Blog

Blue Sky Time

2013-01-27T13:00:37Z

Thanks to Biz Times for sharing some Blue Sky with the folks in Milwaukee. Here's a link to their feature story called "The Last Word".

www.biztimes.com/article/20121029/MAGAZINE03/310299971&source=RSS

iPad + Business

2012-05-05T15:30:02Z

There's no question the business world had very little interest in any product Apple brought to the table. For the most part, Apple products were not supported by IT departments and seldom accepted in the workplace. The iPhone made a dent, but the iPad is truly taking it to another level.

I'm seeing new and innovative ways to use the iPad in B2B apps everyday. With touch technology and mobility we now have a tool that's changing the way we do business. If you're treating the iPad like an over-inflated iPhone you haven't got your money's worth.

The Digital Brand

2012-04-14T11:21:39Z

How has branding changed and how do you drive and manage a brand? Here's a video trailer on some of my thoughts along with some quotes from the likes of Marty Neumeier and Tom Friedman.

"It's your brand whether you manage it or not."

What do I want from my manifesto?

2012-04-08T11:22:56Z

When I began writing my manifesto, I knew exactly WHY I was doing it.

Now that my manifesto is completed and has begun to circulate, I was recently asked: “what do you want to get out of writing your book [he preferred book over manifesto]?” What seems like such a simple question left me struggling to give a focused answer. I wanted to share my ideas, but I didn’t have any specific post-launch goals.

In an effort to dial-in my response to future inquiries, I created my answer: “The List: What I Want From My Manifesto”. And although true fulfillment can only come from the transformations that are instigated by those that read the manifesto, “The List” establishes my specific goals to spread the good word: 1. one million internet page views 2. get a featured article in the Wall Street Journal/HBR 3. Get 10 new speaking gigs 4. be a guest on a famous podpast/blog/publishing platform 5. create a workshop/manifesto on the other elements of the leadership formula L[B+C]2= F

Thanks Peter for asking the question and more importantly your support to help me achieve the goals!

Pardon the disruption

2012-02-18T05:12:39Z

Sometimes we take our business just a little too seriously. If you were on the outside looking in, how would you disrupt your current business model?

Think big. No,really big. What would you attack? What would you change? How would you poke fun at it? These cartoons by @gapingvoid are classic disruption of the insurance business. The series is called "How most insurance works" taking aim at the three things that need to change. They're hung on the wall as a constant reminder of the customer perspective.

What needs to change in your business?

Is there a disruption currently taking place and are you a part of it? Find some Blue Sky Time and jot down the answers to these question. Innovation will follow.

Social Enterprise 2.0

2012-01-30T01:36:16Z

If we've had a recent conversation lately, there's little doubt that the whole business transformation topic hasn't come up. For the last couple years I've been fascinated with the way business has begun to transform itself under the premise of Web 2.0.

Perhaps the most fascinating impact social technologies have had on business has been transparency. Customers are looking to do business with companies that get it and are willing to be authentic. Like no other time in history, the web has brought humanism to business.

This video is a recap of a presentation I gave in Nashville with James Carlson. If you have reservations about social media or the cloud and you're hoping this will just blow over, this short video may challenge your thinking. If you're embracing this transformation, this video may shed some light on how to unleash your potential.

The Fine Print

2011-12-28T14:10:55Z

I knew trying to write a manifesto was hard work [and way out of my comfort zone]. As you approach the end of the process you'd swear it's the last time you're ever going to do it. Turns out, before it has even left the printing press you're already brainstorming for the next one.

But first things first: what am I going to do with the manifesto I just wrote? How am I going to share it? Today, you don't have to be an author to know that that publishing industry has been totally disrupted by the internet. Anybody can be author. And anyone can post a PDF or blog and share with thousands. But for me, posting on my website wasn't enough. My good friend Hugh MacLeod (@gapingvoid) taught me a little something about "social objects". A social object is a gift - something you can share with somebody. It creates a connection and starts a smarter conversation. That said, I decided to actually print my manifesto and use it as a [smarter] conversation starter.

