An Attitude of Gratitude

One of the best habits to develop is an attitude of gratitude.  Anyone who can read this has much to be grateful for.  Some people journal daily about the things they are grateful for.  Great habit.

Today I am grateful for the little things like running water, electricity and heat.  I am reminded of this since my daughter and family have been living without any since the storm 3 days ago.  Fortunately they have a wood stove and food so even they have lots to be grateful for.

Picture of my daughters' home/driveway/yard:

Good Business Needs an Angle

 Some interesting stuff:

An article on Medium on the next big thing(s).

I enjoy Bob Sutton's blogs.

I am finding the Facebook entry into video ads interesting.

And Startup trends.

I love my new Fitbit.  I always tracked (using paper) the workouts I did.  What gets measured, gets done.  Despite being a tech guy, I often dislike gadgets but I love this one.

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I have the good fortune to be involved in a number of businesses so get to see what works.  Consistently I see businesses have success when they have an angle.  I have long been a proponent of niche which could be another way of saying having a unique angle. 

Selling identical product to a competitor means usually means it comes down to price.  But if your offering is unique or niche, it becomes more of a battle for value.

The ideal angle is something your business can uniquely do.  Something that you have competitive advantage in.  I repeatedly push businesses to have competitive advantage. 

My granddaughter, Victoria, listens well to business advice but I think she got confused and thought we needed an angel.

Wasp Productivty

Random thoughts:

I am just back from Calgary where it is cold (like -30 degrees C or -22 F).   A 6 or 8 block walk from the hotel to my meetings reminded me of early mornings of my youth.  It also remined me on how fortunate we are to have heat and clothes.

I was at a Hatsize board meeting (one of the companies Canrock has invested in).  Hatsize sells training and hands on labs for IT certification training.

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I have been amused by Diane Francis view that Canada should become the 51st state.  Good article on it here.  I know both countries well and simply to not see this working.  What I do see working is closer integration and less border.

Not sure I will read her book - Merger of the Century - Why Canada and the US should Become One Country.

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And an interesting blog post on 6 Lessons Every Small Business Owner should Know.    The only one have have not been good at is number 6 - sign the contract before beginning.  I try to do business with honorable people and have done millions of $ of business on a conversation. 

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And what do wasps do in the winter?  They watch TV and play on the internet of course. 

I took this picture on the house next to my parents where you can clearly see their internet connection coming it.

JFK - 50 years after

I am not a JFK worshiper and hardly even follow American politics (until recently when I moved to the US).   But he clearly had a lasting impact on America.   And it is the 50th anniversary of his death.

So I read a short eBook on Kennedy.  Kennedy Baby - the Loss the Transformed JFK by Steven Levingston.

Of course the loss was speaking of Patrick Kennedy who lived only 2 days.

It was captivating in morbid sort of way.   The loss of a child is tough for anyone but doubly so for a couple that was so solidly in the national spotlight.  Jackie and JFK had a tough family.

It centered mostly on his family life - not his politics.  

I learned that Jackie was a painter.  I did not know that (I always like books where I learn something new).

There was a ton of research put into the book.  It was well written.  Good quick read.

Dealing with Information Overload - Social Media Filtering

There are way too many sources of good information.  We could spend many more than 24 hours per day just trying to keep up.

 

One way to "keep up" is to let others whom you respect do the filtering.  I find this is a great way to use Twitter.  Follow some people who tweet/point out interesting articles.

 

I find some bloggers also have link rich content and essentially jury the articles and universe of information to point out what is relevant.  Of course the more the person doing the filtering filters the way you want, the greater the value it has.

 

I love it when people forward interesting articles.  It is a great way to keep in touch with people and it adds value.

 

I am often approached by people who want a social media footprint but are unsure what to do.  My suggestion is to always try to add value.  One way to add value in social media (Twitter, Blogs, even Facebook) is to be one of those filters for people.

Some interesting stuff:

 

I spend my time evaluating start up businesses (and after we have invested - trying to assist them) so I found this article on evaluating startups interesting.  Did not completely agree with the title of "forget business plans".  Personally I feel a business plan is critical for setting direction and directing actions.

And an interesting article that older entrepreneurs have more success.  Perhaps there is still hope for me.

A Ted talk on The History of Violence.  Reassuring that violence seems to be declining.  My personal fear is the gap between wealthy and poor could cause that to increase.  We need a strong middle class.

I thought this blog post on big data on the Primal Fusion Blog was interesting.

And prepare to get zen.  I thought this TED talk on Gratitude was good.  An attitude of gratitude is one attribute of successful people.  

 

And of course I am grateful for the grandkids - Josh and Victoria(yes, I filtered through the pictures):

 

 

Brilliant or False Advertising?

