back and give ourselves moments of calm that we have our most significant thoughts. Whether it's focusing on an intriguing article, listening carefully to meeting dialog or simply brainstorming on a whiteboard - you must quiet your mind to gain true insight.

Don't get me wrong. Juggling is a critical skill in our high paced professional lives. But along the way don't forget to STOP. DROP & FOCUS. You'll be amazed at how much more you can achieve.

There Is No Such Thing As a Sales Cycle

2010-02-09T18:06:00.000-08:00

There is no such thing as a sales cycle. For all you marketing professionals focused on helping your sales counterparts develop tools to "shorten the sales cycle", you're focused on the wrong things.

Customers have a buying process, and even the best sales processes can't change it. If you really want to help your sales team meet and even exceed their quota's focus on your buyers, not the sales steps.

Early in my career I believed with proper incentives, good collateral and a strong storyline I could actually shrink the sales cycle. I focused on building tools to make my sales team more effective. Were these tools valuable? Yes, the sales team loved them. They felt more productive but really the sales cycle didn't get shorter, and our win rate didn't get higher.

After one long weekend searching for the perfect new car, only to be terribly annoyed by the typical process we all go through when negotiating for a new vehicle - it dawned on me. That car dealer wasn't changing my buying process no matter how many times they talked to "the manager" to get me the best deal. The same is true whether you are buying a new stereo, ERP software or a new home.

At work the next week I did what good marketers do best. I thought like the customer. I stopped thinking of the sales cycle, and started thinking of the buying cycle. While the nature of the purchase impacts the intensity of each step along the buying journey, each buyer goes through some phase of awareness, evaluation and commitment.

What did paying attention to the buying cycle change? A LOT.

By calling it a sales process I was implying that I had control of the buyers evaluation. I finally admitted that I didn't have that type of control. Instead I focused on the following:

Listening to how customers buy, rather than solely listening to how the sales team sold, changed the way I messaged products, told stories and developed assets.
Instead of trying to get prospective customers to skip steps and move straight to commitment, I built tools that served each of the steps.
I nurtured prospects until they were ready to be engaged by the sales team. The sales reps felt like we shortened the sales cycle, but really, we just managed the early phases of the buying cycle on their behalf.
By understanding and profiling buyer behavior, I started targeting customers most likely to buy our products within a certain time frame.
I worked with product management to create more compelling products that were easier to evaluate and offered more strongly differentiated features.

I encourage all of you to repeat after me. "I can not create a sales cycle."

But we can facilitate an effective buying process by targeting the right people, building engaging assets for how your customers evaluate solutions and never forgetting the buyer is in the driver's seat. Be at the right place, at the right time with the right tool.

Thank You Mrs. Ambrogi

2010-02-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

My mother sent an email (yes, I am one of those daughters who is too busy to call her mom during the week). In the note she was letting me know that she'd scheduled lunch with a family friend from out of town. That friend is Kathi Ambrogi. An involuntary smile crossed my face immediately.

Aside from being a very charming woman, and the mother of two boys I used to babysit; Mrs. Ambrogi played a large part in the creation of this blog.

Far away in Monrovia, Liberia, long before anyone blogged or emailed casually, Mrs. Ambrogi was my middle school English teacher. For my younger readers, I assure you this was not the dark ages. But it was decades ago.

Mrs. Ambrogi wasn't just any English teacher. She taught me that writing was not a chore, but a pleasure. And I learned the good old fashioned way - with encouragement, mentoring and lots of practice.

While my writing journey didn't end in middle school, it did begin there. To the teacher in all of us - whether you are teaching your kids, inspiring an employee or campaigning for a political cause, Mrs. Ambrogi taught us that you can make a lasting impression.

Here's to you Mrs. Ambrogi. Thank you for all you have inspired.

Marketing Lessons From the Brown-Coakley Contest

2010-01-19T20:09:00.001-08:00

Martha Coakley lost her Senate race for one simple reason - she didn't inspire loyalty & passion. Full disclosure, I am a registered Democrat, and so are many of my friends and family. But I also know many Independents and Republicans.

During the short run of the Massachusetts special election, Scott Brown supporters displayed aggressive passion. They were actively soliciting votes on Twitter, disarming negative publicity on Facebook, even debating Brown's strengths in lunch rooms everywhere. These were the actions of driven voters.

Contrast that to the "Coakley Supporters" I know. They were making statements like "don't let Scott Brown win" and "Coakley is better than the alternative." Did Coakley have her share of passionate supporters - of course. What she forgot was that core staff needed to inspire tens of thousands more Democrats to come to the polls. She took for granted the "blueness" of Massachusetts and underestimated Brown's ability to rally the troops.

Convincing people not to like Scott Brown was not only ineffective for Coakley, but it is never enough. Coakley lost her Senate bid for the same reason John Kerry lost the Presidential race in 2004. Being Anti-Bush was not enough to bring Democrats to the polls, to call their friends and debate the merits of their candidate, to proudly tweet their endorsement.

Last night while I sat picturing Ted Kennedy rolling over in his grave as Scott Brown made his acceptance speech, I was shaken by the reality that marketing campaigns are much the same as political campaigns.

Tearing down your competitor isn't enough. You must have a product or service people want to buy.
Good customer service & strong communications will go viral. So will bad service.
Your "customers" are the strongest testament you can offer. If you're customers aren't willing to endorse you, who will?
Don't take your customers for granted -if you want them to attend an event, download an offer or buy more product, you need to convince them to act.

Not a believer - look at the almost cult-like following of Apple, Ben & Jerry's and Coke benefit from. Across demographics, product & service categories and even geography - one principal holds true - customer loyalty drives bottom line results.

So when you go to build your 2010 marketing plans, don't forget the lessons Martha Coakley & Scott Brown taught us well. Loyalty matters, and you have to work for it each and every day.

2010: Try Something New, Acceptance

2010-01-03T18:50:00.000-08:00

I admit it, in year's past my new year's resolutions have been quite cliche. Exercise more, eat less, get control of my credit card debt. While important goals, I was destined to fail at each of them because I treated them like an annual mission, rather than lifestyle choices that needed to seep into my every day routine.

Every January, I started off with noble intentions. I replaced my office trail mix with a bag of carrots, bought new work out clothes (the old ones didn't fit), and spent hours justifying why my new plan had to wait one more week. Safely guarded under winter sweaters getting a bikini ready body just never made it to the top of my list. As for getting rid of debt...well, I'd start right after paying off those holiday bills.

Three years ago I put a stake in the ground that my new year's resolutions were going to change. I was going to stop setting lofty goals and instead simply commit to being open to new things. The first year, I took a cake decorating class. This has turned into a wonderful hobby.

The year after that I took my first yoga class. Two years later, while less disciplined, it is still a valuable stress reliever and strength builder that I love.

Last year, I committed to writing a blog. While that took some time to get off and running, I'm pleased that blogging has become a habit I truly enjoy.

