Zane Safrit

Imagine

Imagine, instead, an America with rebuilt, healthy, dynamic metropolitan areas, and gleaming new port facilities, and networks of high-speed rail, an America with electric vehicles and a smart grid and energy generated by the power of the sun and wind and water and the ocean’s waves. Imagine if the children of today’s toddlers had access to world-class public schools all across the nation and a higher education system that is both first-rate and affordable.

Imagine if we set out seriously to do all this.

Imagine. - Bob Herbert, What the Future May Hold

Yeah, just imagine if we take this path.

And, just imagine if we don't.

3 tips to grow your online community 5-fold

David Zinger is the founder of the online community Employee Engagement. Since, May of 2008, this community has grown to over 1700 members.

David was a recent guest on my radio show. I asked him:

What are your three tips for other online community managers to grow their community by eight to nine fold in 18 months?

Here’s his 3 tips:

1. Love what you do. I think you have to love what you do. I am passionate about employee engagement. I don’t do it to build the network; I do it because I am interested and love learning from people.

2. Act like a host. If you are willing to set up a network, you must act like a host. Welcome people and try to help people to link and be connected.

3. Keep it interesting. Make it visually appealing and keep it changing. Find things that are meaningful and engage.

If you’re interested in finding out more about David’s thoughts on successfully leading online communities,  creating employee engagement, and more you can:

• Read highlights of our conversation here

• Listen in streaming on-demand to our conversation here

• Join the employee engagement community here

• Follow David Zinger on twitter.

The new rule of social media

Just because we can doesn't mean we should.

Just because we can:

• update our facebook page during a panel presentation
• check our email while a speaker's presenting
• chat, skype, tweet at anytime anywhere.
• stream media for our listening, watching, pleasure anywhere, anytime
• read and comment on blogs
• read and comment on community forums,
• comment anonymously
• all of these, anytime and anywhere

Doesn't mean we should.

Interestingly, this rule has applied always applied to ethics in business or personal life. Just because you have the power to x, doesn't mean you should.

Discretion is the better part of valor. So it is with social media.

Disclaimer: This may come across as preachy. I'm known to preach. In this case this is not a sermon. It's written more as a marker. I'm circling around less is more.

• Less noise, more silence.
• More silence, less distraction.
• More silence, less distraction...more meaning.

I don't have a ratio, a formula. I don't think there is one except that which works for each of us only today.

Tip of the hat to Samantha Rufo (blog and twitter) for the link to this article Social Media Challenges Social Rules. I'm not sure social media challenges our social rules as its freedom challenges our willingness to apply them.

It's "just" customer service...?

Pull out your company's financial statements. Observe the lines that say cash, accounts receivable, and good will on the balance sheet. Stare at the net income line on your profit-and-loss statement. Providing customer service is only about building a profitable and sustainable cmopany. Businesses pursue customer service because owners know that this creates revenue, reduces risk, and increases the probability of long-term sustainability.

This is from book B-A-M Bust A Myth: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World, by Barry J. Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead.

I offer it to those who work in the front lines of their business, working directly with customers. You, my brave friends, toil in some of the toughest, most demanding, least appreciated, most underpaid, most frustrating areas of any business. You are routinely left without the resources to serve customers, forced to answer for decisions that surprise even you, and routinely ignored when key strategic and tactical decisions are made regarding products and services, policies and brands.

Remind yourselves and your leaders that it's customer service that creates revenue, reduces risk, and increases the probability of long-term sustainability. You may not be heard on this point the first time. But it is the truth. Keep saying until someone hears you.

I offer it to those who seek a new business mode, purpose or strategy that will return them to sustainability. Remember the customers. They are the ones that pay your bills. Did you forget them in your earlier business models? Do you see them in your new one?

Note: Barry J. Moltz will be a guest on my radio show December 9 at 9:30 AM, Central.

Join us with either option:

• Streaming on-demand at this link.

• Call-in during the show at 646-915-9212.

The gift of enthusiasm

How does this apply to business?

Change son or daughter to partners.

If you can give your partners only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.

That gift could be two-fold.

• That’s your enthusiasm. The enthusiasm, the passion, you bring to your work.

• That’s your permission for their enthusiasm. Permission means the tools, resources you provide that allows them unimpeded access to their success. It includes the culture you've created. That's a culture of openness and inclusion, a culture where failure is at least accepted if not embraced for its role in learning.

I like the term partners. It’s inclusive. Words like employees or associates are exclusive.Maybe they are legally accurate. But, when your relationships depend accuracy of legal terms...your relationship is over.

Tip of the hat to NadiaParker for tweeting this.

