At yesterday’s ReVisioning Value 2010 Conference, Amy Pearl of Springboard Innovation challenged us as participants to be disturbed and compelled to action by the ideas to which we were exposed.

At the time, I thought, “What is she talking about?  This is fantastic stuff, I’m totally pumped and motivated by all these ideas!  What’s there to be disturbed about?”  Yeah…that “disturbed” part sunk in on the way home.

So I’m personally disturbed – disturbed that I’m personally not doing more, not networked enough, not making a big enough impact, not educated enough.  And motivated.  Fresh from the conference, I’m still in that “frustrated” place because I don’t quite have the clear direction I need to move to the next step but I also know from experience that sometimes you need to stew in that world of frustration to be bothered enough to take the next step.

That being said, I also learned a great deal of mind-bending, paradigm-shifting new concepts and vernacular that perhaps I’d heard bantered about previously, but never really internalized.

1)  The concept from Dan Pallotta expressed in his book Uncharitable that we’ve trained the general public and non-profit community to demonize overhead (as in “What percentage of my donation goes to overhead?”) as useless, needless, wasteful spending by non-profit organizations, when in reality, non-profit organizations should be privy to the same “tools of capitalism” as the for-profit sector.  And the concept that *gasp* – it’s OK to do well by doing good.

2)  The question about whether and how social innovation can scale and what is potentially lost in scaling such ventures.

3)  The anecdotal evidence that being an idealist may actually stand in our way of being a smart business person (ouch!).

4)  How we, as a country, would rather see capitalism holding hands with patriotism than with social endeavors.  This, from Arjan Schutte from Center for Financial Services Innovation who has been a part of the rebranding of their low-income financial products from “making a social impact” to “rebuilding a stronger middle class”.

5)  That new Benefit Corporations or “B Corps” must, by law, create a material positive impact on society; consider how decisions affect employees, community and the environment; and publicly report their social and environmental performance using established third-party standards (Just a few weeks ago, Maryland became the first state in the union to legally recognize B Corps).  The vision of “creating space” for this third party entity that morphs business and non-profit is now becoming reality.

It strikes me that I’m not the only one who needs a bit of a paradigm shift (pardon the cliché) when it comes to our views on innovation, capitalism, investment and the personal filters and misinformation we allow to cloud our daily judgments.

So what about you?  If you attended the ReVisioning Value conference, what did you take away from it?  If you didn’t attend, what have been your recent world-rocking paradigm shifts?  What have you done or implemented as a result of your paradigm shifts?

Kudos to Nitya Wakhlu for her creative conference visual interpretations!

When offered the chance to donate to the
Acumen Fund in exchange for getting an
advanced copy of Seth Godin’s book,
Linchpin, I jumped at the chance.

In true practice-what-you-preach form,
Godin sent several emails after my
donation letting me know the status
of my book shipment.  When I received
the book, there was a letter included
from Godin which shocked me by
commencing, “The scariest words an
author can write are, ‘here’s my new
book.’”  I thought, Seth Godin…scared?  Cool.
I was hooked from the start.  Even after I realized that what I was reading was the table of contents.  I devoured the book in a day and a half.  Then I went back to re-read and take notes.  It’s THAT profound.

I’ve written a letter to you and to everyone in response to this book.

Dear Everyone I’ve Ever Cared About or Ever Will,

Have you ever wondered why you were put on this earth?  Even in passing?  Questioned whether you were making the most of your potential?  I have.  I do.

Because I see the genius in you that sometimes you forget to acknowledge, I have a recommendation for you.  It’s a book called Linchpin by Seth Godin.  Out the 26^th of January, just 6 days from now.  Get it.  Read it.  Read it again.  My hope is that it will inspire and educate you as it has me.

I won’t attempt to do Godin’s concepts justice by summarizing them here.  But know this.  The world needs your unique talents and your voice now more than ever.  You’re hard-wired to resist this “risky” contribution to society but you have the choice to overcome this resistance.  To deliver on your own greatness.  To dream big.  Draw your own map.  Whether you’re self-employed or an employee, this book will change your perspective.  If you have kids or work with kids, it’s a must-read.

Stand up to embrace your role as a “Linchpin” and join the ranks of those changing the world in their own special way.  And, please, once you’ve opened the door to inspiration, let me know so we can walk this road together.

It’s not often that I recommend books this strongly.  So do me, yourself and mankind a favor and check this one out!

