Bob Poole's Water Cooler Hangout

Barn Raisers and Keeping Score.

2010-02-09T04:00:00-05:00

What does it take to get you to do something for someone? I'm not referring to myself but anyone. The Amish are well known for their barn-raising. When one of the group needs a new barn a date is set and the entire community turns out to raise it. It becomes a way to socially communicate as well as to accomplish the necessary task.

Do the Amish take part in these raisings because they fear if they don't the community won't be there to help them. Personally, I don't think it has anything to do with fear - or keeping score.

Do you have friends and colleagues who keep score. I do. They can tell you who bought lunch the last time (and the time before) and who did who a favor last. Other friends don't use a scorecard. They do things because of love. They do things because they believe it is the right thing to do and they feel deeply about doing good. Their love enables them to lend a hand, cook a meal, buy lunch, or offer their time and resources. They are Barn Raisers.

We have a lot of people in our world with the potential to be Barn Raisers. But, a lot of them are in a waiting pattern. I want to learn how to bring them together. We can use the social networking tools available to get their attention. But, then how do we get them to actually take action or participate? And, how do we get them to do it for a sustainable period?

Some of them were taught to keep score a long time ago and it has become part of their culture. "It's a dog-eat-dog world," they were taught. "Look out for number one," is a phrase I would like to permanently remove from the lexicon.

How can we create a community of Barn Raisers?

Do you have any ideas?

Photo compliments of Cindy47452 on Flickr

Super Bowl for Life

2010-02-08T14:15:39-05:00

I didn't watch any post Super Bowl interviews with the Colts but I wouldn't be at all surprised if one of the team apologized for letting down the team and fans. We put an awful lot of expectation on people and more often than not, they can't meet those expectations. And, so they feel the need to apologize.

If you have seen any Olympic coverage of the upcoming games in Vancouver, you know doubt have seen the image of Lindsey Vonn. I wish her the best and hope she wins gold in all her endeavors. But, I think people are putting an awful burden of expectation on her. Hell, she could have the best ski run of her life and lose because weather conditions changed for other racers. Will Lindsey have to apologize to her fans, team and country?

Sidney Crosby is carrying the entire Canadian nation on his shoulders when they play for a golf medal in hockey. Many, many Canadians already have stated that anything less than gold will be a failure and will be his failure. Why do we expect god-like performances from sports stars when winning or losing doesn't mean a hill of beans a week later?

And, yet at the same time, we are willing to settle for so much less from people whose performances really do matter - performances that can change lives for better or worse. People whose impact can and will be felt for the ages - people like school teachers, elected representatives, parents, bosses, and religious leaders.

These people have the ability to affect our lives in such a way as to make an impact like no sports star can ever imagine. And, yet, we take them for granted a lot of the time. We seldom recognize the superstars and we much too often allow the failures to continue failing over and over.

I enjoy sports very much but I wish I would see some of the passion people have for their teams and players be shifted to the people who really do make a difference. What if we raised our expectations for the people who can and do affect us? What if we were less willing to accept failure on their part. What if we gave them the kind of support we give our sports heroes?

What would happen if we held ourselves to the same standards of success we expect from sports stars?

Are You In The Movies

2010-02-05T04:05:00-05:00

I've had two Aha experiences in my life that are visual in nature. Well, three if you count the first time I saw Playboy magazine. The other two occurred:

when I was around 14 years old and developed my first photographic print.
in 1970 when I saw the results from one of the first Sony video cassette cameras

Seeing that first photo come to life in the developer changed my life and sent me off on a career in photography and journalism.

The video from that first camera changed just not me but the world.

It was now possible for someone to make and see movies immediately. You didn't have to have film that needed developed and you could carry the equipment with you. Sure it was clunky and heavy. It would take another 5 years or so before a consumer model was made. Now you can buy a camera for a hundred dollars that will fit in your hand. You can shoot a video, edit it, upload it to a site like YouTube and have a potential audience of millions of people worldwide. And, you can do all that in less time than it takes many people to wake up in the morning.

Over the last 30 years, I always make sure two things occur in my marketing efforts. Whatever the marketing it has to educate and entertain. Both of these have to occur or I know the campaign isn't going to work.