Reading this you might get the impression everything I tried worked out fabulously. Let me set the record straight that for every fun success, were several failures. For example, I vowed for every fiction book I read, I'd select a biography/autobiography to enjoy. I'm sorry to report that was a dismal failure. I still have two unfinished books sitting on my bedside from the first month of that effort.

And I'll spare you the sad tale of my attempt to cross country ski. Let's just say I'm not a natural!

This year I'm trying something new again, but I'm taking a different approach. This year - I'm cutting myself slack. I'm going to accept the extra ten pounds I've gained. I'm going to accept that Saturday's are about grocery shopping, and I'm going to accept that I need some me time.

Acceptance might not be a traditional new year's resolution, but who said tradition was the only way to go? As far as I'm concerned, 2010 is off to a great start.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying settle. I'm still going to take a knitting class. I'm still going to set new goals for my team at work. But I'm going to accept who I am and appreciate what I have each and every day. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to enjoy the successes even more this way.

Productivity Tips From a Closet Insomniac

2009-12-20T00:44:00.000-08:00

If you've ever suffered from bouts of insomnia you'd know how much wasted energy is spent trying to fall back to sleep. Making mental lists, warming milk, tossing & turning, staring at the ceiling. And my personal favorite, watching the clock, telling yourself if I just fall asleep now I can get 3 hours of sleep, now 2 hours 59 minutes, 2 hours 58 minutes....

I learned a long time ago that the more I worried about falling back to sleep, the longer I was awake. Stop fighting your busy mind and get productive. I don't mean clean the kitchen junk drawer busy, I mean collect your thoughts busy.

I love being a mother to four boys. I love my work as a marketing professional. But let's face reality, being both doesn't give me a lot of time to reflect. The way I figure it, insomnia is my body's way of forcing me to focus on myself. After years of perfecting my tip toeing I've narrowed down my favorite "me" activities.

1. Read - I mean really read. Don't pretend it's going to help you fall asleep. Pick up an indulgent book and engross yourself in the story. Pull out that magazine. You know, the one with the relationship quiz you've secretly wanted to take.

2. Write - Jot down your to-do list for next week, edit a blog post, journal - just write. Your mind is amazingly clear at three in the morning. Most importantly your mind is open to new ideas if you let them in.

3. Watch TV - you know you want to. Turn on your favorite cooking show and really write down the recipe this time. Or simply laugh (not out loud - you don't want to give away you are awake) to an old time favorite comedy you've tivo'd.

However you decide to spend this unintended awake time, make it indulgent and make it all about you! It will be our little secret - no one else needs to know.

And I promise, just when you think your body can't function off of another restless sleep, calm, or maybe better said exhaustion, takes over. And those 8-9 hours of complete and uninterrupted sleep is a welcomed reward for focusing on yourself for a change.

The Do's and Don'ts of Holiday Cheer

2009-12-12T22:28:00.000-08:00

During the holiday season its traditional for marketing departments in organizations of all types to thank their customers. Unfortunately, these gestures are often thinly veiled attempts to generate near term business. If you really want to make an impression that builds your customer relationships your recognition must be sincere.

DON'T fall into these common traps

DON'T send an impersonal card. If you are going to send season's greetings add a personal note and use a real signature. Nothing feels colder than the unsigned greeting card with your company logo.
DON'T mistake holiday promotions with loyalty programs. Customers expect you to give them value and discounts are par for the course during the shopping season.
DON'T over do the holiday cheer. Holiday music, freshly baked cookies and a friendly happy holidays are lovely tributes to the season. But if you start them in October and combine them with flashing for sales signs the charm is lost.

DO focus on your core values

DO let your spirit shine through. The holidays are a time to smile. Whether its a humorous greeting on the home page of your website, or beautiful decorations around the office this is a chance for your customers to see your inner spirit. It's OK to forget the brand colors and get into the holiday spirit.
DO offer something truly unique. A week before Thanksgiving I visited a local restaurant for breakfast. They had a simple sign inviting their customers and anyone in need to a free Thanksgiving feast - no strings attached. While I was fortunate to host a family affair on Thanksgiving, I remember with a smile that generous offer.
DO remember your employees. Whether its a bonus, free holiday lunch, extra vacation day or simply a hosted cookie exchange; when your employees are full of holiday cheer it shows.

5 Ways to Show Your Gratitude - No Check Book Required

2009-11-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe but the 2009 holiday season has arrived. The evidence is everywhere. Dozens of catalogs & online coupons arrive tempting even the most prudent of shoppers. The smells of special holiday treats waft from bakeries near and far. And the sounds of jingling bells can be heard from Salvation Army donation bins scattered around the city.

I have a great deal to be thankful for; an amazing family, good job, comfortable home and welcoming neighbors & friends. It's tempting to show my appreciation for these wonderful blessings through grand gestures - donations to favorite charities, over the top generous gifts, an extraordinary number of expensive dinners. While each of these pleasures are welcomed and encouraged for those blessed enough to afford them, none of them truly capture my gratitude.

When I sat down to consider alternatives I realized I was already showing my appreciation in many small ways. Here are five of my favorite.

1. Thank someone unexpected - This is the perfect time of year to pause and send a note thanking someone for going out of their way to do good. For example, my son recently celebrated a promotion in Cub Scouts. The ceremony was thoughtfully planned, the venue charming and the company enjoyable. But what made the event special was the legend of fire that one parent shared and the way the fire "magically" started at just the right time in the story. The next morning, I got up and wrote a short but sincere email thanking that parent for making our night special.

2. Donate your time - Donating your time comes in all shapes and sizes. You can sign up for regular volunteer hours at your local food pantry, you could wrap gifts for Toys for Tots, or cheer up Children at a local hospital. But don't forget the many ways you can help closer to home. You can bring over a warm, home cooked meal to a neighbor that got home late from work. Or help your brother who, say it isn't so, simply doesn't know what to get his girlfriend for Christmas pick out the perfect gift.

3. Say yes to someone special - The next time your children ask you to play Monopoly, or your overly talkative elderly neighbor asks you over for games night, forget the three hours of errands you could be running instead. Put down the keyboard on your next Blog post and break out the dice. You might be surprised how much fun you have.

4. Smile - Whether you are in line at the grocery store behind two dozen other shoppers, or your mail carrier just delivered three pounds of unsolicited junk mail - smile and wish someone a happy day. It's an instant pick me up for you and the recipient.

5. Find a long lost friend - Technologies such as Facebook & Twitter make this easier than ever. Take a stroll down memory lane. Reach out to an old friend and remind them why they have a special place in your heart. Or look up an old colleague in LinkedIn and thank them for something they taught you long ago.

What other ways can we show our gratitude?

Stop Presenting, Teach

2009-11-07T04:42:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I was asked to present for 20 minutes about marketing programs to support specific sales efforts. I pulled data to support my hypotheses, prepared four visuals and practiced telling my 20 minute story. I felt on solid ground.

30 minutes before my presentation, the group moderator whispered - "we're ahead of schedule, I'd love it if you could extend your presentation to an hour". I immediately said "no problem". I'm pretty sure the paled expression of disbelief on my face gave away my concern.

