Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .
IN OUR WORLD
Hello Everyone! I am coming to you live from Las Vegas where I have had the HONOR of working with one of my favorite clients at their annual production meeting. I have been involved in about 4 of these meetings over the years and each time I come away with this unique feeling that I have been party to something that not only allows my ideas to gain traction resulting in real and true results, but more importantly changes the world. Yep, I mean changes the world.
I have made it a policy never to mention my clients by name due to the fact I am mostly involved at the highest strategic level and this connection brings a responsibility to very specific goals that impact the performance of the company. Please bear with me as I am committed to this policy, so this particular anonymous company will have to remain nameless.
What do I mean by changing the world? Though they are gathered to discuss strategy, to improve their skill sets, to closely examine sales processes and to reward performance, they also have made a firm commitment to leave every community they come to meet in, better for having hosted their meeting. They design a team building event that impacts the greater community thus combining the opportunity to forge bonds that carry to their business while simultaneously making a place better for having been there.
Through the years I have been an active participant in planning, filming and producing a unique video each of these incredible community events. We have built bikes for unprivileged kids who would have never known the freedom that mobility brings. I have seen 260 mostly unskilled professionals build a playground in the devastated 8th Ward of New Orleans. I have just finished an experience that lingers with me as I tap these keys.
In an extraordinary result of countless hours of planning, of never taking no for an answer, of the tireless work on a unique individual I saw a company, raise $500,000 for the military Wounded Warrior Program, build and ship almost 200 individual soldier care packages to be sent to the war zone, build an athletic field on a military base for soldiers who have virtually no recreation facilities, move on a goal of getting children and adults to write 3,000 cards to our warriors fighting on the front lines which resulted in over 23,000 cards. Finishing off with inviting soldiers to a free concert.
How is the world changed? By small, impactful steps. By steps taking by nameless human beings who ask for nothing in return. By Americans. What a blessing I have been a part of the grace of perfect strangers.
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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
It is often hard for people and organizations to appreciate the impact of 1. One is a simple thing, a single digit, a thing that we see as a limitation. I can’t have just one potato chip. You can’t have just one cookie. One step doesn’t get me anywhere.
It’s OK, I get it. I understand. It’s just to damn simple to take on a one step project. It can’t be impactful. It can’t be important. It can’t matter.
Funny, we all believe the longest journey starts with one step. Why do we find it so hard to find value in the pursuit of one powerful thing?
In our 2010 strategic attack plan for a number of our clients I have in fact, pushed the idea of one. I refer to it as the OLA strategy or the “ONE LEVEL ABOVE” program.
I have written about this in the context of the Client Experience Map, but I want to isolate this idea for this part of THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW.
If you were to spend quality time identifying just one thing you could do that would move your model forward, which would change your model in eyes of not only your clients, but your team. If you followed a path of thinking around the selection of this one item could you be sure that it was the right one thing. Maybe you need some help some facilitation. That’s OK. Spend what you need to make sure you feel confident in the one thing.
This one thing should move your current reality up, forward towards your best. Remember the Law of Abundance – More is not better and better is not best! Move to best.
Thinking about one thing, one thing that everyone can focus on, one thing that moves the model that allows you to set a horizon that everyone can engage with can make all the difference in the world!
One if fact is not the loneliest number, it is the most impactful!
ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIES: From Paris With Love looks like a reasonable shoot em up movie. I loved The Edge of Darkness. Best of the early 2010 season.
NetFlix Fans: Mystery, Alaska: An old Russell Crowe movie that I just saw again and remembered how muck I liked it!
TV: Hey, I like TV, but my travel schedule often forces me to find gratification in the future, a future blessed by the god’s of TV in their gift of the DVR. So when I get back, House, The Mentalist, and Burn Notice all await me. Of course, the Super Bowl is the big ticket this week, but check the Nature Channel for reruns of The Planet Earth in hi-def!
BOOKS: I, Sniper– Hunter: If you are not a Bob Lee Swagger fan, shame on you! Start at the beginning, with Point of Impact. For us fans, this is the latest chapter which is bound to be filled with non stop action.
MUSIC: Just heard a cover band do this classic Police/Sting song and it reminded me of the mournful acoustic version that I LOVE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_FkwK24ZYY
WEB SITES: Funny and inappropriate at the same time. A very funny combination.
SOUTH OF NORMAL
Just back from Las Vegas, which may be South of Normal central! Some observations:
- President Obama has the town in an uproar when he suggested (paraphrasing), “if you don’t have the money, and please don’t gamble.” For some reason these were fighting words for this fair town.
- No matter what the time of day (I arrived at the airport at 5:30 AM) the line through security looks like the line at a U2 concert. It is the only airport that when you are landing the flight crew warns you to be at the airport 2 hours early. Rightly so!
- I work out very early in the AM and I am always amazed there are still players at the tables and slots. Are they starting early or ending late?
- Smoking is still popular??????? What is the deal? It is one of the great truths. Smoking will kill you earlier than planned.
- More is always better. The buffets have enough food to feed any 3rd world country and the muffins at the coffee place in the hotel were as big as footballs.
Just a couple of observations.
Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com
Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.
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