Video let's you do both with greater impact. Images evoke emotion in all of us. Movies make us laugh and cry. They can scare us, teach us and inspire us. And, they can do it in 90 minutes or 90 seconds.

Video used to be cost-prohibitive for most small businesses. Not any more. It is now a cost-effective way to communicate your message that is better than most mediums available today.

Here's what my friend Paul Durban of BlazonFire has to say about the use of video.

"It seems that with every technological advance our attention spans are getting shorter. This may be the Information Age, but we want our information NOW. People no longer want to spend precious time combing through a website for information. If they can't find the answer to the "What's in it for me?" question within seconds, POOF!!!! They are gone.

Video helps to bridge that short, but oh so deep gap. It allows businesses to put their best foot forward quickly and succinctly while engaging the viewer. We're reaching the point where video is almost expected on many sites. It has become today's version of the elevator pitch."

You can use video on your website, blog, mobile devices, and any where that will display digital media. You can make CD's, DVD's, mail out inexpensive thumb drives or make a presentation using a digital projector.

Are you using video now? Do you plan on using it? If not - why not???

Is Complaining About Poor Service Windmill Tilting?

2010-02-04T11:43:13-05:00

Bill is always looking for examples of extraordinary customer service but he says he doesn't experience it nearly as often as poor customer service. That probably does not qualify as breaking news to you.

Bill says that when he finds extraordinary service he makes sure to recognize the person directly and also by letting their company or supervisor know. I asked him what he does when he experiences bad customer service and I think his response is typical for a lot of us.

"I used to let the person know their service was unacceptable and also notify their management but I pretty much gave up doing that," says Bill. "I found out that most of the time the company and management did nothing or made excuses rather than taking responsibility and making the customer happy."

Personally, I haven't given up on letting people know despite the frustration that often accompanies my efforts. I think if you don't tell them you're unhappy and their service is unacceptable it is unlikely to change. But, sometimes I feel like I'm tilting at windmills.

For example, I print my own postage online. It's no different than using a postage meter which has been happening since 1920 when Pitney-Bowes invented it and got it approved by the USPS for commercial use. With online printing you can do even more things including printing photo stamps. I use ones with a photo of "Listen First - Sell Later" on the stamp. It's inexpensive marketing and every week someone who gets mail from me comments about the stamp. I'm happy to share with them how they can do it themselves.

But, back to customer service. I live in the little town of Perkasie, PA which is served by a post office that is probably less than half the size it needs to be. While the town is small the mailing area for Perkasie is huge. I'm sure it was created back when there were more cows than people. That has changed and now it is a very busy and understaffed place. However, I find that the postal employees there are a great group of people and my mail carrier gives exceptional service.

Then there is the one guy who usually mans the window in the lobby. Two people could work this window but other than holiday mailing season it is always the same guy. And, he doesn't care about good service. In fact, he seems angry that his customers can do what he get paid to do. He's the guy who weighs your mail and puts the stamp on it. And, he knows all the rules. Well, actually he kind of knows all the rules. Nobody knows all of them because the USPS is always changing them and some are contradictory.

It never fails that when he is presented with mail that is already stamped and all he needs to do is say thank you and put it in the bin to go out that he has to make a comment about it. He wants to argue about packaging, stamping, forms, and anything else that is presented. I've seen him do this with pretty much anyone that drops things off where he doesn't get to sell the stamps and interpret the rules.

Today, I mailed about a dozen books to people and I used media mail. The stamp I printed has media mail printed on it. When I gave him these packages and told him they were all media mail he looked like he wanted to open each one to make sure I wasn't including some kind of contraband. He then told me, "These should be stamped media mail." and proceeded to use a stamp older than the post office to stamp red "Media Mail" all over the packages.

I said, "The stamp itself already has media mail printed on it." "Well, someone might not read that." was his response as he continued stamping away in glee. Out of curiosity I looked online to see what the post office required. Here is the rule - Mark each piece "Media Mail" and "Presorted" or "PRSRT" in the postage area. That was exactly what I had done. And, once again he was wrong and making his own rules up.

Now this may not seem like terrible service to you but it really is. In fact, it is probably worse service than the person who just doesn't care. If the post office were a business it is most likely that they would be out of business. Upper management has gone to great lengths to encourage the use of their services in order to help stem the flow of red ink. This guy, for whatever reason, makes people want to do anything but do business with him.

