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Failure To Innovation With Competence

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Check out this article in the Wall Street Journal, “Better Ideas Through Failure.”  It’s about a unit of WPP Grey Group’s creation of the Heroic Failure award for employees who take an edgier, riskier approach to innovation and winning.

Then there’s the recent point of view piece I read in Ad Age from a vice president of marketing at Hoover’s. He was all set to hire a candidate when something struck him; the candidate was good, and he was competent, but that’s all. Competence is no longer good enough; candidates have to show more — get out of the corporate box and prove themselves as risk takers and, gasp, be entrepreneurial!

Putting two and two together, take a look at this picture:

** The status quo in the workplace is being shot down.

** The global platform is the new sandbox, and if you don’t come equipped with unusually innovative experiences then you can’t play.

** Thinking is what’s now required; in fact, it’s demanded in the workplace.

** Entrepreneurs rule. Have you seen all the hoopla about how those who innovate and manage their own companies are supposed to save the U.S. from a double-dip?

The initial concept about failure is nothing new to parents. We watch as our babies fall only to get up and walk. I’ve written about my failures as a blogger with the back end and analytics of this site (which can also be construed as lack of knowledge or failure to learn in a timely fashion, perhaps). Others can share failures as learning experiences all the time.

In business, though, failing is an expensive endeavor, but if that’s the new path to innovation, then by all means…make some stupid mistakes! Am certain the expectation is intense to learn from the errors, establish new and creative methods of winning and get teams to reach key performance indicators without failure, without negative effect on the bottom line, and efficiently.

Here’s what else the Wall Street Journal piece says of innovators:

** Take time off so original ideas can incubate.

** Be free to take risks, work on multiple projects at once to spark flexible thinking.

** In society and culture, civil conflict, political fragmentation and cultural diversity can trigger divergent thinking.

** What also helps individual creativity (and I don’t agree with this one IMHO) is “aggressive, egocentric or antisocial behavior makes it easier to ponder ideas in solitude or challenge convention.”

Fascinating stuff, eh? I’m sure you readers of the Harvard Business Review can muster some further food for thought on this topic? Or, perhaps an actual workplace experience might trigger a story or two?

 

Five Tips From Low To Grow

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I recently came off a low point bordering on downright “depression.” Shhh, I don’t like to allow that word into my vocabulary as I hate feeling down in the dumps. Sometimes it’s just plain unavoidable.

When these lows happen, I usually fall pretty hard because I’m a 99 percent up person – always glass half full, seeking a belly laugh, giggling at a stupid tweet, and wanting to find the happy each and every day and ride that wave.

But, when everything, it seems, just collapses onto my shoulders from the uncontrollable Mother Nature escapades on the house and vehicle, the start of school and new accelerated math requirements to client relationships that are trying and doubting and tales of lives lost and hearts broken – ohmygosh. It sometimes becomes too much to bear, and I know I’m not alone with these feelings.

Yet, all I want to do is be alone and muddle through. That is why I took a bit of a hiatus from the blog – no incentive, the words would not flow, the ideas were like molasses pouring from a bottle with a small neck.

As a result of this low point, I took the opportunity to grow – as a person, as a coach, as a practitioner, as a friend, and as a mom.  Because, when I really dissected what was making me feel so dumpy, it had much to do with criticism; which I always take to heart regardless of whether someone is in the right or wrong in saying what they’ve said.  This is part of the challenge of working for yourself – there is no one to balance the thoughts, decisions, actions, or choices.

And, you know? I have NOTHING to complain about; hopefully, this is not coming across as a complaint. It’s all about my own personal strength and spirit as I traverse this blogging and social media journey.

There’s been much lament of late on the blogosphere. Bill Dorman wrote about it this week on his blog – what’s up with everyone “the lights are on, but no one’s home.”  Many wrote in about change – there is job loss, ill family members, waning interest, time pressures, the glories and hazards of a job hunt, and people just wanting a change. I feel it, for sure. I yearn for the glory days of Twitter of yore, and it will never be the same. These feelings add up to a gray-to-black cloud hovering above, don’t they?

For me, it’s always a relief to climb out of the hole; for others doomed to reside in there, I feel compassion as it’s never easy to pick yourself up with a solid exit strategy from bottom to top.

My few suggestions may be silly to others, but they work for me (please add yours?):

1. Hit the trails early morning and when the fawns cross my path I stop and stare at their gorgeous faces in wonder and awe.

2. Focus out on someone else who needs a boost more than me and put their needs in front of mine.

3. Kiss my child and nurture her to grow with strength of spirit and this spreads warmth through my heart so it glows with love to share with everyone.

