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

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

This was one of those odd weeks where you are spend all your time on getting ready for projects in the future.  I had a major cancellation which is both good and bad.  Bad, in that I had a lot of prep time that goes down the tube.  Good in that I don’t have to go out of town (though with the kitchen remodel, going out of town is not a bad thing).

 

I have been able to give the web site revisions some good thinking and jumped on the action part of that project.

 

I have been really pleased with the action generated by the recent podcast on Repeatable Successful Acts (RSA).  The RSA platform is a behavioral based sales application.

 

I was sad to hear of Michael Jackson’s death.  His recent life exploits, all enhanced by a celebrity starved media, make us forget the immeasurable impact he had on pop music.  He sold over 750 million albums and his epic pop cornerstone, Thriller, set Everest style benchmarks by going over 25 times platinum.  He launched the music video field and made MTV a teenage Mecca. 

 

Looking forward to a little business and relaxation in Austin next week!

 

 

 

 

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

 

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

Last week I asked the question – ARE YOU THINKING?  I gave a couple of examples of companies that are literally in “think different” mode.  I am a huge proponent of adding thinking skill sets to ALL organizational curriculums.  Here are a couple of “traps” we often fall into when we forget to think:

• ANCHORING:  Your starting point can often heavily bias your thinking.  Sales people use this technique by positioning the highest priced item to “anchor” a high starting point.  Here are a couple of different ways to think:
  • • Seek information to help your decision making from a wide range of sources.  The more variety, the better you think.
    • View the problem from different positions.  To clarify your thinking pathway, write a problem statement.

 

• CONFIRMATION:  This is the “seeing what you want to see”.  We look for a point of view that will support our initial position, while avoiding information that will challenge it.  This always will cloud our thinking.  Here are a couple of different ways to think:
  • • Expose yourself to conflicting data.  Look at ideas that MAKE you think.
    • Don’t position every inquiry to become a “leading question”.  Try your best to stay neutral.

Thinking is your NUMBER 1 tool, a skill to build great decision making around.  We offer core thinking skills learning programs if you are interested in exploring how to improve the success of your team!

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:    Transformers II.  Who cares about story and plot, this is an action movie!  I may also get to see the documentary about the making of the Broadway play; A Chorus Line.  Heck, it’s hotter than hell here and a nice dark, cool place is a good choice.

 

NetFlix Fans:  Fanboys:   This is a really funny road movie about a group of friends traveling to see the first release of Star Wars.  Things go a little weird and they end up trying to break into George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch to see the movie prior to its release.

 

TV:    its Wimbledon time and I am recording the matches every day.

 

BOOKS:  Thinking For a Change   – By John Maxwell.  A really interesting way of looking at 11 ways highly successful people approach life and work.

 

MUSIC:   When you are looking around for music, you sometimes stumble upon something so special that it makes you stop and listen a couple of times.  I have no idea who Ms. Shuber is, but her cover of Hallelujah stopped me dead in my surfing tracks!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLSnHqxYAaA&feature=quicklist   

 

WEB SITES:   Give away books you don’t want.  Get books you do want.

 

 

http://bookmooch.com/

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

A few things going on down South:

 

·        This Sunday is International Naked Hiking Day!  Oh, you get to wear a hat and hiking boots!  Believe it or not this is a big deal in Germany and Switzerland.

·        15 year old Kate Moore of Des Moines Iowa won the National Texting Championship.  She can average almost 500 text messages a day. 

·        The most dangerous sport for women causes over 20,000 injuries per year, making it the most dangerous female sport in the world.  What is it?  Cheerleading.

 

 

Help me find a way to fill these empty hours.

