Recently as I was traveling to New York City from Charlotte, NC the inevitable thought of “being a big fish in a small pond vs. being a small fish in a big pond” entered my mind (as I’m sure it does with many people traveling to NYC). As I pondered this on the drive and flight, another thought came to me: it’s not about being a big or small fish in a big or small pond. It’s about being a REAL fish in a REAL pond. Feeling REAL today?
Author: yestoknow
Teams Need Lone Wolves
Every team has a lone wolf. My thought today: every team NEEDS a lone wolf. This is the person that wonders “why?” and asks it out loud (and not just to have something to say as in “Let’s be able to answer the ‘why question’ so we’ll get more funding”). Yes, team work, team work is the key…yes, yes, yes…but when a team becomes merged into a unit without individual pulses–it’s time to be a lone wolf. Yes, you may be a lone wolf if you…
1. Find yourself wondering why a weak team-created logo, tagline, or message is being used right up until the point it is going to be printed.
2. Ask yourself why a rent-a-rep was paid to tell you about the same problems that have been talked about by everyone in your agency for years.
3. Realize that moving-target-deadlines and schedules don’t really need to be moving targets at all–it’s just a manifestation of indecision.
4. Actually ask about the things that came across your mind or up in discussions during lunch.
5. Find yourself wanting to howl out loud at the end of a meeting that most everyone else quietly slumped out of.
We all have our lone wolf moments. Let’s find the power the lone wolves to get us out of the ordinary and into overwhelming excellence. Alpha Wolves may be in pre-meetings getting the skinny, Lone Wolves have the energy to spread the team into real action. Howl on.
What About Dreaming?
We (whoever “we” is) talk a lot about ‘strategizing’ and ‘accountablities’ and ‘leveraging’ and ‘advocacy’ and all the big phatty words that are so important and necessary and all that jazz that is required to get funding (yes, that is too often what it is really about it appears). My question is this: what about dreaming? When do we get to dream again? When do we get to apply our real talents and imaginations-in-action?
What if: we allowed ourselves to dream BEFORE the big meeting, before the big plea for funding, before we started rooting ourselves into the concrete of policy and “strategery?”
Have you dreamed today?
What has helped you dream a little? Follow that. Support that. Advocate for that. Question those that can’t speak the language of dreaming. Anyone can talk. It takes a special breed to dream and then put it into action. When you find you’re being encouraged to dream and allowed to act on those dreams, first, jump for joy, then, support that source–and then get back to dreaming.
Kool Aid
I’ve lost count of how many times in the past couple of weeks I’ve heard someone say a variation on the phrase “don’t drink the Kool-Aid” (meaning don’t get pulled in by them or become one of them, don’t fall for the lies, don’t sell-out, a’la Jim Jones’ tribe). What I see is that just about everyone–every group, every team, every for-hire troup is pouring the Kool-Aid and wants everyone else to drink their’s. It’s one big sea of Kool-Aid out there. Here’s my thought: If someone tells you not to drink someone else’s Kool-Aid what they are really saying is”Here, drink MY Kool-Aid instead.” Think of that next time you call forth the Kool-Aid Man. Oh, Yeah!
Web As Process
“The sooner we view the web as a process, not a place, the quicker we will understand it. It’s two flows. The flow of information and the flow of attention.”
-Seth Godin
Soooo, with this in mind can we now get things moving a little faster, a little smoother (sometimes clunkier), things built up (or axed) quicker to meet our needs?
Neeext, is there a new word that exists that envelopes this idea of “web as process?”
When the Bandwagon Feels Empty
The bandwagon seems really full sometimes. Everyone is jumping on with the new catch of the day or with the most “innovative” ways to do things. And I am (usually) right there cheering it on. When I feel it. I’ve felt it a lot lately. But in the past few days, I find myself feeling like the bandwagon seems a little empty (even when it’s overflowing). The bandwagon makes much noise. Much hoopla. Maybe too much?
When the bandwagon begins to feel like the status quo mobile, it’s probably time to jump off. Or at least move out of its way (lest you be told you’re raining on the parade). What’s a little rain, though, if the bandwagon is strong enough to withstand it.
Let it rain.
Somebody Say Something: Crazy Pineapple!
Ever sat through a meeting and something just wasn’t right? Or maybe you work in an office each day in a situation that is just a little too prickly? Everyone is looking at the giant pineapple in the middle of the table but no one is saying anything about it? Or, more obviously, someone is way out of line, but no one dares talk about it, much less say, “whoooa, whatchutalkinbout, you’re scaring the juice outta me?” Then you wind up feeling like maybe it’s just you, maybe you are just the crazy giant pineapple and everyone else had it going on?