I knew that there was no way I could turn a 20 minute presentation into a 60 minute lecture. So I did what I know best. I jotted down an outline of what I would have prepared if I had known I had an hour session. Then I did something all teachers do - I wrote a list of questions. If I was going to make this presentation stick I needed audience engagement.

With a little preparation, and a lot of enthusiasm I switched from presenter mode, into teacher mode. And you know what? It worked.

The audience was engaged in the material I wanted them to learn. We brainstormed some great ideas together and the energy in the room went up measurably.

So the next time you want to Knock It Out of the Park , as I was told I did, put on your professor hat and turn up the volume, literally. Good presentations aren't lectures, but teaching sessions that generate dialogue.

5 Ways to Get the Best of New Employees

2009-10-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

I've been at my new position for less than a month and already I'm waking up in the middle of the night with brilliant ideas. Truth be told most of those brilliant ideas look pretty silly by the light of morning. None the less I'm fully immersed into my new job - even when I'm sleeping.

It got me thinking. How did the company engage not only my working hour mind, but my heart so quickly? It's true my background matches the job requirements well and I have the experience and knowledge to hit the ground running. But there is more --

My peers, employees and executive team are nice. I want to do a good job in part because I like the people with whom I work. Every person I've reached out to, has not only taken my meeting, they've been enthusiastic about it.
How I am to be measured is clearly articulated, and I have the opportunity and authority to define those measurements with my management team.
I've been given express permission to make mistakes. The company directly tells you that in your first 90 days we expect mistakes. Because it's OK to take chances, I'm jumping right into projects, rather than waiting until I feel confident I "know everything".
Asking questions is not only expected, it's encouraged. People stop by my office to say hello, and see if I "need anything". No agenda in mind, they just want to give me an easy opportunity to ask for help.
Perhaps most effective -- there is lots of chocolate around the office. I've got to love people who need a good afternoon sugar rush!

Was everything in my orientation perfect? No, I still don't have business cards and the commute is a bear. But that hasn't slowed down my integration into the new role. Instead, the company has made a conscious effort to establish a work environment for new employees that pulls our heart and soul into the job - from Day 1. Despite the fact that I still have a lot to learn about the organization, they already get my best.

Day 17 - I'm ALL in, and grateful to be there.

My New Favorite Apple Recipe

2009-10-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

I love fall in New England. The air is crisp, the leaves are colorful and the kids aren't tired of going to school yet. Every October I take my boys apple picking. It's our way of welcoming Autumn.

And each year I have an idyllic plan. I pick a day the sun will be shining. I pull out all of my "apple recipes" and for days the boys and I talk about which apples we want to sample.

Surrounded by near-by apple orchards this should be an easy outing to schedule. Then again, apple picking never seems to work out quite as we expect. And this year was no different.

Although the sun is shining, the wind is gusting.

The lines are long. Apparently, every citizen within 100 miles had picked this Saturday to go apple picking. We wait in line to pay our $52 entry fee. This hefty sum gives us the privilege of picking our own fruit. When we are done we pay twice per pound what our local grocery store charges.

90 minutes and $150 later this simple New England tradition has been anything but simple.

None the less, while I might never have the perfect apple picking adventure, I'd never dream of giving up the tradition. If I had, I might never have giggled with my seven year old as he bit into an unexpectedly bitter apple. Or watched my growing 16 year old reach the perfect Macintosh high up on the tree. And I might never have been inspired to try a new favorite apple recipe (see below).

So go ahead, take the hay ride, dress warmly and enjoy those juicy apples.

Fennel & Apple Salad

Ingredients
2 – 3 green apples – sliced thin
3 bulbs fresh fennel – sliced thin
2 lemons
Pinch of sugar
1 cup orange juice
Salt & pepper
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Fresh shaved Romano or Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Mix sliced apples and fennel in a bowl
Cover with juice from two lemons
Toss gently with pinch of salt & pepper

In a separate bowl mix orange juice, Dijon mustard and sugar.

Right before serving toss salad with Orange Juice mixture.
Top with shaved cheese & serve

New Beginnings

2009-09-30T16:51:00.001-07:00

On Oct. 1st I start a new job.

I feel like tomorrow is my first day at a new school. I've mapped out my new commute, packed my lunch, and set out my clothes. And although it's been many years since I actually started a new class I remember the excitement of preparing the night before.

Thankfully, this time the excitement isn't accompanied by creeping anxiety. My old fears of being the only student who can't open my locker. Or worse, picturing the taunting I'd receive after I accidentally walked into the boys bathroom, are a thing of the past. I don't even think about being called on by a teacher and not having the proper response.

Nope, the fear is gone and its replaced by the knowledge that starting something new can bring with it pure joy. Sure, I may get lost on my way to the lunch room. And I'm sure it will take weeks to learn the company's acronym soup. But after years of doing what I love, I have the confidence to know that's all part of the fun of learning.

Engaging People, a Natural Instinct?

2009-09-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

What is it about a good sales person that makes you want to buy more? Why do some customer service representatives solve your problem but still leave you unsatisfied? How do your children know exactly what button to push?

At the end of the day, all of these questions can be answered the same way. A good sales person makes you feel special. A bad customer service representative didn't make an emotional connection through the phone, or across the desk. Your children make it their job to know you best - after all, you are the keeper of all things special - that new video game, permission to drink a glass of soda, or say it isn't so -- giver of that embarrassing kiss good-bye in front of their friends.

Why do some people do a good job of making you want to be around them and others seem to have a force that projects you away. For answers to that I look at my own family. I have four boys, each with wonderful special talents, each totally different. With the same genetic inputs and home environment how come my 8 year old Derick has always had a special ability to make strangers fall in love with him? Whether it was another young boy from San Francisco who happened to stay at the same Mexican resort as our family on vacation last summer, or the bus driver who shuffles dozens of kids to school each day, Derick charms virtually everyone he meets on the first visit. Is he more confident than my other children -- for the most part no. Does he have a better sense of humor? No, they all tell a great story and have funny one liners. Is he smarter, faster, more handsome? No, no and no. But he does have a type of radar for knowing what makes you feel special. He instinctively knows what question to ask that will engage you in a conversation that you care about.

I've found that my top performing sales colleagues share that same trait. They not only know who to spend time with, but how to make them engage. My most successful marketing campaigns have achieved the same - a dialogue.

While the skills are clearly natural for some people, can you learn to be a magnet for your target audience? If the answer is yes, there are a few people I'd like to put through "magnetism bootcamp" -- a certain Comcast service representative, the last webcast moderator I sat painfully through and a grumpy crossing guard top my list.

What do you think?

Before You Talk, Think Like a Listener

2009-09-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched President Obama address Congress about health insurance reform. It's a stark contrast to the Woburn Mayoral debate hosted in our local high school earlier in the evening. Yet they both have something important in common. Both forums are putting very personal, emotional issues on the table, trying to solicit support from a wide range of people.