Jackson Browne

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

Another crazy week is in the books.  Here are a few highlights:

 

• The Wells Fargo Essentials of Excellence program highlighted my Repeatable Successful Acts platform in a two part podcast.  Here is a  link to the recording:  http://mfile3.akamai.com/1326/wma/wfargofunds.download.akamai.com/1326/e2Podcast_Proof/e2Podcast_20090616_PROOF_2.asx
• Great client workshop on teambuilding.  I started with understanding the concept of consensus.  I use a great exercise I created called THE COPENHAGEN PROJECT.  It teaches the impact of emotion on decision making.
• I completed two large client project reports using our graphic platform.
• I entered the first of the 7 rings of hell, as we started the remodel of our kitchen.
• The work continues on the revision of my web site and my very talented team is busy trying to find middle ground on all of our ideas.

 

Next week I’m teaching the first part of a two part educational program on presentation skills.

 

 

 

 

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

 

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

Are you THINKING?  I am in constant astonishment at the organizations that stop to think, that launch new ideas that make bold experiments on client value.  Here are a few results of thinking!

• Hyatt Hotels Gold Passport:  As part of their customer loyalty program they are adding a benefit called “random acts of kindness”.  The Hyatt mission is to provide AUTHENTIC HOSPITALITY; making a difference in the lives of people we have the opportunity to touch.  They are now empowering employees to make that mission come alive.  Don’t be surprised if Gold Passport picks up your bar tab, comps your massage or treats your family to breakfast.  This is a shining example of increase the generosity of your service. 
• Carspaze:  Parking garages are notorious for being grim and grey places with no decorations.  A new technology now can transform those dingy walls into large scale ads full of color and impact.  This new advertising platform centered on the ability to digitally print photo quality images on to special fire retardant materials.  Cool idea developed by a European ad man who got stuck in a garage with car trouble.

Just a couple of ideas from thinking companies!

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:    Nothing out there to really drive me to the movies.  Year One looks kind of funny and maybe if I get tired of golf or the heat, I may end up at this one.

 

NetFlix Fans:  Miracle:   Disney has now put this fantastic movie out on Blu-Ray providing another reason to see this great film about our 1980 Gold Medal hockey team.

 

TV:    its US Open time and golf will be on all day long, even if it is only running in the background.  For a great new guy series on the Food Network, try Man vs. Food.  Really fun show about a guy taking those classic food challenges, like eat a 72 oz. steak with baked potato, salad and bread in an hour (he did it).

 

BOOKS:  The Think Big Manifesto   – By Port with Samuels.  Follows the 10 Principles of Thinking Big and takes you out of your comfort zone.  Not terribly original, but still interesting.

 

MUSIC:   I had a chance to learn and play this song with some friends.  I’ve always liked it, so here is Again I Go Unnoticed by Dashboard Confessional (you get to work on your Spanish also).

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbz0FUhTftY

 

WEB SITES:   Having a bad day, check this out.

 

 

http://www.badhap.com/

 

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

The recently held the Webby Awards, honoring excellence on the Internet including websites, interactive advertising and online film.  The best part of the award ceremony is that award winners are only allowed a 5 word acceptance speech.  Here are a couple of examples:

 

• Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter): “creativity is a renewable resource”
• Seth McFarlane (creator of Family Guy):  “what was this for again?”
• Jimmy Fallon (new late night TV host):  “Thank God Conan got promoted”

 

 

It’s another wasted night as TV steals the conversation.

Dashboard Confessional

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

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

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

Just a quick trip to Houston to pitch a project on the power of our ROUNDTABLE platform in generating ideas, developing accountability and showing PROVEN RESULTS.  Prospect looks good.

 

Spent the balance of the week on three projects:

 

• Major report on the outcome of a strategic initiative launch.  I hate standard reports so I work from a graphic approach.  Takes a lot longer but the end result follows my mantra – Simple, Powerful and Elegant.
• Design and delivery of a custom program teaching the impact of great communication skills for gifted teen musicians at the Elan Music Festival.  Talk about a challenge!  What can you do to engage, impact, inspire and garner participation from brilliant young musicians?  Think simple and powerful.  I took them on a participatory / visual journey.  I think the program was a big success.  A good sign is that they didn’t want to leave!
• Redesigning my web site.  Great new things in the works!

