Successful Blog

Are You Big Enough to Help Someone Become Greater Than Yourself

by

The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. To underscore the importance of relationships in business and to have a chance to make and celebrate a few while we’re doing that, I’ve opened up this series by successful and outstanding bloggers like you.

The ROI of Relationships — Steve Farber and Patrick Lencioni on “Greater Than Yourself”

The first thing I noticed when I met Steve Farber were these linebacker shoulders that appeared as if they could support the world. Then he said, “Hello, let’s get breakfast,” and the smile in his eyes and voice made me think of Butch and Sundance saying in the old movie, “Who is this guy?”

Steve Farber had been someone I’d wanted to meet since the second I’d read both of books, The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership
and The Radical Edge: Stoke Your Business, Amp Your Life, and Change the World
back to back.

The charcters in his business fables, one particular named Agnes, had become people, friends to me. Agnes had sent me on a quest to identify that single value that wrapped up all my values into one. She called it “finding your frequency.”

Now Steve has a new book called Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership. I’ve read that too and it’s set me on another quest how to change the world one person at a time through generosity of spirit and true leadership.

In this new fable Steve investigates the story of a note he found inside the case of a guitar he bought, He meets people who believe that raising others up above themselves is the greatest form leadership. It sounds simple: expand yourself, give yourself, replicate yourself. But the commitment to choose another person well, to offer over all you know and give access to is a huge and wonderful form of extreme leadership.

In the video below, Steve talks to Patrick Lencioni and Matthew Kelly — their story is told in the introduction to the book. You’ll find more about them and others on the Greater Than Yourself site.

Greater Than Yourself officially launches April 6th. It’s not only the fable, but also case stories and tools for starting your Greater Than Yourself project. Check it out.

Steve will be stopping in at SOBCon this year. I can’t wait to see him. I’ve already started working on my Greater Than Yourself Project. You can learn how to start yours by reading this book.

Register for SOBCon09 NOW!!

Experience the ROI of Relationships

SOB Business Cafe 04-03-09

by

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

Modite via Livingston Buzz
An observer that sits in a wagon pulled around by “the influencers.” What chance do you have if you’re not even thinking on your own two feet?

Middle Zone Musings
OK; I know you’ve faced adversity at least once or twice. Sometimes the source is the circumstances you happen to find yourself in. Other times, it knocks on your door in the form of, well, a person. Or three.

Confident Writing
So, your keyword phrases and search terms are working, and readers are starting to arrive at your site. If you want to provide information, get someone to click on a link, or generate a quick sale… perhaps that’s enough. But what if you’re hoping they’ll stick around?

Logic + Emotion
This morning a couple of things came together for me. The first, was that I unfollowed a company/individual on Twitter because the volume they were producing felt automated and not human even if there were college interns manually updating it (or maybe just a script). It just didn’t feel right. The second was reviewing a deck where it talked about the need for “being human” on the social web. But it didn’t get into how exactly, and that’s where my gears started turning.

weblogtools
Like most of you, I have experimented with many WordPress plugins. I have seen a lot of great plugins and also a lot of bad plugins. I am a bit of a WordPress plugin developer myself, and I admit that I borrow many ideas from other good WordPress plugins. From that experience I have consolidated these good ideas into a checklist that you can follow when reviewing or coding a new WordPress plugin.

Related ala carte selections include

ImJustCreative shares the glory …

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

The ROI of Relationships: David Bullock Talks with Jay Deragon

by

The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. To underscore the importance of relationships in business and to have a chance to make and celebrate a few while we’re doing that, I’ve opened up this series by successful and outstanding bloggers like you.

The ROI of Relationships — David Bullock with Guest Jay Deragon

Until they heard him speak at SOBCon08, people thought David Bullock was the SEO guy I brought in to teach them about analytics. He changed their minds and their hearts by showing that analytics is about relationships with people. Listen in to what he’s doing now.

David will be back at SOBCon09. Can’t wait to see him there!

David Bullock explains the analytics and intelligence of social media at DavidBullock.com and now at Social Media Connection.com His Twitter name is: @DavidBullock

Register for SOBCon09 NOW!!

Experience the ROI of Relationships

May 1st at the Summit! An Out of the World Space!

by

See Where It Happens

Join social media and business mavens, pr and interactive agencies, big brands and ecommerce specialists working together on building the business of the Interwebs.

Speakers speak for 40 minutes. Then you work with your team applying what they said to your business.

Calum MacLean, of the Summit Executive Center, has made a videocast of the space where we meet. Click through to see what makes the working environment of SOBCon so special and enticing.

Click through and check it out!

Storytelling Hits Home – Part 2

by

In January I wrote a post about the subject of a documentary I am making. I talked about her community and how they had let her down and a little bit about our relationship. She has been in a women’s correctional facility, a jail, since then and we have maintained close contact. Well, as close as you can over a scant few phone calls that are monitored and letters someone else reads after she has written them. There is a chance that in a few weeks she may be released and has expressed the desire to enter a drug rehab program. I applauded her decision and was amazed when she told me there was no one to help her make this happen. I listened thinking this was the addict talking, making excuses, and offered encouragement but didn’t respond. After describing the lack of counseling in the facility she finally asked me to help.
  
And so it begins. Phone call after phone call, department after department: “No, we can’t refer. ” “She needs a counselor.” “I can’t talk to you about that.” Round and round I went. 

I am passionate about helping others. I am passionate about being an advocate for those who, for whatever reason, may not have a voice. But today, as I began advocating for someone close to me I kept hitting a wall. Today I was so frustrated I wanted to scream. Today I felt powerless, silent and ineffective. I have good intentions; I volunteer, serve on committees and volunteer boards. I promote non-profit online and wherever and whenever I can. 

What do we do when the systems we have in place to advocate and care for those disadvantaged in any and every way don’t work? How do we accept the fact that those processes put in place are not being managed in a manner that benefit those who need them? 

Again the community has let her down, and again tomorrow I will pick up the phone. 

photo credit: Amy Stark flickr
from: Kathryn Jennex aka @northernchick

Listening, Big Brothers, Logic, and Believing What You Hear

by

What Did He Say?

Loan me ten dollars, but only give me five. That way you’ll owe me five. I’ll owe you five, and we’ll be even.

My younger, older brother is a clever guy — always has been. He could talk a fish out of water. He could get the neighborhood to wash the car for him. Everything he did seemed to be a game or a show of some kind.

“I can read your mind.”
“No, you can’t.
“Sure I can. You’re thinking I can’t read your mind.”

He’d send a whistle through his teeth and I’d be there. He had a junk drawer filled with exciting objects and a mind of exciting ideas.

“Kid, let me tell you about that picture. See, the princess — that’s you — She has two kings beside her and she has to do everything they tell her except on St. Patrick’s Day. On St. Patrick’s Day, she gets to be the queen.”

I’m his younger sister by more than 8 years. If he wanted company, I was there. I saw magic in him. He saw an eager audience in me.

“Want to split a coke?”
A few minutes later, I’d get an empty bottle.
“Sorry, kid, my half was on the bottom. I had to drink your half to get to it.”

He wasn’t a teacher in any traditional form, but I learned a lot by growing up with him.

“How does that work?”
“If you don’t know, I can’t tell you. If you do, then I don’t need to.”

I learned to listen for the meaning under the words.

Most folks don’t play quick and clever like my younger, older brother used to play with me. Still we all get caught using convoluted and circular logic — even when we talk to ourselves. Be on the lookout for it, especially today.

Happy April 1 … “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.”

Ever bump into someone like my younger, older brother?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Buy the ebook.

Register for SOBCon09 NOW!!

Invest, Learn, Grow!