We might talk about red, white, or other and sparkling, French, Australian, or Californian, or whatever else comes up, even flamenco dancing.
Do be nice. 🙂
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?
Every company that I work with has some issue with perceived productivity — people working hard at things that add no value. It might be a team that’s lost direction or a culture that does things as they’ve always been done. It could a department who never evaluates the effectivenees of their process.
I suppose that comes from a misaligned perception that hard work is equal to a positive contribution. It’s not so. A positive contribution is any work that moves us closer to our goals — sometimes that’s hard work; sometimes it’s simple and elegant.
When we work at home, it’s easy to fall victim to the lure of productivity that gets us nowhere. We feel like we’re working. No one says our time investment isn’t worth it. In the past few months, people have said these things to me:
I’m all I can and in the last 6 months, I’ve only made $600.
I work 14 hours a day. I guess you need money to make money.
In my last job, I was a high performing VP. Now I can’t get a client to talk to me.
Every time I asked what they were doing. They answered with common wisdom about successful blogging.
If you’ve got a blog, you know that it’s work to do all of that. It’s highly productive work, if the goal is to build a first-rate blog audience. But the folks who came to me had a goal to build a client-based business. They were working hard on some things that wouldn’t take them where wanted to be.
It was perceived productivity. Wisdom needs to match up wth where we’re going.
Each person took a minute to apply their goals to what they were doing. The wisdom matched to their goals made a new purpose and new direction. Every high-quality blog post and every hour spent networking and commenting was considered in light of their business. A slight shift made a big difference. Time spent became highly productive.
Wisdom + goals = direction, purpose, productivity
Ever been victim to perceived productivity?
I have. Now I keep my goal in front of me.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
It was about a year ago that I heard these words from my friend, Rodney Rumford. You’re a connector! That’s what you are . . . like in the Tipping Point.
I thought, Yeah, I can see why someone would say that, but I’m not one word.
Yesterday, Rodney said, “How’s business, Liz?”
I said, “Rodney, I finally gave in. I’ve taken on the title, Connector. Try as hard as I might to say that’s not what I am. When I looked around, all I saw was me connecting — people, ideas, relationships, steps in a process.”
I have to admit that since the day that I connected with the word, connector, my whole life has made more sense. I’ve connected all of my strengths. I’ve connected all of my values. I’ve sorted out my major disconnects. I know my unique purpose. I know what I bring and what I need for success.
Have you noticed how easy it is to be with folks who know where they’re going? The energy that we lose trying to focus on too many things gets released when we set our sights on purpose number 1 — what we most need to do for ourselves is what we best do for everyone else.
Every bit of me needs to be connected — relational and whole. Fragments frustrate me. Loose ends nag and aggravate me. I’m best when I connect parts into meaningful big ideas. The business of connecting is right for me. I see relationships — among people, ideas, and things — that are are relevant and whole.
What does every bit of you need to be? . . . at peace, in service, authentic, useful . . . what word drives you? What business are you really in?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Are you looking to get unstuck?
Dear Lisa and Chris,
I write you as family, because, for me, that’s how it is. I know it was a tough decision to give up your roles in SOBCon08. Don’t think for a second that it changes a thing. Your hands, hearts, and minds are woven through the SOBCon reality that we made from air. No one at SOBCon07 could possibly remember the event without remembering both of you.
But your life, your new business, the future you’re building is a giant dream. It’s worth the journey you’ve set yourselves on. It will be amazing to watch you as you grow your business into your potential. I can’t imagine anything in your way. I sure can see the good things you will do and make.
How could I not have mixed feelings about seeing you leave the team?
I’ll miss your shoulders next to mine. Wonderful folks will help pick up the work, but it will be a long while before I stop looking for the two of you.
But I won’t miss your voice on the phone, because we’ll still take all of the time. . . . and I’ll still see you in Chicago in May!
To SOBCon Founders, Chris and Lisa Cree,
Blessings and Love on your new business,
and the biggest congratulations of my heart.
Work with Liz!! SOBCon08 is May 2,3,4 in Chicago. Register now!
Imagine this. We’re friends, sitting on my balcony, enjoying the sunsetsailboats on the horizon across Lake Michigan. (It might take a minute to get the image, especially since the aforementioned balcony doesn’t exist.) We’re drinking our favorite beverage and discussing what’s new, what’s news, and what’s interesting recent history.
You’re speaking about how you see the world. I hear a thought you share, and it prompts one of my own. You listen and elaborate on what you meant. I sip my wine and then I say,
“Um, I have nothing to say. I’m suffering talker’s block.”
I don’t think so.
Ever heard anyone say that they have talker’s block? Sure everyone has moments when we have nothing to say or no comeback, but do we get brainlessly blank when we’re talking to our friends? Do we sit around watching the Superbowl, listening to a debate, or seeing someone Twitter on a new iPhone . . . then find ourselves without word one? No, of course not.
Conversation is a participation sport that has only one team. In a conversation, people share ideas in a relational, flexible way. Whether they’re “Oh yeah, I know what you mean!” discussions or “You’re totally missing the point!” debates, conversations work the same. Conversations have three key elements in common that work in this way.
That third point is the key. Conversation is organic and goes where the thoughts lead us. It’s the thoughts that count. It’s the meaning making that moves the conversation forward . . . or not. In most conversational journeys, someone starts the engine, but everyone owns some part of where the conversation goes. (A solo journey doesn’t mean no conversation at all. Ever think about what you would say to a friend, when he or she wasn’t there?)
When we add to a conversation, we draw from what we know, what we’ve experienced, what we imagine, and what we wonder about. We do that in response to thoughts that other folks have shared.
Here’s the bit not to miss . . . we draw from the same places — what we know, what we’ve experienced, what we imagine, and what we wonder about — when we start a conversation.
When we’re conversing with friends . . . we don’t edit our thoughts or tie them up like a presentation. We put the focus on who we’re talking to and what they’re saying, not on how they’ll be looking at us. We trust our friends to hear what we’re saying or ask when they can’t. We make room for feedback, so that we know. We respect their thoughts.
I just told you.
If you’re feeling blank, draw from what you know, what you’ve experienced, what you imagine, and what you wonder about. Put an idea or observation out there. Focus on who you’re talking to and leave room for feedback. In print or on the Internet, write a conversation.
I started the engine. Here’s the keys. Your turn to drive.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Want to get rid of your writer’s block forever? I’ll show you how.
One might expect to see Lorelle VanFossen, THE Lorelle of Lorelle on WordPress, to be speaking at an event such as WordCamp Dallas. But, I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been invited to participate as well.
The event, WordCamp, was started by WordPress founder, Matt Mullenweg, and has become an international event. Here’s a bit of the history described by the Weblog Tools Collection Blog.
The first WordCamp conference was held in July of 2006 in San Francisco. Matt Mullenweg pulled this event together in only three weeks time and ended up with about 300 people in the Swedish American Hall. The first international WordCamp event was held in Beijing China on September 1st, 2007. However, not too many people knew of the event. So the first KNOWN international WordCamp event took place in Israel on October 25, 2007. Since then, there have been WordCamps all across the world including Hamburg, Melbourne and soon to be Dallas.
WordCamp Dallas is a two-day event being held in Frisco, Texas at the George A. Purefoy Municipal Center on March 29 and 30, 2008. Here’s the list of speakers and what presentations are about.
You can see plenty of reasons to attend! Click this logo to register now!
Let me know if I’ll get to see you there!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!