The Idea Begins…

It was 5th grade. I got my book report back from Mrs. Parrot. She gave me a B then wrote a long note on the back of the page below some of my doodling and writing. I don’t remember what it was about but I showed it to my parents and they were overjoyed. I thought they were happy I actually got a passing grade. I was the kid who got distracted by the squirrels and drifted off into my mind of imagination and worlds yet to be discovered. I was the kid who identified with Walter Mitty.

For most of my life, I’ve been called an extrovert but all the while I’ve needed my alone time to think and create and be quite and dream. I would facilitate a day long workshop and skip the dinner claiming I had emails to answer or another project to work on, but it was my time to unplug and get calm.

On the Air

I was a radio guy for more than two decades constantly surprised when a listener would remark on a new song I played or idea I shared. I was on the radio, after all, yet it was a solo experience in a studio talking into a microphone. I then got to build stuff and do more consulting and writing and teaching. I still felt it was a passion I followed alone. All the while, I have been speaking and writing about leadership, teamwork, culture, and our collective need to belong.

I was approached by a prominent publisher a few years ago and didn’t pursue it. There are beloved friends and colleagues who have encouraged me to pick it up again and give it a shot. I have finally shed the fear of it not turning out that well. And as I write this post – alone with my thoughts to then share with you – I realize it’s not about the success or failure of this idea, it’s the importance of doing it. My dad recently reminded me that not doing it would be a regret; a feeling he has often about the ideas he didn’t pursue in his life.

Keep Writing

Mrs. Parrot gave me an A+ on a short story I had written on the back of my 5th grade book report. She encouraged me to keep writing – I was 10! I had no idea at the time I’d become a writer, a coach, a consultant, a media guy, and all the while letting that kid who used to spend hours alone in his room reading books about far off lands to come along for the ride.

So yes, I have begun work on my first book. I don’t have a clue where this process will go or the result or the release date. I do know that sharing this with you will keep me on it and make it more real.

Thanks! I’ll keep you posted.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit
New Book out in 2016 – Details soon!

The Power of Grit

What does success, excellence, and 7th graders have in common? Consultant, teacher, researcher, and psychologist Angela Lee Duckwork decided to figure it out.

Watch this.


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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

TED | Angela Lee Duckwork

Where Do You Lead?

There are points throughout the year which may seem more reflective than most. Those include the end of the year and the end of summer. Year’s end is an easy watermark to measure what you may have accomplished, what you wanted to get done, and what you have set aside to reach for in the twelve months.

Summer in North American isn't officially over for a few weeks but Labour Day is often viewed as the unofficial end of the season where holidays are done and the kids go back to school. But this could have deeper meaning.

Perspective

To some it’s an extra day with friends and family to enjoy nice weather and a meal outside. To others it’s the time to travel to college and begin a whole new, scary, and exciting adventure. I know at least six friends who are taking their kids this weekend and the bittersweet tears are mixed with joy and pride.

We know there are millions around the world looking for work. Whenever we can, we need to help each other because we don't always know what we need to know.

Position

If you have a million bucks, I don’t view you as any more important than the woman who smiles every time I buy gas around the corner from my house. A CEO, school teacher, general contractor, leadership consultant, race car driver, it doesn’t matter. We all seek purpose and passion.

And while reflection may be mixed with holiday celebrations, this time of year is a good chance for us to remember something each of us can work on regardless of position or level of wealth. From running a Fortune 100 company to starting a career, we each have it within us.

We all have the ability to show up as leaders if we want.

Kneale Mann

liminalmike

How Do You Lead Your Tribe?

We are a competitive species. We also have an inherent need to belong so we gather in groups or tribes to find security and strength for our collective abilities. But not every tribe is created equal. Some can be dangerous and destructive while others can change the world.

David Logan is a faculty member at USC, an author and a management consultant. In his TEDx Talk from 2009 he discusses tribes and more importantly the levels or differences between them. 

What level would you like?


Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED

What's In It For You

How Can I Help?

I have spent 27 privileged years working in marketing and media. The people I’ve met and learned from, the projects I’ve overseen and worked on along with the invaluable experience I’ve gained has certainly not felt like work. It is my passion.

CMO for Hire

In short, I help business do business better. I work closely with business owners and managers and stakeholders on the improvement of marketing efforts and results.

