Mandatory & definitions?

"Mandatory"

What does this word mean anymore?

Main Entry: ¹man·da·to·ry
Pronunciation: 'man-d&-"tor-E
Function: adjective
1 : containing or constituting a command

OK...
That is a nice definition, but what is a mandatory? Is it something that is an absolute, or else? Is someone going to fire me if I don't go to a "Mandatory" meeting? What if I'm sick, is that acceptable or grounds for termination? Or is mandatory a word that just means "more than important"?

I challenge the word mandatory, I challenge the idea of what it means pushes in business. To me, it means that someone will reign down fire "On Me'' if I don't do something that is mandatory. Is that how you see it? Should we have a word like that in business or can we successfully get by without it? Even though we have such a nice definition up top, we all make up or skew words to mean what we want. That's all words are in the first place aliases to emotions, feelings, and ideas.

We need to have proper (and common) definitions (The boss needs to state what his definition of words are and then he needs to properly communicate them to others). If a boss does not inform his employees of his thoughts and definitions of certain words, they wouldn't know which "mandatory" to follow, his or theirs...

Challenge the dictionary, challenge your teachers, challenge your parents, challenge your bosses...think for and push yourself...

Keep Innovating...

Have you ever thought of a great idea, service, product revision, a new way to thank your customers, or things that could make your business grow? You might have been on your way to the coffee shop before work, or sitting around your kitchen table in the morning and it hits you... You just came up with an idea, that if implemented, might bring a revival to your job or current company your with. You rush into work or pick up the phone just to talk to someone from your organization that might care and help with the initiative. You spill it all out on the table, every little detail... ...and you ask, So, What do you think?... You give a long blink as if you know what you are already going to hear. And here it comes... ...That is an interesting idea, but... But What? Why does there always have to be that "but"? Why are "the people in charge" the ones that are scared of change and growth? Was it in our presentation? Did they not see the benefit and the little sacrifice that it would take to do things a little differently?

All of these questions rush through your mind, while at the same time you feel like you wasted some life force and creative energy on a company that doesn't appreciate growth or their employees/members thoughts.

A person can only be rejected a few times within the same organization before he/she loses any motivation to help with change. The only thing that the business is hurting by not considering every idea it hears, is itself. If a business isn't trying to improve itself, then why not take your improvements somewhere else, where they might be appreciated, or maybe given some consideration. Wouldn't it feel nice to have someone tell you, "Wow, that is a sweet idea, let's see if we can use that somewhere". Even if it wasn't implemented exactly as you thought, you helped create that change, you are one of the important people in the business, your thoughts matter.

Don't lose that creative edge, or your problem solving abilities because your current organization is lazy and scared. These traits will be what takes you where you want to go professionally. Keep innovating...

Do your best right now...

Whether you are a lawyer, pilot, gardener, plumber, or beautician, it's okay to do your best. I know that some people feel like they should only work as hard as they are paid, this mentality puts us in a catch 22. We aren't going to get recognized as a better employee, manager, CEO, or part-timer, unless we actually become better. I am challenging myself to be better, it is very difficult to push all of the time, but why not. It will improve our lives in every other aspect.
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Share of Mind

What's the first thought that comes to mind when you think of a computer, an automobile, or can of soda? More than likely its a brand name or a particular feeling towards a company and its product. For example, when I think of a computer I think of Apple. When I think of an automobile I think of Ford. When I think of a can of soda I think of Coke. In addition, I tend to associate each company name or product with a feeling: Apple = Sweet Design; Ford = "Fix or Repair Daily" + Cheap; Coke = Refreshing + Classic + Color Red + etc.

Notice, not all of the examples I mentioned above have a positive description or feeling associated to the company name, products, or services. Is this a problem? An opportunity? How do these direct relationships between general product categories and company branding occur? How do these companies embed their product branding in ones mind and synchronize their look and feel with ones perspective on common goods and services? Its called "Share of Mind", and companies spend millions of dollars annually in hopes of purchasing positive "Share of Mind" via advertising, and promotional endeavors. With today's overpopulated marketplace and everyone begging for attention, this concept is especially vital in obtaining brand recognition and customer interaction. Is this the only way to purchase "Share of Mind"? No.

