Kem Meyer on Less Clutter & Noise

Holiday break…

 

I’m taking a blogging break until January. But, I’m not going dark. Ongoing online conversations are still happening in shorter bursts.

Merry Christmas!

Two statements that cultivate success…

In this world we all live in, it’s counter-cultural to assume the best in others. It’s almost unheard of to help others succeed if you have nothing to gain from their success. People tend to get caught up in their own task list, insecurities and desires and can’t see the forest through the trees. Every human being has this tendency.

The first time I acknowledged this in myself (with any intentionality) was in 2002 when I read Tim Sander’s book, Love is the Killer App. For me, reading that book was like Extreme Makeover: Mindset Edition.

If you haven’t read it yet, allow me to encourage you to do so. It’s an exponential value-add to society.

And, if you don’t have time to tackle the book right now, I’ve got something to get you started. I read two posts this morning that reinforce two all too-often overlooked ingredients for personal AND organizational success.

1. I trust you.
2. I’ve got your back.

What I've learned from my mistakes...

Question: What mistakes have you made and what/how have you learned from them? Any advice to help me avoid making the same mistakes?

I think we all have a tendency to “fill in the blanks” and make assumptions based on a snapshot. I’ve done it to others, and it’s been done to me. It’s particularly easy to do when someone’s actions don’t match up to what I’m familiar with in my own life.

"Have you ever noticed how we judge ourselves by our intentions while we judge others by their actions?" The Noticer

I’m thankful for the hard lessons I’ve learned in this area, because I’m less likely to jump to conclusions these days. I’ve learned (and am still learning) that the actions don’t tell the whole story. I get the opportunity to dig deeper to discover the story behind the behavior —behind the person. I’m better because of this and would miss out on SO MUCH that’s great in this world if I spent my days running away from, or fighting against, everything new and unknown.

The real boot camp experience for me came when my daughter hit turbulent times in adolescence. I’m convinced those times would have been a lot less turbulent if I hadn’t feared some of the new subcultures resonating with her. I reacted without taking the time to learn about them first. I read an article about Shepard Fairey, founder of OBEY Clothing. In it, he talks about his alternative journey and the assumptions that people made about his methods. The insights were helpful.

My attitude was never ‘I want to be an isolated person and do my own thing in direct opposition to the mainstream’; it was more like ‘I need to be doing what I’m doing, and I need to figure out how to keep doing it by any means necessary.’ A lot of people think if you are into some sort of subculture or alternative culture that means you are anti-mainstream. My idea was always ‘Well, mainstream is kinda sucky a lot of times, but does it have to be?’ It would be cool to educate people about the stuff that I’m into. Sort of, enlighten the mainstream—raise the bar all across the board rather than having to feel like an outsider forever.

Geez, Louise. Is he right, or what? Too often, I have assumed the wrong motives in people. I defaulted to “if they don’t think like us, they must be anti-us.” I think the big takeaway here is to let people color outside the lines. Every time I apply that principle I learn something new.

A lot of church people struggle with this believing whole-heartedly it’s their holy responsibility to live “separate from the world” and fix the sin of anybody they come in contact with. But, here’s the thing … we’re responsible to people, not for them. This applies in every area of our life - in every relationship.

I read something in Mark Waltz’s Lasting Impressions that talks about the difference between being responsible to people versus being responsible for them. It’s been very helpful to me and I refer to it often. When I remember to apply this, it affects how I shape both my personal and corporate communication.

• When I’m responsible to people, I understand they have a choice. When I’m responsible for people, I think I should decide for them.
• When I’m responsible to people, I know they must figure out their next step. When I’m responsible for people, I try to tell them what their next step is.
• When I’m responsible to people, I allow them to bear the brunt of the consequences for their own chosen actions. When I’m responsible for people, I assume the guilt, or worse the shame, for them.
• When I’m responsible to people, I engage in their journey, offering encouragement and teaching. When I’m responsible for people I try to direct their journey, never allowing them to wrestle, mess up or make a wrong turn.
• When I’m responsible to people, I talk to God on their behalf. When I’m responsible for people, I talk to people a lot on God’s behalf.

[Repost from Less Clutter. Less Noise. blog tour May 2009.]

Is your brand being manhandled?

