Posts Tagged ‘Seth Godin’
The Future Of Business – Jonathan Fields – The Good Life Project
Seth Godin
It’s no secret I’m a Seth Godin Fan, I admit it, but how could you not be? So many try to be like him, but he doesn’t want you to be like him, he wants you to be you, to tell your story, to pick yourself. He wants you to win! His message strikes fear in each and everyone of us, because he calls you on your fear, he reveals it in a kind and loving way, he cares, and that’s how he builds trust in my humble opinion. He claims in this video, that’s all he is trying to scale.
Much of what you read here and almost everything Seth Godin talks about is, a paradigm shift. Listen carefully to what Seth explains how almost all of us worked with our hands, or on a farm, we didn’t work for someone else as an employee.
Take the time to watch Seth Godin in this interview and change your life, the Good Life Project with Jonathan Fields.
The Future Of Business – The Secret To Creating Your Preferred Business
We think of the future a lot don’t we, it feels so far away and yet it’s right there, right now, right in front of you. When we were about to escape high school, we had great plans, we talked about all the fun things we were going to do, the great things we were going to accomplish. It was all so exciting and fresh, it was something new, it wasn’t school…..or was it. Some keep going to school, others stop learning, many of you just accepted what happened, we often call it the school of hard knocks. The later is also known as a dream squasher, it tests our strength, our willingness to persist, it reveals the depth of our desire, but most give up to soon.
I am a Baby Boomer, I grew up believing everything would turn out just fine, the industrial age system wouldn’t fail us, so I thought. For the most part everything has turned out fine in my little world, but yet, here I sit suffering in my sadness. My sadness comes from my own disappointments, that I haven’t done more, that I haven’t helped as many people as I thought I would, I feel that I haven’t made the world a better place. I have felt most of my life, judged, not included, and worse yet, I have always felt like an outsider. Sounds like I need counseling doesn’t it? I believe we all go through these emotional states at some point in our lives, we are all very much alike, we just execute differently.
It’s taken many years for me to see the world differently, in fact, it’s taken 55+ years of study, hard knocks, bad decisions, raising a family, holding high level positions, and learning to love the unlovable. I am the sum of all that I have experienced, all that the world has thrown at me, and yet, I still have hope, I still have much to do and to achieve. I was told by my Father, just as you probably were, the world is not a friendly place, it doesn’t care about you, so you have to be in control, take charge of your future. Some of us believed our Fathers, we took it to heart only to find out the world is different. My Fathers world is not my world, in fact, I don’t have control of the world, and never will have, but I do have control over how I respond to it. And that my friends is the secret to a great life, and a great future in business should you chose to.
You see, the future of business needs a world that doesn’t keep score on individuals, and that’s where the rules can be broken, because the world doesn’t care, we just think it does. You see, most think the world will come them, give them what they want, whenever they want it, or at least believe that’s how it should be. If it was, there would be no need for Lotteries, we all eventually would be rich beyond our wildest dreams. Somehow, we have built a world unwilling to wait, unwilling to work, the world now expects, it’s an entitlement theology. We have taken what we already have for granted.
We sell ourselves short far too often, we don’t believe in ourselves enough, we all say we don’t care what other people think, yet we wait to be picked. There it is, the problem becomes obvious. We attach our happiness on things, on whether or not people approve, and if we get picked. We all on some level are waiting to be picked, it’s what happens when you submit a resume, when you play sports, even when you pick your friends. The future of business doesn’t play by this rule, that’s the beauty of it, you get to decide how you will respond to this broken idea of being picked. As Seth Godin says, don’t wait to be picked, pick yourself.
You get to decide your preferred future, your preferred business of the future, chose to respond by picking you first, then your business has a far better chance of making a difference in the world. If you are in business or even have a Blog, we are waiting to be picked, waiting for someone to buy our products / services, waiting to like our blog posts, hoping someone will like what we have to say or offer. It’s a catch 22 isn’t it? How do we escape this seemingly inescapable, vicious circle? The secret is in how you respond to it, you still get to decide, you still get to pick you.
You now have the power to build your preferred future, your preferred business of the future. The question you really want to answer is, is your preferred future or business going to change the world, make it a better place. Forget about being famous or rich, focus on small random acts of kindness, provide service with caring behind it, do something that helps others first before yourself. It’s been said, if you help enough people get what they want, you’ll get what you want. It sounds corny, it sounds and feels uncomfortable, it’s called humility, and that’s always uncomfortable.
Humility is another key to success, it is the heart of small town rules in business, it’s why we build barns for our neighbors.
