Unplugged

I have an iPhone now. My laptop is usually within reach. Email. Text Messages. Safari. Oh my.

How many of you are also victims of connectivity? The corporate world fosters an addiction to technology. I call it an addiction because for may of us (myself included), if technology and communication tools are accessible, the option to ignore it all but disappears.

For the holiday weekend, my trusty dog Ruger and I will once again journey into the woods. Our scared spot lies halfway between a field and a lake, and is conveniently out of range for any wireless signals.

Surround by a group of old and true friends, we'll cook our own food, cut wood and build fires. We'll play Frisbee and softball and tell stories of years past. We'll laugh out loud at comedy that only we understand. We'll sit in silence, simply being in the present moment. And we'll listen. Listen to the Whipper Wheels as they sing to the passing moon. We'll listen to the wind as it flies past the leaves. We'll listen to the coyotes and cows in the distant night. And we'll listen to each other.

For all of this, I am filled with gratitude...

Put On Tilt

Do you play Poker?

Over the last five years, popularity of the game has spread through American culture like a super virus. That may sound like a negative connotation, but there are good lessons to be learned when stacking your chips.

It wasn't until recently that I was able to figure out my poker strategy. It feels great to win. Losing is terrible. Even when you're clear and focused, the cards can still fall against you. Now you've been forced on tilt.

Tilt is state of mental confusion or frustration in which a player knowingly adopts a sub-optimal, over-aggressive strategy.

Placing an opponent on tilt or dealing with being on tilt oneself is one of the most important aspects of poker. It is a relatively frequent occurrence, due to frustration, animosity against other players, or simple bad luck.

Experienced players recommend learning to recognize that one is experiencing tilt and to avoid allowing it to influence one’s play.

Real Life
Unless your Chris Moneymaker, poker is simply a pass time activity. But the concept of tilt applies to daily survival.

Everyday we deal with outside forces which we cannot control. Plans change, commitments fall through, great ideas crash and burn. We get frustrated - but the game continues and we are dealt our next hand.

So what's your plan for the next time you get put on tilt?

Golden Rules

Here are two golden rules guaranteed to help you make a good first impression:

1. After the person you are calling picks up the phone, say hello, identify yourself and ask: "is this a convenient time to talk?" Rocket science? Not really. But you can bet it is a critical step in having your contact pay attention to the next 15 words you say.
   
   
2. When going to a meeting, be there when you say you will be there. If you can, be there early. There's nothing worse than showing up late. We've all been late before. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control. The mobile phone was (and still is) a great invention. Use it.

No one is perfect. I'm sure as hell not. But making your very best effort and being respectful of others' time is a great place to start.

Thanks to Mike Figliuolo of thoughtLEADERS for a great coffee discussion on Friday, which reminded me to write about the golden rules.

Changing Hands

The news has hit the stands - officially.

I'm excited to say that the firm I work for, Young Isaac, has recently merged with an SEO company called People To My Site.

You can read more of the details in the Columbus Business First article, posted yesterday. Artie has already posted commentary on his blog as well.

My Perspective

I'm extremely grateful to have been part of this change. Two really innovative companies have come together under the direction of some uber-smart leaders.

The clients will benefit immensely. Traditional marketing and search engine marketing are now under one roof, working hand in hand, sharing principles, people and ideas. Communication channels are open allowing true collaboration.

I'm excited for what's in store. This is going to be big...

Go BIG

Wil Schroter is a savvy entrepreneur with a laundry list of companies to his name. I've been asking myself how someone, who is roughly six years older than me, can already be so successful.

In search of the answer, I'm about halfway through his book, Go BIG or Go Home.

The title says it all. By examining his own companies, and other internet giants like Google and MySpace, Wil outlines the common elements in a proven business model that allow GoBIG companies to "dominate new markets virtually overnight".