I've long been intrigued by organization change initiatives and while politics is different from running a family, or operating a business, I'm surprised how common the challenges of change are among all groups.

In an attempt to gain a fresh perspective I brought my 11 year old son to the mayoral debate. While we were not able to attend the entire session, it was an enlightening experience. It served to remind me that how you communicate is as important as what you communicate, especially while championing change.

After listening to opening statements and the candidates respond to a few questions I asked Nicholas who he would vote for based on what he knew at the time. To my surprise he answered quickly and definitively, "the man in the brown suit". Perhaps not coincidentally, I would make the same choice, although I had not shared that with Nicholas.

Curious, I asked him why. He responded immediately, "because he's focused on solutions".

Was the man in the brown suit more qualified for the job than the other three candidates? No, most had similar levels of business and political experience. Did he offer solutions that were significantly different from the other candidates? No, in fact they all seemed to provide similar recommendations.

The difference: How he communicated. The "brown suit candidate" was prepared, articulate, and responded to the issues at hand thoughtfully giving a sense of openness. By contrast two of the other candidates were disrespectful of the time allotted to respond, focused on other's weaknesses instead of their own strengths and generally appeared disorganized. The final candidate, the incumbent mayor, was organized, and articulate. But perhaps because he was under attack, or perhaps because of his personal style he focused on past performance, was rigid, and projected a closed persona.

In political debates, in the board room, or sitting at lunch with your friends the lesson holds true -- don't just think about what you want to say, but how you want to say it.

Brands: Please Speak to ME

2009-09-02T06:23:00.001-07:00

I've been intrigued by recent articles guiding marketers on the use of social media tools including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to market their brand. While the advice is not bad, I generally find it uninspiring, common sense practices. So, I decided to run a very unscientific study of my own.

During the past several months I've followed a series of brands that affect my personal life on Twitter, observed my Facebook friends engage with products, and leveraged LinkedIn to network with recruiters, competitors and old friends. Along the way I've observed some interesting trends and a surprising lack of sophisticated integration among mediums.

WHAT'S WORKING?

Active Listening - I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the brands I touch are listening. I can tell because they respond to my posted comments. For example, I recently gave a Twitter shout out to Norton for an easy install on my home PC. Within a couple of hours they had responded with a congrats and thank you. It made me feel good that the brand was listening. Similarly, I had complained about my disappointment in Six Flags Twitter posts. I had followed them hoping for discounts and promotional news, but instead received a series of on-site scavenger hunts in cities far away. Within minutes they responded, acknowledged my concern and asked me to be patient. Within a week, they had posted exactly what I was hoping to receive, a great promotion program, and it wasn't just for me. Two very good examples of not just listening, but active listening.

Leveraging community - TDWI is a professional organization for data professionals. It has taken what has historically been a very event driven community, and translated it into an active LinkedIn group. I'm impressed by the interactive discussions that flow on a routine basis. I attribute their success to three factors (1) the community drives the discussion topics with helpful prodding of new content along the way(2) the group shares what is happening with those that are not yet active and (3) the group's values as a vendor-neutral education forum are maintained by publishing guidelines for participation and calling out "spammers".

Being Personal - Thank goodness most organizations are creating personas that are real. People use what has in the past been feared: "the first person" (Insert ominous music here...dum, dum, dum). I've always believed that making people feel you are communicating to them as a person is the most effective way to communicate, be it in an ad, direct mailer or email campaign. Social media now gives us the mandate and authority to lead with a first person voice.

I experienced this first hand with Wilton (a cake & candy making supply company). Wilton recently posted a tweet asking how people started cake decorating. I responded. Not only did they acknowledge my response, they gave me a personal story back that related to my experience. We had a "personal" communication in the first person. Wilton got it right!

#FAIL
(if you don't know what this means, you haven't spent enough time on Twitter)

Finishing the job
For a great example of what not to do, check out this link. http://www.pr-squared.com/index.php/2009/06/oh-the-targeting-well-see It tells the story of a great idea poorly executed. A PR professional looking for a job launched personal ads on the Facebook page of his potential employer. It got the attention of a key executive. But the follow on comment trails took a good idea way off track. Lesson learned - don't just aim to get someone's attention, aim to keep their attention with quality content. First impressions are important, but sustained impressions are what matters.

Get the context right
Clearly many brands are tracking mentions about themselves. A few weeks ago I tweeted about how excited I was for the Cubs championship baseball game. Major league Cubs fan clubs came out of the woodwork to engage me. The problem was, I'm not a Cubs fan. I was talking about my son's little league game. And if you read the whole post it was obvious. Those Cub fan sites forgot that you must do more than just watch for your name to be mentioned, you must read the context by which it is presented.

Spamming: it's not just adult video sites
There are some obvious spam offenders but spam comes in many shapes and sizes.

Avoid being known as a full time "self-promoter". Talking about yourself is part of creating a personal brand, but balance it with other content. I've been known to even congratulate a direct competitor on a recent announcement they made. No hidden agenda, just acknowledging good work in our space.
Be careful about participating in on-line quizzes - they often auto-generate a post with your results. Did you like the activity enough to tell your friends about it?

Don't retweet a link unless you've actually followed it - know what you're passing along
If someone uses you to promote a product or service without your permission politely call them out on it, report them as spam and then block them from your network

Hello, is any body out there?

The only people who seem to be soliciting my twitter follow are porn producers and social media "experts" obsessed with follower count. Both misplaced efforts in my regard. On the other hand, I am a member of MovieTickets.com and yet they have made no attempt to let me know about their twitter presence. Yes, I know it is hard to match email membership with Twitter IDs, but in my case the name is the same. Not to mention the "twitter follow button" couldn't be lower on their home page, and to the best of my knowledge I haven't received any Twitter email promotions (or any that got my attention) in the many, many emails I get from them.

Let's look at another example. I follow Jet Blue on Twitter. They aren't the greatest listeners but I like knowing what discount airfares are available. Why is it that no Jet Blue competitors haven't reached out to me? It's not hard to find out who follows the Jet Blue account.

Don't you recognize me?

I am the same person on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Yes, I use the tools to engage my community in different ways, yes I have a different approach to each tool. Yes, there is still a way to weave a thread of connection through all of the ways I communicate. I have the distinct impression that for most brands the individuals engaging in Twitter are different than for Facebook, than for MySpace etc. For example, I have a great dialogue going with the Wilton twitter team. I find them full of tips, responsive and tuned into me. And yet, they have never suggested I join their Facebook fan page. Why does that matter? It matters because my Facebook friends have almost no overlap with my Twitter followers.

CONCLUSION

While pulling together my thoughts for this post I was struck by how much the brands and people I followed on Twitter told a story about Samantha Stone. A story that every marketer dreams about -- what are my hobbies, whom do I admire or at least listen to, where do I spend my time, what do I look like, how do I describe myself. By now, most marketers should be drooling with possibilities of one to one communication.

