Now…how much time do you do work each day?

Do you see a drastic difference?

So be aware of avoid these interruptions that end up coming your way.

All that small talk. Put up a door in your cube. Work from the conference room. Work off site. Hang garlic outside of your cube. Wear a disguise. Be creative.

But it’s usually the meetings that drain your productivity, and prevent you from finding your groove. Whether you’re the organizer or not, don’t let these meetings bloat beyond their intended purpose. A few points to consider when setting up, or attending a meeting:

1. Do we have a clear goal/outcome from this meeting?
2. Is the subject matter appropriate for a meeting? (Note: Sharing data is not a reason to have a meeting. This is a reason to send an email.)
3. Did we invite only the people who need to attend (those that can make a decision)?
4. How long does this meeting truly need to be? (Note: Don’t fill in time at the meeting merely because Outlook schedules in half-hour increments…get in, get out.)
5. Do we have an agenda to keep everyone on task?
6. Who in the meeting has power to yay/nay a proposal? In other words, who can make sure we don’t hit a point we can’t resolve?

Too often, these meetings not only take away from your day, but the effect is multiplied because of the sheer number of people being invited. Be on time, both beginning and ending the meeting. Have a clear goal, and a clear outcome that needs to be met (there must be something that is actually done in the meeting!). Invite only those that are impacted, and further only those that can make decisions. Make sure to send out a follow-up to highlight action items and expectations. And all this is only a start to making sure your meeting actually has meaning.

This loss of productive time easily slips into your day unless you challenge it. Just because you’re at work doesn’t mean you’re doing work; be conscious of how you spend your time, and if it’s going where you want it to.

Chances are, most of your communication needs to be opt in. Your press releases aren’t as important as you think. Automatically charging my credit card after a trial period is a no-no. And just because I’ve purchased an item from you doesn’t mean I should be added to all of your company’s email lists.

In the end, contacting me should benefit me.

If opt out is your preferred method, you’re communication is likely just another form of spam. If I’m interested, I’ll happily subscribe; now you’re relevant and expected, and I’m much more receptive to you.

Give your customers the power. If you’ve spent time fostering a strong, genuine relationship, you shouldn’t have concerns with letting others opt in.

Your call is important to us. All lines are currently busy. Please continue to hold and the next available representative will take your call. Thank you.

Ok, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Two minutes later, and I’m getting upset.

Five minutes, and I am upset.

Ten minutes (if I’m still on), and I quit; if there is a competitor, you just lost my business.

For the times I’ve tested and ended up waiting fifteen minutes or more (for the sheer insanity factor), and I’m seriously considering whether you even have a customer service team.

Why lie? If answering phones isn’t that big a deal, be realistic with your recorded message.

We would have preferred an email that we could delete, but you opted instead to call and waste our time. Currently, our two customer service representatives are on a different call, or a break; actually, sometimes they just don’t feel like answering the phone. We’re going to continue to keep you on hold until you finally give in and hang up. If you want to contact us with a question, we’re too busy. If you have a problem, we don’t care.

The thing is, most companies think similarly to this. Customers will spread the word if they think you or your product is remarkable. The less desirable alternative is that they’ll spread the word (loudly) if you’ve done them wrong. And considering how poorly most companies lead their customer service, you have immense upside to handling these situations right.

Yes, most people will call with a problem. Yes, these calls can be difficult to deal with. In the end, though, it doesn’t take much to turn the situation around. Simple things like the sunset rule (respond with an update or resolution by the end of the day), listening to the problem with interest and generally treating the customer like a person (*gasp*…really?) are all easy to do, and can go a long way.

So please, prune your phone trees. Recorded messages, multiple hand-offs and lengthy hold times will turn customers away. Use some sense and treat the customer like a person, a friend, and you usually won’t go wrong.

How did all of those things get there?

Even though you think you’re pretty good at time management, you’d be surprised at where your time is actually going. Perhaps it’s time to take a hard look at how you spend your days. Perhaps you’d find that you actually did have enough time. And perhaps you’d find that you were just trying to keep yourself busy all along.