6 Steps to Overcoming Writer's Block

You blog, you tweet, you podcast, you youtube...you encounter writer’s block. All of these social media resources turn us all into...writers. And writers face writer’s block eventually.

I’ve blogged almost daily for 4 and 1/2 years now. There are a few things I have found work to overcome writer’s block. Here they are:

Write: There’s only one way to overcome writer’s block and that’s to write. Bring up your word doc or bring up a sheet of paper and pen/pencil. Then write on it.

That act alone gets me out of my head. It stops the I don’t have anything to write. I’m not inspired...Can I have some cheese with this whine. Ok, I don’t say that last sentence; my wife does. Deservedly.

Now I’m looking at, in my case, the screen.

Now I start to write.

Write the keyword. Not sure what to write? Write the keyword. If the topic is innovation then write the... innovation.

Now, write the first thing that comes to mind. I write a few sentences. Now, usually, I am off to the races.

Gather your sources

To do that, I scan through my twitter lists and groups on Hootsuite.

I have gathered tweeters into either Twitter lists (big list) or HootSuite groups (filtered list). Each list/group is organized for the daily meme on my blog: healthcare, small business/leadership, social media/marketing/branding, innovation/collaboration, failure and its role in our success. That’s the memes Monday - Friday.

Each day I can scan that group for their links and conversations.

I favorite the tweets of interest. Favoriting, in either the Twitter or Hootsuite, works and feeds to both.

I also review my rss reads. I have them sorted by categories of interest: social media, small business, leadership, innovation. These are some of the daily memes for my blog posts.

Identify a common thread.

I always find 3-5 favorites around a common theme. It could be several perspectives with the same opinion. Or it could be same issue, differing opinions.

That begins to jog my brain. Either I see conflicting opinions, contradictory data or consistent data and conversation on that common theme.

Drill down.

Now I click on the links in these favorited tweets. That step is to gather more detailed information, supporting quotes, broaden my perspective and educate both myself and my readers. It definitely works for the first and I hope the second.

By now, I have the content I need and my brain and fingers are now engaged.

Some other steps and resources.

Caffeine: Tea, coffee, espresso, whatever. They are called stimulants. They stimulate. Sometimes a little mental stimulation from my favorite wonder-drug, caffeine, is all I need.

Aerobics: Same principle is at work here. The increased aerobic functioning is stimulating. Heart beats faster, pumps more blood, delivers more oxygen. And where is the biggest train station for the greatest amount of blood newly replenished with oxygen? The brain. Think about it. Or go for a run.

Deadlines: Deadlines push me out of the indulgence of obsessively word-smithing. And, I do write better, often, under pressure. Many people do.

Sleep: None of this works if we are chronically sleep-deprived. Do not pass go, do not waste time on anything else than this issue. Do this first. This is a systemic issue. The points above are tactical steps you can take to solve an immediate challenge. Sorta like having good tactics and a bad strategy. See the difference? No? Get some sleep.

I'm done.

Try these, some or all of them. Let me know if they work for you.

Got better ways to break writer's block? Share them in the comments. We all need all the help we can get. We all have great and wonderful ideas waiting to be expressed.

Photo credit: iStockPhoto, Joe Cicak.

4 Things Small Business Can Do in This Economy

What can small businesses do in this economy?

1. We have to get into an accept reality mode at all times. We cannot be in a “la la land.” We have to see what is really happening. Also, don’t lose confidence in who you are and what value you bring to the table. Everything around you may have changed, but the person has not. Believe in yourself.

2. Secondly and most importantly, upgrade your skills. I have seen too many educated professionals become obsolete. Businesses are also taking a look at these things. They are finding out what they need to offer better customer service and be more competitive.

Make a plan to upgrade your skills: personal, professional, technical. Take these classes in professional development – adding value and a greater skillset.

3. Niche Thyself: branding and focus on what your niche market is. Who is your core market? Your core customer? Perfect this!

4. Network, network, network. Never forget the power of the personal connection. All of the virtual and online activity is strictly a bridge to get close and upfront with people.

Deborah Shane, founder of Train with Shane and The Metropolis Radio show, discussed these points and more, recently on my radio show. You can listen in streaming on-demand at this link.

You can read the highlights of our conversation here.

You should follow her on Twitter at DeborahShane.

Highlights from My Conversation with Ben Ridler, CRO, and Stephen Lynch, COO of Results.com

Results.com is the business execution expert. For over 15 years this firm has transformed businesses and their potential into extraordinary results. Ben Ridler, CRO or Chief Results Officer and Stephen Lynch, COO, are two of the key leaders at Results.com. They shared their principles of business transformation and how they apply them with their clients around the world to bring extraordinary results as guests on my radio show.

