Take Me To Your Leader… Tribes by Seth Godin

Seth Godin has done it again - written an amazing, fresh, relevant, and useful book I love.  This time it is Tribes - a book about the importance of leadership.  The book is probably the least “marketing” oriented book Seth has written, focusing instead on addressing the much broader topic of leading other human beings.

The book talks a great deal about the importance of overcoming fear in the pursuit of innovation.  In today’s world, I am fully convinced that the old ways of “go along and get along” can only lead to a slow death - whether that applies to education, business, marketing, non-profits, or any other facet of life.  Today, the rewards go to the risk takers, the creators, and the innovators who are willing to step up with a vision and lead others toward realizing it.

Here is an excerpt from one of the passages on The Elements of Leadership:

• Leaders challenge the status quo.
• Leaders create a culture around their goal and involve others.
• Leaders have an extraordinary amount of curiousity about the world they are trying to change.
• Leaders use charisma (in a variety of forms) to attract and motivate followers.
• Leaders communicate their vision of the future.
• Leaders commit to a vision of the future and make decisions based on that commitment.
• Leaders connect their followers to one another.

The book also discusses numerous ways that individuals can levarage the web, blogs, and tools like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Squidoo, and others to build a tribe of followers.  Seth outlines numerous examples of others who have successfully built a tribe, and highlights simple strategies for following in their footsteps and leading with yours.

Not only is it a great book, but I even got a free copy of it.  I had pre-ordered the book on Amazon a few months ago.  Two weeks ago, a surprise advance copy showed up on my doorstep.  Seth sent them out to people who ordered early so that we could have a sneak peak at the book.  Talk about engaging the Tirbe.  The one I paid for showed up last Tuesday, and I quickly gave it to a friend to read… and the Tribe grows.

Thank you to Seth for continuing to be an inspiration to me, for providing me with countless great ideas, and for motivating me with your words and actions to be a leader with mine.

Amazon.com: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us: Seth Godin: Books

Mr. Speaker, Welcome to the Blogosphere!

Ohio’s Speaker of the House,  Jon Husted, has launched a blog (using Wordpress of course.)  I think this is great, and I hope that other public officials take note.  I have met Representative Husted a few times, and he seems to be a great person.  Jon is a young man, but carries himself with a calm that many seasoned politicians never achieve.   He is very passionate about his job, and very focused on improving the economy in Ohio, and in Dayton. Don’t be surprised to see his name mentioned as a future candidate for Governor.

While I disagree with him on some issues, I have a deep respect for his approach to the political process and his accomplishments. I have heard him actually say several nice things about Governor Strickland, who is on the opposite side of the aisle from him, and when Jon speaks he regularly talks about the need to find common ground and use common sense.

I look forward to reading his posts and watching him engage with the public in this forum.  Well done Mr. Speaker.

Jonhusted’s Weblog

If I Was In Charge of… City Life Sculptures in Dayton

For the second year in a row the City of Dayton, along with the Downtown Dayton Partnership, has brought in 20 of the magnificent bronze sculptures sculptures of J. Seward Johnson.  The sculptures are extremely lifelike.  They depict people, sometimes accompanied by animals and props, going about daily life in the city.  The detail is amazing - causing people to double take as they pass just to make sure that it really is a statue.  They have been widely successful in attracting attention and drawing people to visit downtown Dayton to check them out.  The city started a photo contest around the sculptures, which I think is brilliant.

Still, if I was in charge of the City Life Sculptures the first thing I would do would be to create a blog for each of them.  On each blog, the story of the person depicted in the statue would be told day by day.  This could be done as a creative writing project, where students from Dayton Public Schools could compete to earn the right to tell the fictional story of one statue.   The writings could focus on a different area of life each week, creating a framework for the project.  This could start with biographical information about where they grew up, where they live and work, what they see everyday, how they interpret it based on who they are, and what they hope to see in the future.  This would be a wonderful exercise in characterization and imagination.  By placing it in the context of a blog, readers could engage with the statues in conversation - truly bringing them to life.   This would be sort of a Canterbury Tales meets the Internet.  Each statue has a story, and each winner gets to tell it.   I think this would be an amazing opportunity to showcase young, creative talent, while simultaneously attracting additional attention to this amazing exhibit.

What would you do first if you were in charge of the City Life Sculptures in Dayton?

Downtown Dayton Partnership

Linking Up with LinkedIn Dayton

Today I was given the distinct honor of addressing the LinkedIn Dayton networking group at Champps in Centerville, Ohio on the topic of leveraging web based tools to build your personal brand.  I want to thank everyone who attended the event.  I hope you found it to be fun and informative. I know that I had a blast and made a number of professional connections in the process.

I was given this opportunity by responding to a call for speakers put out by Joe Durbin and Michael Morley, who organize much of the LinkedIn Dayton group’s actual face to face meetings.  This was the first breakfast meeting, and they sent out an email request for speakers, which I responded to immediately.  I thank them for allowing me to be the first, and hopefully not the last, speaker.