I pass a nursery on the way home that has a "U Pick Pumpkin" sign out.  I know what a U Pick is.  You go into the field where the pumpkins grow and pick your own pumpkin.  This one is hilarious though.  The U Pick is you go into a parking lot and choose from the dozens of sorted pumpkins.

Perhaps the grocery store should have a sign "U Pick Bananas" because the same theory applies.

The place does a huge business so I stopped - always fascinated by successful businesses.  There - I saw a poster that bragged of "No Admission".  Why on earth would a U Pick charge admission.  I guess on the other hand, Costco seems to get away with it.

They also offered hayrides.  The hay bales were in plastic bags!

Anyways - I thought the whole thing was funny... and genius.

Live for Today

 I tend to be a "live in the future" type person.  So the following story had impact.  It came from a book - Finding Your Road to Success - How to get their without getting lost by Daniel Patrick.  It is not his story (and he attributes it but when I search his attribution it does not come up.

Life is short. Enjoy every moment!

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He dis- carded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.

"Jane bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion."

He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me. "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."

Finish Line Thinking

One of my friends, Nicky Billou wrote a book - Finish Line Thinking - How to Think Like a Champion.   I know Nicky to be creative, driven and a real person.

From the dust cover:

Champions engage in what author and high performance guru Nicky Billou calls Finish Line ThinkingTM. What is Finish Line ThinkingTM? It's the science of how to think and win like a champion. Packed with his trademark insight, and his years of experience in working with Olympic Champions, world record holders, business champions, and thought leaders, and backed by the research of Dr. Anders Ericson and Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth, Finish Line Thinking lays out the 13 Principles of How to Think and Win Like a Champion. These principles will change your life, if you take the time to learn and apply them.

Finish Line Thinking involves 13 Principles of Success.  I like books that simplify and clarify so I love this list.

He hooked me on his first 2.  His first 2 principles are eat right and exercise daily.   Being healthy supports success.  Of course you know I embrace these.  I like to work out first thing.  These dark early mornings (like pitch black today at 5:30) do not inspire me as much as light in the morning.  So lately I have been using one of my mantras "successful people do tough things"

Other Principles include things like.  Expect to win.  Surround yourself with good people that will help you get to where you need to go. Set big goals.  And be willing to do things you have never done before.

He is big on daily habits which is also in sync with my thinking.   This is his 13th principle and the one he says is most important.

He is a coach (actually has coached Gold Olympic athletes) so he really believes in coaching.  "A coach will hold you accountable". 

Loved the book.  Seems like he took most of my good ideas (which is awesome).

This quote from the book sums up what finish line thinking is:

It’s keeping the finish line in mind, every day. Champions know what their finish line is.

There is a good video interview of Billou here.

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And Victoria "enjoying" applesauce.

Profit From the Positive

Time Management Tip of the Day:

On the weekend, I had a large project I wanted to tackle.  Something that might take 6 hours uninterrupted time.  But I had a few calls scheduled.  And an appointment.  Things that broke up my days.  So, I did not start the big project.

I have noticed this in other areas as well.  It can be difficult to get productivity from small time slots.

So my tip for the day:

1 - Break big projects down if possible.  Often there are small parts of big projects that can be done.

2 - Have a list of "instant" tasks and small items that can be knocked off when you have a few moments.

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On the weekend, I read Profit from the Positive - Proven Leadership Strategies to Boost Productivity and Transform Your Business by Margaret Greenberg and Senia Maymin.

It is a positive book that serves as a valuable reminder.

It makes the point that positive psychology is not the same as positive thinking.

"In tough times, learners beat experts".  I have long been a learner and really encourage those around me to be the same.  School and a degree are only the start.  Be a life long learner.

I loved the time management ideas covered in the first chapter.   They made the point that just do it is not always best - just plan it is better and often more productive.  An interesting study was cited.  Students who said they wanted to complete a project were successful when they included when and where they would do the project.  This compared to other students who also wanted to do the project be were less definite on when and where.  I know I use that technique with working out.  I plan it - then I do it.

They also talked about the Zeigaravik effect.  Just starting something often creates success.  Again, this is a habit that works for me.  Using the same workout example - if I show up at the gym - I work out.

They talked about the balance between short and long term.  Often the big results come from the long term but much more time and focus is spent on the short term.

There was also a good section on meetings that is worth reading for anyone who runs meetings.

Good book - worth reading.

8 Simple Merger Tips (Simple to say - tougher to do)

I was speaking to a friend who is looking at acquiring a company.  I was going to send him an email with tips of how to make it go smoother (notice I do not say smoothly - there will always be little issues).  I thought it would make a good blog entry.

