Month: September 2011

  • What you’re made of

    One of the most exciting things to watch over the past year has been the incredible power of connections. My network now includes some people who I respect and admire and looked up to (from a distance) years ago. The funny thing is, it’s been a completely natural and organic process.

    Under these circumstances (nice events, associating with quasi-celebrities, the opportunity to be seen and noticed by many), you start to seeing what people are made of. The ambitions that lie beneath the surface, and the lengths to which people will go to satisfy them.

    Some people want to be famous. Some people want recognition and honor. Some people want their name in bright lights and the adoration of fans. Me? I’d like to earn the respect of the people I admire, to have enough money never to have to think about it, and to lead a life worth leading.

  • Poor form

    I have a P.O. Box at the UPS Store near my apartment here in NYC, so I’m there pretty frequently. The service is generally good, and being able to walk downstairs (just outside by building) to pick up my mail is nice.

    I went there yesterday and saw a slip in my box indicating that I had a package. Also worthy of note is that a man carrying himself like the manager (who I had never seen before) was in the store.

    He took the slip from me with a look of smug indifference and handed it to another employee. As the manager and employee moved out of sight into the area where packages are logged, I could hear the manager starting to berate the employee for an issue that was obviously being discussed before I entered the store.

    The manager was literally doing everything wrong in providing correction: confrontational chastisement, speaking loudly, saying that it (the resolution for the issue) would have come out of the employee’s paycheck if he (the illustrious manager) hadn’t caught it, etc.

    The specifics of the employee gaffe are immaterial (amounting to less than $100 if you’re interested), but the manager saw fit to humiliate the poor guy for the whole store to hear.

    It just reminded me that there’s an art to leadership and management, and I was bothered to the point of almost saying something as it was taking place. It’s hard to imagine someone getting it so wrong, and it makes me wish that How to Win Friends & Influence People was required reading for anyone in a leadership position.

  • Uncertainty

    I made a small contribution to a post over at Art of Blog on the topic of uncertainty the other day. The post is to promote the upcoming book by Jonathan Fields called, unsurprisingly, Uncertainty: Turning Fear & Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance. It’s a topic deeply personal to Jonathan, as you can see in his book trailer.

    You can check out the first link for my riffs on the topic, and you’ll definitely want to preorder the book if you have even a remote interest in the topic. I’ve had a few conversations with Jonathan about the book as it was coming together, and it will be exciting to see the leadership he’s able to provide in this space.

    With a background involving law, entrepreneurship, and writing, we will all benefit from some illuminating insight on how Jonathan’s life (particularly in the years following 9/11) has been impacted by uncertainty.

  • We are all weird

    “We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”

    — Dr. Suess (via Seth)

    It's true.
    One of my areas of interest in personal development is the concept of identity. I’ve written about it before, and the topic never gets old to me.

    This is the latest book from Domino, and one I read many months ago when I first moved to New York. It’s a special book to Seth and I hope you’ll check it out.

    To promote the book, Seth is hosting a live teleconference on Monday, October 3rd. He’ll be answering your questions about the book and sharing some of his priceless riffs as well. Details over on his blog.

    Weirdo.

  • The art of leadership

    I’ve worked with two highly successful businessmen this year (the former a marketer, the latter an engineer) and a common theme can be seen in their “management” style: they don’t impose upon others strict deadlines or expectations.

    They are both smart enough to realize that pushing someone to reach certain specific goals that they (the leader) set is short-sighted, and that the ideal arrangement is for someone to set goals for themselves.

    Although it’s challenging to avoid saying, “do [task] by [deadline],” the art of leadership is to create a leader who self-manages, not an employee who looks for guidance at every turn.

  • How to write a better cover letter

    A friend asked for some feedback on her cover letter this weekend and the response was well-received, so I thought I’d publish it here as well. I don’t write cover letters, nor do I keep a current resume, but I realize that many of my friends do so without further ado…

    In short, most cover letters are too “me” centric.

    No one cares about you, people care about how you can help them.

    They don’t want to know how cool you are, they want to know how the cool things that you’ve done will make their business more money.

    Assuming that the cover letter’s content is strong, it needs to be framed in the following context:

    My [specific skill/experience] would help your company realize [goal] by [explanation].