 

Now, add the honor of doing a major podcast interview on my Repeatable Successful Acts platform that will be divided into two parts, with the first being released on Tuesday (scheduled).  Had the chance to work with a top interviewer.  It was great!  If I get a link I will let you all know.

 

Wednesday night and most of Thursday  we have had the worst thunderstorms that I have EVER witnesses.  Blinding rain, 80 MPH wind, huge thunder and a sky filled with close lightning strikes.  UNBELIEVABLE!  They were downright SCARY.

 

 

 

 

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

 

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

Here is a great exercise for the way you think about your customer and the level of service you give versus the level of service they perceive they get.  We just finished this exercise with a large remodeling company and it really opened their eyes and shifted a part of their strategy moving forward in 09:

• Put together a team from your company, no more than 5 people and ask them to define what they think the customer experience is for people doing business with you.  Define it in its entirety, the chain from contact to purchase.  From the first point of contact, how did they find you, who did they speak with first, how did they move from contact to purchase, how was your level of service, was their a connection to the buyer past the point of purchase?  These are core questions relating to the customer experience. 
• Once you believe you have a COMPLETE definition of the customer experience begin to give it some critical thought.  Is there a pathway that customers follow?  This is termed “knowing the Yellow Brick Road”.  If you are confident you have completed the basic road a customer follows you now have a position in YOUR belief of current reality.
• Next, BE BOLD.  Invite a few customers in and ask them to tell you their story about doing business with you.  See how close your definition and their story match.  Find the strengths and define the weaknesses.
• Be Strategic.  Now challenge yourself to seek areas of the process you can redefine to meet a new, refreshed connection to your customer.

In today’s world of chaos and flash fried loyalty you have to be on a continuous road to connect you to your customer.  The above exercises challenges you to define your “current reality” from a number of viewpoints, yours, your team’s and your customers.  With a total picture of where you are now, with the strength not of an unsure reality, but of a finely focused reality you can don ANYTHING.  Current reality is ALWAYS the starting point!

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:    Pelham 183:   Good thing Laura is in Austin for a yoga retreat, because I think she would have passed on this one.

 

NetFlix Fans:  The Tao of Steve:   Oddly funny and weirdly paced.  I liked it a lot.

 

TV:    Holy Crap – Last Sunday was a sports junkies dream;  Roger Federer finally wins the French Open and in my opinion is the greatest player of all time.  Tiger mounts a 5 shot come back to win the golf tournament and Kobe puts on a scoring tornado of a show in game 1 of the NBA finals.  I was right in the great TV on USA as Royal Pains is fantastic.  I am a bachelor this weekend and will be watching tons of action movies!

 

BOOKS:  Glow   – By Gratton.  A book about leveraging your strengths or what makes you “glow”.  Loved it because it had three core ideas – Strong relationships, networks beyond the usual suspects and ignite energy in others.

 

MUSIC:   Though the video isn’t great this song is one of Laura’s favorites and shows the great storyteller that Bob Dylan is.  I play this for her all the time.

 

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

 

 

WEB SITES:   Creativity is everywhere.

 

 

www.strangedesign.net

 

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

Yep summer is here, so here are a few beaches you might want to think about avoiding since they are the top SHARK attach beaches in America!

 

# 3   -   Long Beach Island NJ:  This is the island that provided all the source material for the movie Jaws.  In 1916 they had 5 major shark attacks in 11 days.

 

# 2   -   N. Shore Oahu HI :  Big waves with lots of surfers in shallow water getting cut up by the rocks.  MMMMMMM shark buffet.

 

# 1   -  New Smyrna Beach FL:  This is shark attack capital of the world!  210 shark attaches have been officially recorded with an estimated 500 not reported.  How in the hell do you not report a shark attack??