• Given the right tools, a brand is like a person with good communication and adaptation skills. A brand is not a veneer you apply to make a business (product, service or idea) appealing to it’s intended audience. Instead, a brand begins to exist when a business has something to offer to the world (values, services or products).
• Brands are made by people with a shared philosophy. A brand’s personality is shaped by the team of people (the brand’s “handlers”) who get to choose its look, behavior, style, etc. As they shepherd the brand’s development, people act as the brand’s heart, head, eyes, hands, ears and voice.
• Brand experiences are consistent whether a customer is on the phone with a service representative or using a website. The brand has the ability to evolve or surprise, but it still feels “right” and familiar to its constituents—very much like a person they have come to know in different situations over time.
• Brands need friends, or a support system and, again it comes back to people. Everyone (and by that, I mean everyone) who plans, writes, designs or thinks about the brand is responsible for making sure its values remain intact and understandable.
• A group of people with a clear understanding of the brand can create great work – easily. Decisions are made and materials come together readily when everyone on the team collaborates to give it form. A communications team collects, prioritizes and edits the essentials of the brand, providing all the “handlers” what they need to connect with people and the world. The systems they create allows the brand to adapt and evolve; applying different ways to basically anything (print, web, environments, programming, etc.).

Source: Brands are People, Too. by Joy Panos Stauber. Be sure to check out the case study on page 5. I think it has great application and insight for multi-site strategies.

Leaders should act like artists & artists should act like leaders...

How leaders should act like artists (from Harvard Business):

1. Artists constantly collaborate. The example given was the common occurrence of an exhibition with multiple artists showing together, or the so-called "group show." Even in the context of a solo show, the artist works with the gallery owner, the curator, the framers, the installers, the lighting person, the publicist to bring their vision to life. Every exhibition is a collaboration to the nth degree.
2. Artists are talented communicators. The whole point of a work of art is to communicate something — a thought, an idea, a feeling, a vision. More explicitly, the artist frequently gives a talk to explain the thought process behind the artwork. Engaging the audience in a meaningful, expansive dialogue is often critical to the exhibition's success.
3. Artists learn how to learn together. Perhaps the reason why artists collaborate and socialize so well is that they learn in the studio model — ten or more students in the same room for hours on end. Bonded together in a personal space of intimate self-expression, they come into their own through the familial ties of the studio setting. When interviewed recently about the differences in her education at Brown and at RISD, one student who is getting a dual degree from both institutions said, "At RISD there's a lot of learning from your peers. Brown (in the classes I've taken so far anyway) is about listening and note-taking in class."

How artists should act like leaders (from Accidental Creative):

1. I speak my mind and fight for ideas but refuse to play the “victim” when my idea doesn’t win out.
2. I do what’s in the best interest of the team and the project, even when it costs me something.
3. I do the little things that matter even when I could feasibly cut corners.
4. I stretch myself to see things from new points of view.
5. I think strategically, even when I don’t have all the information I want.
6. I don’t point fingers, talk trash or assign blame behind closed doors.
7. I have something that guides my creating beyond comfort and preference.

Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD...

Tension

"When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and get discouraged, I love and I hate, I feel bad about feeling good, I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. I am trusting and I am suspicious. I am honest and I still play games. Aristotle said I am a rational animal; I say I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer." The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning

Who doesn't resonate with that? I know I do. We're all schizophrenic. Not just personally, but corporately. We are constantly balancing (at least we should be) tension in our environments.

As an example, here are three areas of tension we work to effectively balance at Granger:

1. The balance between information and inspiration. People don't need more information. They need inspiration. How do we inspire people with the right information that inspires them to take their next step?
2. The balance between the buzz of a big crowd and intimacy with friends. People like being part of a larger community; being "where it's at". But they process and grow in relationships with friends. How do we create spaces where relationships can happen?
3. The balance between authentic and excellent. In a consumer, media-oriented environment, people expect to engage with quality elements in art and technology. How can we capture attention and avoid gimmicks?
   

What tension do you struggle to balance in your environments? Are you aware of the paradoxes that exist? If not, that should be your first step.

[Repost from May 2005 - still crazy  applicable after all these years.]

Identity crisis: some thoughts about corporate identity

• Fragmented identity equates to lost identity. Where's the purpose in that? Ask yourself, is there one common message and feeling that is present and consistent across every communication tool that touches your audience (online, in-person and in-print). Everything that touches your audience contributes something; the key is to make sure it positively reinforces the message you want to send. (Of course, it helps if you know the one message you want to send.)
• Don't confuse volume with effectiveness. And, don't get sloppy just because you're overwhelmed. If you can't can’t do it right, don't do it. The secret here is that the less you put out there, the easier it is to get it right. Well developed identities are concise and deliberate. (Starbucks=a great coffee experience)
• Audit your touch points. Sometimes it helps to get an outsider's perspective on this. A few years ago, we spent a couple of days with a team from AspireOne and we are still using the information they helped us uncover then - today. It was a great investment. I think this image from the Integrated MarComm blog breaks it down best into three phases
• Touch point 1: Awareness/consideration (pre-purchase)
• Touch point 2: Trial (purchase)
• Touch point 3: Loyalty/advocacy (post-purchase)

This is a great tool to evaluate how all your “parts” play play together nicely as the “whole”. Use this tool to evaluate your programming, facilities, media, print pieces, people, words and actions. You might be surprised with what you find.