Not that you asked, but I have some things to say.

There are a lot of moving parts within any organization. Often I find myself collaborating with other departments to get the things I need. In my specific case; Finance, Legal, Engineering, Marketing, Product, Customer Care. I often reach out to these groups with a specific and defined need. A bullet-point-style item, or list of items, with a simple request..."Go get me these things. Please, and thank you." Other times, it's not so clear cut. Sometimes I may go to a department with an undefined need. I know what I want as an end result, but may not have a clear cut process on exactly how to get there. Typically, in these examples, all parties will provide input. They will define their roles, and understanding the goal of  the request, offer suggestions or guidance. Something along the lines of "You can't get that here at X department, but if you go to Y department they can provide Z." Guidance....the sharing of tribal knowledge on how to accomplish a

I am not a complete and total freak about this, but am very happy making a general and pretty stringent statement.... It is ALWAYS better to stand up and go to a lobby, or the bar area, or the foyer when taking or placing a call.  Now, I'll admit....I've taken a call while at lunch, in a discussion, etc. Almost invariably it is to pass along a tidbit of pertinent information and then promise a return call. When the act of removing myself to take the call is more disruptive than the VERY quick transaction, I'll do it.....quietly, and as an aside.....and always with thanks or a brief apology. But....and not only is the action cliche, the complaint has become so.....If you are going to have a discussion, a conversation, a full transaction....GET UP and go to a logical location.  It's interesting to think, but if I were to walk up to your table, take a seat and strike up an interrupting conversation with you while ignoring your guest ....I would be thought a

My Dr. Suessian title points out something I've noticed....when listing items, one gravitates towards three. Think about this for a second, and answer honestly....have you listed two things, and then wracked your brain for a third? Drafting an email, pounding with furious purpose, and then spending ten minutes trying to come up with a third item on the "To Do" list? It just seems like a thing one must do. Two adjectives, attributes, action items.....just not enough. Bullet pointing requires a triumvirate of tasks, a trio of trends...a....a....damn. I can't alliterate in threes....but you were expecting it....weren't you? See what I'm saying? So, maybe we should ask why? What is the benefit? I've listened to a Mayor, a CIO, and a homeless man all make their pleas in threes (seriously, the last one just happened the other day). And what I've noticed is the power of bullet pointing your agenda, and you must have three. There is a recognizable ca

I almost never endorse a specific product, service, website, etc. and I'm not now...not exactly....I'm simply commenting. At Startup Vitamins one can find all sorts of brutally honest, no-nonsense, real-world motivational products. I like it, and will be buying a specific mug that I love....but this is not an endorsement. Not exactly.....it's commentary, and here's why... I love the quote "The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference." I believe the folks at Startup Vitamins have embodied this quote exquisitely. There has been a trend for decades of motivational posters and paraphernalia, with one truly stand out example....it stands out because it sort of sucks....I won't be naming it, but you know the one. Platitudinous pablum, offered up as profundity. Silver linings, soaring eagles, mountains.....you've seen them....you've rolled your eyes at them....you may have one hanging in your workplace. And then...the backlash. A p

I suck at math, so please view the title of this post as symbolic and literary in nature. I've read or heard the term 'counterintuitive' a lot lately. I like how it puts the spotlight on perception....a lot can be uncovered. But, it may say more about our biases than anything else...see definition below. coun•ter•in•tu•i•tive  (ˌkaʊn tər ɪnˈtu ɪ tɪv, -ˈtyu-) adj. counter to what intuition would lead one to expect. So, I read the above and ask one question.....Who's intuition is the accepted baseline? Isn't it possible that when someone says "Hey, that seems counterintuitive." it could be easily viewed as "Hey... I have a less evolved, less informed, and biased, outlook... so I didn't expect that outcome." A few examples: "That member of an ethnic class didn't live up to my stereotype." or "My simple view of the world didn't expect the more complicated results the experiment showed." or &q

I work with some pretty smart people....partners, colleagues, clients, a team of fine folks. We train weekly....sales process, technology changes, best practices....sharpening the saw. Many of us are curious by nature, so we seek out new things naturally. Trade rags, articles on new developments and recent trends, white papers, what have you. But I've noticed something. No matter how good we are or how hard we try, we run into a peculiar problem...there is only so much knowledge contained within a group.  We have shared as much info as is contained within a particular group. We look around and see that what was once a series of shared discoveries is now communal knowledge. Occasionally we hit a ceiling. Being relevant has a finite expiration date, without knowledge growth. We have, often, had to look hard to find new things to learn. It's uncommon, as there is so much change within my industry. But it happens. When it does, it's time to have lunch....or coffee....or