You can listen in streaming on-demand at this link.

Give our listeners a little history of Results.com

We took a franchise model and turned it into a professional services company. It was a fun process. There were 26 franchises when we took over the company and we negotiated and converted the company in 2006. We now have ten offices and local partners who are share holders.

Normally, I ask guests on this show to describe their reasonable aspiration or hoped-for goal. You guys don’t do reasonable. You do Big. Hairy. Audacious. What is your big hairy audacious goal for results.com?

It is to be the world’s leading brand for delivering extraordinary business results. Any BHAG needs to be measurable. We want 10 million people engaged in executing their strategic plans by the year 2020.

Why 10 million people? Why is the meaningful to you?

Once we start working with a company and they learn the values, vision and their role in delivering it, they become engaged in the vision. Originally I had thought 1 million people, but this isn’t really big enough. We know how to get to one million in ten years and we can do this and reach all of those people.

Why did you choose the BHAG methodology?

You gotta have a BHAG that engages everyone in the company. We need to live what we teach. It inspires excitement.

What happens when the leaders see the wave of inspiration from their employees? What happens with the dynamics?

We talk about transformation into extraordinary results. Sometimes it’s the staff that think bigger than the business leaders. It’s inspiring to see the team lift the business leader’s sights.

14:10

This is where transformation begins to take place. It’s a pretty rewarding thing to do. To grow the business, you have to grow the leaders.

What are the three most common themes for business transformation that you see in your client?

1. Most people don’t know what strategy is. You do need a plan and know how to be strategic.

2. Most companies are also not very good at execution.

3. Tunnel vision

Of these three, what is the most prominent?

The leaders have to transform first. Ideally, everyone in the company needs to go through a change. Start with the leadership and work from there – this creates the most impact. It starts with the CEO.

The past year has been a little turbulent, how has your business been effected by these changes?

We had a really interesting roller coaster year. We found a lot of our smaller clients dropping off or not moving ahead, while we began working with much larger clients who recognized the need to change. The other thing is that we have had 66% growth, by getting back to core, looking at our market position. We do things a lot differently than we did one year ago.

What have you learned that helps you with your client and their challenges in transforming their business and their leader?

It has made a lot of people realize they have to get the basics right. They need to become a little more clever. They need to be strategic. Think about the opportunities and impact.

It is really focusing on your core business. It is rock solid and you are doing it really well. It must be relevant to the market.

Stephen you wrote an article for The Economist Magazine, Execution, the Biggest Challenge of Business. (Link is to full article at Results.com's blog) Why is that? Why does execution remain the biggest challenge?

People just get busy doing what they do. It is easy to get distracted. They may have good intentions and good ideas, but they do not have a good or viable execution, whether they have a strategy or not. It does not come naturally and we help people learn those things.

How do you help your clients make execution their greatest opportunity? What do you advise or suggest to turn the situation around?

You have to be working on the right thing. You need to get very clear on where the company is going and what are the key moves the company needs to make to navigate an increasingly uncertain future. We do our best to create certainty for success in the future, from 3-5 years, to this year, to this quarter and really limiting the number of things they make priorities. We want to know what are the top three things the company needs to achieve this particular quarter. We actually work with them to implement them.

28:30

When do clients approach you and why?

Certainly up until the middle of last year, some were growing too fast or out of control, but traditionally our clients are successful businesses looking for another edge. They are ambitious open-minded learners. They just want to get there quicker. They see unfulfilled potential and are looking for the catalyst.

Do you have a standard client profile or demographics?

Typically, it’s the mid-market, privately-owned, companies who are looking for better results. They see unfulfilled potential.

Has any of this changed since the economy changed in the past year and one half?

We seem to be attracting larger clients. It is the first time these companies have looked outside themselves.

You mentioned one of the driving reasons that your clients contact you is unfulfilled potential. Are there other common challenges that you see your clients facing now? Is it the unfulfilled potential or the threat of the economy, increasing competitive pressures...etc?

We don’t like to position ourselves as the ambulance at the bottom of the hill, but sometimes that does happen. Other times the companies just need a little “how.” Generally most people have a sense of where they want to be in the future and they see the recession as potential. We want to work with ambitious people, who are learners and want to make a meaningful difference.

Can you share with us a client’s journey who overcame some of these challenges? Who had unfulfilled potential, were ambitious, and wanted to create a place where people loved going to work?

