Week of June 22, 2009

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.