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April 2, 2010 By Stephen Harvill Leave a Comment

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

IN OUR WORLD

Nothing and I mean NOTHING is more chaotic than my schedule.  This week I had everything from cancelled meetings, to existing meetings rescheduled, to new meetings booked all in the span of a couple of hours.

With large companies these random impacts go relatively unnoticed, but drop a small rock into a small pond and the resulting waves resonate through the entire body of water.  I’m the small pond and these types of random changes are like boulders being dropped!

It pays to be flexible and special thanks to American Airlines for doing such a great job of working with me on flight changes.

I’m ready for Phase 1 of the personal branding project launch.  The early signs are show a ton of client enthusiasm for my unorthodox ideas and delivery strategy.  I hope “the troops” fall into the same mindset.

My new website will be getting my focus for the next few days and I hope to have all the new text content done.

I’m looking forward to some real focused time on Creative Ventures projects next week.  That is unless someone else drops a boulder into my pond!

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

One of my favorite things about what I do for a “so called” job is that I get to spend time in so many industries encompassed by so many cultures.

Cultures are an interesting aspect of any organization.  They are a social reality any time you more than a couple of us humans together for any extended period of time.

Here are a few culture check points, things I look for when being introduced to a new company culture:

  • How do people interact?  Is there an informal vibe or is the communication environment more formal.
  • What kind of work is valued?  Is there a combination of team and individual work patterns?
  • How do they feel about time?  Is it flexible or strict?
  • What is expected of leadership?
  • What level of accountability is there?

These few aspects come into play when I try to determine the type of fit between my strategic platforms and the environment in which they have the potential to impact.

Take a look at your culture.  How would you answer the above questions?  How would your team answer the questions?

Culture is a defining element of any company and it often drives the impact of new ideas.

ENTERTAINMENT

MOVIES:    Clash of the Titans.  I’m not really sure if I will be able to talk Laura into this one.

NetFlix Fans:  Open Range: This is one of my favorite movies of the last few years and I had the opportunity to see it again while I was on the road.  A wonderful western with great performances by Costner and Duvall.

TV: Don’t mean to beat a drum, BUT if you are not watching LIFE on the Discovery Network you are missing epic and I mean EPIC television.  Every show features never before seen footage.  It is on Sunday nights.  11 episodes narrated by Oprah Winfrey.

BOOKS:  MOJO – By Goldsmith/Rieter.  When you have that special thing working you feel confident to push boundaries to extend your abilities.

MUSIC: The Avett Brothers with I and Love and You.  I discovered the Avett Brothers on a list of must listen to music in this months Esquire Magazine.

WEB SITES: You should always be thinking about design!

http://www.mydesignshop.com

SOUTH OF NORMAL

Many of us have had to live on frozen food now and again, so here is a little info on the stuff:

  • TV dinners made their debut in 1954 when Swanson and Son’s had to come up with an idea for the 520,000 pounds of turkey they were stuck with.  Ahh, invention, the mother of necessity.
  • People list frozen food as one of the three grocery items they could not live without, right after beer and Hostess Cupcakes.
  • ½ of all Americans purchase frozen meals.
  • Frozen dinners form a $5 billion dollar industry.

So go grab that frozen pizza and frozen veggies (first sold in 1929) and enjoy some TV!

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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