AT&T mobile is being attacked right now by Verizon for providing poor service with their 3G network. You've seen the ads and I've read many a blog and tweet that seem to agree. You'd think they would be working really hard to keep every customer happy.

Nope. In fact they have a policy right now that is likely to drive people away. More on that in a future post. Meanwhile, you might want to check out Validas. They might be able save you money on your mobile phone bills. I have no connection to them but they saved me a pretty good chunk of money by letting me know about a better plan that AT&T never mentioned to me. And, I've been their customer since they bought Cingular!

How do you deal with poor customer service? Do you let them know? Do you let management know? Or, have you given up like Bill?

Selling and Marketing To The Different Person

2010-02-03T17:32:48-05:00

Some of us thrive on risk and others fear making a mistake first and foremost. Laurie enjoys a good party as much as anyone while Jon hates the idea of idle chatter. Just give Paul the handouts for the workshop and he'll be happy. He has things to do and can't sit through one without constantly checking his email. Meanwhile, Marie sits right up front and takes copious notes.

Some people ask lots of questions in a sales situation but never listen to the answers. Others hang onto every word looking for you to say something they know can't be true. Like using the phrase "everyone likes." They know that's not possible and they automatically distrust you.

I know a man whose office doesn't look like he's ever in it and yet he's there every day. He uses a table instead of a desk that accumulates clutter. The photos on his credenza look like people who might have already been in the frame when he bought it. He speaks in a monotone with absolutely no emotion. In my opinion he has the personality of a dead mackerel and yet his fellow accountants elected him as their managing partner.

Then there is Alan who wants you to take care of all the details for him. He trusted you right away and even though he knows some people will let him down - he's not going to change. Jodi is more cautious. She needs to wait and see. Will you do what you say you'll do? Are you all style and no substance? She needs to know before she trusts and buys.

Why is any of this important? Do you want to be a successful marketer, sales person, communicator? People want to be communicated with in the way that makes them most comfortable. They won't tell you that but doing so is quite often the difference between success and failure.

They will tell you how to approach them and communicate if you take the time to listen, observe and learn. Marketers target their messages this way. Salespeople and small business owners seldom do and it would make all the difference in their lives, earnings and success if they did.

There are a number of resources you can find using Google. And, I'm going to put together some videos for you that I hope will help. Stay tuned.

Cliff's Story

2010-02-02T17:01:12-05:00

Quite often a picture really is worth a thousand words. Here is a story told by a young man who was inspired to do something that inspires me. I'll let him tell the story.

Click here to be inspired.

Freezing Lizard Brains and Cows That Aren't Purple

2010-01-29T14:59:54-05:00

My brain just froze! It has nothing to do with the weather (which is 15F) or the lizard (which you can learn more about here). At least I hope not.

Let me explain. For the past 3 days I have been immersed in:

Trying out some sales and marketing software that really excites me with its potential for small business.
Talking to as many people as possible about Linchpin and why they will want to read it.
Creating a new video which will launch soon. Here is my channel. I'll let you know when the new video is up for viewing.
Working with two new small business clients who want to change from their old style of marketing.
Collaborating with friends and tribe members (those are synonymous) on ideas including at least 5 new eBooks.

So, I just sat down to write a post to you. And, that's when my brain froze up. I didn't know what to write about first or last for that matter.

Let's start with talking about businesses that want to change how they market. Maybe this is you or someone you know.

You've been in business now for a while and you're doing okay. You made it past that first five years. You know you can do better but you're finding that the way you found customers for all the years you've been in business just isn't working anymore. Yellow pages don't work. Print ads don't work. You tried telemarketing and it worked once but now there are Do Not Call lists and you know people don't want to be bothered by your commercial when they are home relaxing. You used to be able to send out a letter or a postcard and count on responses but now even that is drying up if all you're doing is interrupting people.

You're ready to try something different. You keep hearing about social media and Twitter and Facebook and wonder if that is the answer. You hear about blogs but don't know the first thing about having one.

Marketing has changed and it wasn't evolution. It was a revolution. So, how do you start using it?

