Achilles Heel? What?

I was speaking to a room of business owners and referred casually to a chronic problem as the 'Achilles Heel' of many sales professionals. I noticed a few tentative, confused expressions among the attendees.

Later I spoke privately with one of them and ask if she had a concern with my referring to that particular problem as significant. She said no. However, she wanted me to explain what an Achilles Heel meant.

I grew up on ancient mythology. I read The Odyssey in elementary school. I watched Sunday afternoon movies about Hercules and Ulysses. I was surprised that this individual and as it turned out, three other people in the group admitted to not knowing the reference. Another person "got it" only because he had seen Brad Pitt play Achilles  in the movie Troy.

It makes me wonder if the lessons once so commonly learned from classic literature are being neglected and thus lost? I've written before here on the value of myth for our learning and understanding of life perspective. 

Do you know the story of Achilles? Does Cerberus make you tremble? Ask a 'kid' about one of these ancient heroes and see if they've heard of them. I'm curious.

5 Tricks To Connect With Others, #Intimacy

Truth. We all need human intimacy. Anyone here struggling with the need for balance between quality human connection and fast paced, technology driven day-to-day, get-it-done, one-more world?

What's a human to do?  

 

I've been reminded, of late, of the importance of meaningful human connection. I live with this need everyday. I'm good at that. I tend to connect deeply and meaningfully with others. How do I do it, you might ask? Well, here's 5 tips for making deeper connections with others. Take them. They're free.

 

  1. Set aside technology for the duration of the conversation. Don't allow the distraction of other 'conversations' to insert themselves into your face-to-face time with others. One of my new games is to get all the people present at the lunch, dinner or coffee table to stack their phone face-down in the middle of the table. First one to check the device, buys. 
  2. Look at people's eyes. There is a world in the eye.  It seems that if anyone takes time to look at that particular place on a person's face, they instinctively are more intimately connected.
  3. If you think of someone, reach out to them. Our minds are amazing machines. More than we commonly understand, the mind thinks beyond our consciousnesses. If you find yourself having a thought glimpse on a friend, take it as a cue. Pick up the phone (not email of Facebook) and talk to them. Better yet, set up a time to meet and visit while seeing #1 and #2 above.
  4. Prior to a visit with a friend, ask yourself, "What do I not know about this person?" Make a list of 2-3 things you want to ask them. Of course, then actually ask them.
  5. Write a note...with paper...and pen...and snail-mail it or hand deliver it. There is something substantial and lasting about written on paper communication. the act of inscribing the letters, thinking through your choice of words without the benefit of the backspace key, and holding that complete message in your hands that adds intimacy to the communication. 

Do you have other tips for connecting deeper with people? Are there rituals that dot the landscape of your meaningful relationships that you can share. Please do! 

#Halloween Costume Win!

She arrived simply dressed, and her costume was the hit of the evening as we all took turns guessing her Halloween Self! The guesses were funny, rude, adult, and finally accurate. What was she? 

 

Well you'll need one of these. White Body Suit. 

and you'll need one of these: Clear rain suit. 

And some white shoes...  

And finally... one of these: a blue (or purple) visor. 

And with that, your Halloween costume is complete. So, what are you???!!! Put your guess in the comments, and I'll add the answer later this week!

 

#ConvergeSouth 2013! My Goals

Technology and Marketing conferences are always intense. Both worlds rely heavily on innovation and creativity in the development of technology and thinking.  Conferences, like our local Converge South -this week in Greensboro, NC, offer an abundance of information and ideas, which can, at times be overwhelming. It is part of the Conference experience - to be immersed in a flood of information. Over the years, I've tried to manage this flood by attending conferences with a specific set of goals.  Tomorrow, I will go to Converge South with some simple and manageable goals

 

  1. Have fun.
  2. Meet 4 new people and connect with them under the agenda of following up after the conference. 
  3. Have fun. 
  4. Learn 1 new idea related to how Social Media empowers business to business sales - not just marketing, but how can sales people benefit?
  5. Have fun.
  6. Learn about a new technology or platform to be researched post conference,
  7. Have major fun. 

That's my list... and so it goes.  Do you approach conferences with clearly defined goals? 

