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Hard but Not Forever

February 23, 2010

“Oh there been times that I couldn’t last for long

But now I think I’m able to carry on

It’s been a long, a long time coming

But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will”

–Lyrics from A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke

I no longer care about rules. Challenge has a way of breaking you free from the self-imposed prison of expectations and lately I have had my share of challenges. In recent weeks, I have been brought to my knees in ways I never thought possible. It seemed to start with a small rumble, no real damage done just a little shaking but progressed to the walls crumbling in on me. And it is there that I have knelt in the rubble fighting to hold on with every fiber of my being. I am not writing this post from a place of self-pity and my purpose is not to whine about life. Yes, I know it’s a business blog and I should be sharing useful information or cheering you on with inspiration but all of that is meaningless if I am not honest enough to say “Sometimes life is hard.”

I understand intimately how chirpy platitudes can cause your teeth to grate when you are in the midst of a struggle. You want and need something more than an ancient quote or a pep talk. I get it. The other day I read one of those syrupy goodness updates and had the urge to throw my keyboard through a window.

Yet, I am also aware that the right word at the right time can lift a downtrodden head and give you the courage to hold on for a just a while longer. I have not lost my faith or optimism, in fact without them I would have been done in long ago. I just want you to know that we all struggle but it is not forever. I have had days where I fell to my knees with big fat crocodile tears rolling from my eyes but the tears soon dry and I get up and get back in the fight, and you can too.

This post is not for everyone and some of you will think I’ve lost my head. Today this may be for one person who is struggling and wondering if it will ever end. Yes, it will. I am not through with the present battle but I have lived long enough to know that this too shall pass. Sometimes it matters more how you go through the challenge than what is on the other side. Most importantly, know that you are not alone. We have all been there or will be there.

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Has Your Fire Fizzled?

February 15, 2010

: Image by Alesa Dam via Flickr

Remember that book you read that was “life changing?”

How about that great idea that you had while driving home that day? Yea, that one, the one that had you hyped up all week certain it would change your future.

What about that speaker who had you on the edge of your seat ?

And let’s not forget those new year resolutions, how are those working out for you?

Getting fired up is easy. Moving from fired up to action takes work. That book or blog post may have laid out the entire plan but you have to actually implement it. Unfortunately, it is the transition from fired up to sustained motivation to act where we fall off track.

The farther out you get from that original spark the easier it is to justify why it won’t work. Pretty soon, you reason that it wasn’t such a great idea/plan/goal and you move on until the next spark.

Why not change that pattern? When you read, see, or hear that thing that gets you going, act on it. Put the information to work one step at a time. Don’t just take notes and tuck it away, do it. Or you could do nothing and continue to get the same results you have today.

Inaction extinguishes the flame. Commitment keeps it burning. What will you choose this week?

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Is Listening Part of Your Branding Strategy?

February 10, 2010

: Image by bored-now via Flickr

I had an experience with a big brand recently that sharply brought into focus the issues that commonly occur in large corporations. I have no desire to publicly bash the brand (even though they would never notice) so let’s call them Brand X.

Brand X offers an online learning series that features business experts. It is free to consumers and truly a great business resource, particularly for start-ups and small business owners. I saw the series and after reviewing past speakers, knew that I had a client that would be a great fit as a speaker. I searched the website for contact information but came up empty.

: Image via Wikipedia

I turned next to Google to uncover social media pages. However, instead of Brand X on Facebook or Twitter, I came up with a writer (that I know) that did a subcontract job for Brand X. Keep in mind, this company is a household name, yet an indie writer’s site with one mention of them in her portfolio was above the fold on page one of their search results. I did find one or two Facebook pages that were not connected and of course, none mentioned the service, which was the subject of my search. Think there’s a problem here?

Finally, I called the retail customer service line to see if I could locate help. They had never heard of the service and transferred me to the corporate headquarters. Surely, the corporate office would know what department or person handles a program that is offered to the public through their website, right?

The receptionist searched her database and found nothing. This wonderful woman really tried to help; she put me on hold and kept coming back to update me as she tried different people. Twenty minutes later, she deduced that maybe the business services department could be of help. Eureka! We had a starting point. Four calls and four people later, I had my answer. The program was “the baby” of an EVP, who not only birthed the idea but runs the program.

: Image by CharlieGentle via Flickr

At every step of the process, people were kind, but clueless about this service – a service that is the brainchild of one of their executives; a service that their big box stores could leverage to create deeper relationships with their customers

At the beginning of my search, I believed the company needed a cohesive social media strategy but by the end, I knew without doubt that their problems were much deeper. It is impossible to engage a community when you have not been able to engage your own people. This company is like many others, with layers of bureaucracy and one-way communication channels.