My tips for integration:

1 - Have a rolling 90 day plan.  The first 30 days should be "listen and learn".  Regardless of what due diligence is done prior to the merger, there is still lots to learn.  Good planning leads to good execution. 

2 - Lock down all spending.  There are often pent up expense requests that are just waiting to happen.  Many times they are not actually needed despite the very convincing arguments that they are needed.  By not approving any expenses, the real ones come to surface over time.

This means pay freeze too.

In particular, people and companies often think "new owner has money" so we can make up for all those years where we underpaid someone.   Or do those things we have been putting off.

3 - Choose the best people.  This one sounds obvious but is actually tough to do.  Just because someone works for the acquirer does not mean they are better than the person in the acquired company.  If there is a rationalization to be done - choose the best credit manager, the best AR clerk, the best warehouse manager etc.  And try hard to avoid the "familiarity" trap of thinking the person you or your team know best is the best person.

4 - Cancel your holidays, trips, outside meetings etc.  The leaders particularly need to have great presence in the short term.  Intense time is needed to not only learn but to get known by staff.

Plan on working longer days than usual for a few weeks.

5 - Choose the highest common denominator or at least some fair compromise.  There is great temptation to choose the lowest common denominator in a merger.  It is the path of least resistance but also the path to increased cost and decreased efficiency.  For example, if the acquired company gives 3 weeks holidays and the acquirer gives 2, consider changing all to 2 or grandfathering in the 3 week but not adding new people to it.  This requires finesse.

There are lots of minor examples around dental coverage, free coffee, bonuses, working hours etc.  Usually one company is not the most expensive option so choosing a fair blend from both makes sense.  But changes need to be socialized and "sold" to people.

It is tough but necessary in competitive businesses to not always choose the most expensive option even if it is more popular.

6 - Integrate physically as soon as possible - even if this means vacant space in one location.  Nothing brings a team together like being in the same office and nothing divides like being separate.  In many cases, I would buy a  business in a different location where it was not practical to do this.  In those cases, I would still often find a few people who would move.

7 - Have a communication plan.  Say it, email it, say it again, mail it, put it on the web site, press release it, post it.  The customers, suppliers and staff all become "loose" in a merger.  They all consider what they will do and see risk.  This can cause them to look for alternatives.

Uncertainty kills.  Good communication can create certainty. 

8 - Create good habits from the start.  It is very difficult if someone has been in the company for a few months and then you tell them they need to track their hours or do weekly reports (I am a big advocate of roll up weekly reports).  Same thing with hours or breaks.  Have zero tolerance early.  Set the tone.

All of these tips require high discipline.  Good merger depends on it.

Privacy and Security

In the past couple of weeks, someone hacked my email and spammed my contacts.   Most peoples' virus checkers flagged it but not all.  It was very discouraging.

So I have been thinking about privacy and security online.  Some of the things I do and tips include:

1 - Change passwords often.  This is a pain so I use a game of incorporating the date into the new password.  Helps my fading memory.

2 - Invent a fake birthday.  I do this so when the security question comes up, I know but it is not my real birthday (so it means my mom will have difficulty stealing my passwords)

3 - I try to take care in public places but unfortunately, I do still use public networks.  It is now a way of life.

4 - I still use Blackberry - the best device security still.

5 - Do not use the same password on multiple sites.  This one is tough since there are so many sites and limited memory.  One trick is to change it a bit based on the site.  But even this will be broken over time.

6 - For important stuff, I use a cryptocard but this require synchronization with the site.  So it works with things like eTrade. 

News from some of the companies:

Thrive Metrics has a new website and a new CEO.

Primal Fusion has a new website

And some thought provoking stuff:

Daniel Pink's Ted talk

Denise Marek's blog on equality.

And the blog of a young blogger book reviewer who wants some teen readers.

And a picture of my favourite granddaughter:

In Search of Productivity - the Billion $ Sales Person

My latest fashion statement courtesy of Cole and Parker.

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I met a person today who can sell $1 Billion in a month.  How do I know this?  He made a $1 million sale in only 12 minutes.  So assuming he works a 50 hour week, that is a billion dollars in a month.

A great hockey player scores 20 goals in a season.  The average play lasts less than 2 minutes.  So a great hockey player is only productive for 40 minutes per year.  Imagine the power if they could even be productive for an hour.

Our problem is we need more productive hours - not just more hours. 

The gist of time management is to maximize the productivity because there is no way to gain more time (except perhaps living well).

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And a great and inspiring video by the self made billionaire founder of Spanx.  She claims her success was caused by her failure to get into law school. 