And so this letter got me thinking about perfection.  The opportunity cost of perfection.  The difference between excellence and perfection.

Interestingly, when I looked up “perfection” in Wikipedia, it provided pages upon pages of historical origins, references, contexts – so much more than I could have imagined.  One of the things that stood out to me was under the “Physics and Chemistry” subheading.  Various concepts of “perfection” were outlined – many of which were not naturally occurring but rather an ideal…states that didn’t exist unless chemically manipulated.  For example, “The physicist designates as a perfectly rigid body, one that ‘is not deformed by forces applied to it.’ He uses the concept in the full awareness that this is a fictitious body, that no such body exists in nature. The concept is an ideal construct.”  Or  “A perfect fluid is one that is incompressible and non-viscous — this, again, is an ideal fluid that does not exist in nature.”

And isn’t this what we, as a society, have attempted to do?  To appear perfect, like my friend’s Christmas card, we manipulate our own reality….to our friends, to our family, to our customers.  I read, with horror, that Jennifer Hudson lip-synched her perfect rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl and that the inaugural performance by Yo-Yo-Ma and Itzhak Perlman was pre-recorded.  Does excellence have to equal perfection?  And at what cost?  How much effort and time are you putting into this manipulation – into appearing to be something you’re not?

The other part of the Wikipedia history lesson that I found incredibly interesting was the historical paradox of perfection and the theory that true perfection was, in fact, imperfection.  That if the world were truly perfect, there would be nothing to strive for, nothing to improve upon.  Think about this from your own experience.  You’re probably the person you are today, the business owner you are today because of the lessons you’ve learned from the past.  Somehow I doubt you’d label those lessons as examples of your own personal perfection.

And here’s the thing about manipulating reality to conjure up this smokescreen of perfection.  No one’s buying it.  And if they do buy it, they’ll pass you by because they can’t relate.  By creating a zip code in Perfectville in which your family or your business supposedly lives, you build walls that alienate you from “your people”.  And trust me, you need “your people”.

Now, all this being said, consider an alternate definite of perfection:  that which completely achieves its purpose, or that which is fully harmonious.  Now these are definitions of perfection that may be worth striving for.  But this assumes you know your purpose and refer to it often.  It assumes you know the elements that must be in harmony in your business and your life.  It assumes a “realness” that not everyone is ready to reveal.  It takes courage to strive for this type of perfection.  So go ahead, be the perfectionist – just change your definition of perfection.

More frequent is looking back on a period of time, or a moment in time and saying, “Wow, that was a huge transition for me”.  Rare is the ability to capture those transitions while they happen – recognizing them as they come and embracing the uncertainty they bring.

Today I find myself in such a transition.  So, of course, my thoughts today are almost entirely on transition.  I honestly think this is the first time in my life I’ve been able to take a step back and enjoy the magic and mystery of transition for all the beauty it contains.

And here’s what I’m experiencing right now…right this very minute.

Relief. The relief that comes with being “done” with something that hasn’t been a good fit.  That’s stood in the way of experiencing life and relationships to their fullest.

Sadness. This was somewhat of a surprise to me.  As I was literally driving away from one part of my life, I found myself surprised at the tears that started to fall as I drove away.  Sadness in leaving some amazing relationships – not forever – just leaving the familiarity and everyday-ness of them.

Uncertainty. As in, this is it!  One door is closing and I’m in the hallway and don’t yet see the next doorway.  Ummmm…..now what?!  With this uncertainty comes a bit of anxiety.

Excitement. Yes, I’m in the hallway after one door has closed but now I get to knock on a bunch of new doors and see if they open.  Peer behind each one and see what they hold.  Decide which door to walk through.  Hopeful that there’ll be one door that I recognize as my own to come home to.

Gratitude. In every experience, good or bad, there is learning.  I’m quite frankly amazed at the full circle I’ve navigated in my current transition.  But I recognize I’m one step ahead of where I was when I first started this particular journey.  That’s a good feeling.  Yes, I’ve been through some experiences that haven’t been ideal and I think I’ll look back on 2009 and say, “Whew…wasn’t that a whirlwind year?”  But would I give it up?  Nope.  It’s that journey that’s made me stronger, more alive and more committed to the things to which I need to be committed.

And on the note of gratitude I leave these thoughts, this transition.  I’m grateful for the perspective of this transition.  I’m grateful for the learning.  And grateful for the opportunity to share it.