Listen up, here is a plea for everyone to call a pineapple a pineapple! Speak up. Ok…if you’re not willing to speak up, will you at least please tell ME if I’m ever acting crazy? I really want to know. Give me a little eye signal or perhaps work in the word “pineapple” into the discussion. That way I’ll know to do a personal-crazy-check-in. I’ll do the same for you. If we all promise to do this for each other, we’ll weed those stray pineapples right out pretty soon, I betcha.
Deal?
Keep Them Turning (and Returning)
Where in the world have I been? Not recently posting…thoughtthe mental posts have been flying off left and right, they haven’t made their way to “Yes to Know” yet…tonight, I plan to break that pattern. I’d like to say I’ve been on a world class holiday to an exotic locale–who wouldn’t–what I have been on is a jouney into the Realms of Meetings, meetings, meetings–to the point of brain frizzle at times in the past month or so. It’s all good…pushing my bounds for sitting and thinking out loud as well as listening and rolling with it, working to keep a vision even during some blurry moments—in other words, I’m involved in a huge work project that is absorbing most every last minute of my day.
In the middle of this series of meetings and changing the world as we know it, I went away for 5 days to the Duke Writer’s Workshop where I attending a novel writing workshop led by novelist Lynn York. A great workshop where I learned more about the craft of writing as well as the craft of letting-go (re: very little Internet connection and dealing with the urge to check in at work each hour while away far back into a mountain retreat center).
So…any good lesson is one worth applying across many fields: One of the ideas that floated to the surface in the workshop is that writer’s really must consider what keeps the reader turning the page. What will drive them on to the end of the story? Makes sense. Plot, love of character, suspense, you get it…
Nooooooooooow, tell me this: what do we do to keep our customers “turning the page?” What do we do to keep the returning? What do we consciously create to make the experience of walking through our doors a “new chapter” each time? Are we changing out the scenery (take a note from your favorite retailer–try Urban Outfitters, you can work wonders with a few cans of paint, newspaper and and old sofa!)? Are we catching them just before they walk out the door with a taste of why they should come back ( a list of soon to be releaseed books, cds or dvds). Are we spending as much time thinking about what will bring back our users again and again as we are sitting in meetings?
Overwhelm Them!
Is anything more important–but less interesting to say–than “Customer Service?”The way I think about it is this: If you don’t have a focused aim (such as “every customer is going to leave here wanting to come back again–soon”) and instead have a generalized view of customer engagement (such as “we give good customer service” or “we have high service excellence standards”) you will hit your mark everytime–and that mark will manifest itself as vague “friendly service” –and what this really means is “general mediocrity.” I was perusing a book online today and came across this passage:
“If we served people the way we want to be served we wouldn’t have ‘situations.’ The problem is that most of us don’t want to serve. ‘Serve’ is a nasty word–something we did to make our way through high school or college. In the real world we think, it’s not by job to serve people below me!‘”
It’s true. Come on, take off that I’m-here-to-serve halo and admit it. Service is an important and necessary need, but it has an ugly reputation. So, let’s give it a make-over. First, let’s stop using the phrase “customer service” so much. Let’s stop saying we’re here to “serve.” How about we’re hear to “delight,” “intrigue,” “expand opportunities,” or–even better–OVERWHELM.
Let’s make it our aim to have each customer leave feeling overwhelmed, not underwhelmed–and feeling more than “well, I got the book (or form or sandwich or paycheck–yes staff are our customers too–don’t leave them underwhelmed) I was looking for.”
I propose this:
A new customer engagement motto:
WE OVERWHELM OUR CUSTOMERS IN NEW AND JUICY WAYS WITH EACH VISIT!”
Now that’s a motto that excites me, and I’d rise up to meet that challenge each day! How about you?
5 "Why Nots?" for Libraries
Here they are–fresh off the top of my head (well, I’ve been holding onto a couple of these for a while, time to let them go)…5 no-brainers for libraries.
I wonder why Libraries don’t…
1. Play the cd’s that we have in our collections IN the library. Think: A small sign that says “Like what you’re hearing? You can check it out NOW!”
2. Sell stamps at the circulation desk (everyone needs stamps).
3. Put shelters over our outdoor book drops.
4. Unlock those program doors and let people gather in them just to talk–yes, just to talk (the non-program program!)
5. Stop charging overdue fees–especially for children. (For all you avid policy-makers out there, just borrow a few lines from Netflix…it’ll be ok. If madness ensues, at least you’ll make the cover of Library Journal!)
Yes, that last one is a big one. But, why not?!
Apologies to any libraries who are already doing any (or all?) of these.
Yes to Know 