I always advocate failure as a way to learn.  Fail often, Fail Fast, Fail Cheap.  She looks at failure more as sending you down a different path and often finding that different path is a great one.

The real message is to not fear failure.

The University in Your Car

I was recently asked how the make the best of commuting so came up with my top 7 things to do in the car list.

Of course, the first and most important is to focus on the road and the cars.  No amount of increased productivity is worth an accident.  So of course use voice commands, blue tooth, etc.  And the best safety tip is to drive conservatively (as in with traffic and not too fast and keep your distance).

1 -  Listen to business books.   Brian Tracey , one of the fathers of personal development and a very prolific author, talks about the university in your car.   I have found even with a short commute to work, I can get through a lot of books fairly quickly.  Get a library card, get subscriptions.  Start listening now.

2 - Strengthen  your hands with a simple squeeze ball or one of the many grippers on the market.  Commuting often cuts into workout time so getting just a bit never hurts.

3 - Make sales calls or schedule conference calls.   I find nothing kills a long drive like a long call.

4 - Stay in touch with friends.  Make a list of people you would like to keep in touch with and call them. 

5 - Invest in a simple dictaphone or digital voice recorder to make notes.   I do not like recording long messages - just a few words to jog my memory.

6 - One thing that can suffer for commuters is diet.  Drink a homemade smoothy.  Easy to make with yogurt, fruit (bananas, strawberries, blueberries, apple or apple sauce etc) some oatmeal, chia seeds (the new wonder food - high in omega 3),  tofu, and anything else healthy put through the blender.

7 - Sip some longevity broth.  I make this with simple herbs from the garden - cut up and pour boiling water on them.  Right now I am enjoying basil and chives mostly but I also enjoy a bay leaf, rosemary and just about any other herb.

Habits work best with just a bit of planning.  Plan before your commute and the habits will easily slip into place.

Imagine the power of a 2 hour daily commute when even just a few of these habit are put into place.

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And the grand kids are growing:

The First Mile

I ran my first mile yesterday after minor knee surgery 3 weeks ago.   Did it at a slowish pace (8 1/2 minutes).  It was awesome.   I have been cycling, walking and doing some elliptical but nothing beats a good run for adrenaline rush and getting my heart rate up.

I am going to discipline myself to only a mile per day this week, then 2 next then 3 after that.  I know myself and know I tend to overdo things.

Net of it is knee surgery was a great success.

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I like to be productive so I analyze it to try to figure out how to be more productive.  I have come up with the following 5 Rules of Productivity

1 - I am most productive early in the day.  So it makes sense for me to go to bed at a reasonable hour.  It also makes sense for me to do the high productive things first and leave the lower priority maintenance stuff.

2 - Planning.  I find I am more productive if I set out the night before what I want to accomplish.  So planning, for me, is a productivity tool.

3 - Eliminate distractions.  For me, distractions include things like a messy work area.  Mess just calls "do me, do me" and often keeps me from the important.

4 - Prioritized list.  I am more productive when I have a list of what needs doing.  This allows me to highlight the most important ones and work on them first.  Getting something on the list can also keep it off my mind until it is time to do things.

5 - Health.  I am most productive when I am healthy.  So sleeping well, eating right and exercise are productivity tools.  I am eating well with the garden still producing well - green beans, egg plant, tomatoes (bad crop this year but still enough for eating - just not enough to dry, freeze or can), basil and chives.  I am exercising well.

Have a productive day.

The One Thing

 I read an awesome book - "The One Thing - The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results" by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. (yes that is the way the authors list their name - perhaps I should speak to my partners at Canrock and see if they would mind if we did that on the Canrock website.)

So the gist of the book is very simple.  Focus wins.

Of course I have a problem with focus.  I tend to juggle lots of balls.  But then I started to think - perhaps part of it for me is definition.  EG - perhaps I do focus a lot on business even though that means doing a lot of things on different companies.

He talks about the well known myth of multitasking.

He also had a chapter on the Disciplined Life (the message is it is not discipline that you need - it is good habits).

He has a chapter on the 4 thieves of productivity.  I agree with 3 of them:

1 - Inability to say "no".  (I really try but often still say yes in times of weakness)

2 - Fear of Chaos. (this is the one I am not sure I agree with.  Order really helps productivity.  I greatly dislike not being able to find something. Being organized helps me focus on the important.  Of course I liked that this was one of the thieves though since it made me feel a bit better about some of the things in my life that feel disorganized.  I do agree that over organized or over cleaned compulsiveness would not help productivity.)

3 - Poor Health Habits

4 - Environment Doesn't support your goals.  (We all know how important environment is.  In this chapter he speaks of "choose your friends and who you spend time with")

It really is a great book.  Lots of research that support the conclusions.


