A few weeks ago I spent time with two thirsty men.  They were passionate about their business, innovative, and already on their way to leading a tribe.  Wake owns an electric bike Shop called The Ebike Store in Portland Oregon and Jason is the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette. So why do I call them thirsty?  Without pitching my services, they were compelled to ask more about what I do and how I do it.  No matter what service you provide, unless someone needs it, and actually understands they need it, then you really are wasting your time and theirs.

A while back a young ambitious college age painting contractor came by my house and offered his company’s service.  After letting him do his pitch I informed him that I was not interested.  He went on to tell me that my house was in need of a new paint job and it could not wait another year.  What he did not know is that I painted houses and businesses when I was his age and the house at the time in fact had about two years left before it needed painting.  Plus, when I am ready to paint, I will be doing it myself.  His problem was simple, I was neither in need of what he offered nor was he able to convince me otherwise.  I was not thirsty.

Now a better salesman could have convinced me otherwise, but it takes a lot of effort at the risk of an unsatisfied customer and your brand being damaged.  If you spend all your time offering a service they were not really interested in the first place, chances are they will not value it in the long run.

“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.”  It seemed like an odd statement to my young ears, until I witnessed it my self.  When I was ten years old it was my chore to get our horses to drink water before our long day on the trail.  We usually had 5 or 6 horses on our extended trips into the Wallowa Mountains, and there was always one stubborn one that would not drink.  As much as I tried I could not put my ten year old weight into dragging him to the stream.  It was futile.

Later in the day though he was the first to put all his energy into making a bee-line to the lake at the end of the day.  He was finally thirsty.  This goes with most businesses I encounter.  They are bombarded daily by salespeople who offer ways for them to make their business more profitable.  Some offer real value and others are just wasting their time with snake oil.  The difference for you comes when you can connect with the ones that are seeking what you offer and see the value in it.  They are the ones that will benefit and in the long run they will also be the first ones that will tell anyone they can about how you helped them.

I have learned this after many attempts to convince those that are just not thirsty.  Keep listening and doing what you do best.  If you truly are doing a remarkable job, the businesses that are a great match for you will be easy to find.

This morning my friend Kevin sent out a response he received from one of his Free Agent Academy members.  He had asked his community how they were doing in their business.  Here is some of that response:

“Kevin, in my response to your recent email I told you things have stalled due to various stuff happening in my life and a lack of time. I now realize that is not why things have stalled. Instead, it is because of fear, lack of knowledge & experience, and lost focus which has caused me to stall in my business pursuit. And most of all, it is a lack of being held accountable that has prevented me from overcoming those challenges.”

I love the essence of this response.  We succeed with good counsel.  I think that counsel is most powerful when it is given full permission to speak truth, guidance and conviction into our lives.  The trouble is (and I speak this from a ministry and business perspective) we have made the term “accountability partner” equivalent to parole officer.  I guess

George Metcalf Archival Collection CWM 19920044-058

you could say, when it comes to our calling, we have all kept ourselves in prison for way to long under the burdens of fear, inadequacy, lack of knowledge and wisdom.  Once we taste freedom we need someone to help us attain it.  But why has that word (accountability) gained such disdain?  Is it because we are too stubborn, individualistic and bull headed to accept it?  I don’t think so.  Those things all play a part, but most of all I think it is rooted in the fact that rather than encourage and walk along side each other, we are too quick to hold people to what they used to be.  This goes for ourselves too.  We are the first ones, at the first sign of resistance, to fall back to what we used to be.  We need reminding that we have embarked on a journey of adventure, thrill and greatness.  We don’t have any other option but success.

If you have left the mediocre life behind, I encourage you to seek out someone to encourage you, correct you, guide you.  I am not talking about a mentor or coach in this case, but someone who is in the same situation you are in.  Kevin calls them accountability partners.  I like the term trench mate.  Call it what you may, you need them to make it through.  And if you think any of us are immune to the trails and pitfalls, you are greatly mistaken.  I signed up today to make Kevin a trench mate in my own journey.

You can join Kevin here.

A year ago, during the Iran Election Protests I posted about a small project a friend and I embarked on, to help spread the word in solidarity with the people of Iran being oppressed.  We often think we have little leverage to make change in today’s world.  This morning I was once more compelled to use the tools and connections I have at hand to spread the word for change.  Randy Elrod posted a blog and painting in protest of the planned stoning of an Iranian woman named Sakineh.  He is asking others to stage an online protest.  Here is his full post and art:

As I casually perused CNN.com this morning, an article titled “Global Protests Held Worldwide Against Iran Woman’s Execution by Stoning” jolted me from my Saturday reverie. You can read it HERE. Feeling profoundly moved to join the protest,  I Googled an image search of the words “stoning muslim women.” The pictures brought hot tears of horror to my face.