 

 

It’s hard to be compared to Dylan.  I was walking down the street and turned to see an African American, about 30, in a business suit behind the wheel of a Lincoln Navigator playing and singing Like A Rolling Stone at the top of his lungs.

Neil Young – On the Charlie Rose Show

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

A full week in town, in my own bed and setting my own work schedule.  Had an ambitious to-do list and made a strong push in getting stuff done, but I had misplaced my memory as to the need to be flexible as a series of client issues arose throwing my best laid plans into an unpredictable realm.  No worries though as that’s my favorite way of thinking.

 

Looking forward to finally getting to a couple of Creative Ventures projects that have taken a back seat to client issues.  I am in the second phase of storyboards on a complete web site revision.  Dr. Jim Hengstenberg, a trusted advisor and friend as well as a part of the Creative Ventures team for years, has been in town all week and we have worked through some back-logged issues.

 

June newsletter is available.

 

All in all a great week of work!

 

 

 

 

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

 

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

There is so much going on I thought I would just scattershoot on those things that I found interesting:

• The National Assoc of Realtors gave us a bit of good news when May showed pending home sales increased 6.7%, exceeding all expectations.
• General Motors has agreed to sell their Hummer brand to a Chinese manufacturing company.  Kind of weird to think of those tank size cars driving around in China.  GM has 16 buyers interested in the Saturn line and 3 interested in Saab.  The new GM will be a leaner organization, downsizing brand lines which will provide opportunity for those who can step in and revitalize existing brands.
• Overall auto sales are still down from a year ago, but almost across the board, are up from last month.
• Colorado State University has lowered the impact projection for the 2009 hurricane season that started on 6/2.  I’m not sure how a landlocked, mountain state university gang are the hurricane experts, but they seem to be quoted a lot.  No matter, as Jimmy Buffett said; “it’s hard to reason in hurricane season.”

Just a few tidbits of interest.

As usual, I am easily fascinated and have already filled three idea journals for the year.  What, you don’t keep idea journals!  Drop me a note and I will show you how.

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:    The Hangover:   Not a good week in the blockbuster season, but the previews of this movie has made me laugh each time I have seen them.

 

NetFlix Fans:  Defiance:   WWII movie about escaping Jews who find refuge and conflict in the forest.  Laura loved this movie and I only liked it.

 

TV:    USA launched its new summer line up last night with the new season of Burn Notice and the new series, Royal Pains.  USA is the BEST at its character driven philosophy.    Both great new TV viewing.  Also the NBA Finals and the French Open (will Roger tie the great Pete Sampras?) are on the tube.

 

BOOKS:  Ignore Everybody   – By MacLeod.  A great journey into how we drive the creativity right out of people and what to do about it.  One of the best, original minds around.  Great graphic artist and insightful marketer.  Check out the web link to his web site.

 

MUSIC:   Not the best video, BUT the latest from The Dave Matthews Band

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au5JMhaBnv4&feature=channel_page

 

WEB SITES:   BEWARE OF BAD LANGUAGE.  This is Hugh MacLeod’s web site.  GREAT STUFF.

 

 

www.gapingvoid.com

 

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

Here is an interesting list of the three absolutely worst brands and types of alcohol you can put in your body.  For some of you this will be a must buy list, for others an avoid list:

 

# 3   -   Absinthe:  This is that Greek liquor you have heard about.  This stuff is actually a psychedelic and is so bad that it’s been banned from the US since 1913.  Bottoms up and break out the Pink Floyd.

 

# 2   -   Devil Springs Vodka:  This is a New Jersey produced vodka that will take the hair off your head.  You can really take over a party with this one

 

# 1   -  Everclear:  Yep, the old fraternity fall back booze.  95% alcohol by volume makes this 190 proof.  Flavorless and colorless, it can be added to any other liquid.  By the way, car battery acid shares these same properties

 

 

Confidence is preparation.  Everything else is out of your control.

Richard Klive