I tripped upon this video segment of Apple’s CEO Tim Cook at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business sharing his insightful views on collaboration and what to look for when building teams: “Wicked smart people; people who get excited about an idea at 11pm and just have to call to talk about it, to move the idea forward…”

THIS is what I crave! Idea sharing, building something together, getting behind a project, company, brand that we can believe in and make better. Creating!

I’d love to hear what gets your engines revved! What calls to you?

I facilitated a workshop with the Communications Students at Simon Fraser University and challenged some of their thinking about the definition of Brand and laying the foundation before building any brand assets or identity.

Here’s a hint: It’s NOT logo, tagline or business card. Instead think “Experience” tied to your values.

As an Ambassador both formally and informally with a number of different organizations/companies and individuals I have come to a few conclusions about the best way to harness Influencer Marketing.

Inman News:

A couple of thoughts: For Inman the program works fairly well and there are a couple of reasons.

Brian Solis and The Pivot Conference:

AJ Leon’s Team of Misfits

Misfit Dinner Vancouver Fall 2012

Companies that are ready for the 21^st century world recognize that people want to join movements, not campaigns. Consumers want to be associated with innovative companies, not old-fashioned corporations. They follow influencers and opinion leaders, and don’t rely on traditional media.

Last week after this article from Jezebel.com about Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg’s new book “Lean In”… a debate ensued about being ‘emotional at work’ and as Sheryl suggested, ‘emotions build bonding relationships’ but the question posed on Facebook became :

“Is crying ok at work ?”

What was most striking to me in the book was Sandberg’s chapter on being emotional at the office, sharing stories of when she cried in front of her coworkers. And she believes it’s OK because “sharing emotions builds deeper relationships” and places an importance on striving for “authenticity over perfection,” adding that “maybe the compassion and sensitivity that have historically held some women back will make them more natural leaders in the future.” As someone who’s a cryer—it’s an uncontrollable physical response to emotions like anger and frustration—I found this really powerful and in contrast to everything I’d ever thought about tears at work. For example, when it’s happened to someone as powerful as Hillary Clinton, it seemed to undermine her. She was accused of either being weak or just playing her girlie emotional card to get out of a bad situation…” Excerpt from the article by Tracie Egan Morrissey.

 

There was a very visceral response! A beefy debate ensued with passionate arguments from both sides. People were VERY clear on their opinions.

I suppose there is a direct link to our tolerance to weakness and what that represents, particularly in business.

Why do we abhor weakness?

It begins so early. I think there is a direct link between our comparative nature and our need to be ‘better’ (I have yet to be able to define what ‘better’ actually is).

It leads to bullying in childhood (and beyond), lack of tolerance for differences and a continual segregation of the ‘them vs us’.

The ‘Elite’

the ‘Powerful’

the ‘Pretty’

the ‘LEADERS’.

Of course there is no simple answer. Some would argue this is merely ‘survival of the fittest’…nature’s way of weaning. But I can’t help but wonder if we reframed our notions about WEAKNESS would we have a more compassionate, tolerant and inclusive society and wouldn’t that indeed BE BETTER?

So the question then becomes:

Why do we equate weakness with women?

I suspect this is why women have not yet cracked the Glass Ceiling.  We still see women as typically weak and emotional (again – assuming negative connotation) and therefore ill qualified to be represented in the boardroom.

THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT 2009 

A recent report called Women Matter 2010 found that companies with a higher proportion of women in their executive committees are also the companies that have the best performance. [2011]

Firms with women investment partners are 70 percent more likely to lead an investment in a woman entrepreneur than those with only male partners. [2011]

The high-tech companies that women build are more capital- efficient than the norm. [2011]

Despite often being capital-constrained, women-owned businesses are more likely to survive the transition from raw start-up to established company than the average company. [2011]

Organizations that are the most inclusive of women in top management achieve 35 percent higher returns on equity and 34 percent better total return to shareholders versus their peers. Research shows that gender diversity is particularly valuable where innovation is a key asset. [2011]

Women currently hold 2.8 percent of Fortune 500 CEO roles and 3.3 percent of Fortune 1000 CEO roles. [2011]

Overall, Women in Business in 2010 only included 7.6 percent of Fortune 500 top earners, 51.5 percent of management, professional, and related occupations, and 46.7 percent of the U.S. labor force. [2011]

(stats from Women Moving Millions)

One of my favorite tv shows is Celebrity Apprentice and I MARVEL at how many of the All Star players (both male and female) immediately assimilate into the ‘Dog Eat Dog’ Trump mentality while competing, and lie and manipulate to win (in the name of charity so of course that’s ok). This notion of winning at any cost is so Machiavellian. I used to face this when I negotiated Real Estate transactions. Some would come ready to do battle but I usually found a way to redirect the negotiation into a win/win for everyone. Winning at any cost isn’t winning at all in my opinion and bullying to win is how I would define weakness. Using the power of persuasion with the overall intent of higher purpose is possible although we all know people who’ve gotten ahead not playing by the rules.

