jungle jeff

Can Your Business Tell A Story?

Twitter for business?

Absolutely.

Heather Lutze, famous SEO expert, and someone I trust, recently posted this article, 5 Key Ways That Twitter Benefits Business.

Trust You Instinct

This excerpt is from a Speakers and Panelist LinkedIn Group Member, Stephen J Stulic. Relevant and powerful:

“Seek and Welcome Opportunities That Move You Closer To Realizing Your Full Potential.

Be ready when opportunity knocks. And sometimes, by taking strategic advantage of several small opportunities, you may move closer to realizing your full potential more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along.

Therefore, do not be content to wait for a single opportunity to be all that you want it to be; they come in all shapes and sizes and quite often come disguised as something you would not normally expect.

A person truly centered in understanding what he wants will make more opportunities than he finds.

So, when any opportunity to become more is presented to you, be prepared to make the most of it and take action.

Follow your instincts; there is nothing more discouraging than waiting back on your heels as an opportunity ceases to be one.”

I Love Freakonomics

You’ve probably heard of Freakonomics.

You probably have not heard of Sam Horn.

I met Sam Horn on LinkedIn.

Sam Horn loves quotes.  jeff noel loves quotes. In fact, jeff noel is addicted to quotes.

Sam feeds quotes to quote-addicted people like me.

She also speaks and writes.  And Sam Horn does them well, very well.

And if you have any common sense at all, you’ll trust me and click here to read this New York Times summary of her book, Tongue Fu.

I have six new ideas from reading this brief, but compelling angle to crafting your pitch, your elevator speech. Seriously.

What Would You Find?

Hey, don’t want to make a big deal, or start some internal swirl of guilt or doubt with anyone, so I won’t dwell on this blog thing from yesterday.

But may I please say one more thing before we move on?  Google a few things and see what you get:

• Your name
• Your Company
• A few key words you use

Blogging will accelerate your search engine optimization. It’s not a silver bullet, but then again, and we all know “There ain’t no silver bullet.”

And as a “put your money where your mouth is” kinda thing, Google any of my blog titles (minus the .com, .net or .org).

Maybe there is a silver bullet.

Or, beginner’s luck.

A Dreamer, and, A Doer

Walt Disney said many profound things. There are few on Earth that think Walt Disney was stupid and misguided.

Are you a Walt Disney fan? I mean, a fan of the man, the dreamer and doer?

After several days of long jungle jeff blog posts, I’m cutting this one short with a simple and profound Walt Disney quote, which summarizes how I want to think in 2010:

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

In 2010, let’s pursue the dreams we’ve always had, but have not yet made our dramatic leap. Ya with me?

Occasionally, I post what I think is relevant, but not necessarily business content.  For a variety of reasons, I thought this one was timely.

Here’s a Career Builder article I just received from Earthlink.

Nine questions to ask your boss.

Make it a GREAT day, because if you don’t, who will?  If not today, when?

Carpe diem, jungle jeff

What’s the first thing you do when you hear your alarm clock go off?

As I write this, it’s almost 5am.  I’ve been up for an hour, reading, writing, thinking.

Actually, I didn’t think the alarm clock was ever going to go off.  Just lying in bed, wondering, “When is that thing ever going to go off.  Come on. Let’s go.  Bring it (the day) on!”

Those who know me know I’m completely serious.  Those who don’t – “crazy man”!

Part of the challenge is the thing we’re waiting on is called an “ALARM” clock.  Yikes.

What if we called it an “OPPORTUNITY” clock.  Wow!

Everyday is an opportunity to do something great.  Everyday is a gift.  To be able to get out of bed.  To be alive.  To have the privilege to serve and help others.

Have you noticed the tone, the language, of today’s post?

There a few key words and phrases that set the tone.  Agree?

The same is true in business.  That’s one of the most powerful secrets in business.  Use words to nuture and grow a great culture.

I’ll explain more in another jungle jeff post.  Right now, it’s off to the Orange County Convention Center for a GREAT day.

Make your day GREAT!  Because if you don’t, who will?

Carpe diem, jungle jeff 

What does EPCOT stand for?

Every Person Comes Out Tired!

What?

Just kidding.  You can take the boy out of the Jungle Cruise, but you can’t take the Jungle Cruise out of the boy.

EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow.

That’s what Walt Disney called Walt Disney World, before it was officially named Walt Disney World.  The entire 43-square mile piece of alligator, snake and mosquito infested swampland he called EPCOT.

He said it would never be completed.  He added, “The sketches and plans you see here are simply a starting point. Our first overall thinking.”  As he continued, “Our plans may change time and time again.”  He gave us permission to take his crazy, “impossible” vision and find the best way to get to our destination – “that EPCOT will always be a showcase for American ingenuity.”

And so it is with me.  And with you too.  Who wouldn’t want to always be in a state of becoming.  Always changing and growing -serving more people in more ways.  Then those people go out and do the same.  We know this as “the ripple effect”.

Who’s helping you?   Who’s holding you accountable?

At last week’s National Speakers Association Winter Conference, prior to the opening Keynote speech from Roxanne Emmerich ( http://www.emmerichgroup.com/ ), author of  “Thank God It’s Monday:  Kicking Butt and Taking Names to Grow Your Business”, we were asked to find one or two accountability partners.  It was great to establish this upfront.

Carpe diem, jungle jeff 

What’s the downside to creativity?

Being creative does not mean being productive.

Huh?

Creativity can be defined as generating useful ideas, in any domain.  Most people assume that a bunch of creative ideas is something great.  It really isn’t.  Seriously, it’s not  Because, if none of your creative ideas ever get implemented, then what do you have?  N-u-t-h-i-n’.  Nuthin!  Period!

Want to know the key?

Curious about Disney’s spin on this “creativity issue”?

Here’s the deal:

Innovation is the implementation of a creative idea!

That’s the secret at Disney.  They focus on creativity and implementation, in order to create innovations that make things better for their Cast, Guests, or Business practices.

Most people think of Walt as the “Father of Creativity”.

What he really deserves credit for was his ability to innovate – to implement new, creative ideas.  Walt was the ultimate “envelope pusher”.

“So what?”  My simple, yet famous question.  The one I began using a decade ago for the sole purpose of challenging students, to adapt, not adopt, “book theory” best practices.

On a scale of 1-10 (10 is excellent), how would others (not you) rate you on your drive, your vision, your energy, to push creative ideas through to implementation?

I hope you like your number.  I didn’t like mine when I did this exercise.  So I did something about it.  I started to practice what I preach.

That has made all the difference.

Make it a GREAT day, because if you don’t, who will?

Carpe diem, jungle jeff 

What’s significant about 17.84?

That’s what Disney stock closed at today.  As in $17.84 a share.  That’s a 52-week New York Stock Exchange low.  (The official low today was $17.72, but the close was $17.84)

Because of the strength of the Disney Company brand (Magic), Disney tends to be one of the last to feel recessions and one of the first to recover.

Today’s closing Disney stock price reinforces the mantra: “It’s not the Magic that makes it work, it’s the work that makes it Magic.”

Disney’s Magic is revealed in what they conceal.  The work.  The work is what they never let you see.

What are you willing to let your customers see?  What do you painstakingly make invisible?  Bet no one’s ever asked you that before!

What would you, or your organization, look like if everyone started to think this way?

If you have any professional sense, to me, you would let that statement resonate.   I hope you like your answers.  If you don’t.  You have options.

Some of them are right under your nose.

Carpe diem, jungle jeff