Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

Coming to you from cold and still wintery Chicago.  When I left Dallas it was 80 and sunny.  Geez!

 

It’s a very unique week for me as both projects were for NEW CLIENTS.  We have been blessed with a firm book of business with our existing client base and have not taken any new clients for quite a while.

 

In Dallas I was honored to share our ideas on building skill sets around two foundational areas, THINKING and COMMUNICATING.  Then in Chicago I presented on the TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS and taught the creative process in our latest revision to the Creative Surge called “OF OPPOSABLE THUMBS & MAGIC. 

 

A fantastic week creating new relationships and share knowledge.

 

Sunday I leave from Chicago and head to Southern California then back to Dallas on Monday.

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

Today it’s scatter shooting about some interesting things:

 

• Borders:  Hard to believe that the second largest book retailer may be putting itself up for sale.  It may be the only way they can stay open after a rash of disappointing earning quarters.  Their shares dove 28% this week.  Why?  Think Amazon, Wal-Mart and other big block retailers like Sam’s and Costco.
• Cartoon Buildings:  It appears the Ray & Maria Stata Center for Design at MIT is having a ton of problems.  This is one of those really bizarre looking Frank Gehry designs that looks like it dropped on a site from another planet.  I genuinely like some of Gehry’s work and the documentary “Sketches of Frank Gehry” is a brilliant look at the pop architect, but some of his stuff is just plain crazy.  The Stata Center is suffering from some “fundamental errors of craft”.  It might not be all design related, but it is hard not to connect the problems with the weird design.  The more complex the structure the more problems occur.  Take a look at the building http://web.mit.edu/facilities/construction/completed/stata.html .
• Connections:  Many of the Scottish forests are suffering from harsh environmental impact.  It’s not global warming, but instead, a great example of the connected nature of things.  The government put a bounty on wolves due to their impact on farming and farm animals.  Wolves like to eat animals (hard to believe huh!).  So the wolf populations decreases and guess what, the deer population increased since there were less wolves to eat them.  The deer’s eat tree shoots and when there are lots of deer’s they eat a LOT of tree shoots.  The Scotland forests are in serious danger due to a lack of understanding of connections.  Interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:     21 opens this weekend and Kevin Spacey will make it worth watching.  It’s based on the true story of MIT students who develop a card counting system and take it to Vegas.

 

NetFlix Fans:  People Will Talk – A Cary Grant classic.

 

TV:    Nothing turning my head here.  House MD returns on April 7!

 

BOOKS:  Texas Rangers 1821-1900  by Mike Cox is a fantastic and accurate look at these legendary lawmen.  Full of drama and violence, just like the frontier.

 

MUSIC:  Surfing music and came upon this great version of Mr., Jones by Counting Crows along with an explanation of what the song is about!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJhQjObF7Sg

 

 

WEB SITES:   Blockbuster season is coming up so get ready!

 

http://www.themovieblog.com/

 

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

I love this!  Scientists at Tokyo University with the Origami Airplane Association are planning on launching paper airplanes from the International Space Station so they can glide back to earth.  Yep, a paper airplane floating from outer space to earth. 

 

You are probably saying; “hey, wouldn’t it burn up in re-entry or how does it get grabbed by gravity to work its way earthward.”   Good questions.  Here are a couple of facts:

 

• The model was tested in a wind tunnel and it survived Mach 7 speeds and 447 degrees Fahrenheit!  Damn, that’s one tough paper airplane!
• It is made from sugar cane paper and a fire retardant covering.
• Japan has agreed to fund this idea for three more years in the hope of learning more about the design of future space crafts.

 

I kid you not – a paper airplane launched from space!  Take a look:

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/03/27/origami-space-plane.html

 

“I want to be any where but in between .”

A Durvitz

 

 

Drop me a note with your comments at creativeventures@nova1.com.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.

 

 

 

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

A week off the road was a real treat as I used my time to get ready to launch two projects for BRAND NEW clients.  I finished the design and construction of the launch presentation and got a jump on the strategic platform that will support the idea.  It actually put me a little ahead of schedule for the first time in recent memory and I like the feeling.

 

Of course, a week off the road can only mean I’m heading for 6 straight weeks of travel, but it will be great as the projects associated with these trips are fantastic!

 

I am launching my second project based around the ELITE SALES BEHAVIOR platform and have two more to customize for clients.  This is the new program based around the idea of Repeatable Successful Acts and has storytelling as the core of building Narrative Arcs.

