It Can Wait 'Til January

I hope you had some time off over the Holidays for friends, family, and fun! For many, today seems to be the first day of work for 2013. Let’s review a few of the things we may have promised last month just so we’re on track.

Let's talk when we get back from the break
You will need to begin that journey you once referred to as ‘later’.

Table that for January
Why do we push things off to some fictitious time in the future?

I’ll give you an answer after the Holidays
Vague promises server no one.

Can we deal with this in the New Year?
This means some time within a period of 365 days.

Let’s get right on that in January
"Right on that" means today, not some vague unscheduled non-event.

The best ways to improve your company’s performance are through strong internal customer service and strong leadership at all levels. If you want your team to bring forward ideas and feel a part of the process, then tell them when you are going to act and when you are simply not ready to take on new ideas.

We mean well at the time but may not heed the cumulative damage we create through vague promises to each other and to our customers.

It’s January. Let’s get to work.

Kneale Mann

cartelagency

Foolish and Hungry

Noun: A person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person. Verb: Trick or deceive (someone); dupe. Adjective: Foolish or silly. Synonyms: tomfool - ninny. Verb: cheat - deceive - dupe - bamboozle - hoodwink - kid. Adjective: foolish - daft - goofy - fatuous

Whether a quip or an overheard phrase, some wisdom or a quote, a thought or an age old saying, every day on Twitter I share a quick thought.

Here’s the list from April 2012

• We are fools whether we dance or not so we may as well dance.
• Visiting the past is like rest stops on a road trip - don't stay too long
• We are the sum of our experiences. How's your equation?
• He had a dream. Do you? (MLK reference)
• Procrastination ends today
• If we think we can't, our wish will be granted
• Don't wait, give them a call
• Success and failure are not accidents
• Keep blessings and perspective nearby
• Do something that scares you every day. Eleanor Roosevelt
• Naysayers are inevitable. Don't let them distract you.
• Good news or bad, be there for your team
• You need to be the one who will create the change you need
• Someday is today
• You are capable of so much more
• It's up to us to create and curate our success
• What will get your focus today?
• Don't boss, lead
• Leadership means getting along with people. Mahatma Gandhi
• Your opinion is just as valid as anyone else's opinion
• Think big. Dream big. Do big.
• Earth Day. Every day.
• Laugh often
• Focus on your goals not what others say are your goals
• Turn your inner critic in to an inner coach. Jack Canfield
• Don't let greed get in the way of focus.
• Growth happens when we learn something, not when we show what we already know.
• It really isn't about the numbers
• Do you have an actual documented list of what you want to accomplish in your life?
• Leadership does not depend on being right. Ivan Illich

As Steve Jobs said; we need to stay hungry and foolish. 

Kneale Mann

Today I Will

.
Today I will lend a hand

Today I will not compare myself to others

Today I will give better internal customer service

Today I will say yes

Today I will not make it about the money

Today I will honest about my goals

Today I will have think time

Today I will be a good teammate

Today I will find how

Today I will not share my dreams with negative people

Today I will procrastinate no more

Today I will ask for help

Today I will say no

Today I will break the cycle

Today I will lead

Today I will be clear about what I want

Today I will share

Today I will be true to myself

What Will You Do Today?

Kneale Mann

image credit: travelpod

Call Me In September

It begins with the usual signs. Traffic is a bit more congested on the way to the office in the morning. Ah yes, school is back and the unofficial end of summer is upon us. Depending on your region or level, school goes back on different dates but school is back for everyone as of tomorrow. It is Labor Day in the U.S. and Canada and there is no denying it – school is on.

Fall is on its way in North America. It’s September, a month of transition and rites of passage. It is a time to remember school summers of yore or the one that just passed. It is the month that turns summer in to autumn and projects in to deadlines.

Ah yes, dear sweet September. Call me after Labor Day and we can discuss it. Let’s revisit that in September. A month filled with many expectations and new beginnings.

As we gaze upon the Halloween displays in stores and thousands of additional cars on the way to work, reality sets in.

But let’s remember with fondness, the lazy hazy days of call me in September.

@knealemann
Let's create experiences, not campaigns

Be An Action Hero

We all go through it; it’s the ebb and flow of life and business. We have projects, to-do lists, stuff we’re working on, stuff we’re completing, and stuff we want to get to but never find the time.

This week is a culmination of months of work and it made me realize how much more simple it is to make a decision, than to not make a decision.

One of my partners called me last Thursday with an idea. I loved it, I acted on it, made some calls, and we mapped out more detail yesterday. The meeting with the client is this week.

Obviously it doesn’t always work out this smoothly – as you know – but it feels good to have the discipline to know when you have a good idea. And most importantly you know when to take immediate action.

Procrastination is simply what we use to avoid making a decision. Money, time, or resources can be reasons but we must insure we aren’t getting the way. Put it off until tomorrow, next week, next quarter, take it off the list. If it was that important, it would be a priority.

If I told you that there was $1 Million in cash signed over to you, in a safety deposit box in Boston, how fast would you get there? We delay decisions because we don’t want to make them or we haven’t instilled the importance of them to the others we may be working with or need to act on those decisions.

Doesn’t it drive you absolutely crazy when you leave a meeting where nothing is resolved? Millions of those meetings occur every single day. We often blame some omnipresent person for the lack of progress, but we all need to take responsibility. This is one of the reasons many of my friends and colleagues are running their own companies now and not working for someone else. They grew tired of inefficiencies while great ideas were being lost.

Ask this question after each meeting or connection: Who does what by when? Which is immediately followed up and followed through.

There is that project, that thing that you are staring at it every day. It’s bugging you. You know it’s a good idea but you keep putting it off. And the best part is when you use the integration model and include all parties, action doesn’t need to rest solely on your shoulders.

Pick up the phone, book the meeting, make a decision. Today.

...oh, that reminds me!

km