The Bormioli Rocco Fido Glass Canning Jar. Simply made, seemingly anachronistic, perfectly engineered. It's a great symbol of quality that balances efficiency, economy, and function in a sublime manner. I get wound up over strange things, I admit. But stick with me... In the aisles of mass-produced plastic crap, the Fido stands out. Whatever you are storing, you care about it. You want it sealed in an air tight manner. You trust glass as the perfect medium to neither impart nor allow entry from outside tastes (ever tasted ice that tastes like garlic....that's infused from the fridge....think of food products that work similarly). Spices, some a minor investment, find these little homes perfect for their overall demeanor. A marinara made with real San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic deserve to be stored in a Fido. Now...you may be wondering my point. Go to your pantry. Look in. Is there any foodstuff there that you would deem worthy of the Fido? Eliminat

This morning I took a medication that should be taken with food....said so right on the bottle. I didn't. Within a half hour or so, my body reacted...and with it my mood....in a bad direction. We don't use the term malaise enough in the common vernacular, but it describes my day well. I raised my voice to a coworker...not that this is a big deal as my team uses raised voices, and impassioned gestures as a part of our communication process...punctuated often with expletives....it works for us...normally. But today, it was more short tempered irritability and was poorly misplaced emotion. It served no purpose, and was most likely counterproductive to my desired end. I was passionately indifferent. I seemed to look for things to not care about. This is highly atypical for me and not a state that would allow me to survive long in my field....but my 'give a shit' was busted. I expressed, in what I would classify as a warning to my coworkers, that I was in an ill mood.

If you have a banana, and only a banana, selling a banana seems a grand idea. But not everyone wants a banana. Let's expand on this a bit.....a VERY large online retail site, oh....ryhmes with Blamazon....has a whole lot going for it....a regular fruit salad (if sticking with, but expanding on, the banana metaphor). Huge online inventory...check.....great pricing.....yep.....ease of use....yep....great return policy....indeed....avoiding state/local taxes....still yes, sort of, most places....unparalleled logistics and distribution....can't argue.....same day delivery.....wait..what?? Same day delivery? Really? Maybe someone will look back upon this post and think "Gads, what a Luddite."....but same day delivery just seems unnecessary...and a bit anathema to why I personally LOVE using....umm...rhymes with Cramazon.....oh, screw it, it's Amazon. Let's take a look at same day delivery....what are we buying? Books...scads of books....suits, blazers, elec

See what I did there....funny, no?? When a mistake is made, and they will be...and often....so very often, how do you look at it? How do you process it? How do you approach it? "Stupid _____ department.", "Damn support team", "Those ____ guys screw up everything.", etc, etc. Sound familiar? If you hear someone saying this, go correct them (I'll give you details below)....say it often yourself? Then you should either change, or find a new job...maybe some therapy. Medication, maybe. Step 1: Mistakes are inevitable. Human, mechanical, electrical, clerical, etc, etc, etc.....plan, take ownership, mitigate, embrace, learn, coach, mitigate some more, learn some more. For those who have followed this blog for a while, you may recall the saying "Keep the shit to shoe level." This is what I speak of, expect it and see it coming. Step 2: You just uncovered or were made aware of a mistake. STOP...breathe. DO NOT assign blame. Blame is a meani

A simple question, but powerful when properly applied. I have seen companies that have existing brand recognition within a specific market. I have seen these companies, and have worked/networked/not worked with some of their sales folk. I have, too often, seen them present their, and I stress their , snapshot of what and who their company is. I've had the opportunity to sit in on meetings with other sales reps, and when they start anywhere than where the customer is in their perception, you get a few reactions from the client.....1) Boring , I am pretty well versed with who you are. 2) Bullshit , nothing you are saying rings true with my perceptions 3) Boring , I don't know who you are and I don't care about any of this stuff you think is an actual introduction.....and maybe a 4) Wow , I only cared about 10% of what you told me...let's go back to that. Show up and throw up, beginning corporate history on Powerpoint slide three, list of clients....SNOOZE. Every c