But being busy isn’t the same as getting things done.

Consider thinking in terms of success to market. How quickly can you get a product that works, and that you can stand behind? And the hard part of this exercise is understanding what is core, and what is peripheral. If the core isn’t there, don’t launch. If the peripheral isn’t there, launch now and improve later. Waiting for perfection, and all of the peripheral stuff, is just an excuse to hold tight and not to move forward.

So now that you know what is core, and when you can be ready, use that as your launch. Don’t get bullied or pulled into the whole speed to market thinking where time is key. At the end of the day, getting a good product out is the true priority.

Know your dates. Set your dates. Launch.

Here’s the harder part. Knowing what you did, what do you want to do in the coming year? Be aggressive. Push the limits of your comfort. And perhaps most importantly, tell someone who can hold you accountable.

Even if you haven’t started on something you’ve long wanted to, getting a start now is better than later, or not at all.

So, go.

These antiquated and unquestioned laws are lead weights. And most things that are held to this unquestioned standard can be done significantly better.

Seek out these sacred cows with a vengeance and kill them. There’s a better way to do things.

There are a lot of words that describe why a customer should want to link with you. One of the key reasons…

You teach, show the future…and thus have a firm stake in their success.

This can be a bit fearful. The more people know, the larger the world becomes and the more options are available. Which is why some people resort to keeping customers dependent. Discrediting others. Trying to maintain a death-grip on the customer.

This is ridiculous (and bad for business).

Become the teacher, guru, sensei. Happy customers spread the word. Educated, knowledgeable, enthusiastic customers tell everyone they know…they become evangelists. And not only that, but informed customers are more likely to be in it for the long haul. A change in price, mistake or other hiccup is understood…or at the very least doesn’t destroy the relationship.

And although your product might not be as ‘sexy’, you certainly have an opportunity to excite your customers.

Yes, execute. Yes, provide value. But also teach, open the world and expand your customers horizons.

Did you achieve what you set out to do? Did you push the edges? Learn something? Network?

If not, how can you make sure that you don’t have the same feeling when you look back on today?

In other words, a ‘normal business’ presentation.

Except it wasn’t.

The entire presentation was told in a few graphs, but primarily a collection of pictures.

The point of a presentation is not to fit as much data on a page as you can. Nor is it to inundate attendees with massive amounts of text in 8 point font.

So please, disarm your presentation. Don’t use bullets.

The point of a presentation is sharing vision and emotion. If all you needed to do was share a few pieces of data, you could have sent out an email. But the point of a presentation, by default, is to get people to think, nod their heads, envision the reality of your message and get involved. It should leave people ready to do something!

Your presentation is a call to action!

Leverage the presentation to crystallize singular thoughts. But then add the commentary. Create a story. Have people listen to you, not read a slide.

If you let the slide do the talking…you’ve missed. If people aren’t tuned in…you’ve missed.

So go out there and craft a message. Sell the vision. But please remember to disarm your presentation…bullets kill (presentations).

But the discussion (I promise) will still be important, perhaps one of the most pertinent questions you’ll ask yourself.

The topic today is…what have you done today?

To advance you? Your job? A cause you support?

Have you learned how to do something new? Picked up a new hobby? Read a book (or two, or three)? Written a blog? Commented on a blog? Made you own art?

There are a lot of people (myself included) that will ask you…beg you…to get involved, speak up and lead the charge (more on this in another post). And so it’s easy to spend the time preparing for the future, but essentially still not doing anything today. So call a time out. Take a moment, sit down, write down the things you want to get done today and work on them IMMEDIATELY!

It’s not about always doing something drastic or immense in scope. You don’t need to change the world today. It is choosing everyday to learn something new, push the borders and continue to grow. The roots of a revolution are placed far before it happens.

All those small steps inevitably lead to something very, very big.

Yes…that’s it.