I began passionately painting a watercolor and below is what came from the shock and realization that murders like this still occur in our “modern” world. I thought, why not start a blog, Twitter,  and Facebook protest against the stoning of this very real person named Sakineh?

Will you please participate? CNN says that Iran has been known to stay an execution, when the protest is loud enough. If you would like to join me, please do so. If not, that is fine, I’m not trying to put you on a guilt trip.

But, I’ve spent my day off painting a watercolor in this effort, so will you take a few brief seconds and do a blog post, Twitter, or Facebook update to save Sakineh’s life??

You can simply copy and paste this post, or write your own. Please use the exact title so that we can be heard as one voice. You also have full permission to use the watercolor as your social network image, in your posts, and I have created Twibbons for your Facebook and Twitter profiles.

Facebook

Twitter

People still ask me what is the worth of Twitter. This morning I was reminded of the main value I find in the tool, inspiration. Susan Lewis posted a link a while back to a really good blog on finding Inspiration by Jonathan Mead.

If you simply look at the massive amount of tweets being posted on the home page of Twitter, you’ll be missing the true value. But if, through time, you build a community around your interests and expertise, then you will eventually have a refined group of people and sources from which to draw inspiration. In an earlier post I explained a few of the lists in which I have grouped those that I follow. Two of these lists never fail me when I am seeking inspiration for a new idea.  I  probably spend an hour and a half each day browsing and engaging with those in the lists as well as ones I have created for the brand communities I coordinate. I’d like to say that Facebook does the same, but at this point (unless someone is posting the same content I am finding via the lists on Twitter) it does not inspire as much.

The other places I find inspiration for professional creativity are: books, listening to my closest friends stories, and personal reflection.

Where are you finding inspiration today and what tools are you finding it with?

If you’ve eaten at a Shari’s you’ve experienced the entrepreneurial genius of my dad.

You know the old Denny’s design, and those rocks on top of so many coffee-shop roofs? Well, dad came up with that look when starting out as an architect and designer for Sambo’s Restaurant way back in the day. He went on to start a 7 chain restaurant named after his little brother Dan called Fancy Dan’s with my mom. They had locations throughout Oregon and Washington.

After that he opened a place along the Oregon Trail called The Blue Bucket. It had the most incredible homemade barley soup I have ever had, served up in a really cool cast iron bowl.

Next came the Shari’s venture. Today it is still the the only design patented restaurant and has nearly 100 outlets.

With a few projects in between, Dad has never stop innovating. Those projects include helping his friend Horst Mager (yeah that is the fondue recipe we all love) of the Rheinlander and Gustav’s fame with menu development, to designing, building and running an incredible hotel called the Rogue Regency in southern Oregon.

He currently owns and operates Callahans Siskiyou Lodge with his wife Donna, right below Mt. Ashland south of Ashland on the Southern Oregon border.  After the lodge burned to the ground in 2006, dad went to task to design and build a lodge that today amazes and entertains guests year round with it’s rustic but elegant world class service and accommodations.

This week I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on all dad has taught me about business.  Most of all he instilled in me an innovative spirit.  He has a passion to design and give customers a grand experience.  He is a businessman at heart. A friend reminded me of dad’s two hospitality rules a few weeks back:  A. Never ask how everything was when you are cashing out. It’s too late!   B. Never ask if a customer wants more coffee; just fill the cup.

I hope one day to have my own business legacy.  Happy fathers day dad!

A few months back I received an advance copy of Tony Hsieh’s Delivering Happiness. I try to only read books that come highly recommended by someone I trust or written by individuals I respect in the business world. There are just too many books being written to try and wade through the junk to find the gold. Delivering Happiness is gold. I have been a fan of the Zappos.com phenomenal growth and customer service but most of all I have been captivated by the company culture that has evolved there under Tony’s leadership since 1999. People that work for Tony are happy. They are constantly improving their expertise as well as developing personal and professional goals.

During my visit to the Zappos headquarters in January, I was continually wondering what makes this place tick. In Delivering Happiness Tony lays out both his own professional adventure from the time he sold his first news letter “The Gobler” in middle school (which was a miserable failure), to describing what elements lead to the Zappos success today. What really stood out to me in the book was Tony’s transparency, his willingness to share both his mistakes and achievements. From the disclaimer early on that he is not a gifted writer and his apology to his High School English teacher for the grammar errors, Tony sets the tone of the book at the outset as an honest story of entrepreneurial adventure and a lifetime pursuit of the science of happiness. Just as Dan Pink argues in Drive: the Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, Tony states that the true ingredients to a company’s success are mutual respect and strong core values.