• Vision - Think BIG, the way companies like Google, PayPal and Skype do
  
  
• Growth - Learn how to compress time to grow faster than your competition
  
  
• Marketing - Position your company as Number One right from Day One
  
  
• Capital - Forget raising capital, learn how to create capital and leverage what you have today
  
  
• Management - Leverage your smaller size to run circles around your larger competitors

This book is a fun and easy read, and I recommend it to anyone looking to leverage the speed and scalability of internet businesses.

The interview below will highlight two of Wil's latest projects:

Winning at Breakfast

Going to the early morning business networking event is a good move. First and foremost, the pastries and coffee are usually provided free. What's not to like about that?

To make sure you leave with a few new connections, here are a some strategies that have worked for me:

1. Scan the crowd. Find someone who looks more uncomfortable in the situation than you are. Approach them first. Ask "Is this your first time here?". They'll be relieved to be in a conversation.
   
   
2. Drink lots of coffee. Wait to get your next cup until you notice a line at the coffee station. Then approach. Conversations happen naturally between the sugar and cream.
   
   
3. Camp out at the plate return tray. They are usually located near the wall. Everyone who attends the event will visit at least once. Sit back, wait, and let people come to you for some one on one.
   
   
4. Have a memorable business card. Not necessarily a flashy card, but one that's different from all the others. At Young Isaac, our business cards are personalized with an ink stamp.
   

Most of all - relax, have a good time and smile! Everyone likes to meet a person with a smile.

For more cool ideas on networking, click here.

Chasing Change Welcomes M.J. Clark

I'm delighted to welcome a guest this week on Chasing Change. My friend and coach, M.J. Clark, is a professional speaker, leadership consultant, and executive coach with Integrated Leadership Systems in Columbus, OH. You can read her bio here.

Are You Ready To Change?

I love the name of this blog – Chasing Change – because it identifies change as something good, something we are chasing after. I love change, because to me change means growth, but I often encounter people who greatly fear change. Change is definitely something you must be ready for and something that takes hard work. We spend lifetimes developing bad habits and harmful self-talk that takes time and effort to undo.

Through my work as an executive coach for Integrated Leadership Systems, I have worked with people in all stages of change. Many times people think they want to change but, when faced with a coach who challenges them, they quickly come up with a wide range of reasons why they can’t begin now. Studies have shown that the ability for a person to make a permanent change depends on their readiness to change. People go through five stages of change before a permanent, new habit can be formed:

• Precontemplation – No intention to change any time soon.
• Contemplation – Knows a problems exists, but is not committed to taking action to fix it.
• Preparation – Have not taken action in the last year, but intends to in the next month or two.
• Action – Taking action to modify behavior (involves expenditure of time and energy).
• Maintenance – Habit has been changed and person works to prevent relapse.

During this process, some people will slip back into old habits from time to time. This should be expected. They are still moving forward, but they have to keep learning and trying new things to make the new habit permanent. Be patient with yourself or those you know who are trying to change. Change takes time and a great deal of effort. It also takes courage.

We all have baggage we carry with us from childhood. Sometimes dysfunctional behavior that is a byproduct of our personal baggage leaks out like acid into our personal and work relationships and can destroy what we have worked so hard to achieve in our lives. Facing our past and our fears is scary, but it’s the only way to move forward to become a stronger, wiser, more self-aware individual.

Change is a character-building activity I highly recommend. And I welcome any questions you might have or comments you would like to share if you are facing change-related challenges in your life. I do know this: you won’t change if you just sit around reading blog postings about it. So lace up those sneakers, and let the chase begin!


M.J. Clark
Business Consultant
Integrated Leadership Systems
614/214-7062 (cell)
mj@integratedleader.com

Seth Godin on Being Ordinary

I subscribe to Seth Godin's blog.

He always surprises me with the amount of truth he can capture in a just few short sentences. His most recent post, Ordinary is cheaper than you, is a wake up call for young professionals everywhere.

Seth eloquently points out:

...if all the best you can do is 'good enough', then why on earth should I pay you the benefits and wages that it costs to get you to do that work?

What are you doing (or not doing) to earn the money that an employer intends to spend on you?

Here are a few ideas to help you get started.