I have been asked to speak to high-school students about the Internet. The idea is to begin planting seeds in these young minds... on technology and how it relates to the business world. The desire from the teacher is to start with a 'general understanding' approach, show them how it relates to the business world, and then give them a block of time to come up with some form of business idea that will be Internet based. I, again, cannot stress the sad state of affairs our education system must be in, if educators are looking to me as anything but a bad influence. Maybe I'm being overly self-deprecating. Maybe they are desperate. Either way I'm honored. Oh, and by the way, I'm using a hamster to explain the internet. I'll be calling him 'Surfy". Now when I say 'Internet" I'm not talking about the applications that run over the Internet, the web-sites that are accessible over the Internet, Social Media empowered by the Internet, or any

Music Row, Prince's Chicken, the Ryman, Fan Fair (yes I still call it that)...just a few of Nashville's unique offerings. Add the tech-start up environment, the healthcare industry, a grand infrastructure for new HQs and Data Centers, and some fine universities....we've sort of got it going on here in Nashville. GQ, Esquire, Saveur, Forbes (just to name a few) have extolled the beauties of Nashville and we've been dubbed 'the new It city'....we have also garnered a few haters (The Atlantic, a few blogs, etc) either denying our 'It' status, or spewing vitriol about the detestability of an 'It' city even existing....we've got it. When the love comes forth you are doing something good.....when the haters start in, you are doing something great. But....we have something here that I've heard is rather unique. Nashville, being a city of transplants, has the ability to look at itself with many eyes...through the migrated lenses of our tran

OK....first, I'll have to admit that 4 out of 10 people that I speak to about "Goal Club" seem to hear "Gold Club", and then the stripper jokes commence....while this speaks volumes, it has nothing to do with what I want to talk about here. I have a group of 10 or so friends, networking pals, that have allowed me to speak to them on a process to set goals. It's a process that was introduced to me over a decade ago, by a leader that I respect immensely.  In a nutshell, it is a way to take a wish, and turn it into a goal (most people think they have goals, when they actually have wishes, goals have requirements). The process then takes those goals and adds a few steps that will best ensure the accomplishments of these goals. Seems simple, but in the decade or so I've been doing it as a pupil, I've yet to truly master it. I'm not sure anyone has. I believe that's the beauty of the process, that the desire and process of making yourself bette

I'm sure this translates to many occupations other than sales, so view this through whatever personal lens you may. A problem, a negotiation, a need arises. There are multiple ways to approach said situation. Have you ever been overwhelmed with the angles and facets that are at your disposal? Have you ever seen a beginning and an end, and then in between lay a forest of options at which to hack and hew and saw? Think of a circular room with a dozen or so doors, only half of which will lead you to where you need to go. Now pick a door. Oh, and one of the doors has a big alligator behind it....and he's hungry. So as you work your way through a tough situation, there is that moment where you reach a singularity. Maybe it's a great win-win situation, and the corks start popping. But....sometimes it's just not. Sometimes you hit a point where a line is drawn, and 1) That line could be the spot where two parties accept a bit of give and take, and shake hands. They s

This weekend I attended the 2013 Sales Kick Off (SKO) for my company. It was a great event, dare I say extravaganza. In this post I won't really discuss the SKO specifics, but more about the inflection and resulting motivation it imbued. At SKO, my company announced the 2012 President's Club winners at a lovely dinner on the first night there. Our President of Sales gave a brief summary of every winning rep, and a snapshot of the successes they had that led them to win the honor of this trip. It was inspiring. I have attended many President's Clubs with my previous employer, enough to instill an understanding that my ability to claim true success meant going to "Club". Since joining my new company, my sales have been less than stellar so far. I am building, and expect 2013 to be the year of change. Back to the Future. As they read off the winners I had a mix of emotions....reflection on my past successes, an odd acceptance of my current situation of "

I have avoided taking on a managerial role, since the early 2000's. I tried it, and it wasn't exactly for me. That could change, as I grow older, but for now I believe I will remain the reluctant leader....the Sergeant in the trenches, a guide on the side. I filled out a questionnaire recently on best practices of leaders, when you aren't in a direct managerial/leadership role. It was difficult to sum up the hundreds of ways leadership happens. But the questionnaire asked to summarize and list three things that make the biggest impact. Today, I'll focus on just one... Community. Every year I pick some form of community involvement...something I can throw myself behind or into as a way to give back to the community that I am a part of. I've spread myself thin in the past, so this year I have picked just two. One is related to a more altruistic charity, the other is more of a way to give back to the Nashville Technology/Business community. This isn't that impo