Here's the bad news. It's a lot of work. Instead of telling your advertising salesperson to run a new ad you're now the chief marketing officer. You always were but a lot of you delegated that part of the job. You'll have to go back to school in a manner of speaking. Your gut is correct and there is a lot to learn. But, there is plenty of help. Books, videos, CD's, support groups, forums, blogs, vlogs, consultants, coaches and mentors.

Right now a blog is the foundation of the new marketing. Tomorrow (and I mean soon) it could be a video blog. You're going to have to learn how to create relationships with people not for the purpose of selling them something but because you have some important value to offer them in the way of solutions and education and more.

You've got to be authentic and if you're not good with people you'd better hire someone who is because that's a quality - an art - that is indispensable in this new marketing.

Yep. It is going to be a lot of work even if you hire a coach or consultant or find a mentor. And, if they tell you anything differently - run.

It's your choice. You can adapt, learn, and join us and hang on for the ride when you do.

Or, you can forget everything I just wrote and don't change a thing. You can try and milk it for a while but that cow is drying up. And, it sure as heck isn't a purple one.

Seth Godin Interview About Linchpin

2010-01-26T17:32:16-05:00

For those of you who would rather read than listen - here is the transcript of the interview I did with Seth Godin this morning about "Linchpin - Are You Indispensable."

Bob Poole: Good morning. I’m with Seth Godin, and today we’re going to discuss his latest book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensible? Which, by the way, has just been released today, so this is a special day for you, Seth. Welcome!

Seth Godin: Well, thank you so much. It’s almost anti-climatic given how hard we’ve been working on this thing. So, I’m thrilled to have pressed the publish button, and things are working the way they’re supposed to.

BP: Great, I see it already climbing on Amazon over the last 24 hours so I’ll be following it to see when it hits number one.

So tell me, what is a Linchpin, and what is it according to you and the book?

SG: Well, in the old days, a linchpin was a tiny piece of hardware, very light in weight and low in cost that held the wheel onto the wagon. Without a linchpin the wheel would fall off. It’s the part you can’t live without.

And I use that as a talking point to get me started down this road of talking about how our economy has shifted from 150 or 200 years of industrial compliance in which a workers job is to feed the machine and keep the system running, to a new age which just dawned, a revolution, in which the employees we’re willing to pay, and the people we seek out, and the jobs that we care about, are done by people, not who follow a manual, and do what they’re told, but people who matter, who make a difference, who are linchpins, who we can’t live without.

BP: Fantastic! The thing that really struck me about the book when I was reading it, is that I felt a personal connection to you, there was something about it that was different from your other books. And in fact, I know in the introduction you wrote, “This time it’s personal.” Can you tell us what you meant when you wrote that?

SG: Well, I didn’t mean it was personal about me, I meant it was personal about you. All my other books have been about systems, about policies, about ways that you use tools to help an organization, a politician, a fundraising organization, a for-profit, go out into the world and spread an idea. In this book, I’m trying to say “Wait a minute. If the underlying intent isn’t what it needs to be, then it’s not going to get you anywhere.” The systems can only take us so far, and in fact, this book is the anti-system book. It says that individuals are the building blocks of everything we have, and we need to get back to the humanity of the individual.

BP: I notice the first half of the book seems to be a lot about the new world of work, and how we got where we are today, where so many people are unhappy with their jobs and their lives, and what was sold to many of us as the American Dream. My father, for example, spent his entire life working in the same steel mill, doing the same job. And, you know, I was raised to kind of believe that was what you were supposed to do, you went to work for one company and they took care of you.

So what was the dream, in your words, and why do you write that the people in America are still waiting to do in every corporation.

SG: All of us were sold that dream. We were cajoled and pushed and brainwashed. There was a reason for it, and the reason is if you own a factory, whether it’s a steel mill or an insurance company or an airline, you need it to be filled with workers who do what they’re told. And the more people who want that job, the less you have to pay.

If there’s a line out the door, then you can mistreat and disrespect people, and pay them less because you can easily replace them. So, the school system was complicit in building out generations of people who follow these instructions. So, right now, there’s a lot of people blamelessly in pain because the system is falling apart but they’re still doing what they were told.

