Humble Brags and Gladrags

I've been doing it for over a decade. Each day on the social web, I post a quip, quote, birthday, or historic event. It's not meant to change the world; it's just something fun. You can read it then move on with your day.

For instance, September 24th was the 267th day of 2022. The post was about Muppets' founder Jim Henson who was born on that date. The full content read; Day 267 - “Life’s like a movie, write your own ending; keep believing, keep pretending.” Jim Henson (Sept 24/36 - May 16/90).  

Your poor old granddad had to sweat to buy you.

The idea of social networks was to connect and share. I don't know about you but I've grown tired of people trying to portray that their lives are an endless pool party, hot spot vacation, and joyride of awesomeness. The thinly veiled humble brag really needs to go. 

I know we probably wouldn't find a book or movie about some random dude who is born, goes to school, gets a job, works for forty years, has two weeks off every year to go camping, retires, and dies, all that interesting so I get it. But can't we strike a balance somehow? We want to consume interesting content, but we can do better than trying to out do each other, can't we? 

I suggest you just throw them all away.

The Kardashians, Real Housewives, and Paris Hilton share a trait - they are all famous for being famous. The term was coined for someone who attains celebrity status for no clearly identifiable reason as opposed to having actual talent or skill. 

One of the first famous for being famous was Zsa Zsa Gabor. She was an actress for a few years, married nine times, and a celebrity for over six decades. 

All I thought I had to do was smile.

The sad reality is thousands think they can rise to stardom and riches by aiming to become a YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok star. The sadder - some succeed.

My hope is rekindled, however, when I see a post about someone overcoming adversity or helping others. It's nice to see the humanness and selflessness we are all capable of possessing. So maybe one of my daily posts will make you smile or think or pause, and perhaps something you post will make someone feel better. 

It's worth a try, don't ya think?

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No One Wants to Hear About it

It’s an interesting time. We are connected through mobile devices, websites, social networks, work relationships, personal connections, media, music, content, data, and yet when we stop for just a moment, we can feel alone.

I've had some fascinating chats recently with colleagues, clients, and friends about the everyday trials and tribulations of life. Money, relationships, career, bad things, good times, life stuff, and it’s interesting that one theme has come up quite often. I've heard this phrase more than most – “But no one wants to hear about that part.”

If They Only Knew

I was speaking with a well respected author a couple of weeks ago and she said no one wants to hear about the times when she struggled. On her first book tour she got nervous every time the hotel would try her credit card to clear for the incidentals. She was close to the wire and yet to most who knew her and many who know of her, she was wildly successful. She was a published author after all.

Recently I had a situation where things didn't go well. And then I had a call with a very good friend who told me I was not alone – in the way I was feeling or in the situation I was enduring. He wasn't glossing over it or my feelings but it was a good reminder that we are often stronger than we think.

We’re Not Alone

Advice from a wise friend came back to me recently. He told me about when he was going through his divorce. On those dark days he would go feed the homeless or help at a shelter. He said it may not be for everyone but the point was it gave him perspective which is something we seem to lose sight of the most.

We're not always strong. We don't have it figured out. We get scared and angry. We're people not machines and that affects ourselves and everyone around us. But you’re dealing with something right now and you’re not alone. Pick up the phone. You will find there are people who do want to hear about it and help you through it.

And that’s the best leadership there is – the human kind.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

ellidavis

The Tricky Art of Scaling Your Business

"Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos." Francis Ford Coppola

I seem to have several conversations daily surrounding the same topic – scaling. There are millions of bright talented experienced business owners who want to grow their companies save a couple of crucial issues – time and money. There is no concrete way to control the speed of scaling but often it feels like it's not happening fast enough. Some days it moves at a snail's pace.

You want to grow your revenue line and you know in order to do that you need extra help but you can’t afford the extra help because you are too busy working on the current revenue stream. And you can't seem to grow the revenue because of all the prospecting and meeting and selling and trying to get your current client work done.

Sound Familiar?

This is an issue that has faced business forever. Others with much less money or experience have solved what each of us faces which perhaps makes our concerns even more annoying. We love to hear stories of people born of meagre means to fight and claw their way to a successful career.

We know we can do it but its a mix of our impatience and some pedestrian items we need to corral. Scaling is a challenge for everyone from sole proprietors to c-level executives of corporations with a global footprint.

Here is a list of things to think about (I know I do) when you look at how to scale your business...

Find the Quiet
Anyone who knows me, knows I have a busy brain. That does not always mean I’m getting it all done, sometimes quite the opposite. Busy doesn’t mean progress. Find those moments where you can shut it all off, listen to some music, put your feet up and clear your mind.