 

The Craft of Written Communication - via Helen Keller

I grew up under the heroism of Helen Keller.   The author of over 12 books and an outspoken political activist, Helen Keller was deaf and blind. Her amazing story of self discovery and development was enshrined in the play The Miracle Worker. For my generation, Helen Keller was the incarnation of hope for overcoming even the stiffest of personal obstacles.

A few weeks ago, while on a speaking trip to the Grove Park Inn, I was able to drop by the Biltmore Factory Museum and spotted a preserved  letter pend by Helen Keller. I was moved by both the eloquence of her communication and the poignancy of the life situation from which she wrote. 

 

We just don't value the craft of written communication like we once did.

Halloween Trick Or Treat Tips!

From replacing candy corn with popcorn to dropping oranges into trick-or-treat bags, people have tried countless ways to sneak value, health and purpose into Halloween. Please stop!

It’s true. Halloween is an indulgent, twisted, perhaps even dangerous observance. Kids (of all ages) dress in costumes and rush from house to house collecting massive amounts of candy and childhood fright moments that will take serious diets and hundreds of counselling sessions to begin to overcome. Halloween is a mess…and I like it.

Maybe it’s because I’m in sales. The idea of a designated night when we can cruise form person to person asking for something and getting it – every-single-time – with not one NO, is just heavenly. Perhaps it’s my clerical background. In a world where the spiritual is so often denied – having a night when we expect to see spirits and demons everywhere, is refreshing. It could be that I’m just too puritanical and that an evening when sugar indulgence is the rule is a much needed respite from the guilt I feel every time I eat a Snickers bar! It could just be the pure joy of running screaming through the streets dressed like Spider Man. Whatever the reason, I like the mess of Halloween. 

So, please don’t mess up my Halloween by offering me alternative foods, safe costume options, supportive parenting tips and glow-stick safety guidelines. 

Let’s just rush in, dive head first, mouths wide open and screaming. Ok? I WANT CANDY!!!

 

Joining the Running Craze

I'm really feeling pressured. Everywhere I turn, my friends and family have turned to running. All over my Facebook feed are these running maps documenting their runs. Their blogs are full of running insights and tactics. I fear that soon I'll have nothing in common with them, so I have a plan. ...

All I need is a program that will let me plot in a run route and generate one of these to Facebook...without actually running. Couple that with the occasional blog post on running (like this one) and WHAM! Problem solved.

 

UPDATE! The Fake My Run app is HERE! 

 

Of course, I might need to remove this sticker from my car, too... 

What does The Fox Say? The TRUTH! #FoxSay

Just to save the world from confusion... THIS is what the Fox says...!

...and if you are wondering why this is an issue... join the 40+ million other people who have been wonderfully mislead... 

Attending #TEDxCity2 via #TedxGSO - when in doubt, write a poem.

Imagine when
My commute is
Through smiles and open skies
Driven on feet over side walks
And
Skinny tires rolled
By strong legs
Byway of bike lanes
To my work and my city and my common
Humanity
Inhaled
In
Rhythm
Excellently
With
You

#TEDxCity2

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Reclaiming Play for Adults

“One of the most obvious facts about grownups to a child is that they have forgotten what it is like to be a child.”
— Randall Jarrell

I know many creative adults, and I think adults – as a whole – get a bad rap. We are creative, fun, innovative and playful creatures. The idea that adults, by virtue of their age and place in society, have lost the desire or ability to be playful and creative is bunk. Bunk I say! B-U-N-K!

Even the most conservative minded business professionals I know are ready to laugh and dream if given a moment to do so. Perhaps it is the fact that children who grow up must develop some ability to set aside play and work through periods of methodical and measurable activity that is seen and misunderstood as losing the child-like gleam of creativity. Just because we can suspend fantasy doesn't mean we have lost it – or its power.  

It isn't that adults are not willing or able to play. In fact it may just not be a smart time to lay aside work and reason for fancy.  

The challenge, for us as adults, isn't so much to learn how to play. Our challenge is learning when to play and when to work – and even that statement isn't right because good creativity is often hard, detailed, serious work. The issue is about capabilities and how we spend our time, how we rest and relax, work and create and remain energized spiritually.  

Carl Jung reportedly scheduled time each day, for a period of years, to simply go outback of his home and play. This play allowed him to better free his inner creative self and in some measure reinforced the most profound pieces of his thinking – his work. 

I guess I’m advocating that we give a little thought to how much time we are spending in the realms of the adult and child each week… I’m just saying.