So, how do you purchase this "Share of Mind" without investing millions of dollars? Make something worth talking about. Be remarkable, and don't settle for mediocrecy. More than likely, if your products and services are worth talking about you already have a share of your customers mind, for a moment. But this temporary spike in brand recognition hasn't been set permanently. In order to ingrain your product or service with a lasting impression, continue to be remarkable while exceeding expectations. Continually repeating this level of performance will slowly but surely create a positive "Share of Mind" in your customers thoughts and actions which will lead to the increasingly prized attention in today's marketplace.

What are your thoughts? Did I miss something? Feel free to post a comment with your suggestions or any questions you might have.

If you don't like it, do something...

Yesterday, I picked up a book from the public library (I like to read them first, if they are worth buying, I will) by Seth Godin, titled "Free Prize Inside!" (It is worth buying, so I will). It's a book explaining how everyone in your company, is in the marketing department.

This is not the standard thought within the majority of organizations. Many organizations and businesses believe that marketing can and should only be done by one person, "the marketer". This is a false statement, and if you were to ask a true marketer if they would appreciate any help or outside input, you would most likely here a unanimous yes. We are all able to think of great ideas for the companies we're involved with, so don't put the blame of your company's bad advertising, bad storefront, bad logos, or bad Marketing on one person or group. If you feel like something should change within your organization, make it change by giving your ideas and input.

If your ideas are not valued, or not given constructive criticism, you are probably working with an organization that is either dying or doesn't want to be remarkable (If that is the case get out, you will be much more appreciated elsewhere).

Now what am I doing with 10,000 pieces of hemp jewelry? That is a different story...

What determines a fad or trend (F/T)?
This thought comes to me when I am sitting in my office starring at almost 10,000 pieces of hemp jewelry. Hemp is not the "hot" or the "in" thing right now, it's not a current F/T. It's position is back to where it originally started (for a select group). I start thinking to myself about how to change it, how to make people see it differently. It is no different than how everyone instantly started loving the color pink (yes, even males). How can I make that impact? Is it possible to change society's view on a current product?

I think very few people know what determines or starts a F/T. F/T's can last weeks or years, but what and who decides that? My thought (which in no way am I a professional thinker), is that anyone or any business, anywhere in the country can make it start.

If it happens to be an individual that starts the snowball, they have to have something about them personally that will make the F/T contagious, or relationships with infectious people and/or companies. It would appear to me that taking the lonely road of starting the said F/T by yourself would be the most difficult and most time consuming. Even though the web has made it much easier to spread your message (you tube, blogs, forums, and other media sites), you would still have to make an impact on the readers, viewers, and listeners. But could we (the individuals), create a F/T in the market of our choice? I am challenging myself and anyone else out there, that wants to sell a product, a service, or an idea, to make that thing the one that everyone wants to get their hands on. Don't just market your item, make it the next big F/T, be creative!

I will try to do this with hemp jewelry and hemp accessories. Whether I am successful or not I will keep a log (and post it on our blog as they happen) of what I've tried and how it turned out. Let me know what works (or doesn't) for you.
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The Issue of Time

While reading Small is the New Big, by Seth Godin, more specifically his article on "Relax...., I Mean, Work on the Difficult"; I realized the real issue of why time management is so hard and how to overcome the impossible.

Our efforts to control time, and its delegation towards "top priorities", doesn't always correlate with real life events. We often find ourselves caught up in the immediate urgency of the present. Emergencies tend to pop up unexpectedly and our attention naturally focuses on the current issue at hand. Companies are continually expecting more hours from there employees to make up for unexpected complexities or snags in projects or services rendered. Business owners and entrepreneurs work late into the night to either stay afloat or outrun there competitors.

Is this the way business should be conducted? Is this the only way to be successful in an evermore fast paced environment? Could it be possible that these unexpected shifts of time delegation, be related to careless preparation and decision making? Certainly it would be impossible to predict every possible obstruction in relation to a well structured time outline. However, if just a little more time were spent on proper decision making and preparation for upcoming projects, events, and services, these unexpected delays would most definitely be more few and far between. Would they not?