Be Honest About Your Effort
We can usually find external fault in the slower pace of our business growth. The truth is, we need to look inside to ensure we are doing all we can. That’s usually where the slowdown is occurring.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
We all do it and it is a complete and utter waste of time. We can claim that numbers and stature and position don’t matter (they don’t) but we make them far more important that they are, stop shaking your head, you do so.

Ask Often and Always
This is where most businesses fall apart. I know I see my work slow down when I stop asking for business. We get timid, we don’t want to appear to be selling, but without sales there is no business. Find your way. No ask, no business.

Get Help
Small business, large corporation, c-level executive, sole proprietor, no one makes it on their own. No one. Ever. Surround yourself with a mastermind group of people from all walks of life with two purposes – to tell you the truth and to offer advice.

It’s Not Their Fault
When played properly, life is a team sport but we need to own our part.

Find the Decision Maker
How often have you had discussions with someone who can’t make the sale for you? Why would you try and sell to someone who isn’t in the position of buying? We've all done it far too often.

Be Clear About Your Offer
Elevator speech, website, social profile, in-person meeting, if you don’t believe what you are then no one will. Often companies get stuck or worse go backward when they begin to get unclear on their offer. Qualifying the sale is essential too. There's no sense talking to anyone - decision maker or not - if they're simply not interested.

Decimate the Naysayers
They are everywhere. Stay away from them. Delete them from your life. They will do absolutely nothing but derail you. Advice is fine, negativity is destructive.

Walk a Mile
This is not about comparing yourself to others but rather learning from others. Find people who have gone through what you’re going through. This is why some of the best hockey coaches are former hockey players. This is precisely why the most successful people have mentors.

Take it Offline
The online social networks are wonderful for finding like minded people along thought silos void of geographical limitations. Get on the phone, book a coffee or lunch, get out of the office and meet people in person or hear their voice. No social networking tool is more powerful than human interaction.

Be Sure You Want This
Follow your gut. Find the quiet. Get help. Listen to yourself and learn what you want.

Let's get back to work!

Kneale Mann

image credit: newmoon | original: mar 2011

Let’s Connect and Get to Work

From Cave Walls to Instant Messages

Since the dawn of human existence, we have been working to improve our lives. There are better tools, advanced medical procedures, cleaner water purification, improved supply lines, more advanced urban development and enhanced communication tools.

We live in a time where there are more scientists alive than in any other time in history, combined. There are reports that the world’s population will reach seven billion this week.

The Shrunken Globe

We can send complicated documents across the globe with the press of a thumb. Our ability to share ideas is now instantaneous though some are working on improving that. And we are attempting to digest more content every day than we can ever consume.

So it’s curious when we get stuck with how to reach new customers, find new collaborative partners and share ideas with those who will want to work with us. It has become an embarrassment of riches in a time when patience is scarce.

The Best Social Network

We seem to be able to grow our personal and professional networks on the social web yet the question remains how much human connection is going on. So it is my new mantra to connect on the phone or in person with ten new people every week. If you and I haven't done it yet, let's fix that.

It's time for us to utilize the true power of social media for what they are meant to do - socialize and collaborate for real. Let's stop counting "likes" and Klout scores and get some work done. It's an over used cliche but I believe in you win/I win - not you win/I lose or I win/you lose. This is not about either of us asking for what we're not prepared to reciprocate. Teamwork is required.

So contact me and let’s find a way to utilize all these cool tools to truly connect, compare notes, do some business and help each other. Does that sound like a plan?

Kneale Mann

image credit: youthspeak

Sixth Sense: Tools Meet Life

The brilliant Pranav Mistry will blow you away with the stuff he is working on and most importantly, sharing with the world. He has committed to taking it one step further and will open-source his SixthSense software so we can all contribute and improve upon it. Pranav explains some of the things occupying his time at TEDIndia. [video]



Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED

From Vancouver to The World

Welcome to our Instant Life

Business owners and managers who have yet gone deep with a digital presence often worry about the time commitment, the ability to manage the content, the sheer volume of information and the return on their investment.

This week we watched in disgust as thousands of people went on a rampage in downtown Vancouver moments after the Canucks lost their second bid at a Stanley Cup. Over a hundred people have been arrested so far, clearly a tiny fraction of those who should be brought to justice, and a couple of hundred people were injured which in itself is a miracle. There have been incidents like this in the past where lives were lost.

Good Versus Bad

The actions are inexcusable. If you are upset that your team lost a hockey game, go home and smash your own house and car. But the very tools that were used to broadcast the Vancouver events to the world in an instant this week will slowly turn positive in two distinct ways.

