Tag: Paradox

It’s not that i refuse to do these… #thinkdifferently

think differently
#thinkdifferently

 

It’s not that i refuse to do these or that i don’t see the value; however, i don’t do any of them.

Blogging is supposed to lead to traffic and traffic is supposed to create a funnel from which your business will flow. Makes sense, so almost everyone does these standard recipe-for-success tactics:

1. Have an email subscription sign up for a newsletter or blog
2. Entice sign-ups with a CTA (call to action) using a free asset give-away.
3. Use videos
4. Do not share your prices publicly
5. Have a slick website with lots of bells and whistles
6. Freely share your best content
7. Automate your social media sharing

So how did that play out in the first year of Disney retirement? If the only metric we use is revenue (because it’s typical), it was the best year of my life.

i only preach what i practice. And i preach to people who don’t want to be the best in their category, they want to become the category.

Sure it’s risky. But so is following the herd.

PS. i blog a lot (13k posts since 2009), but i don’t do it to drive business. On my speaker site, it’s almost impossible to find my blog. Why? Because it’s a personal blog.

 

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On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.

 

The main reason organizational culture change fails

iPhone calculator
Yesterday’s published blog total. Today it changes to 12,702.

 

The main reason organizational culture change fails is because CEO’s are focused on technical changes instead of adaptive changes.

The cultural disfunction never gets better because CEO’s are attacking symptoms, not causes.

This becomes an insidious pattern of dependency.

Meaning, the sense of urgency, and the fire drills to put out the fires are something people respond well to because the culture is reactive rather than proactive. And there is a “high” you get from “being productive” (putting out fires).

No one (stereotypically) in the organization with influence knows how to be proactive. At least that’s what it feels like to nearly everyone on the front line.

This is where i come in.

Reference: Ronald Heifetz, the nature of adaptive leadership on You Tube.

 

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This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.

Why i haven’t jumped on the podcast bandwagon

Magic Kingdom bag check area at Dawn
It’s not the Magic that makes it work, it’s the work that makes it Magic.

 

Following is a blog comment i wrote yesterday in response to a blog comment from Brian:

•  •  •  •  •

Brian, first, i appreciate you taking time to (read and) comment. There is a lot of hype about “the benefits of this platform or that social media platform”. i’ve heard it all. There’s a ton of theory and best practices.

When you own your own business, you are in a different game than when you worked for someone else. You have to create your own brand, take your own risks, spend your own time and money. If you’ve never done it, it’s an incredible eye-opening experience. You make a lot of mistakes. You carry a lot of fear of trying new (different, counter-culture) things because everything you do has a consequence. And your ideas might not work.

Theory goes out the window.

All you have is what you try and what you learn from trying.

i shy away from the industry standard practices.

Why?

We have the choice to pick one of two: Become the best in an existing category, or to become the category.

All of my keynote speaking business comes from recommendations and referrals.

Would you pay a per-usage fee, a monthly fee, or an annual fee to listen to the podcasts you’ve described?

Thank you Brian for the thought-provoking dialogue. i hope i have returned the favor.

 

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The world is full of emotions, which serve as leadership examples

John W Jolin
Photo from iPhone: John W Jolin Twitter campaign.

 

High School Theater
High School Theater the other night.

 

In just 24 hours, we can see the unflattering reality of human behavior as well as the glorious example of what a human can do when they set their mind on goodwill.

The High School Theater performances included several international students who, until four months ago, didn’t speak english.

Stunning.

Both examples are stunning.

Both are choices made by the same species, humans.

The paradox of joy versus sorrow.

 

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There’s a reason this question is so important

Magic Kingdom Castle improvements 2015
Always improving the Guest Experience.

 

Magic Kingdom Castle improvements 2015
Continuous improvement is Disney’s DNA.

 

Disney Customer Service Keynote Speaker
Yesterday’s 10-mile run included a walk through Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

 

There’s a reason this question is so important:

What’s the ratio between taking action based on our own original thought vs taking action based on someone else’s recipe for success?

Classic battle of crazy vs tried and true.

If all we had to do was follow the “success” recipe(s), we’d all be astonishing successful wouldn’t we?

 

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This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.