As for the content of the presentation, I offered my 2 cents on how to leverage the emerging web to build your brand and further your career.  I talked about my recent job changes, and the valuable lessons I learned about the importance of both knowing people, and more importantly, being known.  I have given similar presentations before, but have never related the personal history of how I even got into blogging and social networking relative to the crazy events of my life.

My message in a nutshell was this.  We live in a new age.  40 Years of “doing good work and getting a gold watch at the end” are done.  You have to take ownership of your life and your career.  Building a network plays a huge role in determining your ability to control your future.  This applies to all areas of life, not just finance.  The web makes it easier and more affordable to build your brand, and to leverage your strengths to create your future career.

I spoke about how individuals can leverage everything from Microblogs like Twitter and Plurk, to Blogs using Wordpress, Podcasts, Squidoo, Social Networks, and other free and easy tools to join the conversation and establish an area of expertise.  I tried to deliver enough explantion of these tools to make them understandable, without being too technical in how they work.  We discussed numerous ways to utilize LinkedIn, beyond just an online repository for contact information.  (Research Database, Employment Tool, Sales Information, Communication Vehicle, Information Source) In summary, it was a high level overview of a broad swath of web 2.0 tools that can benefit those who seek to leverage the web as a personal branding tool.

Blogging and social media have changed my life in so many ways.  They led me to my current job at LUCRUM - where we use blogs, social networks, wikis, and podcasts to build the company both internally and externally.  They have generated countless connections with other people around the globe, and put me in touch with some of the most brilliant minds on the planet.  I love what I do, and I am delighted that I not only get to do it, but that people are interested in hearing me talk about it too.

Thanks again to all who came to the event today.  If you have questions about anything I covered, or did not cover, in my presentation.  Please drop me a note.  I am happy to help in any way that I can.  I look forward to the next LinkedIn Breakfast, where I will get to eat, socialize, and enjoy watching the speaker.

David E. Bowman - LinkedIn

What’s In A Name?

I am named after both of my Grandfathers - My father’s father David and Edwin, my mother’s father. I am very proud of my heritage. My father’s father, who actually went by his middle name Carl, owned Bowman Hardware in Marshall, North Carolina. I knew him as Papa Carl, and loved going to Marshall a few times a year to visit him. Though he is no longer around, the store is still there, and still bears his name. He was a proud man with a strong work ethic, and he was hands on as a business owner. My mother’s father, whom I don’t remember personally, was another great man. He died shortly after I was born. Daddy Ed, as he was known, worked as an editor for the Toledo Blade - a paper that is still considered to be exceptional. Anyway, as a result of these two great men, I was named David Edwin Bowman. So where am I going with this…

Well as fate would have it, Arthur C. Clarke, who recently passed, chose to name the main character in 2001 A Space Odyssey, David Bowman. Thus, should you choose to search for David Bowman, you will find Arthur C. Clarke first. Periodically, when I call into a customer service and give the person on the other end of the line my name, I get the reply of “Hello Dave” in the best HAL impression the sci-fi buff turned customer service agent can muster. I always play along, as I get a chuckle out of it.

Now, that is an interesting coincidence to be sure, but there is more. When I went to work as a sales representative for a small company in Cincinnati back in 2001, who was I introduced to on my first day? Dave Bowman, sales rep. This presented a problem, and for a short time I foolishly chose to use my middle name to alleviate the confusion. I never got used to that. I love my middle name, but it was meant to be in the middle. To this day there are people whom I met there that refer to me as Edwin. Fortunately, he left soon after I started, and I went back to my given first name.

Well, living in Dayton, I have tried to spend a good deal of my time networking and building the brand call “David Bowman” brand as Tom Peters might call it. It just so happens that there is a local newscaster named… you guessed it, Dave Bowman. I am convinced he used to spell it Bohman, but I can’t verify that. So, yet another of me.

There are David Bowman’s that are musicians (so am I) bloggers (so am I) and any number of other things. I can’t imagine being John Smith.

So when people wonder why the E. in the middle? The answer is mostly because I like the way it sounds, but has a little to do with differentiation too. Even that is not foolproof. I have my Google Alerts set up to let me know where David E. Bowman turns up on the web. It turns out someone who shares my first name and middle initial, was arrested in New Jersey last week. It is weird to see your name in print like that - but good to know it is somebody else.

So, what’s in a name? Arthur C. Clarke unknowingly altered my life, albeit just slightly, with his choice of names. I would guess that all the other David Bowman’s out there probably share this experience in some way too. So I suppose that names do matter - sometimes in ways that can’t even be measured. Is it any wonder that one of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories is too many Daves?

