One of the things I resolve to do in 2010 is to devote substantial amounts of intentional effort towards the development of my creativity. I view creativity as a personal strength, and I think it makes sense to spend considerable time enhancing this asset. Inspired by my friend Artie Isaac, I am going to engage …read more
Creativity
2009 — The Highlight Reel

2009 was an amazing year for me. I decided I would end the year with a blog post version of my highlight reel for the year. Life has its share of ups and downs, but I feel like I get a lot more good than bad every day. For that I am grateful. It …read more
odd man out

Looking for a fun exercise to get your creative juices flowing. Try Edward De Bono’s odd man out exercise. It is simple, fun, and as my friend Artie Isaac would say, it is a great way to “exercise your creative pet.” Start by going to a random word generator site like this one. Take the first …read more
Trick or Treat

With Halloween just one day away, Trick or Treat is definitely on the brain. So in the spirit of the season ask yourself this question. Metaphorically speaking, what are you giving your customers these days? Tricks or Treats? If you are offering treats, are they like those old, stale, home-made popcorn balls or are they …read more
Summing Up SummitUp

Yesterday I got to celebrate my birthday by having my very own social media conference — SummitUp. I highly recommend this as a way to celebrate your next birthday. (actually this was purely coincidence, but a nice one none the less.) The day was simply amazing. To give you an idea of how well things …read more
SummitUp

For my birthday this year, I am getting something really cool - a social media conference right here in Dayton. “Yea, Just what I always wanted, a conference!” No, the conference was not put on for that reason, but it is a nice coincidence. The event is called SummitUp, it will take place on October …read more
The Physics of Marketing — The Doppler Effect

Have you ever wondered why music blaring out of an approaching car changes in pitch as it passes by you and then moves further away from you. This phenomenon can be described by the Doppler Effect, named for Austrian physicist Christian Doppler. Who knew Doppler was more than just the ridiculous brand name of the …read more
Sharpen The Saw

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw Sharpen the saw is the last of Covey’s 7 habits. (There actually is an 8th Habit, but that is another book, and perhaps another post.) Sharpen the Saw is the habit of personal renewal. The metaphor of “sharpening the saw” is simple - It is counterproductive to spend all of your …read more
Synergize

Habit 6: Synergize Synergy is where all of the previous habits come together. It is the payoff. To quote Stephen Covey “Synergy is the highest activity in all of life.” “The essence of synergy is to value the differences.” By doing so, the human gift of creativity can be levered to produce new and exciting …read more
Seek First to Understand

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood Habit 5, Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood, is a continuation of Habit 4, Think Win/Win. It is the idea that to truly think win/win, one must start with listening. Thus the idea that one should seek first to understand, then to be …read more