Innovative Concepts

Day of Days
Hot Wheels Track Assembly

During my grade school years I owned a Hot Wheels track for my Matchbox car set.  I bought it at church bizarre sale.  Besides the banked corners and the vertical loop, the critical feature was unit that looked like a car wash.  Once batteries were installed and it was powered up, two rotating brushes spinning on a horizontal axis were aligned to accelerate a Matchbox car sufficiently to make a complete lap of the track before returning for another application of speed.  Depending on the length of the track the return speed of the car effected the acceleration through the speedmachine.  Yesterday I attended an event that re-accelerated my commitment to serving causes that inspire.

Seth in Tribeca

I flew to New York City for the day to attend Seth Godin’s “Pick Yourself” presentation in the Tribeca.  The magical part was that Seth spoke from some prepared thoughts for an hour, weaving his themes into a series of anecdotes.  Then he answered the audience’s questions for the rest of the day, while surprising us with musical performers after breaks.  The questions for Seth ranged from the marketing strategies to hiring a hiking guide in South America.  As I reflect on my pages of notes and consider how to amplify the experience, I was taken by one theme in particular.


Seth presented the analogy of walking into a forest with an axe.  One person selects a single tee and starts a concentrated effort of chopping it down.  They understand it will not fall after only a couple hacks.  If they are committed and continue making progress eventually they will yell ‘timber.’  However, many of us give up after a couple swings and move onto another tree.  Eventually we find that we have left a scar on many trees but never committed long enough to fall any one of them.  The reality is that nobody knows which the right tree is to be wielding our axe on and that in itself is the adventure.  There is no shortcuts.  Hard work, perspiration, and blisters are the realties of a committed effort.  However, the biggest obstacle for most of us is that we fear our own super power.  The combination of skills that make us unique and accomplished artists.  

Ready?

What tree have you selected to chop down?  Are you willing to put fear aside and commit to the effort?  Are you prepared to experience your own art in the process?

Ready for Tomorrow

The service bays at the local tire store are always full with cars that have been parked inside overnight and are waiting to be worked on the next morning.  The scene provides visible confirmation that the enterprise is busy.  The tire store requires a high volume of traffic and therefore the approach makes sense.  If you cause is not based on volume but rather a specialized craft, does it matter if you demonstrate the amount of traffic that comes through your enterprise?  Do you need a capacity sign or does that represent a mass market approach that is against your company’s values?  Does a crowd draw future business?

   

Great Preparation
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A few key workouts make a dramatic difference in preparation.  Marathon runners often champion the psychological and physiological benefits of their long training runs.  Reaching the twenty mile mark makes the reality of completing 26.2 miles on race day seem achievable.  Committing to these important steps lead to a successful race.


What are your critical workouts?  What does it feel like when you have completed them? 

A Better Question
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What would it look like if we asked better questions?  What if we consider how to inspire our fans instead of getting more of them?  What if we wonder what my best look and feel like?  How would my clients feel if they could see and feel that they were my top priority?  What would be the impact of my next presentation if I brought my best first and confidently?  How would a key conversation play out if I were fully engaged and actively listened without distraction?  What if I approached each interaction as if there was paradigm shift about to take place?  How would it feel if I brought my best energy to the event that is most likely to fatigue me?  What if asking a better question changed my day?

Seats for Sale
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Certain business models work better the closer the enterprise gets to reaching capacity.  The goal is to fill every seat.  Airlines understand that closing the cabin door is the end of the window of opportunity to sell seats.  Once the flight departs they can offer high priced amenities but not seats for sale.  Airline business models are based on projecting need and filling 99% of the demand (somebody always doesn’t show).  If your cause thrives on capacity then the airline business models is ideal.


However, if your cause requires a deep personal connection then the capacity metric is not the preferred measurement for success.  Open seats in an independent school classroom should not be sold at a discount to anyone willing to pay a last minute entry fee.  Schools need students and families who are going to enhance the community experience.  If they accept everyone using the airline capacity model there are sure to be conflicts.  Purposes and expectations will clearly be misaligned.  When the airlines board a passenger who in intoxicated and unruly the other passengers get upset with the airlines.  They report via social media how they will never fly the airline of record again because of poor customer service quality.  Airlines can afford to find more customers.  Schools and deeply connected causes cannot.  Therefore, get the right people on the plane.  Leave a few seats open if you cannot find those ideally suited to join your cause.  Individual experience is essential and creating scarcity and a waiting list are high quality problems.


Decide if your enterprise needs everyone or just a select few.  Then get disciplined about your strategy.

Once You Arrive
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Knowing your desired destination is essential.   Equally important is understanding what you are going to do when you arrive.  A surfer’s destination may be a big wave.  Once on the wave’s face the real ride begins.  If we do not plan for our own success we find ourselves unprepared for the big moment we have journeyed so far to reach.  Never forget to prepare to celebrate.

Sensational
From my son’s telescope

How many of us found ourselves searching the night sky over the weekend to catch a glimpse of the super moon?  The same moon that shows itself in full display every twenty-nine and half days was suddenly delivering its best and we viewed, discussed, and posted photos.


What makes a for a sensational presentation?  The answer is simple.  Lead with purpose.  Connect so intensely with the audience that everyone forgets to tweet, blog, pin, or instagram.  Leave it all on the stage, collapse at the end in exhaustion and exhilaration.  Absorb the spotlight and radiate it back, drawing others into a setting worthy of a tale around the campfire.  Give your best first; it is challenging to overcome a slow start (as I have learned in many children’s science museum demonstrations).  Sally Hogshead theorizes that an individual has nine seconds to fascinate.  Cut out the extraneous, you can always talk about the peripheral in the question and answer session.  Light the fuse, walk into the light, and share your best!



Change
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No matter the storm that has you pinned down on a mountainside, it cannot undo the miles hiked, the scenery captured, the topics explored in conversation, the expansion of your world map.  No matter the headwinds that blow against you, it cannot undo the miles pedaled, the high speed descents, and the cols climbed.  If you find yourself off the map it cannot undo the journey that has taken you to this place, the canyon walls echoing your thoughts and the river singing your praise.  An experience once embedded in your spirit is yours.  It rewards you with permanent change in exchange for your exploration.  You may leave no trace of your journey through the wilderness but it has left its mark indelibly on your soul.

Recommendation
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If one cannot recommend the best enterprise because they are not a member of the cause then one should disclose that they make recommendations based on affinity.  If membership is the criteria for a recommendation then it devalues the sharing of information.  When somebody asks for a recommendation, I direct them towards the master.  The person or entity who is uniquely positioned to deliver the experience they are seeking.  It is not about loyalty, it is about trust and authenticity.