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And a plug for one of the companies I have invested in - Well.ca.  They sell most drugstore type products online.  Never tried Well.ca? Enter code "NewCoupon4UTryUsOut" in the coupon box at checkout and save $10 off your first order of $40 or more!

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And more on the Blackberry 10 from my friend - Jim Courtney who is a true techie nerd (said only with the greatest of respect).  He wrote a BB10 report card that is worth reading.

The Power of Habit - The Myth of Self Discipline

 I love early mornings.  I get so much done.  There are so many high payoff things I like to do in the morning that for years, I would push myself to wake up earlier and earlier.

I have read a lot about how self discipline is limited.  One great study had subject memorize a 2 digit number or a 7 digit number then they were asked if they wanted chocolate cake or a piece of fruit.  The ones with the more difficult task chose the cake much more than the healthier choice.  The moral seems to be the more people use their mind, the less it can be used for other things.

When the mind is not sharp (as in tired from use), it reverts to the habit or the norm. 

Again, a great study of 1,112 parole board hearings in Israel.  The judges have a grueling pace of solid hearings.  cases heard in the morning and after breaks have a 65 percent chance of being released.  Those heard late in the day, drop to close to zero.  The judges norm and comfort is to not grant release.

One habit I have is "do the worst thing first thing".  And I also create multiple first things - eg first thing when I get up, first thing when I hit the office and first thing after lunch.  This knocks off three tough things per day.  What I had not considered about that habit is it might just be the freshness of my mind that makes the habit so effective.

People often comment that I have high self discipline.  But I do not (especially with some things).  What I have is good habits.

I have long talked about the power of success habits.   Things we repeat daily make who we are.  If properly planned, they make us successful.

Part of this is also the power of compounding that I talked about in my TED talk.  Add even 10 calories per day or walk an extra .1 mile determines who adds 1 pound per year or sheds 1 pound per year. 

Work on habits to be successful.  Work on habits to appear to have self discipline.

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 And my knee is almost better.  I can walk now.  Seriously on the mend and will be perfect in a few weeks.

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2 things I am loving these days.  Gmail tabs.  I really thought I was efficient in deleting spam and doing the most important emails first but tabs makes it easier.  I can scan the whole promotions and social tabs in 10 seconds and delete.  It really works well and saves me time.

I am also loving my Blackberry Q10.  Lightning fast surfing.  Gps that works well.  It is not yet perfect.  Voice commands hardly work (in that it cannot recognize what I say).  And it is not entirely intuitive yet.  Now this one solves itself with use but no device should need someone to look up something to know how to do something.

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But of course really loving.  My grand kids.  Victoria at 4 months.

Knee Surgery

I had knee surgery Friday (meniscus).  All went well.  Will be running within a few weeks.

The focus now is on healing so trying to be good and taking it easy.

Produce is on in a great way.  Zucchini, eggplant, beans, lettuce, leeks, onions, beets and a few tomatoes.  Basil and chives are prolific as are most other herbs.  Currants, gooseberries and blackberries are mostly done.  I love this time of year when we never need to buy any fresh vegetables.

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One of my friends wrote a kids book and entrepreneurship - Cathy Capitalist & Johnny Jobmaker: The Video Game Company: Teaching Your Kids About free Enterprise, Dreaming Big, and Going For It!

As I said in my Amazon review of it - "This is a perfect primer for children who might be interested in entrepreneurship and business."

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And the time management inspiration today is not here but at the officetime.net blog.   They have lots of short inspirational entries (and I am even going to be contributing some to them).

Zero to Two Billion - The Marketing and Branding Story Behind the Growth

My new book was just released - Zero to Two Billion - The Marketing and Branding Story Behind the Growth.

I had in the back of my mind that I might write another book someday but it was just not at the top of my priority list so was not getting done.

Then, I was approached by the fine folks from Hyperink Publishing who asked if they could put together a book based on some of my blog entries - both the ones on this blog and the ones on other blogs that I have "guest" posted on.

They did most of the work.  They organized it.  Did a bit of editing.  And compiled it all. 

I am a marketer at heart so most of the chapters are about marketing.  Because each chapter is a single blog entry, this is a book that does not need to be read from cover to cover.  It can be read a little at a time. 

I like succinctness so most chapters are short (like 400-500 words).  My view is that adds to the ease of reading.  I know it adds to the writing challenge.  The true quest is for simplicity and clarity but depth.

I look forward to your feedback.

I self published my last book - Time Leadership - Lessons from a CEO - Using the Secrets of Leadership for Time Management.  It will be interesting to see the difference between self published and a publisher published book.

