STAYING GROUNDED: Who has seen “Up In the Air” already?

I don’t mean to trivialize the aspect of being suddenly, involuntarily, unemployed.  One of my sisters, the one raising her grandson, just watched her employer shutter that business, her source of income, forever.  And I also remember the paralysis that gripped my mind and soul when I was faced with the slip that is pink.  I have known many central-Ohioans who have been “in transition” and are now back in the saddle, thanks in part to volunteer resources such as Scioto Ridge Job Networking Group which makes available professional career consultants in addition to peer-to-peer networking and support.

The Christmas cinema release, UP IN THE AIR, is part romantic comedy and part existential crisis.  As I’m not a film reviewer, I’ll say no more about it other than it IS  topical, in light of the corporate downsizing trend, now about to enter the third year. But there’s a lesson to examine, from the mission the lead character performs in his travels over 350,000 air miles annually as he visits the casualties of the American economic adjustment.  He’s a hatchet man-for-hire by the HR departments who decline to deliver exit interviews face-to-face.  With a civilized degree of sensitivity, he encourages the victims, now 1-in-10 among our neighbors, that a page awaits to be turned in this chapter of their life.  Anyone who has ever gone on to do great things has sat where these fired vestiges of our downturn are sitting, and in fact, Clooney counsels, they would not have become great if their hiatus in employment had not occurred.

In the perspective of many film goers, perhaps this character’s message and delivery is as formulated and calculated as his mission is efficient in the process of corporate America shedding its skin.  But my takeaway…when one encounters this reality as a former earner…then this IS the time to explore options that might have once been dreams, to jettison some stuff that your life no longer needs, and to harvest the abundance that awaits as your next adventure.  Envision this process to be as engaging as George Clooney’s smile.

A Change In Direction: Where Doth Thou Blog?

After stewing periodically for my lack of posts, I decided to fearlessly compose and expose readers to my random themes about…blogging, and what inspirations might arise after a deliberate session of meditation.

I believe I’ll change the direction of what has become an infertile Orange Acorn.

Some bloggers post regularly, within a structure, with an indication of some cohesive strategy.

Many bloggers include daily lessons among their posts.  Some inspire.  Some attempt to sell product.

It now occurs to me that I’ve been too timid at the keyboard.  Too much aiming, too little firing.  “Ready…Aim…Aim…Aim…”

I read a zen parable once about the archers who always hit their mark.

Their secret?

They shot their arrow first, and watched it land.  They then walked to the place where the point stuck, and they drew the target around the tip of the arrow, thus, a bullseye with every attempt. 

What is it about blogging anyway?  Must we be profound?  Is a point the point with every post?  From this point, I intend to bend the rules, as I bend my bow to release the missle onward. 

I might release more haiku, as I do occasionally on Facebook.  I might abstract facts and stretch poetic license and deposit some faction, you know…fiction that just might be true, or could be true.

Please…talk to me.  Reply with your observations on how a blog should read.  Who are your favorite bloggers?  Tell me why you return to their posts.

My favorite bloggers?  There are a few.  Artie Isaac of Columbus, Ohio comes to mind.  His blog is Net Cotton Content. 

Then there is Seth Godin’s blog…every day…Monday-through-Sunday…sometimes Seth grounds out to first, but he gets base hits more often than not, and when he hits a homer it’s usually a winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

So please, reply…let me know how inane this must read, or how I just might have jarred a speck of inspiration from a corner of your sub-consciousness.  Don’t be a stranger.  Thank you.

THE BEST THING ABOUT THE FUTURE…

The best thing about the future is that there IS NO DATA!

I heard this quote, possibly attributed to the noted futurist, Thornton May, at a transformational leadership panel discussion this morning at TechColumbus. This panel was anchored by Maureen Metcalf of Metcalf & Associates, Ben Blanquera, Rattan D’souza and Carl Fernyak of MT Technologies.

What this means to me:

1.  Don’t just connect the dots…

2.  See the invisable dots…

3.  Draw the dots…

4.  BE the dots!

SHARPEN YOUR WRITING SKILLS: Here’s haiku do it

Ever suffer writer’s block?  Naw-w-w-w, only about once a day for me.

But I started my rehab program for overcoming these dropped calls from my Muse.  Whether it’s a blank screen on your laptop, or a pure white sheet of nothing on the paper, start your composition with this exercise…a haiku.

Westerners often oversimplify this literary form, which is permissable.  Entry-level poets lay down three lines of words in a 5-7-5 form of syllable-count, which does constitute the basic haiku, as such:

         the skin and the bones

        of this middle aging house

        groan under grey clouds

But the Japanese discipline, which dates at least back to the 17th Century, includes influences and references to the seasons as well as Buddhist and Zen underpinnings.