My first task is to simply get a sense of the current situation. Then together we work on solutions. There are no preconceived or prepackaged solutions. Everything is customized to each situation.

Strategist. Writer. Speaker. Consultant.

We all want our companies to grow. The common shared wish is for the process to be painless and swift but we know that is not reality. Growing your business takes work, time and patience along with precious resources. And that’s where I can help.

From the highest level, I am a business consultant who specializes in marketing with a finer focus on digital media. Through careful analysis, I can outline affordable options for you to see more results from your outbound marketing.

Analyze. Plan. Implement.

It may include overseeing the redesign of your website or training your team to navigate the social web. It may be taking a closer look at your current marketing efforts to suggest a more effective way to reach your targets. It is up to your situation, not my past experience that will determine how we will work together.

I can create workshops for your team to ensure they are equipped with the necessary tools to embrace these additional activities.

The result is that you and your team will have a repeatable process you can integrate with your current and future activities. Your return on investment is the implementation of a refreshed plan focused solely on your revenue goals.

I’m always happy to talk about how I can help. Let’s do that.

Kneale Mann

image credit: demitrineyt

The Essence of Social Media

Put On a Brave Face.

As the social web explodes so does our ability to publish our thoughts to a potential audience that may turn into new friends, clients, customers or just an exchange of ideas.

I have been blessed to connect with people from all over the world - which still blows my mind.

There are close to two billion of us online and through the magic of the Internet, we are able to connect along thought silos void of geographical limitations.

What Are Social Media?

Sure there is bots and spam, dead accounts and ones with very little activity, but that is no different than in real life. Think Pareto.

Websites aside, the most powerful social media remains meeting someone in person. The places we first connect are just the beginning. Cliche as it may be, but step away from the keyboard and get to know those other humans behind other keyboards.

Smile for the Camera.

There is an interesting ongoing discussion with several colleagues right now and it is about keeping the smile when you’re not feeling it.

Two of us are self-employed and always look to improve our business through more client work which includes networking and prospecting, one is currently unemployed, three are gainfully employed but want to do something else and two seemed to have found a balance between creative freedom and paying the bills. They don't all know each other and I have not met them all (yet) in real life.

We’re Different Yet the Same.

The main thread of the conversation is how to respectfully translate that the search is on without spamming people or bumming people out. No one wants to read constant bad news but there is a way to do it without sounding desperate.

I had coffee with a friend who is currently looking for full-time work and after half an hour of telling me all the consulting work they are doing I was left puzzled why they still feel lost. And that is the point, it is their journey not mine. I can only offer my thoughts while they help me with my trip through this thing called life.

Nice to Meet You.

This all points to one of the pillars of social media we don’t talk about in depth. Sure, we hear it’s all about relationships but what does that mean to you? Well, to me, it means I have gained the trust of people I would never have met otherwise. I can hash out ideas and offer guidance to their situation.

My parting comment to my “looking for the next opportunity” friend was for them to arm me with how to help them look for opportunities. It’s not enough that a full-time gig is the goal because that could mean a million things.

Numbers are Irrelevant. 

Next time we wonder about the power of social media,we can’t forget that the friend, follower, connection counter on our profiles means there are people connected to us - albeit marginally in many cases - and it is up to us to unearth the possibilities.

Try it if you haven't already. Pick five people in your network, send them a direct message and ask them for an offline chat. You will be surprised how many doors you can open. And if you want to contact me just to say hi - go for it!

Does that sound like a worthwhile exercise?

knealemann | email


image credit: danny portnoy

Clichés and Experts

I’ve been thinking more about an excellent presentation at SobCon hosted by Amber Naslund.

Many thought we should stop leaning on certain terms.

The challenge is to know when sayings become cliché and when cliché becomes a crutch.


The session featured a room full of heavy online users, marketers, consultants and media makers. The common thread, we were all business people.

Two-way Conversation

If you are in the financial industry, you may talk about the facilitation of standing orders. If you work in insurance, annuity considerations may be mentioned. Hockey players discuss the trap and pinch. Mechanics concern themselves with final drive ratio. And doctors know the difference between fungal and viral.

After the discussion spilled in to the next break, it was clear that some felt these and many other social media sayings are overused by people who can’t back them up or define them.

No matter your industry; you have ways of explaining things which may be exclusive to your discipline.