    You want to show a confidence in being able to solve specific problems without coming across as God’s gift to business. Every point you make should be strategically tied to something they’ve either said that they need or that you know they need.

    The opportunity here is to be less of an appropriately-credentialed cog and more of an experienced thought leader with perspectives to share and leadership to give.

    Be dangerous. Make them sweat. But whatever you do, don’t be a “model employee.”

    A critical tool in your arsenal of value-demonstration is the ability to craft a narrative around why you want the position, how it ties to what you’re trying to get out of life, and the fact that they would be missing out on a good thing if they didn’t snatch you up.

    The above is what separates employees from leaders who are groomed for executive leadership, and the art is pulling it off in a way that is genuine and natural.

    It takes at least ten times the effort of a normal cover letter, but it’s worth it.

  • FSU Big Ideas Discussion Group

    I love my alma mater.

    Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending an FSU Big Ideas discussion group event in New York City. It’s an initiative where the University is dreaming up things that will set the course for the next 10 years or so, and they’re getting feedback from alums across the nation.

    The meat of the discussion portion was broken into to sections, with one idea being shared in each. The first idea is the one around which this post is centered: transforming FSU into a (truly) entrepreneurial school.

    I’m all about it.

    There was a lively discussion taking place, and it was interesting to see the opinions and perspectives of individuals like one named Jon (who called himself a lifelong entrepreneur and completely unemployable), and those from the private sector.

    Feedback from individuals fell into these three buckets for the most part:

    • I love it, let’s do it.
    • I’d need to see data.
    • What about failure?

    I’m oversimplifying, but you get the point. As I mentioned during the discussion, true entrepreneurship couldn’t be any further at odds with academic culture.

    I’m of the mind that the shift must take place regardless. Universities are becoming less relevant by the minute, and I’m thrilled to see discussions like this taking place. Much of it dovetails with the Free Minds Movement, my project with Pam, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

  • The New Dynamics of Book Publishing Event [Recap]

    A few months ago, I had the pleasure of attending Seth’s live event at the (fabulous) Helen Mills Theater called The New Dynamics of Book Publishing.

    I recalled some of what was mentioned from Seth’s talk in Atlanta when he came for the Linchpin tour. WIth me now being involved with The Domino Project, however, I have a new lens through which to view the material.

    One of the reasons I applied for the opportunity is because I had no experience with the publishing industry. Many of the fundamental concepts and terms were foreign to me initially.

    The event was filled with important people from the publishing industry, many of whom were “scared shitless” about the changes taking place. Seth offered countless anecdotes, ideas, and warnings about the changing landscape.

    As is typical of his events, Seth lectured for about an hour and a half before devoting the rest of the day to the crowd’s questions. Many openly expressed concern and dismay for the predictions offered, despite there being clear alternatives to eventual obscurity.

    We walked through the always-interesting history of the music industry, and the changes (the Compact Disc, greed, and trying to adapt the old way of doing business to the new digital world) that marked the beginning of the end. Seth always mentions the music industry being a perfect system when it was working properly, and I truly saw what he meant that time.

    Next up was the topic of the publishing industry and how rapidly things are changing. We discussed ebooks, the Kindle, and how these things are altering the way people consume ideas. Seth waxed eloquent on the topic of his books being a medium to spread an idea as opposed to something having value because of the pages and ink. The book is just the medium.

    He discussed some specific tactics (along with the hilarious history of bringing Purple Cow to market) used to promote the spreading of his books. From boxed sets, to unique offers, and the like.

    Overall, it was a fabulously illuminating event that helped me grasp some critical concepts related to book publishing, and I’m thrilled to have attended.

  • Unhinged

    I’m finding myself less and less precluded by a concern with offending people.

    It’s not that I have a lot of offensive or controversial thoughts to share, but it’s interesting to view myself now as compared to the way I was when I had a job.

    Everything came back to reputation, and the ultimate fear (in the back of my mind) was getting fired for some controversial act or statement.

    That’s no way to live life.

    Glad that’s over.

  • About that life

    Great marketing by GoPro for their HD camera promotion. What’s front and center isn’t the product; it’s a life worth living (and recording).