I have liberated my own communications from blandness with the help of my personal daily haiku bootcamp.  Early mornings are more conducive for these:

                   my illusion breathes                          by trance I hear snake

                   in and expires possession                prints push branches of clover

                   I don’t own a thing                              toward the limestone

These came to me, almost in the manner of automatic writing, immediately after my morning meditation, as I attempt to remain still for 10-minutes or so, listening to my breathing pattern.

Seasonality in the haiku is more of a concern among the Japanese.  There is thought that a haiku should contain a word to refer to the current time of year, in nature.  In fact, the practice of haiku is precisely an observation of our natural surroundings, and the seasons reinforce the the nature of change as well as a balance of harmony and one-ness in our world.

I find that beyond the practical benefit of daily improvement in skills, a soothing fulfills my spirit.  Traditional haiku is nuanced in layers of spiritual foundation that escape through our mundane language:

     I breathe in breathe out             those puffy pink clouds

     I try to be here and now             hanging over the highway

     my morning worship                   do not know we’re here

A hike on a high mountain trail directly inspired this, which I titled:

                                              RED  HEAD

                             I recollect, the

                             pileated woodpecker

                             returns home with me

I’m a believer in the playfulness that is necessary in all art forms:

                if I could stand up

                side down like a boy in June

                grass stained in the yard

And, simplicity is another vital ingredient that the haiku simmers to perfection:

                                             we bow before black

                                              raspberries in the ripe breeze

                                              our summer bounty

Another benefit for me is that these daily capsules serve as a brief but germane journal entry that will spur my recall years later upon my re-read.

Finally, I can craft what surfaces from my inward development, to crystalize a particular spore of spiritual enlightenment before it dissipates:

                       the breath I expire

                       drops pantings of memory

                       on the path ahead

Obviously, a convenient social media channel in which I can perform my haiku workout is Twitter.  With the constraint of 140 characters, it’s a natural platform for tweeting haiku, #twiku.  Follow mine @Jim1Coe

My takeaway…after a short period of applying this writing exercise, I have broken through my blogger’s block and posted for the first time in weeks!

Please let me know how you deal with your slowdown in writing momentum.

A SEM/SEO Consultant, A Social Media Guru and A Spammer Walk Into A Bar…

…the bartenders asks, “What is this, some kind of joke?”

                                                                                                                                    

The SEM/SEO consultant says: 

 

 

 

The Social Media guru replies:   http://twitter.com/cherylharrison

And the spammer sputters, repeatedly:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/01/permission-mark.html

 

 

Now this might strike you as a flippant excuse for a blog posting, silly even.  But greet it as an interactive game that may be passed along from one blogger to another. 

You might consider cut-&-pasting this blog with your own answers to the bartender’s query.

Just what would you have in the conversation balloons of these three characters?

What would your SEM/SEO consultant have to say to a spammer?

Who would you link into the Social Media guru?

What would a spammer have to say to a bartender?  Would it be humorous?  This is basically an exercise in what fun we may continue to have using our social media channels.  Please pass it on, and comment to me if you judge it stupid or if you surmise its possibilities.  Thanks.

P-I-N-G 4-3-2-1 REDUX

Two weeks ago I posted P-I-N-G  4-3-2-1, a method I practice to stay in touch, to remain relevant.

 

Today, Seth Godin reminded me of just how applicable my PING-procedure can be.

His conclusion:  Friction rewards intent and creates scarcity.  Seth defines friction as the ease, or lack of ease, of communication.  If the channel is free, and easy to use, its usage grows, but then, paradoxically the  message is ignored.  As a Godin-esque exponent, it’s the difference between an e-mail message and spam.

Having said this, let’s return to my practice of P-I-N-G   4-3-2-1…scroll down to that April 21 post and you’ll see it refers to 4 phone calls, 3 e-mail messages, 2 personal hand-written notes and 1 in-person meet-up.  The aim is to reach out to others you wish to connect/re-connect/engage with by sending out these PINGS on a daily basis.  Notice that these are clearly four different media.  Marketers call this a media-mix.  Rather than rely on one method, you’ll have more success at reaching your target using multi-media.  That’s the REACH.  The day-after-day practice is the FREQUENCY.  Together, in weeks & months, they lead to ENGAGEMENT.

Keep it transparent, personal, sincere and trust-worthy.

The Zen of Networking

First…you won’t need business cards.  Well, not so many at least.

Prepare to attend networking events by tuning up your radar…sharpen your sensors and turn your awareness to the present tense.  I believe the behavior that will serve you most effectively when meeting others is the awareness of how you can help them.  Regardless of what ever widget you sell, or service you deliver, if you’re in the business of helping others succeed, you will be a success.