BP: So, then people want to change, and there are people out there, who want to make a change, but we don’t according to the book, and I hit page 101 and found the longest chapter maybe in any book ever written and it’s called “The Resistance,” and it’s all about the Resistance and something you call ‘the lizard brain,’ which causes us to confuse fear and anxiety, right?

SG: That’s right, Steve Pressfield came up with the term ‘the Resistance,’ and then I combined it with some brain science and the Triune Theory that talks about the lizard brain, the amygdale, the pre-historic brainstem that is now miswired, but is responsible for us surviving saber tooth tigers and dark, scary jungles. That what we evolved to do is to stay with the village, keep our head down and do what we were told, and not be out on our own. That being laughed at 10,000 years ago was a really bad idea, ‘cause it was the step before being expelled. Now, doing things that get you laughed at is what makes you safe and secure.

BP: Now, let’s say I’m a cubical dweller, or maybe I have my own office. Okay? I’m middle management, I’ve been with the same very large corporation for twenty years and with each passing week I realize I want to leave. I know I’m talented, I’m a linchpin already where I work, which I I’ve gotten where I am, but I’ve had enough of the corporate world. But at the same time, I’m afraid, I’m afraid to make the move. Why do you think that is?

SG: Well, I’m not pushing people to quit their jobs. I think if you want to quit your job that’s a fine thing to do. But I also think that in our economy and culture, there’s a lot to be said for being part of an organization, it gives you leverage.

What I’m saying is, if you have a choice between doing great work and maybe getting fired, or doing mediocre work and thinking that you’re safe, you’re better off taking the first choice. Because there were 20,000 auto workers in Detroit who thought they were safe and they all lost their jobs. And there were 100 people at that small business down the road who thought they were playing it safe and they lost their jobs.

What you need to do, if you’re going to keep your job, is lean into it and use it as a platform: a platform for doing your art, for making your contribution. And it’s a great place, I mean, my first job taught me so much because, you know, there were 16 million dollars in venture money. Harvard University kicked in at least half of it. I was surrounded by thirty or forty really smart people. And I was the third guy down on the totem pole. I wasn’t the senior management. No one worked for me, I had no direct reports. What a great place to play and learn and make a commotion! Because I could launch a product, get into Lechmere, and Kmart, and Target, and if it failed I didn’t have to sell my house, somebody else had to worry about that.

So, that opportunity made a huge difference to me, and I think it’d make a difference to just about anyone. The irony is, the really good part, is that the people who are running the company, want you to do that! You’ve persuaded yourself that what they want you to do is nothing, and be boring, and sit still, but that’s not really what they want. They want you to push them to have bigger market share and better connections and a bigger network. And you’ve just been silently blaming them when that’s not really the point.

BP: Yeah, I think you touched on that in, you wrote two secret memos, one of was for employees and one was for employers. I’m not gonna, you know, I’m not going to give up the story, but they were great. What do you think employers are going to do when they read linchpin. How do you think most of them will respond?

SG: Well, first I don’t mind if you give up the story. My goal is to spread the idea, and if it spreads without the book, that’s okay with me.

There’s two kinds of employers. The employers who don’t understand the magic of what they do are going to want everything to stay the same. They don’t want people who are indispensible. They want compliant, disposable workers. They’re not going to buy this book for all their employees. Don’t worry about it, it’s not going to happen. But I don’t think you should work there anyway, because those companies are doomed. You know, the Western Unions of the world, they’re still waiting for the telegraph to come back. That’s going to be a problem.

On the other hand, most companies, particularly smaller companies, are saying “You know what? There’s a lot of change in the world, I like running a small company, I’d rather survive and thrive by filling this place with people who will take responsibility and stand up for what they believe in, than I would to fill it with people who are waiting for me to tell them what to do.”

BP: You use the phrase, “Real artists ship.” What does that mean, and why is it important?

SG: Well, I stole it from Steve Jobs. And he uttered it in his unique way to a programmer who was begging for one more day, one more day, one more day to keep tweaking code.

What I’m trying to argue for is that if no one sees your work, if you don’t change people, then you’re not an artist. That painting in your attic, or writing interesting things down and not sharing them, or coding a website that doesn’t get used, that’s not art. That’s, you know, interesting, and it’s a hobby, but it’s not important, because it doesn’t matter. And, if you can’t ship your thing out the door, whatever your thing is, a blog post, or a direct mail letter, or customer service interaction, then you are failing.