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

I am a constant student of two areas; the art of simplicity and the creative process.  Both fields provide my wandering mind constant fascination.

 

Along those lines I found these very interesting:

 

·        SIMPLICITY:  Dr. Peter Pronovost at John Hopkins was the first to notice that many patients were getting infections from the initial use of IV’s.  After a little thinking, he put together a simple 5 point checklist (I wish it could have been 3 points).  The list had the most basic elements such as wash your hands, clean the area with antiseptic and so on.  In 18 months of using the checklist, infections virtually disappeared and the hospital saved $175 million, because they no longer had to deal with complications from the multiple infections.    Why was a simple checklist so powerful? 

§        It gives a clear course of action

§        It shows an ironclad way to do something right

§        It avoided blind spots

 

            We use simple checklists for every conference call, every meeting and our      

            weekly planning.   If you would like a copy of our simple templates just let        

            us know. 

 

• CREATIVITY:  The global economy is a very shaky thing.  Peaks and valleys shift faster than the Texas weather.  Ideas and their resulting output of economic gain are more concentrated than ever.  In 2006 more than 170,000 patents were filed.  The highest concentration was in the US with Japan and Germany completing the top 3.  In fact, the top 3 represent 80% of all patents filed.  Now think about this, patents are not the only measure of the impact of the creative process on the global economy.  The entertainment field is fertile ground for the growth of ideas in the form of books, music and film.  Domestic grosses are now only a single measure of a films success as distribution channels increase beyond the movie theaters.  International sales, web based distribution systems, DVD sales and cable are big players in creativity contributing to profit.

 

Think about how much effort you put towards the impact of creativity and I

will bet there is room for expansion!

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:     Nothing out there that made me get up and go to the movies.

 

NetFlix Fans:  The Undefeated – This is a classic John Wayne western and a great watch (yes, I was out of town and could not sleep).

 

TV:    If you do not have HBO, WAKE UP!  Without this valuable entertainment asset you would be missing the miniseries John Adams.  Only two episodes into the 7 part series and I already am singing its praises.  Great TV!  Oh, it’s not TV, It’s HBO!

 

BOOKS:  April 1865 is great read about the last month of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency.  It was recommended by my friend David R and it is FANTASTIC!

 

 

MUSIC:  Here is one of my favorite young rebellious singer’s rock songs by The Replacements – Bastards of Young

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap0p7mhu4w0

 

WEB SITES:   Try this one.

 

http://www.speedofcreativity.org/

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

I just need to know, is Tiger Woods from this planet?  Seriously!  His continued performances on the top stages of his sport put his so far South of Normal from every other golfer in the world that it must be hard to show up every week when you see his name in the draw.  He has now won 7 events in a row, 5 of which are PGA events.

 You may hate golf, but I encourage you to watch this video.  Tiger was       down 7 shots on Saturday and after fighting all day Sunday, it came down to one 25’ + put to win the tournament.  Oh, heck, just watch for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcxZy-abRbU&feature=related

With the recent downturn in the economy (have you noticed?) all we need is another trend that drives things yet another depressing spiral of lost productivity and revenue.  Heck, this trend costs the US employers over $1.7 million as over 1.5 million US workers see their productivity nosedive.  37.7 million US workers sink into gambling problems while if they even go to work, they are not likely to pay much attention to their job.

Yeah!  March Madness!!!!!     GO LONGHORNS!

 

“I determined to be so clear that no honest man could misunderstand me and no dishonest one could successfully misrepresent me.”

A Lincoln

 

 

Drop me a note with your comments at creativeventures@nova1.com.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.

 

 

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

Coming to you live from the beautiful Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Scottsdale AZ.  I am here to visit with a group of financial professionals about how to strategically create a plan that will allow them to tap into niche markets.  FUN!

 

Desert Ridge is a brand new area of Scottsdale and it is full of themed shopping with an In-N-Out Burger!!!!!!!!

 

I spent most of the week getting things in order to attack a very aggressive March and April schedule.  I actually finished four projects and set things in motion for five more!  A very eventful week!

