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

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

Coming to you live from beautiful Austin, TX where Laura and I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with Colin and Dylan and Amanda’s family.  It was wonderful and still going on!  The weather has been spectacular with warm sunny days and cool evenings.  We may suck it up with the nuclear heat of our summer, but man, our autumns are perfect!

 

I hope everyone had a grace filled Holiday.

 

Prior to the trip down to Austin I had a full couple of days getting the final touches put on our London trip and getting the December Newsletter done.  I also have client projects that received a good hunk of attention.

 

Next week I will be across the pond and hopefully will have all the internet I need to get the blog posting up.

 

 

 

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

 

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

We live in the age of instant ideas.  Never before has the ability to take something from thought to action been easier.  Here are a few ways to help you jump on the idea wagon:

 

• Treat ideas like a two way street.  Look not only for the traffic you generate but for the traffic coming the other way.  Stay open to input.
• Learn to listen and watch.  This great combination will give you valuable input.
• Reward success AND intelligent failure.  If you punish anything, punish inactivity.
• Fail forward.  When I used to watch the beginning ski classes in Sun Valley you could always see the skiers that were bold enough to learn fast.  They fell on their face and not their ass.
• Know when to get out of the way.  I work with a lot of really smart people and I have learned that if you give someone something they can do, get out of the way and let them do it.
• Create mixed use teams.  Build from experts and novices to get the best input.  Ideas are all about the development of impactful input.
• Have the courage to act:  Many ideas of great value have lost their traction for fear of action

 

Just a few things to think about when in the market for new ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:    Ninja Assassin:  Still not in line for this one, but with both Dylan and Colin on my side, how can Laura say no???

 

NetFlix Fans:  Mr. and Mrs. Smith:   They are making a sequel and I thought you might want to see the original.  Pitt and Jolene are really good in this spy vs. spy action comedy.

 

TV:    Friday night begins the last two episodes of MONK on the USA network.  I have really enjoyed the adventures of this quirky detective with all his OCD foibles.  From the plot previews he finally catches his wife’s murderer.   

 

BOOKS:  How Breakthroughs Happen – By Hargadon.  Great little book that follows the way companies discover innovation.

 

MUSIC:   Now James McMurtry is an acquired taste, bit he really suits my pallet.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQI_lI0vC6Y&feature=channel         

 

WEB SITES:   An interesting take on modernism.

 

 

 www.atomstozeppelins.com  

 

 

 

 

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

I was recently working on a project to teach basic planning skills and wanted to use the example of what I call “planned anticipation”.  Hockey great Wayne Gretzky had a quote that kind of went like this: “I never go to where the puck is, instead I go to where the puck is going to be”.  This idea of dynamic positioning is critical in planning.  When I was working on the idea I was STUNNED at Gretzky’s statistics and was pretty sure he was the greatest player in the history of ANY team sport:

 

 

• 4 Stanley Cups
• 9 MPV Awards
• 10 scoring titles
• 5 Sportsmanship Awards
• 40 regular season records
• 15 playoff records
• 6 All Star records
• Only player to ever score 200 pts in a season and he did it FOUR times.
• His number, 99, is retired by ALL NHL teams
• The 5 year waiting period after retirement was waved for his immediate access to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

 

He was a South of Normal, once in a lifetime athlete.

 

 

 

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

Back from cold and rainy Chicago where I debuted a custom designed educational program that integrated sales professionals and support staff.  The program supported a large leadership initiative launched in September.  The idea of creating what I call “Real and True” teams by involving everyone in a strategic platform is fantastic and shows the strength of good leadership!

I have a few days without travel before leaving for Austin and I will be spending it on a couple of projects:

• The Electronic Playbook:  Image a desktop computer icon that with a simple click would give you access to all the support you needed to do your job.  That’s the idea of the Electronic Playbook.  I am working with a client (really smart) and have the draft all but complete.
• Repeatable Successful Acts – The Learning Platform:  The momentum continues to build on this as a sales process or being integrated into existing sales programs.  I am now designing it to have a modular component that should be a more simple fit of clients.

