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

Shiny Metal Objects - Google Chrome

Count on Google to invent yet another great product.  From the Search Engine to Gmail to Google Docs to Goog-411, the folks at Google continue to make my life better.  Enter Chrome - the new web browser from Google.  Now those who know me, know that I am a loyal Firefox user.  I love the extensions, and the ability to customize my browsing experience.  That said, Chrome is amazing.  It screams.  The browser was designed from the ground up with the idea that the way people use the web has radically changed in recent years.  Now, the web is more of a platform for what we do, and not just a collection of static pages.   

Thus, Google Chrome is designed to manage video, dynamic web pages, multiple processes, and browser memory much better than its counterparts.  The experience of using it is noticably better from the first instant. The only drawback that I have encountered to date is that it does not work on a Mac, and thus I had to dust off the PC to test drive the product.  Apparently they are working on versions for the Mac and for Linux.   I can’t wait until they do, because it is such a superior product.  If you have a PC, you owe it to yourself to download it and take Chrome for a test drive.  

As someone who spends an increasing amount of time utilizing the web as my primary workspace, I look forward to making Chrome my browser of choice.   It is faster, more secure, more stable, handles video better, manages online applications more effciently, has a great interface, and is FAST.  

Oh, and another thing that makes Chrome cool…. Google used a comic book to help promote its release.

 

Google Chrome

Sam’s 10 Charts You Can’t Live Without

Sam Lawrence is the CMO for Portland based company Jive Software.  He is a fascinating guy and a thought leader in enterprise social software.  His web site, GoBigAlways is full of great content, including his latest post 10 ROI Charts You Can’t Live Without.  The post concisely articulates several ideas that I believe to be prevalent in modern business, and thus I thought I would pass it along.  Nice work Sam.  My favorite happens to be #3 pictured here.  Check out Sam’s post, and let me know your favorite of his 10 charts.

Go Big Always - 10 ROI charts you can’t live without

Xpenser + Jott = Expense Reporting Made Easy

Let’s be honest, filling out expense reports is horrible.  They are a necessary evil, often put off until the last possible minute.  When I finally get around to filling mine out, I usually find myself removing a mountain of crumpled receipts from my “George Costanza like” wallet and then trying in vein to make sense of it all.  Hours later I finally get the whole mess put in order, plugged into a spreadsheet, copied, and submitted - cursing all the while as I vow never to put this off until the last minute again.  Of course I do put it off, and monthly the process is repeated.

I believe that I have found the answer in the form of xpenser.com

Xpenser.com is a web based tool that allows you to easily track your expenses.  It features a very simple interface, and a few very powerful features.  There are four fields for entry of expenses - Type, Amount, Notes, and Date.  It is clean and easy.  It will convert miles into dollars automatically and the information can be downloaded in numerous spreadsheet formats.  For me, it took all of about 2 seconds for me to see the value of this tool, and hence it was added immediately to my firefox toolbar. It will email or text updates, and you can enter to it via email, text, twitter or directly through the site itself.   It could not be more easy… or could it?

As it turns out, xpenser.com integrates with another one of my favorite web based tools jott.com.  Thus, when it comes to expense reports you can now literally just phone it in.  Call Jott (number 9 on my speed dial), say the name of your expense, the amount, and any notes, and you are done.  Jott will plug everything into xpenser and send you a confirmation verifying your entry.  This is a great way to make windshield time more valueable - calling in the day’s expenses and mileage as you make the drive home.

This combination of free, web based tools is a simple way to make your life easier.   Give xpenser and jott a try and let me know what you think.

Xpenser - Mobile Expense Tracking and Reporting

Leverage LinkedIn with RSS

What if your number one competitor took away your number one client?  How much would you pay to know that they might be in conversation with one another?  Well, if you use LinkedIn and combine it with RSS you can discover a wealth of information about your friends, your clients, and your colleagues that might have otherwise gone unnoticed - and it will cost you nothing.

