Successful Blog

Why Can't Everyone Think Like We Do? What to Do about the People Who Disrupt Our Lives

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Why Does He Care So Much about THAT?!!

Life is going. Things are urgent, important, and vibrant. I’m in the zone, making things happen, feeling the vibe. Then it happens.

Someone points out a tiny crack. Even worse, he’s worried about it, fretting about it, suggesting extreme precautions for fixing. And I can’t believe that anyone has invested the time … to write 100 little sticky notes that say exactly the same thing when one big note would have worked; to interrupt the conversation on a heartfelt idea to point out I’ve mispronounced a word; to check whether I want to order special paper for a document that’s late.

I’m not good at reviewing the soil composition when I’m moving mountains. I’m also not good at the opposite when someone brings up the mountain when I’m analyzing the soil.

The disruption is the same.

I tend to be drawn to people who think like I do. It’s so much easier to relate to them.

Why can’t everyone think like we do?

What to Do about the People Who Disrupt Our Lives

It’s a fact. We think that people who think like we do are brilliant, easy, and wonderful. They truly are intuitive, perceptive, and world-changing leaders in every way. But you know, the ones who we need most are the people who think differently.

We call them “difficult,” because they’re challenge to understand. That’s the value of being around them.

People who think differently than we do care deeply about things we don’t even think about. Therein lies their strength.

We should celebrate the people who disrupt our lives.

  1. Start with thank you. The second that you want to say “WHAT?!!” say “Thank you for saying (seeing, asking about) that.” Whatever issue (problem, outlandish idea) someone brings, know that he or she invested time thinking about it and bringing it to your attention. Say that you know that.
  2. Value the execution that comes from commitment. People who go to unimaginable extremes to make sure something is right care more about that something than we ever will — therefore they execute it better than we ever would. Rather than being perplexed by their values, value their commitment.
  3. Change their title from obstacle to safety net. Let them be on the team. Let them in on your goals. Invite them to take care of what they do well and know they’ll have your back on that.

Innovation, progress, and safety come from brave, valuable voices different from our own. The very differences that make them valuable also make it hard to hear them.

If you believe opposites attract, maybe you should.

Ever had an irritating, interrupting difficult person save your butt? Did it change you somehow?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

The Effect of the Internet as a Watercooler

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Bob Krumm wrote this week: The water cooler is spreading a virus

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, two events have leapt into America’s consciousness this week. The first was the Tea Party protests involving hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans in hundreds of cities all around the country.

Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle

The second was the sudden and stunning success of previously unknown church choir singer, Susan Boyle, who wowed judges and the audience in an audition for Britain’s Got Talent, the Anglican version of American Idol. Since Saturday night when her first song was broadcast to a British audience, Ms. Boyle’s televised appearance has been viewed by no less than 40 million people, a population eight times that of her native Scotland.

In just the last 24 hours she has been mentioned, complete with a color picture, on the front page of the Washington Post, was interviewed live on the CBS Early Show, and has been booked for an appearance on Oprah.

What these two seemingly unrelated events have in common is the internet.

To riff off of one of the comments, the revolution will not be televised – it will be on YouTube!

In a more serious vein, however, the example of Susan Boyle reveals two important things:

  1. Regular people can now become as famous as any celebrity. The video of Boyle’s performance contained the perfect combination of a stereotypical set-up, a surprising twist, and a heart-warming response. I have a feeling that we are going to be hearing from Ms. Boyle again.
  2. Succumbing to cynicism and “judging a book by its cover” just might put one into a very uncomfortable position. If Simon Cowell were not known for his disdain for most performers on these talent shows he would have looked like a real jerk.

Thanks to Week 182 SOBs

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muddy teal strip A

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

muddy teal strip A

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

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Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

SOB Business Cafe 04-17-09

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SB Cafe

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking — articles, books, podcasts, and videos about business online written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Left the Box says …
People like to be in the loop, being the first to know something means you’re important. You know something other people don’t know. Unlike an expensive car, you can’t show off information, without giving it away – which is exactly what people do.