Next week is Thanksgiving (my favorite Holiday of the year) and a great time for everyone to stop a moment and simply say thank you.

From myself and all the Creative Ventures team, thanks for your support, engagement, ideas and for taking the time to read my stuff!

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Design has become the big player in the world of business and I love having the opportunity to work with the ideas that used to be limited to the people creating teapots to iPods.  Now the ideas are being simplified and applicable in almost every corner of the corporate community.  Here are a few ways to “think like a designer”:

• Embrace Constraints:  When given total freedom work looses focus.  Constraints such as resources or schedules are friends of the design mind.
• Practice Restraint:  This is the Law of Thoughtful Reduction.  You need to make hard choices to excel.
• Check Your Ego @ The Door:  I know it’s hard to believe (it is for me!) but the process isn’t really about you.
• Become A Master Storyteller:  Design is all about the story.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a process or a blender.  Know the STORY!
• Clarify Intent:  Don’t mix up intent with event.  Events happen, intent is planned.
• Sharpen Your Curiosity:  Why is your best friend.

Those are a few simple ways to think about design as an element of planning.  Try it!

ENTERTAINMENT

MOVIES:    The Blind Side:  I know, I know, Steve, this is a mushy, feel good movie!  So what, nothing wrong with that, every once and a while.

NetFlix Fans:  Love Actually: One of the best Christmas movies of all time is now in Blu-Ray!  GET IT!

TV: I am getting caught up on Numb3rs.  I love any TV show where a scientist is the hero.  Give it a try on Friday nights.  Monk is down to its last three episodes.  I will be sad to see it go and look forward to poor Mr. Monk finally catching his wife’s murderer.

BOOKS:  The Worst Case Scenario Guide for Business – By Borgenicht and Joyner:    Just like all those other worst case scenario books, but with a business twist.  I have not read it, but spent a lot of time looking through it at Borders in Westchester NY.  Not on the Kindle yet!

MUSIC: I’m really getting to like Matt Kearney.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2CsG_DHeq4

WEB SITES: Get your design fix.

www.smashingmagazine.com

SOUTH OF NORMAL

USA Today did a recent expose on college football coaches salaries.  Damn, those dudes make buckets of money.  I know they bring in buckets of money, but damn!

• 25 head college football coaches make $2 million or more per year.
• USC’s Pete Carroll heads the list at $4.4 million per year.
• The average pay for a top 120 college’s football coach is up 46% in the last 3 years.
• Spending on new stadiums or stadium improvement is through the roof (no pun intended).
• Professors average about $115,000 and college presidents come in at about $456,000.

Sports is big business.  Get used to it!

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

You may notice a new look for the blog.  My master web dude, John Peterson and I are working within new posting software and are trying to get a look and feel that will be easier to read.   Last weeks post was horrible and I hope to get the hang of it with this one.

This week opened the door to a schedule so insane that even I might be a little challenged to make happen.   I am so blessed with a wonderful client base that it seems I am in high demand.

I had a FANTASTIC couple of days in St. Louis working with a new client.  These are really smart people lead by a gentlemen who has his hand on the entire idea of IMPACT.  I was honored to play a roll in their fantastic meeting and as so jazzed about the potential opportunity to become involved with them at a strategic level.

I then hit the design table where I am putting the finishing touches on a program that will be delivered next week in Chicago.   A really unique look at planning and storytelling for a very veteran group of professionals and their support staff.

As soon as that is done it is on to finishing the design and construction of the London program.  I am really excited about delivering my unique and dynamic approach to skill enhancement across the pond.

No time to catch my breath.  These are fantastic opportunities and I am so honored to play a key roll with my clients!

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

There is a very damaging myth out there and I run into it all the time.  I call it the Myth of 100%.    It seems somewhere along the road in the professional development programs fed to the business masses a mistruth was spoken.  People were not only told, they were taught that the goal of a plan is 100%.  It doesn’t seem to matter what the goal is, it could be bananas sold, deals closed, manufactored doorknobs,  the idea is the only acceptable outcome has to be 100%.  This crazy and damaging thought process has stopped more good ideas dead in their tracks than any single aspect of behavior.