4. Ask how I can help someone I see having a bad day; that support is so precious, and when it comes to me even in a simple tweet, I’m thankful.

5. Send a greeting card (Cardthartic is my favorite; all about “Honoring Emotions”) to someone unexpectedly. You’ve got mail!  Yeah! When was the last time you sent a card/letter to anyone? It’s part of who I am and I’m raising my child to be the same. It warms you that someone took that precious time to think of you that much.

I know this is a hokey post and off base for me, but you know what? I’m not going to pull the wool over your eyes and make you believe that I’m not human and need a hug sometimes, too.

How To Make The Bed With Clients

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Making my queen bed, I was struck by how many ways there are to accessorize a mattress. Usually, our mothers teach us their method, and their mothers before them show the proper way, and it sticks for life.  If you enter the military, you learn a more disciplined method, and those corners are crisp forever. Years ago when I made a bed with my mom, she insisted the pretty side of the sheet had to be underneath so you could sleep between the two patterns.

Then, there’s the matter of the bed spread, comforter with duvet, and how far down to fold these top layers. Finally, how many pillows are included on your bed? Any extra for reading? Any shams, bolsters or other decorative accents? Thread count?

Imagine making a bed with your client. Oy. Here’s how it may pan out:

**  The first several times there’s tentative balance as you attempt to find common ground. There are probably a few laughs, too.

**  Then, there may be a discussion about how your client learned to make the bed and why that way may be faster.

** Perhaps you need to stand back and watch a demonstration on how to make military corners because your client was in boot camp and insists on crispness.

** For sure, there’s tug and pull when you realize your client has pulled the entire blanket to his side. You have nothing to work with; not even a flap. How do you politely ask for some input blanket?

** Finally, the coverlet goes on, and the client wants to fold it down half way so 10 pillows in varying sizes, colors, and fabrics can be piled near the headboard to make the final product totally ridiculous — it’s no longer a bed. And, you just stand back with arms crossed and head nodding while muttering, “Do not pick this battle; he’s footing the bill.”

At the end of the day, making a bed with someone new is all about finding common ground, striking a balance, learning, and compromise.

Before you head into that bed-making experience with an unknown client, here are a few reminders to keep in mind during fact finding to ascertain what’s hot:

  1. Tell me about your experience making a bed.
  2. Get all the stories you can to create a rich history and bring that client to life.
  3. Find out the rules, the etiquette, the boundaries, and how the corners are folded; keep those in mind throughout the relationship.
  4. What milestones helped create the best- looking, award-winning bed ever?
  5. What technique contributed to efficiencies in process, economies of scale, and cost savings?
  6. What best practice was developed along the way to contribute to the bottom line?

Here’s one final thought…when answers become overwhelming and all you can do is make nonsense soup from too many ingredients, that’s the sign it’s time to move along to the next bed with a new partner.

Resonate? (Not expecting too many comments on this one; I was trying to find a gentle way to say … I think you’re smart enough to figure it out!)

 

 

RIP Trey Pennington

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I’m just getting up to speed after a Labor Day weekend fraught with thought, the need for new direction, and some infusion of happy. That’s not going to be the case for awhile. Add in the fact my RIM Blackberry is not sending all my emails to the device and thus my shock at this morning’s news, courtesy of Spin Sucks.

Trey Pennington committed suicide Sunday on his church premises.

For those of you who didn’t know of Trey, he was a leader, mentor, and consummate storyteller. I had the privilege of sitting next to him when we presented to Social Slam in April in Knoxville. He spent his own funds to buy colorful bandanas for the entire conference – some 400 people.

When he told stories, they were always about his kids – five of them and two grandchildren. He absolutely loved his family, and only he and those close to him knew the reasons for a serious and horrific separation from his wife.

I am devastated. Not because I knew Trey as a friend, but because I knew him as a social media leader and influencer. In April, he was on top of the world; within four months, he has left our world.

Social media fuels image, reputation, credibility, influence, friendships, mentorships, opportunity, relationships, and interactions. Behind ALL of this, there are people asking for help or crying out for attention or sending hints of a downward spiral yet to come.

What can we do? Is it a Twitter buddy’s responsibility to ask the poignant questions that cross the line from 140 into personal space? And, then what do we do? I’m at a loss here.

I have a network of close-knit tweeps. When they’re absent for many days, I notice. After many weeks, I wonder. After more than many weeks, I worry, and then I begin to ask questions and pick up the phone. That’s my nature – to nurture.