Are today's efforts a sign of social marketing immaturity? Perhaps. But in my book it is a missed opportunity for the ultimate dialogue. Maybe instead of organizing by marketing by social tools, companies teams should be organized around the people they are trying to engage. Is that a challenge, heck yes. But imagine the possibilities.

Back to Basics: Home Recycling

2009-08-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Note to self, don't choose the hottest week of the year to organize the entire house.

Hot, sticky and surrounded by bags of items to donate, piles of odds and ends awaiting a yard sale, and bags and bags of trash, my seven year old inspired me to go one step further. On a quick break over freshly baked banana bread, he looks up at me with big brown eyes and states the obvious; "we should have a recycling center."

With four boys and a dog no one goes through more trash than the Stone household. My slightly neurotic self knows this because on one of my morning walks I calculated the average number of trash cans posted around my neighborhood . We doubled the average, ouch!

You might be wondering why the woman who switched to low watt light bulbs three years ago, and never waters her lawn to conserve water hasn't set up a home recycling center. I could come up with lots of reasons. The truth is I was lazy. I didn't want to look at three different barrels, I didn't want to monitor the kids habits and most importantly I didn't want to bother going to town hall for the requisite recycling stickers.

Yet looking at Johnny's face I knew he was right. So together we made a plan. First stop, town hall. We picked up stickers for our trash barrels to indicate they were recycling goods and got the town's pick up schedule. All FREE I might add.

Then we went to Wallmart and picked up barrels for inside the house. Not so free, but we took advantage of back to school sales. For $35 we got a white bin for paper & cardboard, a black bin for plastic and metal and a new green trash can for everything else. When we got home we labeled the barrels and gave everyone in the house a quick tutorial.

Then the really fun part started. We had to wash out the outside trash barrels - yuck! They in fact smell as bad as you would imagine. But you'd be amazed how much fun a hose, some bleach and boys in their bathing suits can become. An hour later we were soaked to the bone, our trash barrels were clean, and we had giggled ourselves silly.

The result, a mighty fine home recycling center, a good lesson for the boys (and me too) about social responsibility and freshly cleaned trash barrels. The best part is our trash barrel takes longer go fill up so we find ourselves taking the trash out a lot less often.

Don't get me wrong. I am not be willing to give up the convenience of plastic cups. And I'm not ready to stop serving Sunday dinner on paper plates. But we do recycle. And it's a lot easier than I thought.

Event Lessons From Outside

2009-08-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

Last week TDWI hosted it's annual San Diego conference, a show I usually attend in full force but missed. If you're not familiar with The Data Warehouse Institute (TDWI) and you're a data warehouse/business intelligence professional you should check them out http://www.tdwi.org/.

TDWI is an amazing organization with tremendous membership and talent. They do a LOT of things right. They offer highly valuable vendor-neutral content, they teach invaluable skills, and they have a strong community driven presence. For most of the week I was melancholy having missed attending the San Diego conference. I find interactions with customers, prospects, partners and industry friends invaluable.

But when I started hearing from my friends who were at the conference, I began to wonder if I missed anything besides drinks with my industry colleagues - although that alone could have made the trip worthwhile.

Merv Adrian offers a summary of the event on his blog http://mervadrian.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/tdwi-disappoints-but-there-is-hope-ahead/. I've heard similar feedback from other attendees. General sentiment has been that although some good hands on content was shared the conference was disappointing. Attendance was extremely low, thought leadership seemed to be missing and general enthusiasm was non existent.

What happened?

While I don't pretend to be an expert on the inner workings of TDWI I have some outside observations that can remind all of us about the challenges of event planning.

You've heard it before. The economy affects travel budgets. But it does not eliminate them. Events that require travel will struggle to attract attendees. Corporate travel restrictions make justification processes challenging for many prospective attendees. And yet, TDWI attendance drop off (average estimate I've heard is around 40% - this is not an official number) is significantly higher than for other events I've attended this year. I believe several factors affected the San Diego event more than other venues.

Go lean, not extreme. Staff reductions will effect the quality of an event.
TDWI is ultimately a business and it like many businesses has had to adjust to a struggling economy. Reducing staff puts a heavy burden on remaining staff to step up their game both before, during and after an event. Individuals must do more with less time. While not a member of the TDWI team, I know from my own experience in similar situations that staff reductions, when taken too steeply, can become a self-fulfilling downward cycle. You cut staff, results suffer, you cut more staff.

More isn't always better.
Make the tough choices - big conferences or local seminars. TDWI has recently introduced a series of regional events designed to complement their larger conference venues. I suspect that these regional events have pulled from attendees that would otherwise have attended the San Diego event. There is nothing wrong with having an intimate event with 100 - 300 people, but the cost structure, vendor participation and industry experts who attend need to adjust to a different formula. When planning events you must look holistically at your audience and sessions to determine the right mix.

Encourage intimacy.
No, I don't mean the elicit personal relationship building that the conference rumor mill feeds upon. If your conferences are going to be smaller, you should embrace the audience in different ways. For example, a vendor exhibit hall might not be the best mechanism for sponsorships. Instead consider sponsored birds of a feather luncheons, or more prime time hands-on labs.

Validate your audience's interests (including sponsors & guest speakers)
It may be labor intensive but constantly evaluating your course make up against the actual list of registered attendees is critical to finding a satisfactory balance for all parties involved, speakers, sponsors and general attendees. For example an instructor plans differently for a class of 50, than for a class of 9. With a smaller classes the course can become more workshop driven focusing on issues of particular relevance to the students. If done properly both the instructor and the student are more fulfilled. But this can not be done without advanced planning.

While I couldn't attend the conference I'd like to think I still learned something from afar. And next time around, I hope to be at a bigger (or perhaps more intimate), and even better TDWI show.

In the interim, I'm going to bring these event planning reminders to my next conference strategy session.

Recent College Grads - Stop Whining, the Economy Isn't to Blame

2009-07-22T05:49:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks I have been casually monitoring my Alma mater's alumni LinkedIn group. It should come as no surprise that it has been flooded with job seeking recent graduates who left the hollowed halls of school in May and now need to face the realities of full time employment.

There are many who appear frustrated with their job search. They are blaming the economy for their lack of employment. While it is true that a tough economy makes job seeking in some sectors difficult, the hard truth is a college education is NOT a ticket to wealth and job security - and at least in modern history, it never was.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics employment for 20 - 24 year olds has fallen in 2009, but it hasn't crashed. Although the data can not be sorted by education status, I believe it is safe to assume that college graduates aren't taking on a larger burden of the lower employment rate than the average 20-24 year old. And in fact, most studies show employment rates for college educated persons are in fact higher than for those who have not received a bachelor's degree.

What can we conclude? A college education is valuable. It's where we learn to write thoughtfully. It's where we teach ourselves how to negotiate and debate wisely. It's the place we are thrust to live on our own and learn how to organize our lives. For most, its also the place we learn to live off of take out, to pull all nighters, and to funnel beer. If you're lucky it is the place you use intern opportunities to find your passion.