There is video evidence of the actual people who did the damage and hurt others. It astounds me how anyone can destroy property, hurt others and happily film themselves doing it. There are thousands of Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and YouTube accounts littered with the names and images for authorities to sift through but the bigger question is one I’m not sure we can answer – why did this happen and if the Canucks had won, would it have happened anyway? It’s easy to say a small group of thugs started it – time will tell – but that doesn’t excuse thousands – yes, thousands – of others joining in.

Bad Turns Good

But the other positive result is that in mere hours, hundreds of Vancouverites were on the streets cleaning up their city and tens of thousands of supporters were spreading the news through various Facebook groups. Vancouver is one of the most beautiful, clean, fun, engaging cities on earth. If you have never been, I implore you to do so. If you have been, go again and let’s not let the bad ones prove what some are suspecting is a long hill to climb to improve the city’s reputation.

The digital age gives us reasonably inexpensive tools to spread ideas quickly. The social web has opened up avenues to people who share our interests all over the world. But the events of Wednesday night in Vancouver remind us the responsibility we have with our web presence and content.

Let’s remember our responsibility as human beings.

Kneale Mann

image credit: thescore

Scaling Your Business

"Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos." Francis Ford Coppola

I seem to have several conversations daily surrounding the same topic – scaling. There are millions of bright talented experienced business owners who want to grow their companies save a couple of crucial issues – time and money. There is no concrete way to control the speed of scaling but often it feels like it's not happening fast enough. Some days it moves at a snail's pace.

You want to grow your revenue line and you know in order to do that you need extra help but you can’t afford the extra help because you are too busy working on the current revenue stream. And you can't seem to grow the revenue because of all the prospecting and meeting and selling and trying to get your current client work done.

Sound Familiar?

This is an issue that has faced business forever. Others with much less money or experience have solved what each of us faces which perhaps makes our concerns even more annoying. We love to hear stories of people born of meagre means to fight and claw their way to a successful career.

We know we can do it but its a mix of our impatience and some pedestrian items we need to corral. Scaling is a challenge for everyone from sole proprietors to c-level executives of corporations with a global footprint.

Here is a list of things to think about (I know I do) when you look at how to scale your business...

Find the Quiet
Anyone who knows me, knows I have a busy brain. That does not always mean I’m getting it all done, sometimes quite the opposite. Busy doesn’t mean progress. Find those moments where you can shut it all off, listen to some music, put your feet up and clear your mind.

Be Honest About Your Effort
We can usually find external fault in the slower pace of our business growth. The truth is, we need to look inside to ensure we are doing all we can. That’s usually where the slowdown is occurring.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
We all do it and it is a complete and utter waste of time. We can claim that numbers and stature and position don’t matter (they don’t) but we make them far more important that they are, stop shaking your head, you do so.

Ask Often and Always
This is where most businesses fall apart. I know I see my work slow down when I stop asking for business. We get timid, we don’t want to appear to be selling, but without sales there is no business. Find your way. No ask, no business.

Get Help
Small business, large corporation, c-level executive, sole proprietor, no one makes it on their own. No one. Ever. Surround yourself with a mastermind group of people from all walks of life with two purposes – to tell you the truth and to offer advice.

It’s Not Their Fault
When played properly, life is a team sport but we need to own our part.

Find the Decision Maker
How often have you had discussions with someone who can’t make the sale for you? Why would you try and sell to someone who isn’t in the position of buying? We've all done it far too often.

Be Clear About Your Offer
Elevator speech, website, social profile, in-person meeting, if you don’t believe what you are then no one will. Often companies get stuck or worse go backward when they begin to get unclear on their offer. Qualifying the sale is essential too. There's no sense talking to anyone - decision maker or not - if they're simply not interested.

Decimate the Naysayers
They are everywhere. Stay away from them. Delete them from your life. They will do absolutely nothing but derail you. Advice is fine, negativity is destructive.

Walk a Mile
This is not about comparing yourself to others but rather learning from others. Find people who have gone through what you’re going through. This is why some of the best hockey coaches are former hockey players. This is precisely why the most successful people have mentors.

Take it Offline
The online social networks are wonderful for finding like minded people along thought silos void of geographical limitations. Get on the phone, book a coffee or lunch, get out of the office and meet people in person or hear their voice. No social networking tool is more powerful than human interaction.

Be Sure You Want This
Follow your gut. Find the quiet. Get help. Listen to yourself and learn what you want.

What Did I Miss?

Kneale Mann | How can I help?

image credit: webtrafficroi