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

What makes a company innovative?  Is it about the idea or the implementation  of the idea?  Is it about asking the right questions and allowing the answers to flow in many directions?  The recent issue of Fast Company magazine identified the 50 most innovative companies in the world and I was interested in their criteria.   It was a pretty standard list of items, both quantitative and subjective.  They canvassed experts, crunched numbers, analyzed products looked a established companies and visionary upstarts.  It produced a way cool list.

 

Here are some of the descriptions that I found telling and supporting the innovative process as a core element of any business:

 

• They feel like their work can change things:  This is an incredibly important attitude and fuels the participation factor in the innovative process.  What you believe effects how you behave and innovative companies have unique belief systems.
• Reward failure similarly to success:  This is a hard one for most to get their head around.  How can failure garner rewards.  The pursuit of an idea is a journey FILLED WITH FAILURE.  Each failure results in a slight shift in the original idea and innovative companies practice this like it was a religion.
• The daily grind does not suck the life out of them:  Even innovative companies need org charts, budget meetings, PowerPoint presentations and emails, but they don’t let those define what they really do.  They keep their innovative spirit at the forefront.  This allows them to constantly pass ideas through the filter of “what will create value and how does it differentiate us in a crowded market.?”

 

With a few of these descriptions, I’ll bet you can guess the Top 10 on the Fast Company List:

 

1. Google
2. Apple
3. FaceBook
4. GE
5. IDEO
6. NIKE
7. NOKIA
8. ALIBABA
9. AMAZON
10. NINTENDO

 

Innovate or die used to be the battle cry, I’m not so sure it isn’t true!

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:     OK, Laura and I joined the USA Film Club which gets us access to movies well ahead of their release date.  It’s pretty cool as the host theater has your name on your seats and the directors/stars are often there to answer questions.  This week we saw a sneak preview of a film called SLEEPWALKER.  Perhaps the most slow and depressing (great combination) movie ever made.  I walked out ¾ of the way through and when the guy from the studio asked me what was wrong I told him, and I quote; “I would rather have my scrotum shaved with a rusty Exacto knife than sit through another second of that horrible movie.”

He had no comeback. 

 

NetFlix Fans:  The  Mechanic – This is an old film with Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent about a hit man on his last legs.  Pretty good stuff.

 

TV:    I tried the new series New Amsterdam, about a guy who has lived for over 400 years due to a curse put on him that said”  You will live until you find your soul mate”.  He’s a detective and is very clever based on  his life experience.  Not bad.

 

BOOKS:  Socrates Café is a really interesting book about the need to pursue ideas with an open mind.  It teaches the principle of dialog as created by, you guessed it, Socrates.  It came highly recommended from a very smart client in Houston.

 

 

MUSIC:  I love Steve Forbert’s music !

 http://www.steveforbert.com/videos/index.htm

 

 

WEB SITES:  Singer/Songwriter stuff:

 

http://www.intimateaudio.com/

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

Here are a few new  South of Normal companies:

·        Now you can get honey without the mess.  www.honibe.com has honey in the form of a little pad (think of a butter pad) that is easy to use with tea.  Once it gets room temperature it can be spread.  Cool for your Elvis peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich (grilled of course).

·        The Zip Car (www.zipcar.com) has teamed with AKA luxury furnished long stay suites (www.hotelaka.com)  where with a long term contracted stay you get the use of a Zip Car for a year.  What a deal and a great way to combine value!

·        Not that good a writing (tell me about it)?  Try www.gramlee.com where you can send your email to get it edited before you send it to a client.  They charge by the length of the document and it only takes about 2 hours.  Cost for a 1,700 word document is about $10.

 

 

“Good planets are hard to find”

Steve Forbert

 

 

Drop me a note with your comments at creativeventures@nova1.com.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.

 

 

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

OK, I’m sure you’re all prepared for another travel nightmare story, so here you go. My flight short jump flight from Dallas to Houston had a medical emergency happen on board and the pilot was forced to do an emergency landing at the Houston Intercontinental Airport.  He took us from 28.000 ft to the run way so fast I thought I was in an Apollo capsule.  We hit the runway as hard as you could imagine, hit the afterburners to break the speed and yanked us all into our seats at an exaggerated 8 G’s!  He sped to the gate and from descent to gate arrival was all of 8 minutes!   I then headed for the Houston retreat center with a limo driver who proceeded to tell me about his many extra-dimensional trips he had taken and his ability to walk through walls (I kid you not!) .  I had a wonderful time with a great team of leaders then headed to the airport.  BAM, lightning and thunder hit with a torrential downpour.  The ride from the retreat center to the airport was in a blinding storm and I knew my flight home was doomed.  Sure enough my flight had been cancelled and the airport was shut down.  Weather in Dallas had also deteriorated and there was no chance getting home.  I was due in Chicago today and that flight had been cancelled, so I was in the hunt for a hotel room in Houston along with everyone else in the airport.  Lucky my American Express status got me the last room near the airport for a measly $300. At 1:30 AM the fire alarm at the $300 per room hotel went off sending everyone outside in the cold driving rain for an hour (false alarm).   So, I lost my Chicago project, all my sleep, spent an extra $300 and still am not sure when I will get home!