Seth’s Blog: What you can learn from Arthur C. Clarke

4 Way Test for Better Blogging

Yesterday, I was given the distinct privilege of speaking to the Dayton Rotary on the topic of blogging. I was joined by emcee Alan Pippenger, who put the program together, and bloggers David Esrati, and Bill Pote. As a member of the organization, I was particularly thrilled to be able to address my fellow Rotarians on something that has had such an enormous impact on my life.

In preparing for the speech, I was looking for something to help the message further resonate with the audience. Then it hit me - the Rotary 4 Way Test. This test, developed by Herbert J. Taylor in 1932, is used as a guide for ethical decision making, and is a cornerstone of Rotary International. It is also a great guide for effective and ethical blogging. It is as follows:

1) Is it the TRUTH?
2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

So how does this apply to blogging? Well here is my take.

1) Is it the TRUTH?: This one should be fairly obvious, but deserves explanation beyond just True / False. If you have read Meatball Sundae, by Seth Godin, he discusses the importance of telling an authentic story - one that is truthful with who you are. This can be applied to a person, a business, or even a philanthropic organization. Is who you are who you say you are? Is what you say consistent with what you do? Yes, it is important to tell the factual truth about the things written on your blog as they pertain to others, but it is equally important to be truthful about yourself. As Seth states, “Saying one thing and doing another fails, because you’ll get caught.”

2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?: Fairness need not be sacrificed to state what you believe to be true. Controversial, outspoken blog posts get people reading. It is true that strong opinions make for good reading, but fairness need not be sacrificed in the process of communicating your view. No, I am not stating that bloggers collectively hold hands and sing Kum Ba Yah, but rather that facts are portrayed in the proper context. Base opinions on the facts, as best as they can be understood. Don’t invite people to the conversation only to shout them right back out. The idea of fairness really plays itself out in comments and feedback. All too often, comment threads head for the least common denominator of name calling and labeling. There can be multiple views, and there should be a welcoming of diversity in opinion. This is what ultimately leads to a deeper understanding of the world.

3.) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?: You are upset. You sit down at your computer and begin typing. You put your clever wit to work writing a scathing post about the idiot business, friend, stranger, or public official that has seemingly wronged you. Be careful before publishing that post. Think about what you are trying to accomplish before you go tearing down others. What is it you hope to achieve? Do you want to change someone’s mind? Will berating them accomplish it? Dale Carnegie has some great stuff on this in How to Win Friends and Influence People. Ultimately we are always the hero of our own story. That applies to you. It applies to the person who wronged you. They think you are wrong. Calling them stupid is not going to change that, and really just makes you look foolish. What I would suggest is that you focus on the issue of contention and not the person on the other side of that issue. Yes, people disagree. Yes, people are stupid sometimes. Yes, sometimes you are the stupid one - you just may not know it. Look to build goodwill and better friendships through blogging. You will keep people listening rather than putting them on the defensive - and may well accomplish changing the opinions of others. Better yet, you may change your own.

4.) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?: This one is tough. You can’t make everyone happy, especially if you have an opinion to express. Still, this principle becomes an extension of the previous 3. Focus on delivering value by making your criticism constructive. If you can not do that, it may well be best to not saying anything at all. Think before you post. Is what you are getting ready to post going to help someone or hurt them? Using a blog as a platform to attack people without regard for their well being is counterproductive. Even in criticism, seek to propose solutions. Seek to help find deeper meaning. Seek the truth. By keeping the focus on benefiting all, you benefit yourself.

Back to yesterday’s speech. I was the first speaker, and was given 5 minutes to talk. By the time I had recounted a few stories of how writing a weblog has been an amazing experience for me my time was almost up. So while I mentioned the 4 way test, I did not get time to explain it in more detail. I hope that this post helps to accomplish that.

Thanks to everyone at Rotary for allowing me to speak, and to Alan for inviting me to do it. It was a thrill, and I am honored to have been given the chance to use my voice.

Dayton Rotary

I blog for a living…

Ask me on Monday what I do, and I will answer “I blog for a living.” Starting next week, I will be in charge of Marketing for Lucrum, a Cincinnati based Information Technology consulting firm. I am leaving Hafenbrack Marketing with a head full knowledge, and countless fond memories. Hafenbrack is truly the best place I have ever worked. Everyone, and I mean everyone, at Hafenbrack is wonderful. It is not easy to leave, but the opportunity with Lucrum is one that I just could not pass up. I will be tasked with numerous traditional marketing objectives, AND more importantly with utilizing blogs, wikis, podcasts, and social media to take the company’s marketing in an entirely new direction. More on the new opportunity soon. For now, I would like to publicly thank Dave Hafenbrack, and everyone at Hafenbrack Marketing for making every day I was there great. I will miss you all. Luckily, you will be able to keep up with me here and elsewhere in cyberspace. Not to mention that I will still make my presence known regularly in Dayton. Wish me luck.

LÛCRUM Inc