And while a college education is all of these things and more, it has never been a replacement for building experience. Bottom line when you leave college you have new, valuable skills but your dream job must still be earned.

I graduated college in the early 90's. I was 21, and like today's graduates, felt entitled to my ideal job. After buying the perfect interview suit, practicing my confidence building handshake and writing thoughtful cover letters to dozens of potential employers I learned quickly that I was competing for sparse positions against highly experienced personal. Disillusioned but determined to pay my bills I took a job going door to door selling restaurant coupons. In three months I learned I was pretty good at sales but as summer became fall, and my territory became more remote I was cold, tired and unsatisfied. I wanted that "real" job I had never stopped waiting to fall into place. But, something had changed. This time I opened my search to include sales positions. To make a long story short I ended up working for a temp agency. On my second placement I ended up working for a high growth technology company in their channel sales group. Although I had never intended to enter the high tech market, I had found an extremely talented executive team, a mentor and a whole new "un-entitled" attitude that made me eager to learn and fast to succeed.

More than 15 years later I am the Vice President of Marketing for a technology company. I love what I do and I'm proud of everything that I've accomplished.

My advice to recent college grads. Take a deep breath. Stop whining. And buckle up. The ride is just beginning. And if you're patient you'll learn it can be a lot of fun.

Two Days To Perspective

2009-07-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

A friend of the family was kind enough to share their lakeside cottage with us. On Monday night I left work, hit the grocery store, and made the two hour drive to our quiet retreat in the woods. Well, it was quiet before I arrived with three of my boys ages 7, 8 and 10.

Along the way the boys asked me to explain how a cottage was different from a house. I struggled to answer that one - it's smaller? Usually on the water or near a resort area? According to Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cottage my definition was pretty accurate. But it missed the whole point. I should have said a cottage is where we reconnect with each other and make new memories. A cottage is the perfect place to spend two days. A cottage is a place where towels NEVER air dry and the mosquitoes, as large as bats, are bred to attack us city folks.

Over the next two days we hiked, we fished, we braved the too cold water to swim. We made fun shaped chocolate chip pancakes and we marveled at the view. We saw wild fox, and carefree deer. Just two hours away and traffic jams were a distant memory and email was impossible to download.

My favorite part of the whole trip was story time around the campfire. Hopped up on smores and the fresh air, we sat in a circle and told funny stories. I was charmed as my children recalled how we burst into laughter the time Nicky exploded a creamer and it shot all over his face. Or how relieved we were to hear the nurses laugh when after Johnny's emergency c-section he peed on the staff, or how Derick gave everyone the giggles at dinner with an endearing rendition of Buffalo Cow - don't worry, we don't really know what it means either. Or the time Stephen gave us a "TV broadcast" report from the top of the Empire State Building with official anchor voice coming out of his then 7 year old smiling face.

As I tucked the boys into bed that evening it dawned on me that all of our stories involved every day time we'd spent together. I felt both grateful to be a part of my children's happiest memories, and somewhat surprised by their content. Their favorite fun memories were just being together. Imagine that.

Now if I could only have bottled that content feeling for the drive home we could have avoided the "are we there yets?" and "MOM, my brother won't share his book", and of course the infamous - "what did you pack to eat?". My GPS system thought it was counting down the miles, but really it was counting down to sanity. Three boys should never be locked in a car within arms reach of each other for any significant amount of time. Despite the very normal drive home, it turns out that two days was the perfect amount of time to make new memories and gain perspective.

Inspired by our trip we made smores for dessert last night. After all, who said you have to be in the woods to enjoy the gooey snack and tell funny stories. Only this time, we had new stories to tell. Stories about how Nicky fell shoes, hat and fishing rod off the dock into the water when "the big one" tugged the line and got away. And stories about how close the wild fox came to entering a neighborhood garage. And let's not forget stories about the man eating mosquitoes we bravely battled with our bare hands.

What's Your Legacy?

2009-07-08T07:17:00.001-07:00

Aside from Thriller video flash backs and trying to moon walk with my children, the Michael Jackson media craze has had a positive side effect. It got me started thinking about the legacies we leave behind.

Instinctively, many consider personal legacies - our children, the homes we decorate, perhaps even the charitable causes we support. But on the drive to work this morning I was struck by the notion of professional legacies. I don't mean the Steve Jobs, John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King Jr. legacies that change our very way of thinking on a grand scale. I'm referring to the little parts of us we leave behind at work each day, each month, each year. I think most people are consumed with their day to day tasks and forget about the small legacies they are capable of leaving.

A legacy could be the smile you bring to difficult team meetings, or the shoulder you share during times of crisis. Your attitude is contagious and perhaps the most powerful legacy you can leave behind.

Your legacy could be a loyal customer who turned to you in a time of need. A billing error you corrected, or an upgrade referral that made their life easier.

Sometimes your legacy is not about what you do, but the actions you inspire in your employees. The drive you instill in them to do their best - to mentor a new employee, to find a more streamlined process or to introduce a new service.

Legacies big and small are derived from our actions. By being aware of the legacies we generate I believe we create a more fulfilling work environment.

What's your professional legacy? I for one am not done creating them.

Saying Nothing, the Best Advice

2009-07-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Last night my son finished reading and asked to be tucked into bed. It's our usual routine for me to lay next to him and talk about his day. He was unusually quiet and I asked if he wanted to just cuddle tonight. Enthusiastically he pulled my arm around him and said yes. I had to fight the urge to say anything. I usually use this time to praise him for his accomplishments and to discuss important issues. Sometimes we talk about serious topics like soldiers dying at war, or where babies come from (I always say love). Other times we talk about childhood challenges like how to help a friend who is getting picked on by a bully; or techniques to improve his study skills. We often laugh at silly jokes. The point is we ALWAYS talk, and last night I had to fight my urge to intervene with words of wisdom. I'm not very good at silence.

But I perservered and sat quietly holding my son. After a few minutes I started to get up to go, he pulled tighter and said don't leave yet. Thankful he still wants Mom to tuck him in at night I laid back down; my mind wandering to the laundry that needed to be put away, and my email that needed to be checked.

After a few minutes I felt him visibly relax, and noted that I too had stopped making a mental to do checklist. I kissed him good night, whispered sweet dreams and quietly left his room. Afterwards it dawned on me that perhaps Nicky had showed me the most important lesson of all. It's not always what you say that matters most; its what you do that makes a difference. Last night my son needed, or perhaps more correctly he knew I needed to simply slow down. And he in fact showed me how. Silence really can be the best advice.

What's Your Brand All About?

2009-06-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

What's your brand all about? No, not your company brand. What does your personal brand represent?

Until recently I never thought I had a personal brand. As a marketing professional I took on the persona of the company that paid the bills (or at least that's what I thought). I've always been selective about the technologies I support. But at the end of the day I projected the company's messages, I followed their informal dress code, and I wrote about topics that mattered to my company's prospects.