BP: Your chapter on gifts, and the gift of art, meant a lot to me. It kind of validated some of my own beliefs. When you write about the gift of art, what do you mean?

SG: So, I was inspired by a book by Lewis Hyde, called The Gift, and what he argues, and I completely concur with, is that it’s not art if you got paid to do it.

Art is the bonus, it’s the extra, it’s the connection, it’s the change. That when Picasso paints a painting he might get paid for the canvas, but seeing it in a museum is free. The Beatles don’t get paid by you when you hear their song on the radio; the joy it gives you is free. The souvenir addition, the concrete instantiation of the item, that costs money. That’s how you can make money. But if you’re not prepared to give a gift, to connect to people, then you’re not going to be able to do art.

BP: I agree with you that something as what might sound as simple as being good with people is really an art. In fact, the linchpins that I know, that came to my mind as I was reading it, are all the very best at being good with people.

SG: Right, so you know you get on the airplane, you paid for the ticket to take you to Cleveland. You didn’t pay for the flight attendant to smile at you. You didn’t pay for the pilot to come out and comfort your granddaughter who’s crying. You didn’t pay for the baggage person to carry the bag out to your car for free and refuse a tip. But after you’re done with the flight, those are the only things you’re going to remember. That’s the bonus, the thing that makes one airline worth more than another. That’s the art of service.

BP: Fantastic. I want to go back to the Resistant, for just a second, too. It’s such an important concept. What do we do about the Resistance? Do we, you know, accept it? Ignore it? Chase it down and beat it to death? What’s the answer to dealing with the Resistance?

SG: The answer is, it needs a name. Right?

If you’re playing golf, and you don’t know about the thing called the hook and the thing called the slice, It’s going to be really hard to fix your game. But once you know the name of it, you’ve got a shot. Right? And that’s exactly what Steve Pressfield did by naming the Resistance.

So once you know it’s there, once you know that that voice in the back of your head that’s keeping you from shipping, the one that’s making you go to meetings, the one that’s having you water down your great idea to make sure that everyone likes it. That voice is a natural part of our evolution. It’s there, and we have to acknowledge it.

Now, there’s lots of things you can do about it. You can be the kind of person who fights it head on. You can be the kind of person who views it as a weathervane. That’s what I do. If the resistance is loud, I know I’m on the right track. I do exactly the opposite of whatever it says. So that means if there’s a guy down the hall who you’ve been meaning to have an honest heart to heart talk with, and the resistance says, “Well, maybe you should just postpone it until tomorrow; it’s not the right astrological moment” and stuff, that’s your signal to do that difficult thing. Go have that difficult conversation.

Other people learn to make it their friend. To say, “You know what, that’s part of who I am, it’s there, I’m used to it now.” There’s lots of different ways to get through it, but what I know is that every artist that I’ve ever spoken to, in every field, has told me the Resistance is present. And everyone deals with it in a different way.

BP: How ‘bout recognizing the lizard brain, the resistance… how do we know when it’s at work? He lives in our gut, is that…?

SG: The lizard is never going to tell you not to have that hot fudge sundae. The lizard is never going to tell you not to ream out that parking attendant who was two minutes late getting you your car. The lizard never speaks up when you’re about to do something selfish. That’s not its job, that’s a different part of your brain.

The lizard is the one that speaks up when, maybe just maybe, you’re about to get laughed at. And if that’s the situation you’re in, and you hear that voice in the back of your head, that’s worried about that speech you have to give, or that phone call you have to make, or that graphic that you’re about to post. That is what the lizard sounds like. And it won’t take you very long to figure out the tone of its voice.

BP: I think I’ve heard the lizard a few times.

SG: [Belly laughs]

BP: So, in reading your other books, and following your online posts, I feel like people always want you to provide a map. In fact, I’ve even seen criticisms that you don’t give people enough direction. But that’s the whole point of being indispensible, isn’t it?

SG: Well, you know, this is valuable because it’s scarce. Right? If everyone could do this, no one would pay extra for it.