“When the economy tanks, it’s natural to think of yourself first. You have a family to feed a mortgage to pay. Getting more appears to be the order of business. It turns out that the connected economy doesn’t respect this natural instinct. Instead, we’re rewarded for being generous.”

Page 1 and I’m hooked already.  And this is why I love Seth Godin.  He makes you think.  Somehow he manages to do this using a few short paragraphs.  His eBook is a collection from some amazing thinkers, authors and business minds – some you’ve heard of, some you haven’t.  Most all of them will make you think.  Or laugh.  Or question.  Seth Godin inspires me to be more concise.  To act more strategically.  To be more consistent.  To step into who I am and share my “art”.

Take this free eBook and download it.  Find an essay that speaks to someone in your life – a friend or colleague – and share it.  Print out the essays that speak to you the most directly and post them somewhere you’ll see them often.  Follow some of these great contributors on Twitter (I think I have 8 new people I’m following).  Check out their blogs and their “art”.

Here are a few excerpts from my favorite essays in this eBook.

From Anne Jackson on Fear:
“Until Fear is gone, (and realize he may never completely leave) make the decision to be courageous. The world needs your story in order to be complete.”

From Elizabeth Gilbert (author of my favorite book Eat, Pray, Love) on Ease:
“Dear ones, EASE UP. Pump the brakes. Take a step back. Seriously. Take two steps back. Turn off all your electronics and surrender over all your aspirations and do absolutely nothing for a spell. I know, I know  – we all need to save the world. But trust me: The world will still need saving tomorrow. In the meantime, you’re going to have a stroke soon (or cause a stroke in somebody else) if you don’t calm the hell down.”

From Howard Mann (first I’ve heard of him but am now following on Twitter) on Connection:
“More megaphones don’t equal a better dialogue. We’ve become slaves to our mobile devices and the glow of our screens. It used to be much more simple and, somewhere, simple turned into slow.”

From Steven Pressfield on Tough-Mindedness (I’ve been looking for a topic like this):
“We live in the age of distraction, of Twitter and multi-tasking and short attention spans. Even these micro-essays are part of it. Whereas what produces real work (and happiness for each of us, in my opinion) is depth, focus, concentration and commitment over time.  The antidote to these scattering influences is tough-mindedness, which I define as the ability to draw lines and boundaries within which we protect and preserve the mental and emotional space to do our work and to be true to our selves.”

From Mark Rovner on Timeless:
“Like all good Buddhists, I believe that when things become chaotic and complicated, it becomes ever more urgent to cut through the noise, simplify and hone in on what really matters.”

From J.C. Hutchins on Gumption:
“Declare war on passivity. Hush the inner voice that insists you’re over the hill, past your prime, unworthy of attaining those dreams. Disbelief is now the enemy, as is the notion of settling. Get hungry — hyena hungry. Get fired up. Find your backbone, and your wings.   Flap ‘em. It’s the only way you’ll be able to fly.”

So you’re thinking about going it alone and starting your own business.  Perhaps it’s something you’ve always dreamed of doing.  Perhaps it’s a hobby on the side begging to take center stage.  Perhaps it’s a brand new venture.  First, and most importantly…good for you!  It’s easy to be lulled into complacency by the familiar.  If you’re reading this letter, my suspicion is that you’re the type of person who refuses to incorporate “common”, “good enough” or “average” into your vernacular.  Greetings, kindred spirit.

Choose to accept this challenge and discover your inner entrepreneur and you’ll embark on a journey that will fundamentally change who you are and how you see the world around you.  Scared?  Good.  You should be.  A healthy dose of fear will keep you on your toes, push you to do your best and, probably most importantly, keep your ego at bay, at least for a little while, encouraging you to learn all you can.  Choose to explore the uncharted territory beneath those feelings of fear and discover the gift of excitement lying in wait.  Welcome that excitement with open arms.

Whatever your venture of choice, this is an undertaking you should take very, very seriously.  Give it the time, the thought, the planning it deserves.  It will likely take longer, more money and more energy to accomplish your goals than you ever anticipated.  But rest assured, no matter the outcome, the journey will be well worth the effort because, at the end of the day, your growth and perspective will catapult you into a level of resourcefulness that will serve you for life.

The name of the game is action.  Set out a plan for yourself and follow it.  Reject analysis paralysis.  You’ll never know it all, so polish up the basics and get moving, one step at a time.