I’m a little long winded today, but it’s on my heart because so many are struggling. We give away our power to others, hoping we’ll get picked, take your power and us it for good, pick yourself, stop giving it away and create your preferred business of the future. Build a human business.
10 People Who Get My Attention Everyday
10 people who get my attention everyday. Do you know how hard it is to make a list of just 10? There are many who get my attention, but these ten can stop me in my tracks. Now I talk often about attention, it can determine your success in business, who you give your time to. But the deeper question is, why do these individuals or companies get your attention. I find, as I look down my list, it’s because they make me think…not about what they are talking about, but how the topic applies to my business, maybe even my day-to-day life. But mostly, these individuals do a number of things, they affirm me, are extremely interesting, really make me stop and go Hmmmmmm, and the bonus, they seem to be very genuine people. I’ll qualify that with, I have only met 2 from this list face-to-face, my bucket list just got longer : )
These people can disrupt my day very easily, especially when they hail me on Twitter or write a blog post. You may already know these individuals, and maybe you don’t, but I think they are worth your time. These 10 people do have one thing in common, they see the world, and want to make that world a better place, no matter how abstract and disturbing it might be. I learn much from each of them, and I know you will to if you take the time to follow their work. More importantly, they are all much smarter than I, and deserve a tip of the hat for the work they do.
Gerd Leonhard – I tell the story of how I came across Gerd and his work, I thought long and hard, wondering if I was the only one that saw the world of business the way I do, until I found Gerd. He is much smarter than I, much more connected, and he is a machine when it comes to producing content. The thing that gets me, is his desire to share what he believes, he is a like-minded friend I hope to meet one day. – http://mediafuturist.com
Chris Brogan – I have chatted, was on one of his Kitchen Table Talk Online TV Show, promoted some of his posts, and he has done so of mine, but we have never met. I don’t always agree with Chris, but most of the time I do. I’m a fan of his because he is real, he is what he preaches, a human business. – http://chrisbrogan.com
Jim Connolly – This UK marketer is not only a cool character, he is smart. I’ve know Jim for 4 years now, and he gets better each and every blog post, thought provoking, and makes you think about how you are marketing. – http://jimsmarketingblog.com
Rick Rake – Now I’m biased with this person, why? Rick is a huge promoter of my work here where I live, he was the very 1st person to attend my workshops, and he gets it. Rick & his wife Kathleen come from the older generation, but practice a lot of the new ways of doing business online. I have come to love & appreciate both of them, and can’t thank them enough for all that they do for me and the business community we live in. – http://clickmediaworks.typepad.com/click_media_works_blog/
Seth Godin – I have to admit I feel pretty stupid after listening to him, but I’ll get over that : ) Seth keeps things simple in my head, he makes me think about the world as it really is, and he teaches me far more than I can put into action at any given time. I love his keynotes, and can’t get enough of the Linchpin & Poke The Box, because those two books show you how I feel and think, without the smarts. I fly at 50,000 feet most of the time, and then Seth will bring me back down to earth for a street level view. I thank you. – http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
Brian Solis – He is much like Seth Godin to me, but different. I’m not even sure how to describe him, he just resonates with me from a business perspective. He is intelligent, and one of the best interviews I’ve ever known in this new digital world, asks some the smartest questions, and shares the answer equally as good. – http://www.briansolis.com/
Glen Hiemstra – I had the privilege of meeting Glen last year, he drove up to Vancouver for the World Futurist Society Conference I was speaking at, he attended my session. Probably wishes he could get that 90 minutes back : ) Glen does some very interesting work as a Futurist, I read his work and bookmark it regularly, he probably doesn’t know that, but he does now. Not only is he a smart man, he is so down to earth and a joy be around. I thank you Glen for being so gracious with me, and for taking the time to come my session. – http://www.futurist.com/
Olivier Blanchard – The Brand Builder – We go back a few years, but only online. Olivier has done something that no one else seems to have figured out yet, he knows how to derive an ROI out Social Media (Networks). He has gone so far as to write a book on the topic, to show you how simple and yet how hard it is to stay committed to the endeavour. Plus, he is damn funny! I cherish every opportunity to chat with Olivier, I learn so much, and I constantly challenge him on the value of a follower, a fan, and or a like. – http://thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com/
Ray Kurzweil – Probably the nuttiest person I pay attention to. I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way, or disrespectful way, he is amazing to listen to. He is very star warzy to me, and yet, scares the crap out of me at the same time. He sees technology embedded in humans, which shows him a world run by machines, but mostly to improve our ability, our way of life, and to create a healthy world. – http://www.kurzweilai.net/
Tom Peters – I have followed Tom’s work for many years, he wrote the famous book called, In Search Of Excellence, just in case you don’t know who he is. His work gets me on trouble all the time, because he talks about doing business better, shares stories and examples of businesses actually doing what he talks about. If you haven’t read any of his books, I challenge you to go out right now and do so. – http://www.tompeters.com/
An honourable mention:
John Morgan – He recently released his first book called, Brand Against The Machine, his work helps you look at how and what your up against in the marketing world. Again, keeping things simple, why? Because simple is hard enough. John has a special way of communicating his message, very direct, and very helpful. – http://johnmichaelmorgan.com/
So there’s my list, it was hard to narrow down, there are many more whom deserve to be on this list, but for the purposes of this post, I’m keeping it down to ten. Many of these people have written books, I highly recommend you read them, and better yet, follow their work here online.