I know, I know. You have a lot of other things you do everyday. And it’s important. And it needs to be done. And I get it. But…it’s not your real job.

Yes, you need to ensure the quality is up to spec. Yes, you need to ensure that the purchase order is placed. Yes, you need to ensure the proofs get sent on time. But…it’s not your real job.

The reason you’re paid to do what you do is to:

—–Generate and execute on ideas. Yes, most people are fine with the status quo…but not you. And you shouldn’t be. (thank goodness) You probably have some sacred zombie cows internally…you know, “that’s just the way it is” (especially when people know things can be done better). Kill them…immediately. Don’t ask for permission. You don’t need it. Grab a group of kindred souls, design a fix and (WHAM!) you’ve done it. (yes…I promise you don’t need permission, though the WHAM part is not always so quick) If you can do this, you’ll never have to find work…it will find you.

Note: With that whole zombie cow thing, just remember to aim for the head.

In a larger sense, though, the ability to visualize the future, crystallize it and share it is essential to the success of anything you’re involved with. Pretty obvious…but rarely acted upon. Remember, excellence comes from doing the ‘hard’ things well. And these ‘hard’ things are absolutely necessary…the question is whether you attack them or leave them to someone else. (not an option, you must lead the charge)

—–Build and manage relationships. With the customer. With your peers. With your suppliers. This is fundamental…fundamental…fundamental to your success!

!

And trying to forge relationships when you absolutely need them doesn’t work. It takes work. It takes empathy. A flower budget (Tom Peters). Being there (handshake is golden…my word is my bond type of stuff). Ahead of time. And genuine, at that.

Especially when you’re a leader (formal or informal). It is less your job to get stuff done, and more your job to be absolutely in tune with others, support their cause (make it your own) and blow up the roadblocks.

And it’s that last sentence that is key, that shows why it is so essential to manage the ideas and relationships. As you gain/take/absorb more and more responsibility, it is those two areas that are your primary focus (and less and less doing stuff). Make meaning. Set the course. Champion change.

You’re not a cog, not a material in the process, not a menial laborer.

You’re an asset, a visionary, a confidant, a cheerleader and more.

1st Prize: 3 Day / 2 Night Vacation Certificate

Sounds good so far, but that’s where it ends (completely unravels, actually)…

Valued up to $200. Hotel Only, No airfare. You must pay a $9.95 activation fee, $50 refundable deposit and any taxes to receive this item.

You know…on second thought…can I just have the money instead? In my mind, this type of offer defies all logic or sane explanation.

My question is, why the hell even offer this as a first prize? Any prize? People will most certainly notice this fine print. Knowing this, do you think they’ve bolstered my confidence? Will I make any effort to direct my business their way?

In the end, it’s so simple (but you already know that). Treat people honestly, with respect, candor and straight forwardness. Ridiciulous terms, laughable opt out policies and overt lies have an immense negative impact. You’re not only destroying one relationship, you’re also losing out on 10x that because that negative feedback spreads…quickly. And, it’s ultimately one of those examples where you should know better. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Be a steward of all things good. Be a champion of the right thing.

Trickery doesn’t work (there’s a plethora of examples, and it’s also painstakingly obvious). Do the right thing…because it is the right thing. Period. End of discussion. No excuses.

I LOVE YOU SON!

My…how you grow up so quickly!

All too often, it seems the internet is viewed as a welcome place for shrouding yourself. There are a rampant number of people who go by aliases or nicknames, and make statements that (at least I hope) they’d never make in real life. It appears that the offer of anonymity associates very strongly with a disconnect from what people would otherwise do/say face-to-face.

But this is viewing the internet the wrong way. The internet is not a parallel, virtual world. It is not a world of bits, bytes and code. And it certainly isn’t something ‘out there’.

The internet is a megaphone, it removes the barriers of geography and language, it is an immense idea repository, etc, etc. It is a tool! It is an extension and opportunity for you, your message, your beliefs, your causes.