Not everyone will support your decision or understand why you’re choosing to leave the security of the known to put it on the line and risk a shot at the entrepreneurial life, the unknown.  Some people, even those who know you best, may look at you with skepticism.  Bring it on!  Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur.  Your job is to believe in yourself and find others who believe in you to support your efforts along the way and pick you up when you fall.  It takes an amazing amount of courage to break out of the mold and carve your own path in this world.  I commend you and encourage you on this journey.

With you in mind, I humbly bring you the top tips I’ve personally learned along the way, most of which stem from learning the hard way. Items with asterisks will be discussed in more detail in future blog posts.

1)  Read Start with Why and figure out YOUR “Why”.  Ensure any business venture you undertake closely aligns with your “Why”.  When you know your “Why”, you’ll be able to hang in there when the going gets tough and make your mark on this world, inspiring people as you blaze a trail.

2)  Read E-Myth by Michael Gerber and Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki if you haven’t already.  They’re quick but important reads.

3)  Have a plan.  Try Palo Alto Software for business planning software.  Know where you’re headed.  Once you figure out your plan for getting from Point A to Point B, put it to the side and plan it all over again from scratch, not using any of the same steps.  Once you’ve done this, set that aside and then do it again.  Why?  Because when you hit a roadblock, you’ll have a plan “B” and a plan “C”  to fall back on.  It’s preemptive flexibility that you’ll be grateful for in the long run (thanks to Steve Linder for this idea).

4)  Choose your partnerships carefully.  Whether a business partnership or a key vendor, choose cautiously and choose well.  There’s a reason they call it “Due Diligence” – it’s something you MUST DO!

5)  Know how to write and read a contract.  Be diligent in doing so.***

6)  Start as you wish to end up.  Don’t want to be tied to your business in 5 years, where nothing can happen unless you’re at your desk?  Design it from the start so you have the systems in place to allow your business to run without you.  A great exercise is to graph out the organizational chart of your future business 5 years from now.  ***

7)  Document everything.  For really important conversations, record it.  ***

8)  Know the basics of all the aspects of your business, especially the finances.  Even if you’re not a numbers person, educate yourself to a basic level.  Sometimes it’s really just a numbers game but you need to know the rules of that game to recognize when the numbers don’t add up.  ***

9)  Start small but dream big.  Know your long term vision and goals and start small.  Do fewer things and do them incredibly well.  Then expand, building on your success.  Bite off more than you can chew in the beginning and you’re in for a rude awakening.

10)  Stay true to your integrity.  If you don’t have the highest levels of integrity then please, do us all a favor and don’t even throw your hat in the ring.  Refuse to deal with anyone whose integrity you question, which brings us to the next point.

11)  Trust your gut.  Ignore this rule at your peril.  If a contract, business partnership or direction doesn’t “feel” right, it’s probably not.

12)  Read The Dip by Seth Godin.  Knowing when to quit and when to hang in is critical for an entrepreneur.

13)  Evaluate yourself on a regular basis.  Schedule it.  Stick to it.  By getting this objective view regularly, you’ll make better decisions, able to check your emotions at the door.

14)  Use social media tools.  They’re predominantly free and incredibly powerful.***

15)  Use the appropriate level of technology.  You’re not NASA.  You don’t need a phone system for 15 people if it’s just you, even if it does have lots of cool bells and whistles.

16)  Network.  Find a supportive group of like-minded people.  This will increase your access to great and creative ideas, as well as moral support and years of experience in a variety of areas.  You’ll know these people when you find them because you’ll feel like you’ve finally found your home.

17)  Learn about general Project Management principles.  Most of the items with asterisks above have something to do with these principles that we’ll be discussing in more detail over the coming weeks.

I leave you with this quote from Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

With You in Spirit,

A Fellow Entrepreneur

Always forward-looking, Stan isn’t ready to throw in the towel. His customer-need focus has lead him to explore new technologies that save energy and improve efficiency. But it’s not an easy sell. For the past 3 years, Stan has been pushing components utilizing new electronic technology to replace or enhance older, less efficient, energy-guzzling hydraulic components.  “In some cases, we can save up to 15% of a plant’s total energy consumption. That’s significant,” explains Dan Wilson, Pacfic Fluid Systems’ sales guru.

When the downturn started impacting their sales in Q3 of 2008, they made another critical realization by focusing on their customers’ needs that may save their business.