Bottom line: We are all human beings and emotion is a natural part of the experience.  Being emotional does not equate to weakness…. and weakness is not innately bad or wrong….it just is. We need to expand our thinking and re-imagine how business can be done incorporating both masculine and feminine traits for a richer vision and experience in every board room and family room.

I am a diehard #Misfit now. If you know me, you know I cheer my friend, and real life inspiration AJ Leon daily.

I discovered AJ about a year ago online in a tweet! I reached out, and he reached BACK which was unheard of (wrote about it and his incredible spirit here).

AJ’s story is so profound and courageous that I am just drawn to him.  In a sea of blending in and noise makers and rah rah’ers, AJ’s authenticity, transparency and “zig” while everyone else “zags”makes him absolutely shine and now he’s like a brother to me.

He makes his choices DEFIANT, DELIBERATE and ON PURPOSE! I think often about how paralyzed I have been – about how I’ve almost taken the token corporate job as a ‘security’ choice while I struggle to find my place in this world and make some sort of meaningful difference.

AJ’s gift to the world is not conventional.  He doesn’t worry about scalability and instead focuses on CREATING GREAT STUFF! And he creates more in a year than I have my whole life!

I LOVE this interview with AJ and Srinivas Rao, host of Blogcastfm: http://blogcastfm.com/blogcastfm/the-evolution-of-a-remarkable-misfit-with-aj-leon/ where AJ shares his story, his vision and some of the most amazing projects that he’s working on including his first book “The Life and Times of a Remarkable Misfit” that you can back on Kickstarter AND his first ever uber intimate, invite only conference in Fargo that I will be attending at the end of May! (Happy Birthday to me ) To say that AJ has impacted my life would be a glorious understatement. 

I believe we all have a little AJ in us. Someone who rebels against systems and drudgery and wants to truly make a difference in the world. What AJ has shown me is that it’s never to late to start and we all have valuable contributions we can make. We just have to look at it from a different angle.

Listen to the interview ~ you can thank me later.

This has been my year of quiet contemplation. My opportunity to go within my own head, turn of the noise and listen. What do I believe? What do I know?

This is an ongoing journey, and I question my value,  but I’ve concluded that there is innate value in IDEAS. In PRINCIPLES… even if they are never shared.

As we get busier and busier, and the world gets noisier and noisier, each of us is screaming to be heard, waving our hands saying ‘Notice me! Notice Me!’ It occurs to me that we’ve fallen a little off track. The ever-present need for attention whether in business or in personal life, is drowning out actual IDEAS.

I have been questioning how much time people take to actually THINK anymore. Now, granted, life is busy. We are pulled in a million directions with families and work, but are you carving out time to get quiet? To contemplate?

Below is Author of “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” Susan Cain’s TED Talk where she suggests that culturally we are squeezing out autonomy and better ideas by virtue of too much group work and not enough time in quiet contemplation.  

I have been extremely blessed to have enjoyed some time to get quiet and spend some time inside my own head this year. I adore my reading and trying on new ideas and of course I still love my time socializing and spending time in collaboration.  However, I am of the belief that revelations and epiphanies and paradigm shifts all happen when I’m NOT talking, but instead listening to my own heart.  I strongly value autonomy and contemplation and believe that the best solutions to any problems are discovered in that space.

What IS the value of a good idea? Chew on that.

________________________________________________________________

Susan Cain will be speaking at The Art of Leadership conference – April 11 – here in Vancouver.

Additionally 2 of my favorite bestselling authors Marcus Buckingham (Strength Based Leadership), John Mackey – founder of Whole Foods (Conscious Capitalism)  AND Dan Pontefract (Leading a Culture of Collaboration) and Chester Elton (Creating a Culture of Buy-in and Belief)

Join me for an incredible day of LISTENING and CONTEMPLATION and use promo code RB22 to save $50 per single ticket and $100 per ticket on groups of 3 or more.

http://www.theartof.com/leadership-vancouver-2013/speakers

If you stop and think about it for a minute… from your education in public schools where you learned to memorize and recite, to the myth of finding a long-standing career with one company, to the social media revolution that changed EVERYTHING…. you knew something was shifting.  Maybe you couldn’t quite put your finger on it, after all we live in a world of Profits and Margins; Leverage and Scale; Metrics and Return on Investments (ROI).