 

I am typing this blog update from my Houston hotel room hoping to get a flight later today.

 

Aint travel glamorous.  To add insult to injury, I finished my book and was left with magazines.  Geez!

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

I recently had the pleasure of staying at a 4 Season’s hotel, which for me is always a chance to study customer service at one of its highest levels.  So let me give you a couple of observations.  Remove luxury from the equation and just focus on the behaviors of the staff.  Despite everything being damn near physically perfect, the greatness of their model is their service behavior.  Behaviors and levels of service are not directly related to their physical surroundings.  So even if you are not the top of luxury of your professional field you can still provide top level service through the way you encourage the behavior of your staff:

 

• TIME:  It takes DEDICATED time and resources to train your people to offer high levels of service.  This is a process of constant vigilance with little tolerance for the “wrong attitude”.  It takes a focus of resources and philosophy, but in the spectrum of your efforts NOTHING could be a better choice.  I asked on staff person about their training and they said it was constant.
• IMMEDIATE:  Great service is IMMEDIATE.  This means if you have focused on training you should be confident in releasing control to your service providers, control to make fast, service decisions.  I came in from a late dinner with clients and asked a staff person in the lobby if the lobby store was open.  She said, “Sadly they closed at 9:00 PM, how can I help you?”  I said I was just looking for a Gatorade and she IMMEDIATELY offered to send a bellman to a local supermarket to get me one!  I thanked her for the offer, but could not imagine needed Gatorade that bad.
• RECOGNIZE:  Every staff person is immediately recognized by their uniform and name tag.   I worked out in the gym and every trainer was in a 4 Seasons dri-fit shirt with a name tag.  You could immediately recognize everyone and call them by name.  Even the tennis pro’s wore a name tag while they taught.  I asked a trainer what happens if they show up out of uniform, he said – “we don’t”.  Good answer.

 

It’s not about anything other than you philosophy and commitment.  It is about understanding the return to the company of creating value at the service level and doing it!

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:     If I ever get home, I was hoping to see 10,000 BC but it is getting panned by the critics so I might try The Bank Job, which looks good.

 

NetFlix Fans:  Secondhand Lions – This is a wonderful little family movie that you can add to your list.  I had a friend ask for some family movie recommendations and this would be at the top of the list.

 

TV:    Not much to report here as I have been on the road for 8 days and have seen 0 TV.  I hear the Canterbury’s Law, which debuts on Monday night is really good.

 

BOOKS:  April 1865  is next on my non-fiction list and deals with Lincoln’s last month before his assassination.

 

 

MUSIC:  I have recently been in a Jackson Browne listen phase and am reminded of what an incredible singer/songwriter he is.  Here is a young Jackson doing, For Everyman:

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr-hqAjdNrU

 

 

WEB SITES:  Access to creative thinking tools:

 

http://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques

 

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

St. Patrick’s day is always a huge occasion to celebrate.  I’m not sure why, or how this day became such a beer/parade kind of thing, but who cares!  You can never have too many reasons to celebrate!  Strangely enough, Savannah, GA has one of the biggest celebrations in the country.  Here are a few facts from their parade:

·        It takes 6 months to plan

·        The parade alone lasts 5 hours

·        There are over 325 units  in the parade

·        They have over 60 bands

·        They have some wild entrants like the “lawn chair soldiers”, who do routines with lawn chairs.

·        Over 100 bars offer green suds.

 

Now, they don’t have a river to dye green (Chicago), but it is clearly a South of Normal day in Georgia!

 

 

“I’m not trying to tell that I’ve seen the plan.

Turn and walk away if you think I am”

Jackson Browne

 

 

Drop me a note with your comments at creativeventures@nova1.com.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.