Dan Wilson pulls out a complicated looking one-page black and white schematic. “This is what plants receive when their machinery is installed. The problem is, over time, components fail and need to be replaced. Sometimes entire pieces of this circuit are replaced or reconfigured. This schematic is not very helpful in the long run for training or maintenance.”

He then pulls out a full 3-ring binder. “This is what we develop for our clients.” Flipping through the pages, each component comes to life with color pictures of the actual machinery, close-up technical drawings, detail on each part. “We can also recommend process improvements by analyzing the entire system. Having this amount of detail makes training more efficient and maintenance and repair more streamlined.”

Wilson continues the explanation, “The funny thing is, this is always a service we’ve been able to provide…if we had time. We were so busy focusing on moving more efficient equipment into our clients that often this piece got overlooked. Now, with this economy, we’ve asked ourselves how we can help our clients cut costs. This binder is part of that solution. In addition, clients were too busy cranking out production to stop and take a look at ways to be more efficient. Now they’re not as busy and they have the time to reassess their efficiency. Suddenly our message makes more sense.”

Both Wilson and Nelsen equate focusing on this consultative approach to keeping the lights on in their own business. It’s a win-win situation. By keeping the focus on their customer needs, how to cut cost and increase efficiencies, they may have saved their own business.

I’m InCouraged by the perseverance and total dedication to customer need that Pacific Fluid Systems embodies.

Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address this evening was a much-needed reframing of our current economic situation.  President Obama did an incredibly balanced job of walking that fine line between acknowledging the seriousness of our economic woes and inspiring productive action.

My words don’t do his justice, so I’ll include my favorite portion of his speech below:

“I know that it is easy to lose sight of this truth – to become cynical and doubtful; consumed with the petty and the trivial.

But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places; that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of Americans who are anything but ordinary.

I think about Leonard Abess, the bank president from Miami who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him. He didn’t tell anyone, but when the local newspaper found out, he simply said, ‘I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old. I didn’t feel right getting the money myself.’

I think about Greensburg, Kansas, a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado, but is being rebuilt by its residents as a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community – how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay. ‘The tragedy was terrible,’ said one of the men who helped them rebuild. ‘But the folks here know that it also provided an incredible opportunity.’

And I think about Ty’Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina – a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom. She has been told that her school is hopeless, but the other day after class she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this room. She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp. The letter asks us for help, and says, ‘We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world. We are not quitters.’

We are not quitters.

These words and these stories tell us something about the spirit of the people who sent us here. They tell us that even in the most trying times, amid the most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a resilience, a decency, and a determination that perseveres; a willingness to take responsibility for our future and for posterity.

Their resolve must be our inspiration. Their concerns must be our cause. And we must show them and all our people that we are equal to the task before us.”

Of all the stories President Obama told, I was most moved by the story of Ty’Sheoma Bethea.  Just stop for a moment and imagine sending your child to a school where the ceilings leak.  Where trains interrupt class 6 times a day.  And in that school is a girl who takes the initiative to write to Congress asking for help, on her own time, and resourceful enough to ask for a stamp from her principal to ensure the letter arrives because she knows her message is important and will be read if only it can make it to its destination.

I question what I’ve personally done lately that could measure up to Ty’Sheoma’s act.  Me, a resourceful, educated adult…what have I done  lately to stand up for the future of my community and my peers?  I’m grateful for Ty’Sheoma’s act because it motivates me to ask this question of myself.

To you, Mr. President, I say “bravo” for having the courage to use your gift to move and inspire our nation.  And to you, Ty’Sheoma Bethea, I extend my most sincere gratitude for InCouraging this humble blogger with your action and your faith in humanity.

Welcome!  If you’ve found this blog perhaps you, like us, are tired of hearing “Doom and Gloom” everywhere you turn.   Yes, these are trying times. 

It’s our firm belief that it’s those trying times in life that shape your character, allow the “you” in you to emerge…if you allow it.  If you can summon the courage to embrace it.  So this blog is dedicated to stories of having the courage to look fear in the face and say, “I see you.  Now teach me.”  The courage to hear all the “shoulds”, “musts”, “don’ts” and “can’ts” and do what rings true to you instead.  The courage to sit with the discomfort instead of stifle it.  And then take thoughtful action.  Learn.  Grow.  Transform.  Convert it productively into a positive force that only you can create.  Thrive.  Because at the end of the day, we believe that’s what we’re put on this earth to do.