You can’t disassociate yourself from what you do/say on the internet. It’s all you (and it will find its way back). So embrace the internet for what it is. Proudly stand and speak out! Get involved! Lead the charge! Your ideas and voice can find their ways to places you’d otherwise never imagine, to people you’d otherwise never meet. Freely, publically and energetically endorse your ideas…my name is Doug, and I approve this message…my name is Doug, and I am FREAKIN’ JAZZED about this message.

But do not shirk away in the darkness. Your words are still your words whether you use your real name or not. Ultimately, it’s not fun to shirk around, and the company is lousy.

And increasingly, you can also use it to avoid any form of dynamic conversation.

I’m surprised by the number of people who have setup email as the default communication method. In fact, the number of people who will resist picking up the phone or *gasp* actually talking to someone face-to-face.

There are umpteen rewards of a personal conversation (face-to-face, then phone and lowest being email). Improved relationships. Less opportunity for misinterpretation. Faster resolution. Establishing a future alliance and friendship. Breaking silos. Killing sacred cows. Hell, I’ll even add exercise to the mix (for that whole walking part) if that will seal the deal. I guess the shorter list would actually be why you would want to default to email.

IT’S IN YOUR BEST INTEREST TO GET UP!

Not only that, you also have a responsibility to lead the way. Left unchecked, this email reliance spreads. People use email to cover their ass. People are too busy and have no option but to respond quickly via email. The conversation will take too long, and this person really doesn’t want to talk to that person. Walls go up.

So get up. Tear down this wall. It worked out pretty well in Berlin, so have at it. And, ultimately, even though you can use email doesn’t mean you should…and you often shouldn’t.

“We exist to be the leader in our category. We will utilize leadership, innovation and partnerships to deliver superior products and service. We will provide exceptional value for our stakeholders…(yada, yada, yada).”

This, obviously, is not the mission statement of any particular company; then again, it is the mission statement of most companies.

If your mission statement is ANYWHERE near this, I challenge you to burn it…quickly. Do the same to any printed copies that may be floating around. Delete it permanently. Disavow any knowledge of its current or previous existence.

What’s the point of this mess?

1. You were looking for VC, and decided this was a prerequisite.
2. You mistakenly think that a mission statement is necessary for success.
3. You (somehow) believe that vague, non-definitional mission statements are good to have.
4. You wanted a joke to look at when you’re having a bad day.

Don’t write a vague mission statement. If you’re doing anything, I can assume that you want to be the leader, you want to help others and you’re going to do your best (partnerships, innovation, etc) to be successful. So all that writing was just so much hot air.

I’d recommend not wasting the time, certainly not in the beginning. They do nothing, and you could better spend the time being productive. It won’t land you any accounts. Your passionate blog posts or other communication will be much more relevant.

If you still fill the need, don’t hold back. Be brash. Be colorful (in thought and, if necessary, language). If I read your mission statement, I should be able to answer the question, “what do you do?”

So, tell me again…what do you do?

In the past (I’ll let you decide how long ago), it’s easy to argue that you had your job, and thereafter a small slice of time and the world to make change. If you had one hour each night, it may have been difficult to create a paradigm shift, share your viewpoints with like minds or otherwise tell the world, “MY IDEA EXISTS!” Not necessarily valid, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Limits were an easy out. I don’t have the money for postage. I don’t have the time to go door to door. There’s only so many people on my street who think like me. And perhaps most popular…my favorite TV show is on during that time.

(crash) (BANG) (POW)

Yes, that was your excuse being utterly destroyed.

Today, everything is fair game. The friction of communication (valuable, relevant and expected communication) has significantly diminished. The time and cost to spread ideas is virtually nill. NILL! The question is, will you get on, or find another excuse to hide behind?

What gets you excited? What makes you leap with joy? What makes you cringe? In other words, when do you say, “I’m here…I want to be involved…I need to be involved…LET ME MAKE CHANGE”?

Go. Do that.

Build a tribe. Join a tribe. Comment. Write an ebook. Write a blog. Make a video. Do something.