You get to the event…load up on the bagels/fruit/muffins early…secure your beverage in your left hand and meet someone.  At that point, the zen prevails…connect HERE…listen NOW…and ASK sincere questions.  Focus on your purpose for being here, to totally ENGAGE with this person in the PRESENT.  Don’t let your gaze wander.  Then, proceed to your next engagement.  Perhaps introduce one contact to another.

I find if I practice this zen, I have networked for quality rather than quantity.  And when I can help the person I just engaged with in solving their problem, I have helped raise the level of networking in the room.

GIVE, and GIVE again.  And as Keith Ferrazzi coaches…DON’T KEEP SCORE.

P-I-N-G 4-3-2-1

I’m trying to get better at this practice…PINGING.  You know, staying in touch, in a strategic manner.

Have you read Keith Ferrazzi’s NEVER EAT ALONE?  He invests an entire chapter on the practice of pinging, and the value it returns.       

Are you in sales?  Pinging is merely your unobtrusive manner of staying in contact with your customers and prospects.

You don’t need to relegate your pings to work.  Consider your family, your extended family, scattered all over the map.  How about your classmates…don’t wait for the reunion…get back in touch. 

 

Are you in transition?  Pinging is vital, it’s your first aid for relevance.  Ping with colleagues from every job you had a stake in.

Here’s my formula:  4-3-2-1

4 = the number of phone calls to make daily.  It even counts if you can’t speak directly and need to leave a voicemail message. 

3 = e-mails…send to someone you haven’t contacted in a while.

2 = snail-mail…a stationery greeting…your letter or greeting card, hand-written, with a stamped, hand-addressed envelope.  Your Hallmark Hello.

1 = meet someone in person…coffee, breakfast, a walk in the park…get out there and press their flesh.

And what does one say when they ping?  A sincere question…”What’s going on in your life?…Tell me a recent success story.”  Or even:  “What’s been eating at you lately?…Tell me how I can help.”      

Don’t wait…start right now and make it a daily technique towards staying connected with the marvelous humans who share this planet.                                

Lead From the Bottom, Lead From the Middle, Lead From the Top…But Lead!

What grade do you give your CEO, your manager, your mayor, your boss…on their leadership ability?

Not their management style…you manage THINGS and PROCESSES…you LEAD people.

So how is the leader you have in mind doing?  Do they inspire you to follow them?

Do you share their vision?…Enough to encourage others to work toward this vision?  Did the boss communicate this vision clearly enough?

As any combat veteran of the US Army knows, the slogan of the Infantry leader is “Follow me!”  Should you want to learn more about how vital clear communication is, follow the blog of my fellow Columbusite, Mike Figliuolo, at thoughtLEADERS, LLC.  But beware, some of Mike’s posts, practical as they may be, are also pithy, and often injected with snarky observations delivered with sarcasm.  And in his Army days, Mike was a tanker, so he radio’d “Follow Me!” from his turret.

Back to my point on leadership…we ALL can lead.  How, you ask?  Well, please understand this…leaders are MADE, not born.  May I refer to Seth Godin, in his latest book, TRIBES. All leadership calls for is a cause, a way to communicate your cause to others, and someone to do just that.  It’s “change you can believe in.”  You can also lead by following, inspiring others in your Tribe to “Follow Us!”  It’s easier to follow US than merely following ME.

But, you may ask, if leaders are not determined at birth, how does one go about MAKING oneself into a leader?

Another book I recommend, Stephen M.R. Covey’s THE SPEED OF TRUST, offers wisdom on leadership development, in the form of character and competance.  The integrity you have built personally, in addition to your intent, your capabilities and your successful results equal the sum of your TRUST.  This doesn’t require years…just a sequence of deeds, even little things, that contribute to your Personal Brand, your reputation, how we know you.

With your ability to clearly communicate change we can believe in, and your trustworthiness, you are a leader.

Tell your story, show us what change looks like, and we will follow.

Tweet-Up this Saturday, January 10

Yes, we’re tweetin’-up at the Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails this Saturday evening, 5:50-7:30, for some of downtown Columbus’ most imaginative edibles & highballs.

 

You know the Tip Top, don’t ya?

73 East Gay Street, one-third of the troika of bistros that include Betty’s and Surly Girl.  Pot roast, sweet potato fries, warm spiked cider, Great Lakes on tap.

Columbus Tweeple will be leaving social media cyberspace long enough to apply social media face-to-face and make friends.

Then, after we’ve nourished our bellies and wet our whistles, we’ll walk southward to the Riffe Office Tower, and into Studio 2 Theater to experience yet another comic drama produced by one of the newest professional theatre ensembles in Columbus… Available Light Theatre…as they entertain us with an original work by Anne Washburn…THE INTERNATIONALIST.

Then…after we’ve hung around the comedic thespians, back to the Tip Top we go for further engagement, discussion and dessert.

This will be one of those evenings we’d like to repeat, but let’s try it first on Saturday, January 10.  You know the place.