The challenge to all of us, whether we are consulting our doctor about that thing on our arm or a mechanic who is examining that strange clang in the back quarter panel, is to ensure those tossing fancy terms around can back them up with meaning and experience.

Relationship Economy

I doubt you would let an unlicensed financial, medical or mechanical individual near your money, body or vehicle. So it is doubtful you would do the same with someone who has memorized a few phrases and has a couple of thousand tweets to help you build your business.

Right?

@knealemann
Helping you integrate all you do with all you do.

photo credit: istock

Have To or Get To?

Change Just One Word

Like you, I'm running fast.

I have to prospect and work with clients. I have to constantly do research and learn new stuff. I realize I am not unique.

I have to give myself a pep talk in the morning. I have to make the get done list as no one will get it done for me.

Sound Familiar?

I have to push myself when I am tired. I have to be there when my clients need me. I have to reach out and meet new people. I have to develop pipelines of opportunity and I have to network often.

I have to motivate myself. I have to prospect for new business. I have to contribute to the conversation. I have to engage and create. And so do you!

Then a friend sent me an email and reminded me how fortunate I am. She changed one word that changed everything.

Think about your situation. You have to do a lot of stuff but what if you lifted the weight and looked at things from a much more positive stance. I get to run a company. I get to help clients. I get the freedom to do what I want to do for a living. I get to understand that it’s up to me to improve my situation.

It can be tough to ensure your business is successful. We have bills. We have deadlines. We have stress.

We don't have to connect with new people on Twitter. We don't have to write a blog post today. We don't have to put ourselves in to new situations with new people. We get to do all that cool stuff.

Think about that the next time you say you have to do something.

Can you change one word and make all the difference in your business and career? Do you have to or do you get to?

@knealemann
strategy. marketing. social media.

photo credit: despair.com

People Predictions and Pontifications

"Imagine yourself as a chef in an extremely well-stocked kitchen where there are many ingredients that are not appropriate for your creation, but you feel no discomfort about their existence. You simply utilize the ingredients that will enhance your creation – and you leave the ingredients that are not appropriate for your creation." Ask And It Is Given – Esther and Jerry Hicks

It’s the time of year, when we all try and figure out the future. Although all we have is NOW, we somehow feel comfort is trying out our predictions nonetheless.

As I watch my media brethren brace for tough times, I wonder how we will all survive. I can tell you one thing – it won’t be by holding cards close to chests and hoping the other guy blinks. It will be by working in truly integrated solution-based relationships.

Friends will hire more friends – that’s a practice as old as humankind – but will be even more widespread now than ever. This is not about giving a buddy a contract because he’s your buddy. This is about working with more people you trust over those you don’t trust or don’t know. That trust is built through actions, not favors.

The Bush Administration is working on a solution for the Big Three – one may be bankruptcy. I am in the media production creation world and the first story I read yesterday was that the ad agency on the Chrysler account just laid off a bunch of people.

So now what? What do we do? Well, here are some suggestions...

◦ Be Honest
◦ Care for relationships as you care for yourself
◦ Say “I don’t know but I will find out” more often
◦ Phone more and email less
◦ Listen more and talk less
◦ Deliver what you say you will deliver, no really!
◦ Be accountable and work with people who are accountable
◦ Mean it
◦ Create win/wins or prepare to hear a lot of no’s
◦ Take the time and take the call
◦ Ask more than tell
◦ Understand that no one has all the answers

Social media will grow and morph, business will change, the economy will never look the same, technology will emerge, medical breakthroughs will continue, the list goes on ...but at the core is how we interact with and treat each other.

When I was a radio consultant, I had a mentor once tell me that no one wants to hear that they have an ugly baby. Though I am now producing more visual stuff than radio stuff, he and I still exchanged emails yesterday and agreed to stay in touch - and we both mean it despite the fact that we don't have any current direct work with each other.

When I had the awesome privilege of leading the build of two new radio stations from scratch, what was always front and center was the commonality of co-creating as a team. There was no time for egos and turf wars. None of us have time for that. Especially now.

So as we slam headlong in to more doom and gloom that may be 2009, if you want to keep your head down, aim for the middle, subscribe to the “good enough will do” mantra, your wish will be granted. But if you surround and immerse yourself with people who support you because you support them, butt-covering will become less necessary.

I know, this is revolutionary stuff. The point is – do we do it? We also know we should eat five servings of fruits and veggies every day.

km