Never having done a print job like this, I turned to Matt Teuteberg, who owns a digital marketing and printing business. He did an awesome job printing up the piece. What I hadn't realized was all the decisions that go into the printing process. Things like how do you want it to be bound? Do you want spot UV Coating? What about the varnish on the cover? Needless to say, he helped me through it and I have a greater appreciation for the entire process. Matt and his team have brought new meaning to the term "Fine Print".

Find Your Magic

2011-12-26T16:57:25Z

Getting stuck happens to all of us. You feel as if you are so close to your big breakthrough moment, but it seems that the harder you work, the further you get from the finish line. Our structured, busy lives lend but a small window of time [if any] to innovate. A while back I spent a few years in a program called the Strategic Coach, where founder Dan Sullivan introduced the 3 different types of days: Free Days, Focus Days, and Buffer Days.

My version is a bit simpler. It only requires one thing: that you partake in Blue Sky Time – the time where you just think, be, and reflect. I've found that those who don’t partake can usually scrape by just fine. But when it comes time to innovate, they struggle.

To begin to rise above the complexity, start by looking at your typical day. Search your brain to identify your innovation blockers - then get rid of them.

I personally found my office to be a major blocker to my Blue Sky Time. It was too big. It was easily cluttered.

So, I got rid of my office. I no longer have one, I'm office-less. I gave up my “prime real estate” to our head of sales.

I carry just a few things with me when I work [only what fits in a small backpack]. I can work from wherever I want – whether that’s HNI, Starbucks, or the parking lot of a client. The lack of clutter keeps my mind more open. I’ve seen the benefits in the quality of my work, and the benefits are starting to roll in for my company, as well.

U n r a v e l e d = S i m p l e

2011-12-26T16:13:36Z

Let’s face it: the world is complex, and it’s not getting simpler any time soon. Running a business today is like battling a giant, tangled knot that is impossible to separate – the minute you try to free one thread, you end up tightening the knot somewhere else.

The theme of my manifesto is “unraveled.” It’s about taking this complex business environment, accepting it, and learning to stop pulling at the threads that just tighten the grip of the knot. By removing the distractions, tuning out the noise, and taking the time to just think, business can be surprisingly simple.

A lot of the complexity in our world stems from Web 2.0 and the explosive proliferation of products and services. But here’s something I’ve noticed: we seem to thrive on making things more complex than they really are. Do we really intend to make things unclear and confusing? With a mixture of acronyms, business jargon, and senseless buzz words, we don’t actually WANT you to know what we’re saying…we just want you to think that WE know what we’re saying.

This isn’t just the work of individuals. The truth is, a lot of industries don’t really want you to unravel them [the insurance industry is one of the guiltiest of this]. The complexity they generate creates a mystique around what they do…allowing them to think they’re cashing in on your confusion. There is real money to be made is in navigating the complexity and making it simple.

This phenomenon is what motivated me to write my manifesto. When it came time to writing the manifesto I found many of the ten principles bearing down on me as pushed toward completion. Looking back it really wasn’t all that complex it just needed a bit of unraveling.

Think Different

2011-10-07T21:21:15Z

This week, the world lost one of the greatest game changers of all time: Steve Jobs.

Jobs didn’t just make iPods. He was an inspiration on both a personal and professional level to me and many others. People feel a deep and very real emotional connection to Jobs – something you don’t see with many public figures.

For those of us who witnessed the progression of Apple as a company, Jobs’ legacy takes on even more meaning. We saw the ups and downs in the tech world, with giants like Microsoft and IBM trying to smother the struggling Apple. We saw an underdog transform itself into the market leader – all as a result of the inspiration (and perspiration) of one man.

Jobs’ difference was his attention to design and simplicity. He took what was complex, and reduced it to its purest form, the simplest it could possibly be. That is a beautiful thing.

It's only appropriate that the first post on my new blog pay tribute to someone who had a big role in inspiring its creation. Here’s a clip of a presentation I gave on March 30, 2011 in Boston, starting with the story of a man whose name has become synonymous with innovation. THIS is how I remember Steve Jobs: