I have been obsessed lately with the idea of designing clothes. It is strange really, because I really lack the patience and meticulousness (is that even a word?) to be a seamstress or tailor. But still I dream of the designing. Of effortless creation (like you see when you watch Project Runway or the shows on HGTV).

Then I saw this post from Seth and was really stuck by this quote:

"Tweaking, making and building are human acts, ones that are very easy to forget about as we sign up to become cogs in the giant machinery of consumption and production."

How true! I get to build a bit at work, if you count PowerPoint presentations, but nothing really beats making and building something that is real. It is a very human desire and capability - and one that, in my impatience, I should make sure I don't lose.

Ryan Sims from Virb.com spoke at WebVisions. One of the things he talked about was a matter of taste and talent, in which he showed a graph inspired by Ira Glass, of NPR's The American Life fame.

Along the top is a line slightly angled up the represented the degree that one has taste. Even early in ones career, in Ryan's case graphic design and visual arts, he had good taste. It has certainly gotten better, but natural talent and inclination made him start out pretty high. The next line is more of a steep slope and represents talent. It starts low and over time, with what Ira calls an incredible "volume of work," improve to the point where it can approach the taste line. In other words, you have the ability to produce work you are truly proud of. Ryan said that he wished he had been taught that earlier in his career.

To hear Ira explain it himself, see this video below:


So many artists, writers, bloggers (ahem), fail to live up to their own standards. But rather than getting discouraged we must press on (or post on) and remember what Penelope Trunk said:

As always, you can use these cartoons for non-commercial purposes, just give credit to Jennifer Davis and link back to http://jenniferbdavis.blogspot.com

For more thoughts on midlife crisis, see Craig Damrauer's excellent drawing on the subject (which inspired mine above) or my friend, Lisa's post which says something powerful about possibilities yet to come.

Okay, in fairness, I have some years to go before I can have a full-blown midlife crisis, but my husband will tell you that I have been talking about convertible sportscars, exotic vacations, and the restless ambition that I always have has sprouted out in a bunch of new activities, like drawing doodles, writing songs (and other related endeavors that I'll tell you about later), and scheming about yard improvements. Maybe these are the energy field fluxuations before the big earthquake of creativity to come.

The kids were playing in the yard today and I was enjoying hearing them decide what characters they were going to be. It made me think that at some point we stop deciding what characters we are, but that doesn't keep us from being characters in terms of having a defined dress code, language, location, strengths, weaknesses, and purpose for being. We are all characters, but we don't put much thought into the choices we have about all of these things.

So, if we were to imagine something different for ourselves (personally, professionally, in our work, in our play), what would it look like? I can't help but believe that daring to imagine would in itself open doors.

You are free to use the doodle above for any non-commercial purpose as long as you give me credit and link back to http://jenniferbdavis.blogspot.com.

I find myself using made up words and one my recent favorites is "retwizzled." I use it to mean when I need to tweak, edit, or change something (usually a document) to reflect the latest thoughts or direction that it needs to go. I retwizzle it and then we are good to move forward.

When a colleague teased me about it, I began to think that the word has broader applications. It is not only documents, plans, or decisions that get retwizzled from time to time, but often it is our entire life. If something is no longer working. If the circumstances have been altered. If changes need to be made. It is your chance to retwizzle.

The doodle above reflects my renewed interest in drawing. You are free to use the image for any non-commercial purpose, as long as you give me credit and link back to http://jenniferbdavis.blogspot.com.

My friend and coach, Julie Naster, posted a great article about the danger of getting facts and interpretation mixed. Things she calls "assertions" are statements of fact, like the weather is 45 degrees. "Assessments" are the judgements we apply to those, for instance "it is cold and dreary" or "it is crisp and refreshing."

If we collapse the two or confuse them, we are ruled by our unguarded thoughts instead of having mastery over them. This is the little collapse that can lead to an avalanche in our mood or perspective, trapping us below it.

When you catch yourself making a judgement statement today see if it is fact and if there are alternative explanations that might be more useful to you?

Photo by Nebulous1 on flickr.

The economy is hitting some industries and some families hard right now. If you find yourself worried about such things, here is a bit of encouragement: people are getting new jobs. Cool jobs. Fun, important, and meaningful jobs. Dozens everyday.

The good folks at ReadWriteWeb just started a service they are calling jobwire (although there are rumors in Twitterland that they may be changing it). It is a place where they post people who have taken new jobs. It is fun to read about people and their new positions. The companies featured tend towards technology, which is one of the segments that is getting pounded right now.

Just a bit of good news and positive headlines in a world full of fear, uncertainty, and doubt. If you are looking for your next high-impact gig, I hope to see your name on jobwire soon!

Last night, a speaker confronted us with the importance of truth telling and its relationship to trust building. I was reminded that it takes courage and a genuine interest in others to tell them the truth, especially if that truth isn't what they want to hear.

You can tell someone that they have a peppercorn between their front teeth, but do you have the courage to tell them how they could be more effective at work?

I have been truly blessed by colleagues that have challenged me, when when the message they had to deliver was a tough one. They made me think. Really, think. And for that I am thankful.

You have to really care about the person to risk the relationship to tell them the truth and to make them think. As the quote below illustrates, they might hate you in the end.

"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you: But if you
really make them think; they'll hate you." - Don Marquis

But without truth telling, there isn't much ofa relationship anyway.

"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is."
- Jan L.A. van de Snepscheut

"I could never start or run a company. I don't have the killer instinct. I'd rather observe and criticize those who do."
- said jokingly by a friend (a business strategy professor) at a recent dinner party

Perhaps I am letting this entrepreneurial bug bloom into a full-blown infection, but I have a growing concern about business professionals. That as a group, we don't know much about business.

I think there are some great marketeers out there (I consider myself one of them) that fail to realize the importance of sales channels, innovation, and who have never talked to a customer to find out why they bought and what would make them recommend the product or service to a friend.

There are great product designers, who are still designing products. Widgets who do some function or the other (usually designed by using the rear-view mirror of pre-established categories which can be analyzed by third-party researchers and are supported by big name consultants), but not solutions that fundamentally change industries or have a real meaningful impact on the people who use the products.

There are fantastic accounts, quality managers, documentation control professionals, IT managers, and "do-ers" all over the company that define what "doing the right thing" is for their respective functions, but may miss the mark entirely in terms of understanding how their role fits in to the value chain that customers are willing to pay for.

However, having these guys read a book or attend a presentation where the executives try to define the business levers of the business doesn't quite solve the problem. What people need is real experiential learning. In order to know how to run a business (and most everyone in an organization does to some extent as they influence the outcome of the whole), people should run a business.

I think every academic environment should have an entrepreneurship class where people have to develop a real product and sell it to real customers by the end of the course. Not talk about it. Not read about others (although this can be useful), but really do it.

Google and 3M both have well publicized programs where they let their engineers spent some portion of their time on undirected research and development aimed at bringing new innovations to the company. I am wondering if the same thing couldn't exist in other functions. What if a company's marketing team had to spent 10% of their time marketing a non-profit to learn guerilla techniques and how to write more passionate copy? Perhaps everyone in roles which naturally add more structure and process to the company should spent time in sales roles trying to navigate through those layers of progress once they are entrenched, and likewise, someone in sales had to spend some time helping to design the new product introduction process to ensure quality products at the end of the line.

Entrepreneurism teaches a pragmatism, a sense of urgency (impatience), and prioritization that would be quite a culture shock to many professional business people. Is it "killer instinct," or is it just business?

MarketingSherpa recently posted a quick quiz to determine whether or not you had the chops to be a consultant. Take their little survey yourself here.

I could answer "yes" to the questions here which was a fine start, but frankly didn't think that is all there was to it. Here are a few more I would add to their list.

#6. Security
Consulting professionals, especially those starting out, have feast or famine existances. This is typically because they are building a client base and have limited resources to spread over servicing current clients and finding new ones. This leads to lumpy and inconsistent revenue. To consult for a "living," one must consider it like any start-up business and expect a bumpy ramp.

#7. Expertise
The best consultants (and the ones that claim the most success) specialize. They don't try to be all things to all people. They are not a temp labor agency, they are supposed to be adding real, differentiated value to their clients. So, there are manufacturing consultants and there are "Lean manufacturing consultants." They are IT project management firms and their are "ERP conversion " consultants. Pick a niche. Dominate it. Read "Crossing the Chasm" and specialize.

#8. Find Clients First (then quit your day job)
I'd highly recommend any would-be consultant read "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi. Fantastic, motivational book on networking in which he outlines a blueprint for starting a consulting business...secure a few clients and then strike out.

#9. Treat Your Business Like a Business
I'd recommend you read David Maister. He writes about professional services companies and his work (now in print with his new book "Strategy and the Fat Smoker", his podcasts, his videocasts, and his blog) is just great.

"Brick walls exist to prove how much you really want something. They are only barriers to those who don't want it bad enough. They are there for the OTHER people."

This is a paraphrase from a lecture from beloved professor with terminal cancer who provided his "Last Lecture" on achieving dreams which is now a website, book, and Diane Sawyer interview.

Highly recommend watching the video at the link above.

"Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance." - Kurt Vonnegut
Is this true? Or are some people "starters" and others are "finishers"? Some people are idea generators that can kick-off any number of great projects, but lack the skills or perseverance to see it to the end and maintain it. Are there folks that are actually better at maintenance and continuous improvements? Is it a flaw of human character or a personality test?

Would people rather build a kit car than change the oil? Would people rather build a house than clean it? Would people rather build a server, design software, or create a company, than join something that is already a success?

Fellow blogger and old college classmate, Jennifer Jeffrey, had a great quote on her blog the other day:

"Give up all other worlds, except the one to which you belong" - David Whyte

I thought this was a beautiful and thought provoking. I am not sure what context the phrase was originally penned or to what circumstances David was referring to, but it made me think about the power of focus.

Here are few things to keep in mind when focus is a priority:

1. Horizon
What does success look like? On what should you focus? To what "world" do you "belong"?

2. Perspective
What worlds are you willing to give up to allow you to belong in one world completely? One must be aware of their surroundings, so to speak, in order to focus.

3. Discipline
Just like a photographer will wait all day for the right light or move their tripod dozens of time to capture the right angle, so focus in any task requires discipline and persistence.

I have been missing web seminars left and right recently. I generally love to attend a few each month (usually tuning in while multi-tasking on other things), but have had to miss some good ones recently. They generally send me one of those "we are sorry you are a loser" emails to allow me to tune into a recording of the call. So, in an effort to redeem myself, I thought I would send along links to some of the recent ones I have missed (and some I attended) to help them spread the word and possibly to contribute to the personal and professional development of my loyal readers.

Topic: Web Marketing for Small Businesses
Description: Based on Stephanie Diamond's new book by the same title. See http://www.webmarketingforsmallbusiness.com/.
Audio Recording Link: http://marketingmarshall.com/recommends/stephaniediamond2 (note this is an MP3 recording that you will need to download and save onto your computer to listen)
Note: Elizabeth Marshall hosts AuthorTeleseminars.com which is a great resource for these type of "virtual book tour" events.

Topic: Rules for Renegades Series
Description: A call with Alex Mandossian hosted by Christine Comaford-Lynch, author of Rules for Renegades and CEO of Mighty Ventures.
Audio Recording Link: http://www.rulesforrenegadessummit.com/preview/AlexMandossianCall.mp3 (note this is an MP3 recording that you will need to download and save onto your computer to listen)
Note: In anticiation of her upcoming Rules for Renegades Summit, Christine is doing a series of these calls that might be of interest to you.

Topic: Storytelling and Strategy: Accelerating the Success of Your Organization
Description: Mickey Connolly from Conversant (author of Communication Catalyst) talks about collaboration and storytelling.
Recording Link: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/playback/Playback.do?id=oe3rq796 (registration required)
Note: They also provided a few white papers which might of interest. One is the Ten Laws of Collaboration and the next is The Five Sense Solution.

Topic: Meatball Sundae
Description: Seth Godin talks about his new book
Recording Link: http://marketingmarshall.com/recommends/sethteleseminar4. Here is another link from Corvent to similar content: https://www119.livemeeting.com/cc/corvent/view?cn=&id=Meatball&pw=view
Note: Seth's presentation is interesting as there is nearly no words in the PowerPoint. Only pictures, some of which are fantastic!

Below is a list of upcoming free Web Seminar events that you can sign up for yourself:

American Marketing Association - Upcoming Events: http://www.amanet.org/events/

ReadyTalk Web Seminar Series RSS Feed of Upcoming Events: http://www.readytalk.com/feeds/readytalk-web-seminar-series.php. They also have a podcast feed, if you'd rather.

I have mentioned before the great book entitled "Setting the Table" by Danny Meyer. He writes about building and nurturing relationships with customers, something he calls connecting the dots.

"The only winner in the War of 1812 was Tchaikovsky." - Solomon Short.

At Intel and other large companies a lot of effort is spent on creating and fostering the right ecosystem of "fellow travelers" who have complementary technology offerings that together create markets, foster solutions, and refer each other to their customer bases. This is the network effect in application, but is also a lesson for each of us about the power of network effects, tangential legacies, and unintended consequences.

There is a group of companies and ideas that get pulled along in the wake of a business success. How many companies today make their living from selling iPod accessories? Case in point. Some are more obvious than others, but if there is a business success, you can point to dozens of related industries or companies that benefited. The invention of the car lead to fundamental changes in our national character, but also created huge fuel distribution networks, after market services and products, and a whole set of media outlets dedicated to the product category. Even something a simple as the invention of wall-to-wall carpet, meant the creation of carpet laying jobs, carpet cleaning services, and a host of home applicance innovations. No one would buy a Roomba today if there wasn't modern floor covering options. It is always a wise business strategy planning tool to think about who else would succeed if your business succeeded, and look for active ways to partner.

As the quote I started with illustrates there are even connections made to unsuccessful intiatives. No one remembers who battled in the War of 1812 (the US and the UK), but there isn't a Fourth of July celebration that doesn't include the playing of the epic anthem. This is an important lesson when facing disappointing results or an outright "train wreck" of failure. Who would benefit from this failure? Who would be best served by the education gained by this experience (however painful)? In the case of the composer, the war itself was an asset. Your failure can be your greatest asset as well, depending on your ability to learn from it.

I have often marvelled at how much good Jimmy Carter did after he left the office of the Presidency. Despite being what most consider a lack luster president, he went on to become a respected diplomat and philanthropist. His contributions to causes like Habitat for Humanity and others is significant.