- livingthedash.tv

Strength & Weakness

Aaron — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:13:26 +0000

We are in the middle of a series at church called, Tightrope – Living in the Tension. This weekend’s message focused on the tension between strength and weakness.

Pastor Kerry used 2 Corinthians 12:7 – 10 where Paul describes one of his own weaknesses or “thorn in his flesh”.

Thought I would share a few of my notes from the message…….

Your greatest weakness might just be your greatest gift.

If you want to impress people, impress them with your strengths. If you want to influence people, influence them by admitting your weaknesses.

A weakness is a gift because it……

builds my character

removes my complacency

increases my compassion

gives God credit

God’s power works best in weak people.

It is not about your weakness, it is about God’s greatness.

Sometimes it takes God being all you have for you to realize he is all you need.

Instead of focusing on how ordinary you are, focus on how extraordinary He is.

Focus not on the giant of your problem, but on the greatness of your God.

Your weakness doesn’t determine your worth.

Invade and Disrupt

Aaron — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:27:08 +0000

The story of Matt Mullenweg is an interesting one. He is the founding developer of Wordpress, the popular open-source blogging software. At the age of only 25, he has already been named as as one of PC World’s Top 50 People on the Web and Business Week’s 25 Most Influential People on the Web.

Matt blogs at ma.tt and his latest post starts like this….

I often get asked something along the line of, “If you weren’t leading Automattic, what would you work on?” There’s not a single answer to this question; the answer changes day to day. But I think if you asked me today, I’d say I would like to start a bank.

He goes on to explain what kind of bank he would start….and it’s nothing like the bank you currently use. Go read the blog post here.

I can’t wait until this type of fresh thinking, creativity, innovation, common sense, and focus on the customer invade and disrupt all of our traditional industries like banking, auto, airline, real estate, etc.

Creative Dissatisfaction

Aaron — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:38:02 +0000

“We train people to think about improvement all of the time, to have what I call a culture of creative dissatisfaction with the status quo.” - Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer, Tata Consultancy Services [Business Week, How To Build A Culture of Innovation]

Creative dissatisfaction….I like that term.

Employers are always so worried about the satisfaction of their employees. They conduct survey after survey to measure the dissatisfaction. Employee dissatisfaction is seen as a liability.

What if employers changed their perspective and viewed their employee dissatisfaction as an asset? An asset to be used as fuel to drive significant, creative, innovative, positive change.

What if employers said to employees?…….

We recognize that you aren’t satisfied with the way things are. Neither are we. Our mission is not yet accomplished. Our vision is not yet achieved. We want a culture of creative dissatisfaction with the status quo. We want to hear your ideas on how to move forward. Where creativity, innovation, and change are needed, we want you to have the freedom and power to create, innovate, and change.”

Listening to ideas and giving employees the freedom and power to create, innovate, and change are key. Without that, then your employee dissatisfaction is, well, just a liability.

The Eight Engines of Conversational Capital

Aaron — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:00:52 +0000

Just started reading Conversational Capital: How to Create Stuff People Love to Talk About based on the recommendation of my new friend, @jmkeller. [btw..check out his new blog at creativedropbox.blogspot.com.good stuff]

Conversational Capital is a book about building word-of-mouth into a brand experience.

The authors share the following eight engines of conversational capital……

1 // Myths

Myths are the narratives that become part of the very fabric of consumption because they provide important clues as to fundamental meaning of that act.

2 // Rituals

Rituals are an essential part of how human beings create and formalize meaning. The presence of ritual marks out an experience as deeper in meaning – a phenomenon that is true for consumer experiences, as well.

3 // Exclusive Product Offering (E.P.O.)

Exclusive Product Offering (E.P.O.) is about allowing consumers to create an experience that asserts and actualizes their individuality; to, in a world of six billion people, feel and be unique.

4 // Relevant Sensorial Oddity (R.S.O.)

Relevant Sensorial Oddity (R.S.O.) is about challenging our senses with something extraordinary, marking an experience as unique.

5 // Icons

Icons are signs and symbols that clearly demarcate a consumption experience from any other.

6 // Tribalism

Tribalism is about the power of a brand experience to inspire the association of like-minded people.

7 // Endorsement

Endorsement is not about celebrity – it’s about how the meaning and intensity of a brand experience naturally lead to credible people organically endorsing it.

8 // Continuity

Continuity is a strong harbinger of reputation, a fact that rests on the unity between what you promise, what people expect and what you deliver.

[HT: Wikipedia]

What new book is on your nightstand or your Kindle?

Your life will leave a mark

Aaron — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:37:16 +0000

My wife’s mother passed away 10 years ago today. She was a special lady so the pain of losing her remains, but stronger than the pain is the positive legacy that she left behind.

She has been gone for a while, but I still see her legacy in my wife. I even see her legacy in our boys and they never even had the opportunity to meet their grandmother.

Your life will leave a mark. Your impact, good or bad, doesn’t end when you do.