It is often referred to ask “perfectionism” , the idea that I can not have any aspect of failure creep into my field of responsibility.  How crazy does that sound?  Now stop for a moment and THINK.  The Myth of 100% is a fact in certain industries.  For instance airplane landings.  But those are the anomolies.  The vast majority of plans have no hope of reaching 100% effectiveness.  I know this because I have launched lots of new ideas, cutting edge strategies and innovative plans that don’t even have 100% on the horizon.   If a company searches for 100% they will never take a step forward.

Take a different look at your planning strategy.  New ideas are volatile, they often need time and space to become impactful.   Here is a great example:

• In 1983 Apple launched the successor to the Apple II computer – The LISA.  Though it suffered through a horrific design and construction process it was supposed to change the face of  young personal computer world.  The Apple engineers worked frantically to make The LISA appealing and had huge sales goals.  Anything less than 80,000 units would be a failure.  Only 100% of goal was going to be acceptable.  Well The LISA barely ecked out 40,000 units for a wide variety of reasons.  The Myth of 100% doomed the project.
• Now lets look at The LISA from another point of view.  Though it didn’t sell well, its core foundation of technology gave birth to the Macintosh, a computer that would change the face of technology forever.

Forget the 100% goal (unless you are flying the jet I am on) and look to the incredible opportunity that a new idea can create.  Let the fear of failure be mitigated as your bold move forward becomes your norm!

ENTERTAINMENT

MOVIES:  2012 hits the big screen this weekend.  Now I am not a fan of disaster movies and director Roland Emmerich seems fascinated with destroying the earth (Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow), still the effects might drive me to the movie, though I doubt I will get Laura to tag along.

NETFLIX FANS: We were in a dinner discussion recently and I was shocked at how many people had never seen one of the greatest bait and switch movies of all the – The Sting.  Redford and Newman are fantastic in this wonder movie full of twists and turns.

TV:  Wow, even as a hard core Sci-Fi fan I was very leary of the remake of V and the AMC release of an updated version of The Prisoner.  I missed the V debut but will give The Prisoner a look on Sunday night.

BOOKS: Try How Breakthroughs Happen by Hargadon.  A really interesting read about both transformation and innovation.

MUSIC: The unbelievable Andy McKee on guitar with his version of Africa;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN-t-2g3qVQ

WEB SITES:  Looking for new planning tools?  Here is a great resource:

www.actionmethod.com

SOUTH OF NORMAL

This may not surprise you, but a couple of the big food makers have decided to pull some of their tag lines found on their various packaging.  For instance, Kelloggs decided that it might be a good idea to pull; “Helps a Childs Immunity with 25% of Daily Antioxidents” which was a banner on a box of Coco Krispies (I remember eating these as a kid and loving the chocolate milk they made!).  Nestles had a similarly bold statement on the Juicy Juice (not really much juice there) that they pulled.  Seems we consumers will believe just about anything.  Hey, could you pass me those little chocolate donuts with the increased fiber?

You can follow me on Twitter at CreativeVenture or on Facebook at Stephen Harvill.

Adios and Aloha – Thanks for coming on the ride!

SOUTH OF NORMAL

Here you go

SOUTH OF NORMAL

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

IN OUR WORLD

Talk about a busy week, geez! It’s funny how on Sunday you look at what needs to get done and develop a plan, then things start to happen. Open gaps of time begin to fill up with calls and meetings. Before you know it you’re heading to the airport and boom, you’re in NY. WOW. Now those of you who know me are aware that I am a huge proponent of planning. It’s a foundation of everything I do. At the same time I am fully aware of the impact randomness has on any model. Things happen, I adjust. It doesn’t mean I stop planning, it means I add the element of flexibility. The plan remains and provides direction.

I had a great meeting in NY where I was positioning new ideas for a client that may be interested in my involvement in their 2010 plans.