It is probably it is easier to talk about the process. These people come along with a burning desire to change, but are dealing with a lot of overwhelm. We help them create a vision and a culture first – with core values and ideology. With one company we helped them to build a community and a team toward a common goal, involving the company and its suppliers. They are a phenomenal success and have experienced tremendous exponential growth.

It is great learning experience for us as well. As we continue to grow and assist more businesses, we are fortunate to learn more about different industries and organizations and are able to take this new found knowledge and transfer it to other business models.

Let’s talk about social media. You use it in your business. What role has it taken in terms of ROI for your business?

I think social media has been fantastic – developing deep relationships and allowing strong connections. On LinkedIn we posted question from one of our clients.  The response was incredible. It showed me the power of social media.

41:59

We like to share what we have learned. I can see that there is not going to be room in the world for bad products. Social media will see to that. It is important to give value and share things. We are building trust and when it comes time that they need to speak with someone, they have already learned about us and are comfortable. We are out there, visible, creating a presence. Our business is moving and social media is certainly creating higher traffic.

What other tools and SM resources do you use besides your blog, LinkedIn and Twitter?

[Ben] Facebook! I just love it and think it is a great tool.

[Stephen] I use different things for different reasons but I think they will all become one along the way. You have to be considerate and build trust, and also adding value to people’s lives. When you do this they are open to some promotion as well. You need to be consistent, acknowledge and connect with people in a meaningful way.

What are your three tips to best use with social media?

1. Know your target audience

2. Be remarkable

3. Build trust

What would you say is your best social media platform and why?

[Steven] Twitter has been a revelation for me. The information that I learn from my followers has astounded me. I have found an incredible learning platform for connecting with thought leaders on a variety of different topics.

[Ben] Facebook so I can connect with my buddies.

Steven, going back to your thoughts on Twitter, as you were talking I was thinking back to a year ago, when people were doing more idle conversations. In the past year, there has been more meaningful content. Would you agree or disagree?

I guess you have to filter through the noise. I use TweetDeck, but I am continually astounded with what I learn and the directions I am pointed in. I may have not picked up this information if I was just browsing in a bookstore. People just open up my mind. It has been a very powerful tool.

Do you use an RSS tool for your blog?

I use Google Reader. I have limited myself to the number of blogs I follow, keeping it to a manageable number. When I find a new one, I drop an old one. It forces me to look at the value of the blogger and what they add to my life.

Are there signs of life in the global economy?

Definitely. There are many things happening and there is certainly movement.

52:19

A strong economy does create demand and tolerance but on the hand as judged from the growth of results.com, it seems it is irrelevant what the economy is doing. What are your thoughts?

I would agree. There are opportunities and many companies are thriving or learning how to adapt and transform. Many companies have definitely needed to reposition and restructure to take advantage of the situation.

Share with us an inspirational quote to bring our show to an end.

"Life gets better when you get better."

Your website has a nice section on business books. What books are you reading right now that you would recommend?

“The Hero and the Outlaw,” by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson. It has helped me think about brands in a completely new way. It is a transformational book for me.

I like reading science fiction and history. There is a series called The Otherland Series.

Thanks, guys!

You can connect with them on these social media tools:

• Website

• Blog

Twitter:

• Ben Ridler

• Stephen Lynch

• Results.com
  

Can failure be our greatest strength?

I’m comfortable sharing my failures. I may not be perfect at sharing my failures but when it’s my turn at bat here I’m comfortable in the batter's box.

Practice makes perfect. I have had a lot of practice failing. I have failed at everything I’ve ever tried in every area of life. Some grand and awesome failures. None of them stopped me permanently. Some required long periods of reassessment.

But I learned. Took another at-bat. And added another strike or two to play with when it was my turn at-bat to share my stories.

Sometimes the failures came around behind me when I least expected it. Like a letter lost in the mail only to find me over here.

• Postman: Special delivery for a Mr. Zane Safrit.

• Me: Whew-w-w-w! This package is big and heavy. Wonder who loves me enough to send such a big package? And special delivery, too?

• Me: Oh, it's from Mr. Failure. And here I was thinking I was doing so well.

Failure never forgets to deliver the daily lesson plan even if that plan is last year’s lesson plan. Or the year before. Or who knows. It is always delivered.

That is good. Why? Failure always includes a lesson plan. Trust me on this one. I'm an expert in failure. I'm not alone as an expert. But I qualify as an expert.

In answer to that question in the title...YES. Failure may be my greatest strength.

Some readers may chuckle at this. Some detractors may now thinkYeah. You sure are sporty. ‘bout time you admitted it, too...

I once shared my failures and snafus, gaffes and goofs, as cocktail party fodder. For me the stories were so absurdly funny, filled with the details of a veritable perfect storm...of little moments melding together to create the failure.