: Image by Kevin Steele via Flickr

In companies like Brand X, information is directed down the corporate ladder and by the time it reaches the bottom rung, no one cares. The workers who touch your customers have dismissed your corporate communications as worthless dribble. Their primary source of information about the company is from other employees. You would know that if you listened.

This brand is not ready for social media. Their current scattered disjointed presence mirrors their internal communication style. Your employees are your customers too. Learn to listen, engage them and create community internally and your external social media efforts will come far easier.

Brand X may have wonderful, smart people working in their company but as a whole they exhibit an arrogance that undermines corporations. When you dominate your space, there’s a tendency to focus on profits rather than people. Why emulate the behaviors of the small and nimble when you are king of the hill?

It’s a mistake that many other industries have learned the hard way. No one is too big to fail or fall. I’m rooting for Brand X. I hope that they can transform their internal culture and create two-way communication channels. I would send them a memo, but experience tells me it would not get read.

How about you, is listening part of your strategy? What tools and techniques do you use to make sure communication is two-way?

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Is Your Business Puzzle Missing a Piece?

February 8, 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

I need a press release

I was told I need to be on Facebook

We need someone to create tweets for us

and so it goes…

One piece of a much larger puzzle, offered as the answer by a well meaning advisor, expert or friend, or taken out of context from a book, presentation or speech. Tactics offered up without an accompanying strategy served up like a gourmet meal that has only appetizers and no main course.

The problem with pieces is that you need all of them to get a full picture.

We have become spoiled. Information is widely accessible and often free. As a result we have been lulled into a false sense of confidence that specialized expertise no longer matters. We have the pieces of the puzzle, and we can put them together on our own. Who needs a PR professional when you can write or buy a press release? Hire a web designer- pshaw! We’ve got Wordpress! Pay fair value for writers ? Of course not, we have article directories and PLR content.

But just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Having the pieces is only one part of the equation. A puzzle master will have a strategy for how they all fit together. He or she will assemble the right pieces, faster and better than you can do on your own. Specialized expertise is not a waste, it is actually a more cost efficient method of achieving your goals.

Being an expert in your own business will require you to strategically choose how you spend your time. If you are bootstrapping a new business you will need to get creative and do some things on your own. However, you cannot remain a bootstrapper for the lifecycle of your business. At some point, to grow and take your business to the next level you will need to hire skills that you do not possess.

In the short term, you may save money by figuring things out on your own but what will you have sacrificed in the process?

Specialists invest in their ongoing education. They hang out with other specialists to learn and grow. They have inside knowledge and competitive information. When you hire a specialist you are paying not only for skill but their contacts, database of knowledge, hard won lessons, shortcuts, tips and more.

I realize that we are living in leaner times. You cannot hire a specialist for every business process but you should consider it for mission critical tasks. Weigh your upfront investment against the return and you may also conclude that it’s cheaper to hire someone who can take the right pieces and make a whole picture that is just right for your business.

Do you hire specialized expertise or have you gone the do-it-yourself route? Why or why not?

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Smacking Down Resistance to Embrace Opportunity

February 1, 2010

: Image by EssjayNZ via Flickr

You come to the blank page with a plan and determination to see it through. Yet, every word seems jumbled and unclear. You do more deleting than writing and then sit back in frustration. The words that you do not want, the story you do not want to tell grabs at you forcing to pay attention. You resist, angrily plunging ahead with the plan but the story refuses to let go. Fragments and snippets force itself onto the page, it beckons you in the dead of night from peaceful slumber. It is persistent, and innocuous to your rejection. It beckons you, weaving its magical spell of words around you. It stalks you with haughtiness knowing that your resistance is wearing down. You swat it away with your arsenal of weaponry – no time, no fun, I can’t write/do/be that! – until the day exhausted from the battle you can no longer turn away. You exhale deeply and give in to the cacophony of words begging to be assembled into a harmonious sound. It is time to come to the page and tell the story, the one you’re really supposed to tell.

And so it was for me. The story I did not want to tell stubbornly refused to budge, immune to my resistance. It invaded my space and spoke to me from the voice of others like a post from Joanna Young that urged me to “ Make time for the story you really need to tell and talk of ” lizard brains” and resistance from Seth Godin.

There was nothing left to do but oppose the resistance. So with a weary sigh I have given in and have started writing the words that tell that story.

You do not have to be a writer to understand resistance. Your blank page could be a job or life event. “Lizard brain” is common to us all. Resistance and it’s cousin Fear try to keep you in the brown box that fits exactly right on the conveyor belt that leads to new day, same thing.

However, when we look resistance squarely in the eye and do the opposite we find ourselves exactly where we should be, and that is pretty awesome.

How do you handle resistance?