And even as we hustle to ‘make it happen’ and ‘work harder’ even though we’ve been told ala Tim Ferris’ ’4 Hour Work Week’ to ‘work smarter’,  we just get busier and busier and busier.

Add to that all the content, blogs, articles, apps and tech that you need to stay abreast of, and NO WONDER we maintain status quo.  But admit it,  at your company, when you have 5 minutes to breathe,  you question what the heck you’re doing and what possible affect you could be having.

Because companies are siloed.

HR works on getting great people.  Marketing works on spreading great messages.  Customer Service works on mitigating when those messages go awry.  Product Development is hampered by Sales which is hampered by Accounting etc etc etc… and each of these departments have their own agenda, with their own measurable goals that may or may not be in line with the company mission that is likely just a bunch of fancy words that an outside marketing company came up with and now lives on the wall in your lunch room. And never mind the constant turn over.  My head is spinning just thinking about how HUGE the problem is.

Where’s the inspiration? Where are the values? Where does BRAND live in all of that? How can it be better?

Author of Brand Delusions, and Business Consultant Bill Leider was introduced to me by my mentor, thought leader and visionary in his own right Jeff Turner.

Bill Leider has an extensive background in executive leadership, management and strategy consulting to a wide range of organizations, from Fortune 500′s to midsize and small entrepreneurial companies in a variety of industries.

During his more than thirty-five years of management and consulting he has most recently been the CEO of Real Estate Shows and is currently the CEO of Gravelnuts, LLC and heads William Leider and Associates, his consulting firm. He has held positions in industry as CEO, President, Executive Vice President and Vice President,Finance in publicly traded and privately owned mid-size companies. He has been involved in general management, marketing, sales, franchising, manufacturing, distribution and finance.

Some of his larger consulting clients have included: Toshiba, Oracle, Thermador, Vertis, KPMG Peat Marwick, Paramount Pictures and MGM.

He knows a thing or two about big business, and now Bill has crafted a rich story and published Brand Delusions that amasses his background and experience with a strong strategy for exactly how companies can “give new meaning and strength to your brand”. By the time you’re finished you will be able to recite the new definition of BRAND:

“Your Brand is a widely held set of beliefs and expectations about what you deliver and how you deliver it.” ~ Bill Leider

This message is repeated over and over challenging conventional wisdom while incorporating basic common sense. OF COURSE your Brand is every touch point that the consumer has with your product/service/messaging/ and everything in between including bad press, word of mouth, unfulfilled or empty promises all the way over to successful viral campaigns, product adoration and brand loyalty!

You’ve witnessed companies that do it well. Zappos comes to mind with how they put their people through “Zappos University” indoctrinating but its much more than that. They actually LIVE their values and empower their employees to do the same fostering a rich ‘culture’. Naturally this translates across all department boundaries all the way down to the consumer who enjoys a positive EXPERIENCE each and every time they engage with the company.  ’Zappos Brand’ is synonymous with ‘Powered Service’ because that is everyone’s ‘widely held set of beliefs and expectations about what they will deliver, and how they will deliver it” from the inside out.  Makes sense right?

You’ll love watching Bill’s fictitious company ‘awaken’ as each department is challenged by their own definitions of Brand, how to support each other and truly build a company everyone will be inspired by.

Brand Delusions is a MUST READ for CEO’s, Heads of Departments, and anyone who is ready to inspire change within their own organization. It is NOT just for marketers.

(To Jeff ~ Thank you so much for the book, the inscription, the leadership and the friendship.)

This is brilliant. Business Insider article: ‘IT’S NOT WORTH IT’: Ad Exec’s Brutal Rant Before He Died Of Cancer Is Absolutely Chilling

It’s an idea I’ve been chewing on for a while…the idea that we’re all running around trying to feel important. Chasing ‘busy’ for the sake of ‘busy’ and calling it ‘productive’. But I often feel like I can see the ‘Matrix’ and it’s all a load of crap. Are we really doing anything meaningful? The Ra Ra’ers (yes I’ve been guilty) stroking each other’s egos and patting each other on the back… the question is: When its all said and done, and you’re looking back, what value will I really have contributed? What’s behind the curtain?

Beyond providing for your family, (which of course has value) have we been deluding ourselves that we’re making some sort of meaningful contribution or are we stroking our egos, trying to be  popular and maintaining some imaginary grip on ‘Relevance’?

Just asking.

(Originally published on Inman Next : http://next.inman.com/2013/01/building-momentum-for-your-real-estate-business/)

(Photo credit to Kenji Croman – Hawaiian Photographer at http://gokenji.com)

Push vs Pull; Law of Attraction or just plain physics. There are certain laws of the universe at work in determining your success.

