Boring

Hugh MacLeod, author of gapingvoid.com, stated in his blog yesterday that "Advertising is the cost of being boring."   I think that is more true today than it has ever been.  

It used to be that the best way for a company to get the attention of prospective customers was to advertise in mass media forums and, if they were really working hard, get a press release or two picked up by that same mass market media .

These days, more than ever, there is a value to being a company or a brand that is unique, interesting and/or newsworthy.  More and more consumers get their information (news, product information, entertainment, etc.) via electronic media.  Electronic media differs from traditional media in many ways, but most significantly in that it is of the moment and often of the community.  It is also 24/7 and has an insatiable appetite for new content and anything that will get eyeballs to stop and look for a few seconds.

If a brand is newsworthy or interesting, it can capture the attention of a blogger.  A mention on a blog can be picked up by a larger blog or online news source.  In the blink of an eye, a quirky, risk-taking videographer or an attention-grabbing charity can be in the center of the spotlight, at least for a moment.  For a start-up company, the attention that time in the spotlight brings can be a remarkable boon.  Boring companies don't get in the spotlight.  As Mr. MacLeod suggests, they have to pay to have the spotlight shine on them.

The downside of these new rules is that the spotlight never stops moving.  You have to dance pretty hard to stay in the spotlight.  Most companies, even the most exciting and innovative ones, only cross paths with the spotlight from time to time.

Andy Warhol said that in the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.  What he didn't say was that it would be 15 seconds at a time!

Present AND Future

I had the opportunity this morning to hear Terry Mazany, the President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, speak about the work that The Chicago Community Trust is doing.  He raised many interesting and salient issues, but there was one in particular that I wanted to discuss today.

Mr. Mazany indicated that one of the challenges, and responsibilities, of community trusts and foundations is to provide civic leadership for today paired with creating a legacy for the future.  His point was that while community foundations and trusts have an obligation to address the community needs in front of them right now, 50 years from now, people will also have needs.  Addressing those needs, by building an endowment and planning for the long-term impacts, is no less important.

I would argue that the same dual focus is important for businesses, regardless of whether they are for-profit or not.  Obviously, a company that doesn't survive today, won't be around tomorrow to provide solutions to their customers needs and wants.  Too often, however, companies focus solely on this month's receipts or the current quarter's stock price, and end up making moves that provide short term gains and long term damage.  The challenge for any organization is keeping that delicate balance between the present and the future.

I also think that there is value for businesses to think in terms of their legacy.  Not for profits and politicians do this naturally, but business ventures don't often engage in this conversation, at least not out loud!  The value of acknowledging and caring about your organization's legacy is that you will tend to pay attention to the long term impacts of the decisions you make today.  A manufacturer who is paying attention to their legacy, will be less likely to dump their toxic waste in the nearby stream, even if it is cheaper.  An employer is more likely to treat her employees fairly and pay them a competitive wage if she is looking to developing a team that will carry the company's values forward into the next generation.

A company, or an organization, or a community foundation or trust, that successfully cares for their present AND their future stands to have a good chance of having both be bright and positive!

Don't Wait For Perfection

"Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot attain it in anything."     Eugene Delacroix  (1798 - 1863)

I read an online article recently that advised that entrepreneurs and dreamers seeking to start a business shouldn't wait until they have everything worked out perfectly before they make things operational.  Better to get into the marketplace and test out your vision and theories in the real world, the article advised, than to tinker away in the ivory tower striving for theoretical perfection.

I guess I am doing just that with one project I am a part of.  I am working with a group of much more talented and much harder working people that are starting a community radio station. We certainly did not wait until we had things worked out to perfection, had the line up nailed down or even the entire venture completely imagined.  Instead, we started broadcasting and started talking about what we are trying to do with anyone and everyone who would listen.

The community support we have received and continue to receive has been nothing short of remarkable.  People want to see this happen.  I think that it is true that people tend to want to support what one mentor I had called BHAGs, Big Hairy Audacious Goals.  This is especially true if there is evidence of some amount of energy, effort and resources being devoted to the BHAG.

Also, when you road test a dream, when you drag it off of your sketch pad and into reality, interesting things start to happen.  Opportunities occur that you never would have been able to anticipate or plan for.  Bumps in the road, some good and some not so, help to start to shape the culture of your budding enterprise.  New people step up and a few step back.  Reality, when it meets dreams, can create some awesome and plan-altering fireworks!

One of the lessons I have taken from this venture so far is that it is worthwhile to roll up your sleeves, put your shoulder to the wheel and roll your dream into the marketplace.  While it is almost always scary, it is a also a great way to see how your plans and dreams stand up to the harsh spotlight of reality and the marketplace.

Oh, and by the way, if you want to listen to our station, we broadcast 24/7 on www.harvardradio.net or at AM1610 if you are in Harvard, IL.  Thanks for listening, even though things aren't yet perfect!

The incredible long-term cost of charging for doughnuts.

Yesterday, NPR ran a story about how a brief period of charging for doughnuts has forever sullied the reputation of the Red Cross among many veterans.  It is worth a listen and, as the story suggests, it is worth consideration as companies and entrepreneurs try to figure out how to make money off of the internet.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/07/13/156737801/the-cost-of-free-doughnuts-70-years-of-regret?utm_source=fp&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20120716

Public Speaking = Public Teaching

"Every time you have to speak, you are auditioning for leadership." -James Humes

I have given a lot of speeches and have found that I enjoy it.  I know that this is not a universally shared emotion related to speeches.  They say that many people fear public speaking more than death.  Others don't see the difference between the two.  


I think that Mr. Humes, in the quote above, may have hit on one of the reasons for this phenomenon.  Many people are uncomfortable putting themselves forward as experts.  They equate making a speech as an audition for expert status or leadership.  This puts a lot of pressure on how well you do on any particular speech.


On the other hand, if you approach a speaking opportunity as a teaching opportunity, you take off some of the pressure.  As a teacher you don't have to be an expert on a subject.  You just have to have something to share.  I doubt that many high school math teachers believe that they are the world's foremost authority on mathematics, yet they have some knowledge, some understanding of the subject.  By sharing what they know and what they understand, teachers help others to know and understand.  Truly great teachers give their students, their audiences, the tools to surpass the teacher's knowledge and understanding!


I also think it helps to look at speaking opportunities as a conversation.  My favorite part of presentations is when I am able to engage the audience in a question and answer session.  That is when you can really connect with the audience and have a true dialogue.  On special occasions, audience members will answer each other's questions, creating a true forum and exchange of ideas.  It is times like these that I feel most like a teacher.  


Giving a good speech does take a lot of work.  A good speaker works on what she or he is going to say, how to say it, what visual aids to use, etc.  But a good speech does not have to be an audition for anything.  It is just a teachable moment.

...with a little help from my friends

I just spent a few days at a conference of people who do what I do for a living. There is a tremendous rejuvinating power in being surrounded for a short while by people who walk in the same trenches you do; you begin to realize that maybe, just maybe, you aren't crazy! If people are giving seminar presentations on the challenges you are facing, you probably aren't the only one facing them! Conferences can be a great place to make new contacts and revive old ones, shake off the dust of the regular work week, collect new pens, and make friends. ...and besides that, it's a lot of fun!