Somehow, without trying, I've in fact created a personal brand. And that personal brand is as important to my company, as it is to me. Because the Internet is so pervasive what I blog & twitter are as much a part of my professional persona as what I say at an industry event. What's more, how I say those things gives insight into who I am, and how much credibility I bring to a conversation. And all of those things together make up my personal brand. Your personal brand should come naturally, but not without thought.

If created attentively your personal brand represents a tremendous opportunity to extend your reach, personalize your relationships with colleagues and get more fulfillment from your work.

Keeping this in mind, I've started a list of guidelines for managing my brand identity.

1. Stop. Pause. And Post.
Just like I pause before hitting the send button on an email, I pause before hitting post for on-line mediums. By giving myself a few seconds to review what I've written I've found I insert my foot in my mouth a lot less often. And when that doesn't work, I take blame for my mistake and correct it as soon as possible.

2. Be Myself (mostly)
I believe that your personality is as important as the information you want to share. By being myself I can offer authentic advice and experiences with others. Of course, there are times when being myself means I should be by myself. Honor those instincts!

3. Tell the Truth
Enough said.

4. Be Interested
If you want to be interesting, you have to be interested. Write about things you are passionate about, or at least things that amuse or intrigue you.

5. My Lips Are Sealed
Be respectful of others. If you are told something in confidence, keep it that way. If you aren't sure, ask permission before sharing.

6. Add Value, Don't Instigate
As a young adult I wanted to be a part of every conversation. I would often take the contrary view just to participate. Over the years I've matured and recognized what you say matters more than how many places you talk.

7. I Am Not Who I Work For
While I have an obligation and desire to represent my employer in an appropriate and professional manner, my personal brand is more than just my company's views. Separating who I am, from who I work for, is integral to long term personal brand building. I firmly believe the two can and should live in harmony, complimenting one another.

8. It Takes Two To Tango
My online & off-line worlds are totally integrated. How I act in one place, should be reflected in how I act in the other. If I wouldn't say it at a conference cocktail party, I shouldn't say it in a twitter post.

9. Use Common Sense
Don't let emotions get the better of you. Use good common sense judgement at all times.

Like all policies, my guidelines will evolve over time. In the meantime, its fun exploring new communication vehicles and learning environments.

Are you part of the art department?

2009-06-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'll never forget the look of shock on my bosses face the first time one of the executive team introduced him as "leading the art department". Mike, my boss, was the Vice President of Marketing for a technology company with a long career and many credentials. While he, like most of my marketing colleagues, is proficient at PowerPoint auto shapes, and can draw a mean stick figure, you could hardly consider us traditional artists.

While the memory brings a smile to my face the general sentiment is dangerous and surprisingly wide spread. I believe that effective marketing is more science than art. And that the most common mistake organizations make when developing their marketing team is to consider it a cost center that can't be measured effectively. Or worse, they devise the wrong set of metrics.

Instead of focusing on a narrow set of marketing deliverables I advise my team to concentrate on a wide range of measures. Here are the ones I've found most important and cost effective to implement.

Brand Reputation - a lot of effort goes into establishing a brand identity for your company/product or service. Just like our personal brands the reputation your company upholds is important to customer acquisition and loyalty goals. Often, organizations think they have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on brand measurement programs. For large organizations this may in fact make sense - after all, you typically have hierarchical management that likes to read long studies. For the rest of us, practical metrics can cost effectively be put in place.

Talk to your customers - I know shocking, but you can create simply surveys that ask customers how you are doing. Even better, simply pick up the phone. You'd be surprised how much your customers actually want to tell you.
Track social media conversations - even informal scans of Twitter and LinkedIn can give you a good sense of how people perceive your organization. With just 15 minutes a day Twitter search and LinkedIn discussion groups can be great resource to get a gut check pulse on your reputation. If your audience is more Facebook, Digg or YouTube than Twitter go there instead.
Ask thought leaders - Industry gurus want to learn about your business and they are willing to exchange a few minutes of their time for more knowledge of your strategies. The biggest mistake marketers make is pitching the whole time, don't forget to pause and ask questions.
Meet with internal stakeholders - Once the sales team gets past "I need more leads" what do they tell you about their customer conversations?

Awareness - Does your target audience know who you are? Of course, before you start to measure this you must define who your target audience. Once you've established that it's pretty easy to track.

Is your website traffic growing? What is your average visit duration? Did a news event trigger a spike in visitors? This and so much more is available for free using tools like Google Analytics.
Establish a list of search optimization key words and periodically test where you show up on search engine rankings. I've found running informal spot checks once every two weeks surprisingly insightful.
Track the source for in-bound calls & web inquiries - sometimes we just forget to ask!
Don't forget to query those internal stakeholders - what are prospects saying when they call them?
What percentage of articles/blog posts relative to your space are you mentioned in?
Where do you rank in analyst reports? Are you mentioned at all? Are you positioned correctly? Set goals and measure against them.

Demand Generation - I found it surprising that so few organizations actually track suspect interest all the way to deal closure, and yet this is the most effective way to showcase the value of marketing to your company's sales efforts.

Get on the same page with sales - what is your suspect to lead conversion rate? what is marketing programs contribution to pipeline? what is your cost/lead? What sales teams are best at converting leads to pipeline?
Create the right product/offer - what messages and solutions shorten the sales cycle? Make the deal size go up? Improve maintenance renewal rates?
Does your database measure up? This is a tricky one. Measuring the sheer volume of contacts is an inefficient strategy. Instead you should match your database to target customer goals? How complete & accurate is your profile information? What are your email opt-out rates?
How well trained are my sales team? Join them for customer visits - its the best way to tell.
What is your caller productivity by telesales rep? Number of calls, length of calls, successful conversion to lead?

Once you know how you measure up against yourself, benchmark your performance against your peers.

Talk to your colleagues and find out what they use for metrics.
Subscribe to free newsletters like Marketing Sherpa that spotlight industry norms. http://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters.html
Take up agencies who want to give you "free assessments" about your performance. I've found this particularly pervasive and valuable for web optimization.

I haven't even touched upon product delivery measures but I think you get the idea. The creative "art" part is important, but its only a piece of the picture. The science of marketing is not about one measure, but about a context driven mindset that combines short and long term objectives. And it doesn't have to cost a lot.

How do you rate your marketing efforts?

Say Good-bye to Youth

2009-06-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

A good friend reminded me that today is our 20th graduation anniversary, ouch! After I got over the uncontrolled need to seek out a good plastic surgeon, I started thinking about all of the things that have changed in the past two decades.

Who I am has changed. I am more confident. Perhaps it's because my hair isn't as tall and I almost never wear my trademarked over sized shirts and baggy pants anymore. Suffice it to say, I'm very thankful that digital photography wasn't around in my younger days.

My priorities have changed. I've discovered I actually do need more than three hours of sleep each night. And those awesome shoes that I can hardly walk in aren't worth the blisters; even if I do look hot in them. Instead, I am the mother to four boys. What time and childbirth have shifted physically, has been replaced by love and countless hours of worry. Instead of obsessing about my wardrobe I spend hours contemplating important parenting skills. What's the best way to prepare them for the 'real world'? Will I be able to send them to college? Will they ever stop interrupting me when I'm on the phone?