I hope these individuals help you in better ways than they help me, I just wanted to share them with you, and give you some insight to who I pay attention to. After all, attention is the currency we are all trying to acquire.
The Future Of Business – Fight Off The Mainstream Media & Big Business
Here at owengreaves.com I have my own voice, I talk about other people’s work, I even applaud them, but I try to give you my voice, even if I agree with the others I promote. Even if there is a guest post, if you know me, you know what I like and what I am looking for. The truth is, most bloggers don’t create, they borrow, they beg, and even steal, it’s like they don’t have an original thought of their own.
Let me give you an example of what’s bothering me, and why I’m writing this blog post. I will write in general terms, because I know you’re not all guilty.
I read 200 – 400 pieces a day, not everyday, but most days, I read these pieces in Google Reader. Yep, I follow many of you, your RSS feeds, and something has been happening out there that has lead me to believe, that either you don’t have an original thought of your own, or you have been sucked in by mainstream media & big business.
Since Steve jobs passed away, all everyone writes about is Steve Jobs! Most of you never met him, but you write about him like you did. And frankly, it shows a lack of respect when you do this, you are merely drawing attention to yourself. Most likely for the wrong reasons. I mean no disrespect for Mr. Jobs, but come on people.
Another consistent thing that happens, and this really gets me going, we write about social networks, we compare them, we complain about them, and we keep score like we have some input or control over these free services. How did that happen, how is it that we actually believe we own these networks, because we use them? We don’t run them, if we did, things would be different now wouldn’t they.
It seems to be a waste of time in my humble opinion, I’m being sucker punched by writing this, the mainstream has sucked me in, and now I’m giving it my attention! The HELL! I would rather we all paid more attention to our businesses as if we cared about the betterment of mankind. All this technology is not all that important that it consumes our writing too, or is it?
So what’s my point? I could easily tell you to go read everything written by Seth Godin, that most likely would be enough. The truth is, I
want you to fight off mainstream media and big mainstream business, and have an original thought of your own. As Seth said, GO! Let’s hear your voice, let’s hear your story, not the regurgitation of everyone else’s version of something they most likely no nothing about.
The Future Of Business will not change until the behaviour changes first, but only you can do that, only you can do it, how? Speak, your own voice, write your own voice, share things that matter to you, that are real and in your face issues. Just remixing someone else’s version is not your voice, it’s just another way of gaming the system. There’s no integrity in that, be heard, share your feelings, share your story, and let the world know who you are. Show us all that you are a real person, and you have a powerful story to tell, one from your side of the table, that no one else could write or share.
So I beg you, fight off Mainstream Media, Mainstream BIG Business, don’t let them draw you in, stand strong and let your voice be heard, GO and make a difference, GO and change your world. Maybe even change mine, because you shared all that you could share. In fact, write a book!
Try to visualize how you want your business to be, to interact with consumers, how you listen to them, even visualize the lifestyle you want to have, right down to how many hours a day you actually want to work. Is the path you’re on today taking you there, are you telling anyone about your vision, are you taking the right steps to be that business of your future. If so, carry on. If not, STOP and make a new plan, but share your vision, and let’s here your voice.
Related articles
- Announcing my new Kindle book “The Future of Content” (mediafuturist.com)
- The Difference Between Ship and Shit (chrisbrogan.com)
- Mainstream media is struggling to find a business model — activist media doesn’t need one (zdnet.com)
Seth Godin & Tom Peters on Blogging – Should You Blog?
Two of the most insightful minds in our world today are caught here speaking on the topic of blogging, should you blog?
This is a must watch!