This book is only available for now as an Ebook.  I will be doing a paper version within 6 weeks.  For that, I will include quotes from readers about the book.  If you you would like to have your name in print and would like to provide a quote for consideration - email me at jimestill at gmail.

How to Sell Without Being a Jerk

I had dinner tonight with speaker and author John Klymshyn.  Good guy.

I loved his business card.  It was a fold out one (usually I hate because they take too much space).  The inside had a great list  he calls  Every Day:

1. Be kind to someone.
2 - Negotiate as if you do not need the Deal.
3 - Sweat (not hard in the weather but not sure that is what he means)
4 - Meditate/Pray/Be Silent
5 - Laugh Loudly
6 - Inspire Someone (hence this blog)
7 - Read for one Hour (perhaps read Zero to Two Billion)
8 - Do something Creative
9 - Save Money
10 - Give something away

He has written a few books and gave me one - How to Sell Without Being a Jerk - The Foolproof Approach to the World's Second Oldest Profession.  Slightly concerned that he chose to give me that one and not one of his others.  I wonder what he was thinking...

It is a classic "Sales" book and at the same time it is not.

He reminds us of the age old classics in sales like "Feel, Felt, Found".  (I know how you feel, many other customers felt the same way but what they found was by buying our product they save gazillions of dollars).  And using open ended questions.  

At the same time, he rejects all the sliminess that sometimes is associated with sales.  I know I cannot sell anything I do not believe in nor can I sell to someone who does not need what I am selling.

One phrase John uses is "Moving Conversations Forward".  I think he even trademarked it.  The gist of the message is to keep things moving forward.  He reminds us that sales is a process and many times a long an many touch process.

Throughout the book were amusing stories of sales disasters.

Great book.  Highly recommended.  It must be good - we are going to use it for one of our books in our Sales Book Club.

Success Habits

I have long believed that habits are the easy way to success (or failure).  So I constantly look at my habits.

One success habit I have is bringing my lunch on most days.

Today it is halibut (that I caught in British Columbia), squash (the last one from last year), lettuce and potato salad.  The herbs used were chervil, basil, onion tops and chives - all from the garden.  The only part of the lunch I did not grow or catch was an egg and a bit of mustard to make the mayonnaise.

I never thought I was a foodie but I think I am.

Reasons why the "bring your lunch" success habit is a success habit include:

1 - I eat healthier with normal portion sizes.

2 - Saves $.  Does not seem like much but it adds up over time.    Even $10/day would be $2,000/year. 

3 - Saves time.  I figure even eating very close to work would cost an extra 20-30 minutes so this habit saves me a full week plus in time over a year.  But the doubters will say but it takes time to make lunch.  Not really - I always take left overs from the night before and it takes no more time to make a bit more of everything.

4 - Gives some informal time with co-workers.  One of my best leverages is to have staff who are productive.  Lunch is an informal time where interaction occurs.  

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And a plug for one of the businesses Canrock has funded.   SEO Pledge gets people/products/companies on the first page of Google or gets them off if that is a problem.  Please email me if you know of any business that could use their services and I will make the introduction.

SEO Pledge believes in 100% utilization of resources.  One way a services business can do this is by working on products with any "free" time where they do not have client work to do.  It also allows them to experiment so the work they do for other clients is even better.

So they have a couple of new sites up.  Kinds of and Types of.

Financing our Foodshed

 It was the 4th of July here.  I suppose it was in Canada too but it just had no meaning there. 

But being Canadian, I prefer to celebrate Victoria Day so some pictures of my granddaughter, Victoria.  And one with Josh kissing his sister.

I was recently in North Carolina visiting my brother, Lyle.  He travels in an eclectic eco crowd.  While there, I met a friend who stopped by his house - Carol Peppe Hewitt who had just written a book - Financing Our Foodshed - Growing Local Food with Slow Money.

Slow money is a bit of a takeoff on slow food.  In this case, the idea is to loan money and get a small return (which means it grows slowly).

It is similar to Lyle's books (same publisher too) in that it is a story of local people.  In this case, it is the story of people who loan small amounts of money to people to allow them to start businesses.  The businesses mostly revolve around food - mostly the preparation of it.  For example, one food entrepreneur wanted a loan to winterize a building so food production (Jams, Jelly and winter produc like kale and sweet potatoes etc) could be sold year around.  

There are the lenders who are paid a modest (like 2%) interest.  Their motivation is to give something back and to help their community.  And the borrower who want to start or expand a small business.  What makes this work is the volunteerism in vetting the deals combined with the community that supports the companies (as customers and more).