How we work has changed. Unlike days gone by when information hoarders were king today's successful worker understands how to share. Collaboration is happening everywhere and it is now commonplace for information to be shared across geographic, cultural and generational boundaries. The context by which data is generated is critical during this process, and is often the hardiest element to master. It's where I see most of my professional changes happening in the future.

Despite all of this change some of the most important things remain the same. They still serve soft serve vanilla ice cream with cherry dip at our local ice cream stand. I might not look hip doing it, but I can still rock to 80's hair bands. And the sounds and smells of the ocean can still melt away my worries. Only now, I have twenty years of new friends, four children and dozens of talented colleagues with whom to share the experience. I think that is the best change of all.

What has your ride been like?

Advice for a Retiring Parent

2009-06-05T03:42:00.000-07:00

My father retires in exactly 14 days. I know this because he's been counting down with vivid milestone charts for the last two years. After a long and dedicated career in education, most recently as President of International School Services, to say my father is looking forward to having nothing to do, no planes to catch, no long term obligations is an understatement. But after a few weeks I know he'll be itching for new adventures.

While I hear that Sudoku can become addictive, and that Sony has come out with a brain stimulating game for the Nintendo DS I have a hard time picturing my father doing either of those things. So here are some other ideas that can keep his mind fresh and spirit young.

1. Embarrass Your Children - My father has a jump start on this fun activity. For years he's been perfecting the fine art of telling embarrassing stories about my sister and I. In fact, he still brings out the tried and true tale of how I got stuck on a moving sidewalk at the ripe old age of three. Its time to step it up a notch. Now he can make an art of embarrassing the grandchildren. You know do things like show up at their baseball matches wearing a Yankees hat (you should know my children are die hard members of Red Sox Nation).

2. Shamelessly Flirt With 22 Year Old Waitresses - You might want to wait to turn 75 before engaging in this particular activity. That seems to be the turning point when flirting goes from creepy to just embarrassing. Oh, and I reserve this activity for lunches alone when your wife is no where in sight.

3. Take Up a Hobby - I have a hard time picturing my father doing the usual gardening, book club or drinking at the local Chinese restaurant bar. Instead I think he should take up gambling. Not the kind that will wile away my potential inheritance. But perhaps a lottery obsession that gives him something to look forward to during the nightly news. And maybe even the occasional bus trip to Foxwoods.

4. Master the Email Forwarding Technique - There is a lot written about the impact of the Internet on teenagers and young adults. We read about how growing generations of texters, bloggers and Hulu watchers need constant stimulation. What's often overlooked is the ways the Internet has effected our retired community. I like to call it Email Forwarding Syndrome (EFS). With hours of free time retired family members comb through jokes, cartoons and articles that their friends who have an equal amount of spare time collect. Unfortunately, most retires just forward, the forward, of the forward from a friend who forwarded the email. After scrolling through 15 forward messages you get to a joke that could never live up to the anticipation of so much scrolling. If you must get EFS try to limit it to just three forwards a day.

5. Obsessively Watch the Home Shopping Network - Home to thousands of odd holiday presents your family couldn't possibly want. By obsessing about the HSN you can spend hours imagining our faces when we open our pineapple scented back scratchers and politely exclaim "oh, you shouldn't have", secretly smiling with the knowledge that we have to be polite. And this activity comes with a bonus. You get to play lonely old man for the UPS delivery person who must politely hear all those embarrassing stories about your children while you sign for delivery. Because of course, you mark "signature required" for every item ordered.

6. Take Long Walks - Apparently going to the mall an hour before stores open and doing laps is all the rage for pregnant women and retirees. Just don't forget your water. It sells for $2.50/bottle in the vending machines.

On a serious note, I couldn't be happier that my father is retiring. He will be able to attend every Sunday dinner. We'll get our father/daughter breakfasts more than once every two years. And he can finally spend relaxed time with my mother. They both deserve it. And if he should get bored of having nothing to do he knows he can fall back on the six activities listed above.

So You Think You Can...

2009-06-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

I admit it. I'm a "So You Think You Can Dance?" junky. This is somewhat a surprise to me. Generally speaking I don't like contest driven reality show television. I don't watch American Idol, I never tune into the Bachelor and forget about America's Top Model.

I've been thinking about what makes the show fascinating for me. And I think I figured it out. This show is about real talent, pushing limits and having passion that never extinguishes. In an interesting way I like the show because I identify with the participants. While you won't catch me leaping on stage, or doing a pirouette, I love what I do, passionately.

I can't help but wonder if everyone had the passion these dancers share, and mentors who wanted them desperately to succeed, what amazing innovation our businesses could drive.

Kicking & Screaming

2009-06-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

I went kicking and screaming into the world of Twitter on the persistence of several great colleagues at Shift Communications. And while it took several weeks for me to understand its value, I finally got it.

In fact, I'm now somewhat addicted. I find myself checking Twitter before I go to bed at night, and its the first thing I do after looking at email in the morning. I even find myself thinking about new ways I can obliterate the English language into barely understandable abbreviations - just to get under my 140 character limit.

During my journey to master Twitter I formulated a few guidelines that if followed can make Twitter an exceptional tool for fun & professional communication.

# 1. There is such a thing as TMI (Too Much Information)
If you chose to follow porn stars, take pictures of your drunken buddies, or describe personal relations with your spouse - don't use your professional persona. We don't want to know that much about you!

# 2. Don't confuse direct messaging (aka DM in twitterland) with email.
DM is designed for witty remarks, defining a spot to meet at a conference, or other quick communication regarding a post. If you can't say it in one 140 character post, or its going to take more than 3 DMs of back in forth discussion - please, use email.

# 3. Size does matter
But not the way you think. For celebrities like Ashton or Oprah having a million followers makes sense. For the rest of us your twitter goal should not be to amass the most number of followers. Your goal should be to amass the most relevant followers. I'll take 200 followers who influence my life & my work, over 5000 random people whom I don't know any day.

#4. Don't forget to listen
Twitter can be a wonderful broadcast tool. A simple vehicle to share good news, ask questions and point out interesting research. But all too many people forget to listen. Twitter is equally good at getting a pulse on your personal brand, your company's customer service and what's happening with your competition.

#5. Go organic
Whatever you do, don't ask someone to RT(retweet which is akin to forwarding for you non twitter readers). Nothing is more of a turn off than someone you follow asking you to retweet, or worse yet, offering you an incentive to rebroadcast your message. The whole point is for organic conversations to take place where people share what is of interest to them. Don't be pushy, let your content speak for itself.

#6. Don't drink and tweet
Don't say anything, I mean ANYTHING, you wouldn't say in a crowded room fully sober. What you say can and will haunt you. Of cource, we appreciate a sense of humor so don't go over board censoring your thoughts.

I hope these guidelines make Twitter an even better place to be.

Your twitter convert,
Samantha

p.s. You can find me on Twitter @samanthastone