So, if I could tell you how to do it, everyone would do it. I can’t tell you how to do it. No one can tell you how to do it. When you go to art school, Bob, they don’t teach you how to be Picasso, or Shepard Fairey, or Monet, or Manet, because they don’t know. They can teach you how to paint. They can teach you how to do a still life that looks like a photograph. But they can’t teach you how to do the next thing. ‘Cause no one knows, except you. So, my job is to say, this is the opportunity, and in fact the obligation. But if you want the step-by-step “Twitter for Dummies, Blogging for Idiots” manual, I don’t write those. Sorry.

BP: Okay. You know, when I finished reading Linchpin, I realized that it really isn’t a business book, in my mind, but really a book about how to find your purpose in life, and it’s a book about living the life we all deserve. Would you agree with that? Was that your goal?

SG: Well, isn’t that all of our goals? I mean, we didn’t build the internet, as I said earlier, to someone, just so we could sit around wasting time watching Paris Hilton videos. And we didn’t spend all those years in school just so we could sit around at Aetna Insurance stamping insurance forms. There’s way more to do.

And as Baby Boomers get older and we look around and say “Is that it?” I guess my answer to us is, “No, it’s not.” What’s “it” is this idea of connection and change and transformation. And I’m not sure I mind sounding a little bit like a New Age guru when I saw these things, because sometimes New Age gurus are right. And what we’re right about, if I am one, and I’d like to think I’m not, but if they’re right, it’s that this whole system we’ve built has a bigger purpose than yet another McMansion. And I think the purpose of it is to do work that we’re proud of.

BP: Well, the new American Dream, you describe it as, “Be remarkable, be generous, create art, make judgment calls, connect people and ideas, and, in the end, we have no choice but to reward you.” I think that’s a great summary to the book.

SG: I’ll settle for that.

BP: Is there anything else you’d like to add today?

SG: I want to add that the people who read what you write are really lucky. We’re fortunate that you wake up every day to do it, and I want to thank you for kicking in, and standing up, and doing work that matters.

BP: Well, thank you very much, Seth, I appreciate that. You have a wonderful day, and the best of luck with Linchpin. I’ll be following the action today, and all the Hoopla!

SG: Thanks so much, we’re working on it. See you later!

BP: See you later. Bye.

Live Linchpin Interview With Seth Godin

2010-01-26T10:43:38-05:00

"Linchpin - Are You Indispensable," was released to the public this morning. I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy and interviewing Seth this morning. The interview is about 16 minutes long and you can listen to it by using the embedded player below. We'll also have a transcribed copy to read but that will take a little bit longer.

Here is the interview:

Ritalin vs Following Your Own Path?

2010-01-25T17:14:32-05:00

How are you doing at finding and following your life's passion? Your purpose for existence? Your art as Seth Godin describes in his new book, "Linchpin - Are You Indispensable?"

It's the difference between just getting by in life or living a life rich in happiness and fulfillment. It's the difference between being creative or being told what to do. It's the difference between being able to encourage others to find their own purpose or complaining about everyone and everything else.

I want you to find it because when you are following your own path and not one that someone else put you on or one you think you need to follow, we all win. The world is better.

Maybe you're like me and when you were in school in those first few years you learned not to follow your path anymore. I loved grades 1-3. Not so much after that. I heard a story a couple of years ago that I had forgotten. It seems like in those first years of school I was always completing all my work and then I wanted to help others. School was fun for me. But, it wasn't how the game was supposed to be played. I was always in trouble for not following the rules. And, I asked too many questions. The nuns finally resorted to sending me on errands to buy things at a local 5 & 10 to give me something to do. Today I would have be given Ritalin.

I forgot all that. But, I do remember by the time 4th grade rolled around I stopped being as interactive in class. I stopped caring a whole lot about school and spent my time learning on my own. Experience became my teacher and I immersed myself. I'd do enough in class to get the B that kept me out of trouble at home. I stopped following the path the system had laid out for me and followed my own.

I'm not going to tell you that it is easy. You'll have plenty of failures. And, you'll also find success.

Following your own path. It sounds like the stuff of poetry and dreams.

It's also the stuff of reality and it can be your reality. Those of us who are following our path are here to help you. And, there are many, many more of us than you might realize. Look and you'll find us.