Later this week I’ll be offering a full video highlight of the book with Chris Nordyke. For now though, go out and grab a copy of Delivering Happiness. It will not disappoint.

Today it has been two years since I started using Twitter. As I started to reflect on what it has meant to me, I realized I could not single out simple descriptions.To me it is like asking what does the telephone do for you. So rather than make a long list I’d like to ask you about the good, (if you know me, you know I love using the tool) and the bad. Tell me your stories. I had no idea where it would have taken me two years later.  If you want to know when you joined ( as well as the odd thing you first said ) then go to myfirsttweet.com.

When I first heard about www.helpareporterout.com or HARO for short, I thought it might be a good service to check out for the brand communities I work with.  What surprised me is what resulted after using it for a week.  I found myself sending multiple story leads to friends in my network. I had signed up to find ways to promote my brands, but more than anything, it has turned out to be a valuable tool for my network.

HARO is a free service that allows reporters to post story requests that then go out to the nearly 135,000 subscribers.  Each day the subscriber receives an email listing all the reporter requests sorted by category. Who would not benefit from direct access to reporters that are asking for either expertise or leads?  I first heard of HARO from its founder and CEO Peter Shankman during his keynote at the Portland Social Fresh Conference.  It was not only after hearing him speak at The Portland Communicators Conference that I decided to sign up myself.

At that keynote, I remember an attendee asking Peter where he finds cool things to share.  This group was mostly made up of late adopters, peppered with some innovative new media users.  I am not sure why Peter didn’t just say, use Haro?  Would it have been self promotion? Probably, but so what, if it is true.  There has not been one day yet that I have not found a perfect fit lead to send on to a friend.  It is too early to tell if any of the leads will result in them being in a news story, but one thing I know for sure is that each person has been very glad I thought of them.

Last year I read Andy Andrews book The Noticer.  In it the name sake of the book goes in and out of peoples lives noticing things, and thus really seeing people.  People react when you notice something about them.  It shows them that you really see them.  Chris Brogan begins his talks with the Zulu greeting, “Sawubona” which means I see you.

Drop HARO in your tools box as a way of helping not only a reporter out, but someone in your network of friends.  It is a great way of saying I see you, I’m in this with you.

Photo idea courtesy of Seth Godin; program mascot, former Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano

(This is a re-post of my article I published on the Huffington Post. If you like it and have something to say, please post it there since way more people read the Huff than this blog. It is sad but true) 

What would change if those who were the experts in their field took a week out of their time to teach and inspire a handful of people?

Seth Godin this next week will be taking 12 individuals through a week of leverage also known as a Nano MBA. Inspired by his Six Month Alternative MBA program he conducted a year ago, he wanted to see what could transpire in a one week long program. Over 1000 people applied, and through two eliminations, 12 individuals from different businesses and non-profits were chosen to go through the week with him and his Head of Hoopla Ishita Gupta.

Since the program was announced there have been a few people that have suggested other similar programs around the country. One that I am aware of was suggested by author and professor Leonard Sweet. His suggestion was a Nano DivMin.

We all have busy lives. Schedules are full and deadlines loom. Those that are changing the world often don’t have time or resources to go back to school to further their education or sharpen their acumen. What we do have in the US is an incredibly deep bench of skilled professionals. No matter what field you pick, there are those that are gifted with wisdom and experience.

When Mr. Godin first announced this program I was having lunch with a skilled business coach. I could tell he was inspired by Seth’s undertaking. I asked him if he would consider doing one himself? He honestly replied that he could not take a week away from clients to pull it off.

Can we afford not to though? We need our innovators, our big thinkers and experts in business, medicine, arts and every other sector of our society to take it upon themselves and change things. A nano-program is a great way to start. Can we afford to leave it up to our institutions to do it for us?

On Friday a group of friends congregated to spend some time in our small downtown. Our mission was simple. We planned to take and upload as many pictures of and about local businesses as we possibly could. What surprised me was the response we received. Many shop employees didn’t know what to do with us. As if working from a script, many of them just looked more worried than anything, having a handful of people wanting to take pictures of their store for free promotion. One store though gave us an incredible experience. Even though they were closing, Brett of City Barber Shop welcomed us in and even agreed to a free youtube video while he gave a mohawk cut. Brett told us about the history of the shop as the clippers hummed and my friend Loyan got his mohawk. The whole group was thrilled as he went on about the shop he loved. We even learned they have a vintage barber chair that once was used on the Vegas Strip. Brett had no script. He readily lapped up the free publicity. It was like watching a skilled improv artist.

Do we have set ideas of how to get our word out? Do we resist new ways because we are afraid of them?

The businesses and connections in my network throughout the country are thrilled if you share their link, take a picture, leave a review (good or bad). They see it as free and sharable promotion. How would you or your employees react if given the same opportunity?