I shared these tales almost compulsively.

At the start it was...cathartic. It helped me own the lesson learned.

That helped me see the benefits of failing so awesomely, so regularly. The key benefit here was...perspective.

• Ok. Well, that was...different/awkward/painful...but what’s the worst that happened?
• Answer: A bruised and battered ego and money lost.

The ego heals. A little man-cave time...some self-assessment and like a broken bone that’s healed stronger for the stress endured, we come out stronger.

The money part...I consider that almost like a school loan. I bought a learning experience. The ROI, the degree, that's earned comes in two parts:

• Intangible. That would be the knowledge gained (what could have helped avoid it, what was inevitable, maybe I was right but right with the wrong people) along with the increased self-confidence and lack of fear.
• Tangible. The tangible ROI is when that all the intangibles are applied infuture business opportunities.

And I saw the stories as a means to connect with others.

We can quibble on theology and metaphysics for what constitutes the universal elements we all share as humans. (We can... doesn’t mean we have to.) But one element we all share is failure. ( Again, let’s not digress into original sin, karma, purificatory rites. ) We all fail. Throughout our lives. ( Those of you who claim exemption from this need to expand your network to include emotionally healthy adults who care enough to confront you. )

We all keep failing until we stop. We all keep failing until we learn.

But the operative words are we and failing.

I always hoped others would share their stories of failure with me and the group. Everyone would benefit. Most chose to hide their stories.

So, what is there to hide? Yes, discretion is the better part of valor. Discretion in sharing details of our failures is often the better part of accepting and embracing our failures to together. (Seriously, dude. I’m a visual guy and I didn’t need to hear that part of the story.)

Pam Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation, talked about the Beauty of Dirty Laundry. Sharing our failures. She talked about a presentation by Morten Lund, a long-time entrepreneur who had, among other things, made good money investing in Skype.

As he launched into his presentation, he said: “I have founded over 88 startups. And at the moment, I am bankrupt.”

I see many people in that audience squirming. AWKWARD! Awkward moment. They are not sure why either. Is it the baring of his soul (or pocketbook) or the baring of their soul to themselves as they hear his story.

I squirmed when I read it. I wondered why I hadn’t done more.

And you’re wondering what’s my point or even if I have one? I do have a point or two. I hope they will prove worth your time.

We're all experts in failing. We’re all failures. ( We’re all successes too.) Those we identify as ‘successes’, separate from ourselves, are those who have more failures.

• Like Mr. Lund, an investor/entrepreneur with 88 startups and he’s broke.

• Like Michael Jordan who admits to missing game-winning shots 26 times, losing over 300 times and missing thousands of shots. Yet, he’s remembered for, 1 NCAA Championship, 6 NBA Championships and 3 game-winning shots:
• • ’82 NCAA championship against Georgetown
  • Against Cleveland Cavs/Craig Ehlo, 1989 NBA First Round.
  • Against Utah/Bryon Russell, Game 6 of the NBA Finals, 1998. That brought another title. (No, he didn’t push off against Bryon. Yeah. I like basketball.)

• Or Thomas Edison, who by his own admission was not a failure. He just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

Success is what separates us. The constant effort, the constant learning, the constant reaching out to find more tools and resources, teammates and colleagues...to help us reach our goal is what makes a Morten Lund, Michael Jordan or Thomas Edison.

Ok. You may think at this point: That’s all great. Another blog post about failing and persevering. Standard quotes from Mike and Edison.

Here’s what’s in it for you, why you should care and why you should believe.

We all have to be entrepreneurs now. An anonymous corporation has no interest in our fate. We know that. It is only a matter of time for those in denial. We all have to take ownership of our destinies. Our economy and our communities need the jobs that come from entrepreneurs. There are great opportunities for entrepreneurs in these turbulent times. Some of us will walk towards them. Some of us will be pushed.

And failing is a close friend of entrepreneurs.

Failing more often means finding success sooner. This idea that success is reached sooner by more failures...is an idea we need to embrace. Own it. Make it yours. Claim credit for the idea. Just do it.

Share the stories creates a bigger pool of failures. Share those stories with each other. Our stories shared together create a library. We all can share in that library. We can escalate our failures faster and in more directions with more people adding their story and finding their lessons.

Now. Ask yourself:

• Are you willing to share your stories of failure?
• Are you willing to celebrate those stories from others?

You may find you need a new community.

You may find a secret society already exists who share their stories.

You may find everyone nurtured a secret longing to learn from each other.

Or you may find a new community needs you and your stories.

All that awaits us is our future that we can create and own, together, now.