There’s virtually no risk to getting involved. No money. You don’t have to quit your day job. And there’s no dunce cap and a corner for you to sit in. It just takes some time. But for the things you’re truly passionate about, I’m guessing it’s time you feel well spent. In fact, you probably have a voice inside that is itching for the opportunity to be unleashed.

All that from a basic introduction today, and a fleeting thought thereafter.

Hi, I’m Doug. I’m a dad, a husband, a lover of soccer, a fan of radical change, a concerned citizen, etc, etc…I aspire to be a change agent everyday.

Please, I beg you, just make sure you don’t say, Hi, I’m here, but I’m invisible.

Find friends, find a tribe, pursue excellence, make change…and help others make their change, too. It’s easier, and your sphere of influence today is immense.

And there are a lot of people who can do the same thing you do…up to this point.

The true value, and differentiation, is the extra you put in — your work at the fringe. (did you just get that mystic feeling, too?)

The good news is that you did most of the heavy lifting just making things average. It doesn’t take long to make something remarkable in the grand scheme of things.

Hell, you might be fantastic at presenting — you might have presence and charisma; but are your slides detracting from that (who follows a 50 slide presentation with 8 pt font and 23 bullets per page)? You might have spell checked the name tags 25 times, but what ‘wow’ factor do you have that will actually cause people to talk (that’s the whole point of the tags, right)? Your agenda may be concise and efficient, but what value is that if the audience is starting to fall asleep (get people energized…you want them to own the conversation, too)?

That’s not even the best fringe, though.

The best fringe is not the task stuff…it’s the visionary, I see tomorrow, anything is possible, burn my wings on the sun, home run, blue-sky thinking. Most of your peers are working for stability, the status quo. It’s what has worked in the past, what is known and what is comfortable.

So lead the charge. Be on the fringe. It’s helluva lot of fun, stretches your boundaries and, I guess for added benefit, can give you this amazing aura (possibly labeled craziness, but who cares). Two big important things:

1. When you operate on the fringe, you get the unobstructed view of what is possible. It makes for interesting conversations, work and a lot of fun. It also keeps you learning, and completely uncomfortable with returning to the status quo. At the end of the day, the real question is why not stay here?
2. Other people notice. This means you get to work with some fantastic people who in many cases are smarter than you. You are close to amazing ideas, and have the opportunity to help craft the future of your team, division, company, non-profit, country or even world. …Wow!… At the very least, you find out you’re not alone at the fringe.

You’re going to work regardless. You have the choice to just get by, or to lead a revolution.

The 20th century notion of raw productivity has/is/will be losing its absolute validity. The true value players now are those that have radical, paradigm-shifting, full-color ideas (moreover, those that get people around the ideas, and actually execute).

HUH?

I get it. There are basically four ways to view sales (well, four that I think of very quickly):

1. A crap shoot. All you do is pressure the customer — it’s a war of attrition to make the sale.
2. Scary as hell. All I have is the commission to fall back on? What if I miss? I have x, y and z to pay for. I need a salary.
3. Command and conquer. Sales is fun to play — it’s a zero sum game and I win.
4. Wild, exhilarating and extremely beneficial (to others and yourself). Let’s push the edges together.

So, you can fear sales, get some odd enjoyment out of flexing your muscle or view it as a way to make change.

This completely misses the mark, though. We’re not talking business here — we’re talking about you.

Your projects. Your hobbies. Your point of view. The causes you support. The people who enrich and challenge you. The books you read. You sell yourself everyday, all day. You sell your passions, beliefs and vision everyday, all day. You sell the future everyday, all day. Ditch the fear, embrace the discussion and get on.

And while I’m at it, don’t just sell…be an evangelist. Approach the border of crazy. Be crazy. Get wholly involved. Ask questions. Bring ideas to the table. Drive change.

Help create a rich exchange, and watch where things can go.

You’ll help others (which should be a huge, overarching goal), and you’ll also learn a lot. Where the hell is the fun in being mute?