The only thing I want to tell the Pennington clan is this – your dad was the absolute epitome of professionalism. He always welcomed the little guys and the newbies into his circles, and he did it with warmth that was heartfelt. When he spoke and shared, it always included you – his children, and there were always stories about your escapades to bring laughter to an audience.

I can’t know how you’re feeling today or the questions you have that will go unanswered. I am in shock, in tears, and devastated with this news. I’m sorry. I’m so terribly sorry.

Monday Meanderings

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I need to get this gobbledy gook out of my gray matter and on to yours for insightful comments. So much to take in in this changing world in which we live (how’s that for four “ins” in one sentence?).

1. Florida recently passed a law that requires mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients. Would that be a liberal or conservative approach to ensuring taxpayer dollars are being put to appropriate use and that people getting aid from states are drug free? Who cares? In this country today (U.S.) everyone is labeled for their stance on one side of the aisle or another offshoot. Can we please begin being logical instead of political?

    2. Prices are skyrocketing for durable goods and consumables. I’ve begun my own cost consciousness in the area of foodstuffs. I’m speaking with moms in the dairy section as I see them buying the store brand of yogurt, for example. When she tells me her kids snarf it up, I put back the more pricey Dannon and Yoplait brands and opt for the Kroger brand. I’ve already made the switch to Kroger bagels — six for $1.89 versus the Thomas or Sara Lee brands — 6 for $3.98. Really? My kid can eat Kroger bagels.

    3. Warren Buffett recently bailed out (if that’s possible) Bank of America with a major cash infusion to the tune of $5 billion. Is he aware of something we’re not? Should investors flock to the big banks that are drowning in mortgage crises, etc., and buy their stock? What does Buffett, head of Berkshire Hathaway, know as hit sits on top of the world with boatloads of cash?

    4. My kidlet just put $100 cash into her savings account, and then I got the bank statement. She’s collecting .01 percent on that money. It’s not even worth it, but where else should her money be saved? Where should all of our savings be saved? It’s a terrible conundrum; I’ve decided to reduce debt rather than sock money into my portfolio this year. Let the market play with what it already has of mine, and I’ll be saving money by reducing the inexcusable finance charges on credit.

    5. As China’s economy becomes more prosperous and its citizens become more oriented to material goods (and it’s happening), my opinion is that U.S. business will begin to pay more money to produce outsourced goods manufactured in China. When that happens, the economies of scale will not be as profitable. U.S. companies will want to manufacture again at home, but guess what? They can’t! Our manufacturing infrastructure is gone — outsourced and off shored. Can the U.S. ramp up again to be “made in America?”

    6. Remember that blog post I wrote last week about buying a vacuum cleaner? I did a social media search for manufacturers of sweepers and could only find Miele USA, a German manufacturer, on Twitter. In the comments section, I “took heat” from two independent resellers in local markets, and one suggested I buy local and support family-owned businesses. Someone on Facebook also suggested that. So, I went to the local indie reseller in the hopes of buying that Miele brand I’d never heard of. Instead, I was sold a Riccar — a U.S.-manufactured top-of-the-line vacuum no one has ever heard of. There is no advertising, social media, or marketing campaign to push the Riccar brand. It’s strictly sold by independent retailers, and “the money is spent on the product.” The salesman told me he services Dyson the most (every day), and Miele is not as strong in quality as they used to be because they off-shored manufacturing.

    7. In this week’s BusinessWeek (I know, it’s Bloomberg BusinessWeek), there is a graph “Graphing the Recession’s Impact” suggesting the “latest recession resulted in more lost jobs and output than any recession in the last 50 years…no other post-war recession has been as severe.” I’m not an economist, but can we please stop comparing the 2010 decade to 50 years ago, or even 10 years ago? We’re now in a global economy; no one has seen this type of teeter-tauter on the world stage ever — so, can we please start graphing this bunk based on today instead of yesterday?

    8. Also in BusinessWeek this week, a frightening headline, “The Slow Disappearance of the American Working Man.” Apparently, only 81 percent of men ages 25-54-years-old held jobs in July 2011. Ouch. Could part of this slide be affected by #5 here?

    9. And, lastly, we’ve seen the end of an era. I commend, applaud, admire, and wish peace upon Steve Jobs — the man who brought Apple into the limelight among the world’s consumers. Congratulations, Mr. Jobs; you are a revered and respected innovator. Thank you.

      Whew…what musings are clogging up your brain cells? Please share and comment to any of the above!

      (Image: MistyWisp.com)