Ok, that sounds great hypothetically, but who has time to carefully prepare far in advance for these types of occurrences? Nobody does, not while running in this vicious cycle. Instead, break away from the cycle, take a few steps back. Consider this: What if we left work at 4:00PM everyday instead of 5:00, 5:30 0r 6:00, etc. What would that do to our work ethic? What would that do for our mind? If we had proper time to regain our strength and focus intently once again on our work ahead of us on a daily basis, would we not be more sharp in our thinking and our overall productivity?

This vicious cycle of needing more time to pick up the fragmented bits and pieces of urgency while falling behind on future planning and preparation for upcoming events must end. Relax, spend some time away from the fast lane. Look ahead, prepare adequately for upcoming events, reflect on strategies and make wise decisions.

What are your thoughts? In what ways do you overcome the time management dilemma?

Make it available to the masses...

The more people that we can help with a single product, service, idea, or system, the more profit will be available. I'm saying this with a true heart for people, not allowing capitalism to be put ahead of the individual.

Let's take rental properties as an example. We can provide homes for individuals to rent out, solving one persons needs at a time, or we can provide apartment complexes for a mass of individuals, allowing us to help multiple people at one time. The obvious advantage from providing housing to more people at one time is the initial gain in profit, but that is just the beginning if it is done with the right heart. If we are developing ways to help more people, it is a well deserved reward to get additional profit from this type of thinking.

When someone crosses into the extreme capitalist side, losing the individuals, that is when they become a slumlord. (Not in every instance) The slumlord's priorities are not for the individuals needs or wants, the slumlord's focus is the bottom dollar, and the biggest profit. If we are able to help more people at one time, the profit will grow by itself in more ways than one. Helping people should never be overrated...
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The Black Swan

Tom Peters shares his thoughts on how A Black Swan Moment has impacted our society through political perspectives, financial models, and personal confidence. We live our daily lives assuming the world around us will maintain a certain level of consistency, in relation to our current level of knowledge, without considering possible Black Swan events creeping up on our familiarized environment.

What can we do about these Black Swan moments? We can't ignore or avoid them. Instead we must change our way of looking at things. We must reorganize our way of relying on assumptions, based on past experience, and anticipate the unknowns of the future. Instead of looking at past history as fixed data (something we have conquered), view experiences as variable, leaving room for new techniques and strategies. What areas do you see as potential danger zones for invisible Black Swans? What can we do to prepare ourselves adequately for these unexpected events? How can we use them towards our advantage? In what ways can we guard ourselves against Black Swans in business? ...

Nassim Nicholas Taleb's book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

What is it?

What makes one person hate a product and another person love a product? I think the first thing that comes to my mind, is of course, personal preference. Second, could be a number of different things: I realize people right now might be thinking (if the product worked or not, if it met my needs, if it was worth the price, was the entire experience good or bad.. and so on). For me, I think it comes down to this: did the company meet my expectations? After all, isn't the company the one responsible for everything that happens good or bad? Think about that... If a company of any type (food, clothing, toy, automobile), developed a product or service and it worked the way you wanted it to, until you ended up replacing it, would you be happy with the product and the company? It is when these products or services from a company didn't meet your expectations, that you decide you no longer like this product and sometimes the company.

What would happen if a company that made you dissatisfied or unhappy had a team of people that were designed to not only take care of your problem, but to make sure you walk away happy. Not a team that took your phone calls and said "I'm sorry that happened", but a team that looked for the unsatisfied customers (sought them out), and made them believe in their company again. They would have to meet their expectations and surpass them (then again, calling the customer might be surpassing the current expectations now days).

A disadvantage to the company is, not every unhappy person will tell when they are unhappy. Not even giving the company a chance to resolve the issue. What would happen if a company let the public know they will give away either a gift, money, or a discount on future products, if someone were to give them a solid lead of an unhappy customer? Would people want the gift, money or discount bad enough to call in about their neighbor that is spreading around a negative viral campaign? Would you call in?

Can businesses change so as to be centered around a customers world, and still be profitable at the same time? Could spending the money to focus on customers end up paying for itself 10 fold? Strictly because the customers wouldn't leave you when they have a problem? Why or why not...
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