This program reminds me of Kiva but more local.  In the case of North Carolina slow money, it is  less automated and more personal.  With Kiva, the lenders make no interest but the organizations that do the lending, collecting and accounting make fees and interest and unfortunately, in many cases, those are too high and make the money expensive.

There is lots more information on the North Carolina program at http://slowmoneync.org/.  

Good book.  I liked the stories.  Probably partly of interest to me since I know some of the people involved including my brother who has a prominent part.

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Sort of related but not...

One interest I have in general is vegetable gardening (even though my garden has a lot of weeds now so you would think I had little interest and for that matter, I have less interest in it when it has weeds).  

I have long thought that more people should grow their own food.  I think it builds an appreciation of food.  And the freshness cannot be beat so I think it is healthier.  Most people who garden can do it organically since they are not trying to get 110% yield and can accept a few blemishes.

I think being outside and the minor amount of exercise involved is also good for people.  As is the connection with the land.

I think it would be great to start a movement where people are encouraged to garden and more people did garden. 

Perfectionism Hurts Productivity

This morning I was feeling Blogger guilt.  That is what happens when a blogger does not feel they are posting often enough.  As I thought about it and looked at some notes on possible blog entries I was working on, I realized the reason I was not posting was perfectionism (even though this blog is far from perfect - just ask some of my proof reading friends (and I do greatly appreciate it when a reader points out something that needs fixing).

 

I was trying to coach a friend on time management and sent him the following email:

 

When I have skills I need to master, I set myself up with a deliberate learning system.  Some things I have done that work for me:

1 - I take every book on the topic that there is out of the library.

2 - as I read, I write notes.  I know you know how to study - you have a PhD. 

3  - I take CDs out.  I often have some car time that I am not on the phone and even with short trips to work, I can get through some.  And I also listen on some of my exercise (this is actually a time management trick - the power of while)

4 - Spend 25 minutes per day studying the skill.  It sounds like little time but it quickly adds up.  (Interestingly, this is also a time management technique that I have found effective - the Pomodoro system.  Look it up and see if it might be one you try)

5 - meet with mentors.  You do not need a formal mentoring program - just ask people you think who might have something to teach you.  Pick up a few tips.

6 - repeating over and over that "I am not a good time manager" simply reinforces it in your mind.  It also gives you an excuse "oh - don't mind me, I am always late".  Change your self talk to "that's not like me...".  Sounds crazy but it really does work.

 

7 - attend seminars

 

8 - sign up for time management blogs and newsletters.  (interestingly, at one time, more than half my blog entries were on time management - hence the blog name - Time Leadership)

I was not always good at itt.  That is why I ended up writing a book on Time Management.  It all started with a learning project.

The CEO Code

I read a book by David Rohlander - The CEO Code - Create a Great Company and Inspire People to Greatness with Practical Advice from an Experienced Executive.

The title says it all.  Rohlander is a highly experienced executive with lots of great gems.

I liked that the first section was on communication - clearly one of the key CEO needs.  It was further broken into sections on trust, respect, understanding, empathy and resolution.  Each chapter elaborates and delves into those topics.

Each chapter had a "Take time to reflect" series of questions which add greatly to the content.  I find reflecting on questions to be a great way to really get value from what I have read.

Part II is on execution and that one has a chapter on my favorite topic - habit.  It also had a chapter on action which I think is one of the things that separates the truly great from the mediocre.

Part III finished on operations.  The operations section had a great chapter on systems.  I am a big believer that the systems and processes a company has in place help them to grow and "do things right".

It had a great interview checklist with questions that I think I will start using as I interview people.  This, alone, makes the book worthwhile.

Excerpts from the book:

The blessing of being outdone by the competition is it provides you with an opportunity to "go to school".  How did they beat you?  What did they do better than you?  What will you do to eliminate or minimize their appeal and maximize your own?...Good competition will make everyone better.
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Values

The foundation for your goals is based on clarifying your values.  Your personal life and your professional life will be most fulfilling when the basis of all your actions and decisions is grounded in your values.


 Good book - worth reading.

Small Stories - Big Changes

 My brother, Lyle has his latest book out.  He is a real author with a real publisher.   I have reviewed his previous books Biodiesel Power, Small is Possible and Industrial Evolution.

The book is about sustainability and came the same day the NY Times ran an article on the mass forced movement of population from farms to cities in China.  What a contrast.

This book - Small Stories - Big Changes is actually a series of chapters - each written by different authors.   Lyle knits them all together.  Lyle is a great writer/story teller.  Doing the book this way did not let him get as much of his story telling out (although he did tell of going to a potluck with squirrel roadkill as his contribution - OK you really need to read it to get the full gist of it).