Rock Your Day sets us straight …
“I’m so busy with my job, I can’t start working out now. You know how it is.”
“I’m so strapped for cash I can’t start saving money. Isn’t everyone?”
“I hate my job, but in this economy … what are you going to do?”

Presentation Zen explains …
Shai’s delivery was not slick or polished, nor were his visuals, but he was himself, relaxed, and totally engaging. It was an excellent talk given in the “Naked,” natural style. His pacing was good: not too slow, not too fast. He was a worthy messenger of an important topic, perhaps the most important topic of our day. If his goal was to get us talking, it worked.

Marketing Pilgrim reveals …
Mike Morgan, the creator of the gripe site www.GoldmanSachs666.com (clever Number of the Beast usage there, Mike) did what many bloggers often talk about but rarely do; he went on the legal offensive.

Technosailor tilts the lens …
Here’s the question of the day. If your name is mentioned in some kind of conversation, whether on the internet or offline, how do people identify you? Are you the founder of a company that does something? Are you a blogger? Photographer?

When they hear your name, do they associate you with a movement? Are you an expert in something? Does your reputation put you in a position of leadership or authority?

Related ala carte selections include

mariareyesmcdavis recommends
Ran across a great post of Insights on and from Twitter (directly from users) about what it’s all about and what’s really up with this phenom called Twitter.

Oh and..
Invest in your future.

Register for SOBCon09!

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like. No tips required. Comments appreciated.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Social Media Marketing: It's Not About the Champagne!

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It’s Not About Finding Customers Either

When new clients ask questions about marketing with social media, it’s getting easier to determine who’s going to be successful. It’s not their goals that identify them as understanding the social business culture. It’s the way they view their product and the people who use it.

The questions they ask quickly reveal who understands the new social climate, who realizes that it’s not about finding customers for their products, but about using their products to connect people to other people. For folks still steeped in broadcast marketing, the conversation quickly turns to product features, uses, and lead generation.

Old thinking was hard enough.

The new thinking is even harder to execute. It brings people much further into the picture. Now we have to show how our products bring people together. Like great design, great products and great marketing call attention to and serve their audience.

It’s not about the champagne or the size of the bubbles … it’s about the celebration!

Have you seen any great examples of marketing that connected people with people?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Listening & Watching – Lessons Learned

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I took two days off Twitter recently and listened. By listening I mean watched. I’d been noticing the changes: the shifting, the influx and the exodus. I’m not talking about how the interface is working; I’m talking about the how the users are changing through the use of the tool. I’m a sociologist at heart. I like to watch group behavior; I like to think about what makes people tick. Brian Solis described social media as “… a fusion between technology and sociology…” Naturally, I’m intrigued.

I saw really interesting happenings. There will always be leaders and there will always be followers – no Twitter pun intended. I saw people I have met in person taking on leadership roles on twitter that they never would dream of doing off line. I saw people changing their behavior from when they began on Twitter to emulate some who they must perceive as successful. I saw people building relationships based on conversation and many offerings of help.

At first, I admit, I did notice the more negative aspects of what is happening out there like the huge collecting of followers based purely on numbers without any engagement. I also noticed that some people needed instruction on how to be genuine. No, not just newspapers and corporations but actual individuals.

Through a conversation I was having with someone I greatly admire (and whom I met through Twitter) I began to describe how I found this particularly sad. He replied the “genuinely-challenged” haven’t learned that their vulnerability can be a rich source for power to do good for others.” I thought about that statement for a full day.

I see a lot of good things happening through social media. I’m not just talking about Twitter – that’s a tool and there are many tools. I see people coming together, exchanging ideas, learning and growing. I see companies communicating with people who buy their products in a meaningful way. I see publishers, PR people recognizing the need for change and working through that. In tough times I see people reaching out to each other building a community that offline, maybe crumbling around them.
It was really good to step back for a day or two. I highly recommend it. It’s also really good to be back.
Have you taken a social media break? Was it helpful? What did you learn?

from: Kathryn Jennex aka @northernchick