Tonight Pete Sampras and Todd Martin are in town to play an exhibition. What a fantastic treat for a tennis geek like me!

Next week I am off to St. Louis to introduce my Repeatable Successful Acts platform. More momentum on a platform that took me two years to develop.

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

I am often asked about the impact of social media on business. Not the “everybody is doing it” kind of impact, but instead clients want to know, what is the real reason for me taking valuable time, energy and resources to enter this confusing community of interaction? LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Digg, MySpace, youtube, Flickr, where do I begin?

Let’s start from an unusual position; here is what social media CAN NOT DO FOR YOU:

• Substitute for a Marketing Plan: Social Media is not the end all, be all, it is simply a part of a marketing plan.
• Succeed Without Top Leadership Engagement: Social Media needs high level engagement to get going, because traction is difficult to define in the early stages. With leadership support you can leverage the time needed without constantly needing to defend your efforts to everyone.
• Viewed as a Short Term Project: See above.
• Provide Meaningful Measurable Results Quickly: See above and above.
• Guarantee Sales of Influence: Social Media leverages these two key goals through a very strategic plan.

Now, what can social media DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

• Your Web Site: Do you think because you have a web site you are connected to the web world? Wrong. Your web site is mostly static. Social media strategies are in motion. Your business needs to be “in-motion.”
• Create Brand Ambassadors: Where do the people that love your business go to talk your praises and where do they go to bitch and moan? Both are critical to your growth. Your Social Media strategy can develop both.
• Grow Your Sphere of Influence: I can not tell you how important this is. Your impact on the world is a part of your business success.
• Give Your Brand Personality: A static website is not what people will be talking about. Create wow through social media.
• The Backbone of the Future: You may not get all this connected stuff or the desire of people to become part of your community, but every expert on the web is in agreement, Social Media and the desire to connect have become the backbone of a world wide community and will continue to grow exponentially.

Do NOT just jump in and figure out what to do. The positive impact to your company comes from REAL, STRATEGIC planning around social media.

Just think, my tiny, little weekly blog is read by thousands of people around the world every week. Not a bad sphere of influence.

ENTERTAINMENT

MOVIES: Paranormal Activity: This is a cultural phenomenon. Made for about $10,000 and already grossing over $32 million this very scary thriller is the talk of the movie industry. It has a very limited release but I’ll bet you can find it. Said to be as scary as anything you have seen, it is not my “tub of popcorn” but I wanted it on the table for your weekend choices.

NetFlix Fans: Be Cool: The sequel to Get Shorty. Two wonderful little bookend movies.

TV: The new NCIS spin off; NCIS Los Angeles has risen to #1 in the new fall release TV season. It’s pretty good in the typical cop genre.

BOOKS: The Fury – By Pinter: A new writer for me. A newspaper reporter is the main character. Should be great!

MUSIC: I love the Indigo Girls. This is an interesting video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5mIC8IHnQg

WEB SITES: If you need to find a simple way to track your Twitter feeds this is the place:

www.monitter.com

SOUTH OF NORMAL

If you are a fan of the all the police and procedure dramas that fill the TV airways (I swear to you that somewhere, right now, as you are reading this, there is an episode of Law and Order running) you see a lot of dead bodies. Ever wonder who those actors are? I mean what kind of agent call is that; “Mary, I have an opportunity for you. How good are you as a battered rape victim who has been stabbed 20 times?”

Believe it or not there are actors that specialize in being covered in red colored corn syrup and hanging out sprawled on the floor.

50 year old computer programmer Chuck Lamb was watching a Law and Order marathon and thought, I can do that, and I could be a dead guy. So he launched the web site – DeadBodyGuy.com. Boom, he was an overnight point of interest. The Today Show, BBC News called and the Los Angeles Film Festival honored him with a Special Achievement Award for Self Promotion. He’s been “dead as a doornail” on two different shows so far.

There are niches everywhere just dying to be filled! Find yours.

What made me think I could start clean slated? The hardest to do was the least complicated.
Indigo Girls

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

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