I like books written this way because you can put them down anytime and start a new chapter.  So it is like a series of short, self contained stories.  And of course I read it cover to cover in one sitting because it interested me.

I sense the book is meant to inspire and it does.  Each author tells of their own small part they do to help the environment and help create a sustainable world.   One quote from Mother Theresa was included which sums some of it up "We can do no great things - just small thing with great love".  And it is the small things that add up.

I worry that there can be a snobbery even in the sustainability world where people look down on others as "not being real green".  One of the authors tells of a government meeting where she was proud to have bought a Prius (this is what I drive too but I drive the Prius C so am even more friendly (See - I can snob too)) and one of the committee members was berating her for a Prius not really helping much.

Two of the chapters were written by family.  Glen, my brother, wrote about Sky Generation complete with the intrigue of the anti green Power Workers Union hiring a big PR firm to spread untruths about wind power and nuclear. 

My niece, Jessalyn, wrote about her Greenteam ad agency experiences.  Her chapter had some of the best humor - like her adventures looking for an apt in NYC and learning to ask the right questions like "does a 2 bedroom really mean 2 bedroom or do we have to buy a wall?" and "is the bathroom really separate or is it in one of the bedrooms?".

Of course I am biased but I think it is a great book.  Good work Lyle.

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And blog posts from some companies I have invested in are interesting:

From Organimi

From Primal Fusion - a new Wordpress plugin(who always are incredibly insightful)

Ambiverts win - Daniel Pink at World Innovation Forum.

I have blogged often about one of my favorite writers and speakers - Daniel Pink.  I wrote a review of his book a Whole New Mind.    And I shared one of his videos.  And blogged when I last hear him speak live.

I guess you could say I am a bit of a Daniel Pink groupie.

Today he spoke about sales - a topic near to my heart.  The quotes below are what Pink said (although sometimes paraphrased because I can only type so fast.)

"Management consultants get paid by the syllable.    So they coined the word "Disintermediation"".

In 2000, 1 in 9 people worked in sales.  13 years later - social media, smart phones, cloud computing, tablets etc.  But 2013 we still have 1 in 9.  So why would this be?  Pink has the theory that in 2000, many of the people who were not "classified" as being in sales actually were. 

"Like it or not - we are all in sales".  So why are people embarrassed to say they are in sales?  Pink did a 7,000 person survey asking.  "What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of sales?"  He took the top adjectives (since they denote an opinion and most nouns are just synonyms).  "Pushy, hard, yuck, annoying, manipulative, sleazy, tough, challenging, uncomfortable etc   4:1 ratio of negative to positive."  Hence people do not want to say they are in sales.

"This view is completely wrong".  "Most of what we know about sales comes from a world where there is information asymmetry - the seller always knew more and the buyers had few choices and had little voice.  The world of buyer beware.  This asymmetry is being shifted though.  Much more power is now in the hands of a buyer.  We are close to information parity."

He cited the case of buying a new car.  The buyers now know the costs.  So now it is a world of seller beware.  The world has changed.  Social media also amplifies this since buyers have power to have a voice if a seller if the seller makes any perceived mistake.

"The old ABC of selling was Always Be Closing - now it is Attunement, Bouyancy, Clarity.  Attunement is about being able to see the others point of view.  Bouyancy is stay positive. And Clarity is identify problems."

"If a buyer knows precisely the problem, they can solve their own problem.  So the new skill has shifted from problem solving to problem identifying. " 

"In general people of high power take their own perspective (not empathizing) but people of low power see the others'view.  Why?  Low power people survive by pleasing and understanding others.  So increase your effectiveness by reducing your power."

"Extroverts are more likely to go into sales but there is almost no correlation between sales success and extroversion.  Ambiverts actually are the best sales people.  What is an ambivert?  People who are some of both (Introvert and Extrovert) - near the middle.  (Interestingly, I am near the middle of the scale when I do the Meyers Briggs test - just like most people are).  So the message in sales is "be more like yourself". 

Pink did give a marketing example.  People were sent a personal letter to donate that has a specific and easy way to act.  From those predisposed - huge response in his test (44%) compared to only 8% when the the letter was general "dear student". 

Those who were not got a 0 response rate when they were not predisposed to a general letter (as expected).  Those who were predisposed responded in 8% of the cases to the general letter. 

But the results were 25% and 44% to specific letters.  Clearly specific and personal asks work in marketing.  (This is one reason Karma works so well for fundraising)

We overstate the persons disposition but context predicts behavior.  Personal and specific asks work.

When the facts are on your side - ask questions.   When people have their own reasons they believe them more strongly.  Best example of this is Regan "are you better off today than you were 4 years ago". 

The caution - if the answer is not the answer you want then the question backfires in a bigger way.