We’ve all experienced it. You get in a funk. Nothing seems to be working. You feel like you’re beating your head against a wall, your attitude tanks.  You’ve lost your mojo and so you retreat.

OR success after success, like a snowball effect, one thing leads to another. You’re on fire and you can do no wrong! Every time you turn around there are new opportunities landing in your lap seemingly out of nowhere!

Sir Isaac Newton knew a thing or two: His 1st Law of Motion states

An object at rest will stay at rest and conversely, an object in motion will remain in motion, UNLESS compelled to change by another force.

Inertia 

(as defined in Wikipedia)

• A tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged
• A property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force

Life can throw some curve balls and take you off track sometimes. Maybe you lose a listing, or a deal falls apart in the final hour, or you have NO idea where your next deal is going to come from.  Inertia is a natural response when things don’t seem to be going your way.  The problem of course is that no momentum can be built in a state of inertia.

Ebb and flow is a natural phenomenon observed in the waves of the ocean, and in all life cycles.  We see it in Real Estate all the time. The media is a strong force in the determination of the sales wave.  The same is true with business…Eventually the pendulum must swing back.

So how can you kickstart it and create some momentum to get things moving in your favor and create some opportunity?

Start with doing ANYTHING and incorporate these basic principles into your life:

Like attracts Like.

1. Spend time with other successful people. What are the Top Producers in your office doing?
2. Review last year’s successes; rinse and repeat! Did you have a particularly successful email campaign or community event?
3. Shake off any negativity and look for the positive! Instead of focusing on what isn’t going right, spend time focusing on the deal you negotiated like a pro!  Remember how good that felt?

Life Rewards Action.

1. Commit to one small step you can make today. Focus on the little step, NOT the overwhelming hill you need to climb. ie: commit to writing one blog post a week or making one call a day to previous clients. Just getting CLEAR can be a step in the right direction.
2. FOCUS! Try not to get sidetracked before you accomplish your goal.
3. When you’re stuck, getting out for a walk to clear your mind and get you moving is a sure fire way to get you back on track!

 The Pendulum Must Swing.

1. Remember, this too shall pass. Nothing lasts forever which is great news when you’re in a funk, but kind of a bummer when you’re on a roll.
2. Keep getting up. Trick is to enjoy it when things are going well and just breathe and keep moving forward when you’re being sucked back. Go back to basics and start again.
3. Take the time to learn the lessons.

Don’t Take It Personally.

Whether you’re enjoying successful momentum or struggling to stay afloat, remember not to take it personally. Remain humble and don’t take yourself too seriously ~ It will be much easier to ride that wave.

I had a chance to have dinner with my dear friend Matthew Ferrara (CEO/Founder of the Matthew Ferrara Learning Network in Boston, MA) who was in town for 1 night ~ I always learn something from this brilliant man who is 1 part Philosopher, 1 part Historian and 1 part Oracle! He shared a sales theory I had never heard of before: Selling with Integrity.

As INTEGRITY is my word for the year, my ears immediately perked up! I’ve always been ANTI sales….more to the point…anti PUSHY sales. You know – the kind where you feel ‘dirty’ afterwards.

I never did buy into the Glengary Glenross ABC’s:

“Always Be Closing.” 

The problem with that approach is you’re always focused on YOU. Getting your next deal. Making that almighty dollar. That may have worked in the past when the consumer was reliant on you for their information, but today’s “Connected Consumer” is empowered and has access to all the information and they simply won’t stand for the ‘hard sell’ anymore. 

What Matthew shared with me is an approach that focuses on actually HELPING the client. Solving a problem. Coming from a place of wanting to do GOOD. Integrity.

There’s a basic formula AID INC employs:

Approach building rapport and gaining trust. (You’ll want to spend a little time here.)

Interviewing the client where the client does most of the talking and you draw out their key needs.

Demonstrating you’ve heard and understood the client’s needs and how your product or services can solve their problem.

ValIdate with proof that your product/service success.

Negotiate and work through any concerns the client may have. As Matthew explained it to me, if the customer/client isn’t sure this would be a prime opportunity to go back and interview again to get clear where you may have lost them and finally

Close the deal by getting agreement on the next steps. (visit: www.integrityservices.com)

As you can see, this approach is far less pushy and focused entirely on solving the client/customer problem. It could be that your service/product won’t solve a problem and that’s when you walk away feeling good about yourself as you act in INTEGRITY. Your reputation intact as well as your Karma.

There really is no need to feel ‘Dirty’ anymore when you sell. If you’re not having success with these principles, there’s a good chance that you need a new product.