The World Bank and Asian Development Bank
is sounding the alarms
about a major food crisis in 2050.
The purpose for this fear mongering
is to drive change.
It isn’t going to work.
2050 or over 40 years from now
is a lifetime away.
The people most able to make
the changes today
will likely be dead.
These people also know
that everything could change tomorrow.
It will definitely change
over the 40 years.
You want to drive change?
Make it urgent (today urgent)
and make it personal.
This week,
I have deadlines coming out
of every orifice.
I’ve been working on my own
all summer
but yesterday, by far,
was my most productive day.
That I have my most productive day
during a time of multiple deadlines
isn’t a coincidence.
Nothing motivates like a deadline.
If you’re spinning your wheels,
accomplishing nothing,
give yourself a deadline.
Better yet,
give a trusted friend permission
to hold you to that deadline.
Make the penalty for
missing that deadline
steep.
Then hustle your butt
to meet it.
Some ClientK readers have emailed me
(I do like emails)
about the new instant coffee launch
from Starbucks,
asking for my opinion.
I think it is…
a great product launch
with not-so-great positioning.
Instant coffee is a huge market
and Starbucks can have a healthy chunk of it
WITHOUT
having to claim their instant coffee
is as good as
their gourmet barista-brewed in store coffee.
Starbucks does not
and should not
have to try to convert their store customers.
All they need to do
is convert the coffee drinkers
already drinking instant coffee.
In other words,
they started out going after one market
and ended up going after another.
Keep the market you’re targeting clear.
Matthew E. May talks about
the 7 Laws of Projects.
Almost every law has to do
with the fact that
projects never, ever turn out as planned.
They can’t.
There are too many variables
and these variables are constantly changing.
Project managers keep track of these changes,
adjusting their plans for these changes,
helping team members deal with these changes.
Changes to the plans are expected.
They aren’t a reason to abandon the project.
UNLESS the changes make it impossible
for the project to meet its ultimate goal
(i.e. make a profit, launch the product, etc).
Right now, I’m judging
a book that is well over 500 pages.
This story could easily
be told
in less than half that number of pages.
The book is filled with filler,
filler I mostly skimmed through.
This author has mixed up
the value calculation.
He thinks that,
for the average reader,
value is the number of pages divided
by the cost of the book.
The actual calculation is
the amount of entertainment divided
by the cost of the book.
A small but significant difference.
An error that frustrates
the customer (reader)
because she has to wade through
what she doesn’t value
to get at what she does.
Don’t add more
unless that more increases value.
Know your product’s value equation.
A mentor of mine has passed away.
He was a private man in life
so I will respect his wishes in death
and not mention his name.
But just because you’ll never find his name
written anywhere
doesn’t mean he didn’t make a difference.
Much of my knowledge base in product formulation,
my belief in quality products and quality ingredients,
comes from his teachings.
I’ve shared that with thousands of people
(including you and other clientk readers).
I’m only one of the many people he reached.
You have an opportunity right now
to make as big a difference in the world.
Someone in your business, customer base,
community, or home,
needs your guidance.
Offer it, make a difference, change the world.
It IS that simple.
Marc Heshon and Jonathan Littman,
Authors of I Hate People!,
share,
in Spirit Magazine,
“The average worker
faces at least 73 interruptions a day.”
Stay-at-home writers have
the same issues.
During the summer,
I simply don’t answer phone calls
or emails
during my writing time.
Now that I’m looking
to return to business gigs,
I don’t have that luxury
(because I like those last minute assignments).
Yes, a call from a telemarketer
may take a minute to answer
but it takes a good half hour
to find my creative flow again.
Productivity has plummeted.
If you can,
set aside dedicated uninterrupted time.
You’ll get more done
than you imagine.
One of my email accounts is with Yahoo!
For well over a year,
Yahoo! has been trying to move users
to the upgraded email system.
Despite forced trial,
there is still resistance.
Why?
Because the classic version has features
that the upgrade doesn’t have.
If you face extended resistance
to an upgrade
(most people not liking change
will resist at first),
you have a couple options.
You can incorporate
the features the classic users cling to
in the next upgrade
or
you can split your product line into two.
What route you take
depends on your vision for the company
and how important that product is.
A buddy was working with someone
on an opportunity.
They worked long and hard
on it.
It didn’t work out.
My buddy had worked on opps before.
He knew that some didn’t work.
He accepted that this one didn’t.
He moved onto the next one.
His partner had hinged her hopes and dreams
on this opportunity.
She was bitter and angry
when it failed.
That happens.
Unfortunately she EXPRESSED
these negative emotions.
My buddy will never offer
another opportunity
to her again.
Opportunities come
and opportunities go.
If you want more opportunities to come,
don’t make too big a fuss
when they go.
I recently read an article on romance novels
that was
plain and simply
wrong.
It was full of misinformation
and incorrect assumptions.
Wow, what a great opportunity!
Here was an expert in another field
who clearly had no expert
in my field
to consult with.
Ta da!
I offered myself up as the expert.
Suddenly a whole world
of possibilities opened up to me.
No one wants to look like a jackass.
The reason they currently look like one
is because they didn’t know
how to prevent it.
Offer your expertise.
Expand your influence.