Sure, you read the latest updates part of your LinkedIn home page when you visit, but what about the rest of the time.  Certainly much is transpiring while you are away - some of which is important to know.  Here is an easy solution - RSS.  You can very easily use an RSS feed, which is built into LinkedIn, to track each and every change that takes place in your LinkedIn network.  Then you can review and catalog everything at your leisure.

It is as easy as this.

• Go to reader.google.com and sign up for an account
• Go to your LinkedIn homepage
• Look in the address bar and click on the little orange (blue in Firefox 3) box with the dot and 2 lines.
• Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Now, every time someone makes a change you will receive an update, which will appear as an unread item in your RSS feeds in Google Reader.  Now, you can quickly scan through the entire list of updates in one or two minutes.

As you proceed through them, you can mark items of particular interest with a star.  This might apply for people who have been promoted or changed jobs - at which time you might want to send along a nice note of congratulations.

This aggregation of information makes it simple to generate intuitive information from your LinkedIn Network.  Whether you seek competitive intelligence, personal information, or just want to make sure who are keeping up with who knows who, RSS makes it easy.  Did your #1 competitor just connect with your #1 client?  Using this method would let you know.  Is your best employee looking to leave your company?  Again, this might give you some clues if that is the case.  Best of all, you might find out early enough to actually do something about it.  Personally, I can tell you of several people currently in the job market simply based on watching my connections.  They have not contacted me saying “I’m looking” but it does not take much to connect the dots when you pay attention.  This give me an opportunity to help them without having been asked, and to discover more about what is going on in the market in the process.

RSS has so many uses, and using a feed reader like Google Reader, Bloglines, or others can save you valuable time and deliver important information to you that would have otherwise been missed.  Give this LinkedIn tip a try and see if you feel more connected to your network.  I hope this helps.

David E. Bowman - Squidoo Lens Returns

I gave a speech earlier this week to the Dayton LinkedIn Group.  In the speech, I spoke about some easy ways that individuals can use the web to build their personal brand.  One tool I referenced was Squidoo - one of the most useful sites (or grouping of sites) on the web.

Squidoo is a powerful tool for sharing ideas, finding information, and building your personal brand. It is the brainchild of Seth Godin, one of the foremost thinkers in the areas of technology, business, and marketing.  The idea is that everyone is an expert at something, and thus should be able to use the web to help others by sharing that expertise.  Squidoo enables users to easily create a one page web site, called a lens, full of rich content, links, video, notes, polls, rss feeds, and other interesting items.  The beauty of Squidoo is that you don’t have to know anything about writing code to use it, and Google loves it.  It is easy to use, and provides in-depth information on hundreds of thousands of topics, and continues to evolve into a powerful research tool.

Well, many moons ago I built a Squidoo lens about me.  After all, I fugured that if everyone is supposed to be an expert at something, I should be the foremost expert on the subject of me.  It was up on the web for a while, but then I became dissatisfied with it.  As a result I took the site down for a makeover. Then, as happens, I got side tracked with other things, and the lens sat dormant.

Well, after giving my speech, there was a huge interest amongst those who attended in Squidoo.  Most had never heard of it, and many curious people have since emailed me for more information.  All of this reminded me that I still need to bring back the lens about me - and so I did.   View it here or by visiting http://www.squidoo.com/davidebowman.  The lens was very easy to put together, and offers the world a different look at me and some of my work.

They recently rebranded the “people” section of Squidoo - giving it the clever moniker of SquidWho.  Check it out, and let me know what you think.  Then, start building your own lenses.  Share your expertise with the world.

Some other lenses I have built include:

Dayton Marketing Community

Dayton Weblogs - which I need to update

The Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio - a work in progress

David E. Bowman

Voices: Episode 5 - Kate Early

In this episode I sit down for a chat with fellow board member and chair of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio, Kate Early. Kate is a dynamic leader, an active member of the Dayton community, and oh… by the way… she is also a practicing attorney with Dayton based law firm Sebaly, Shillito and Dyer.  Kate is a native of Beavercreek, and a member of the Dayton Creative Class initiative.

Listen in as we discuss some of the legal implications of emerging technology, especially as it pertains to marketing.  We also talk at length about the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio, the upcoming mud volleyball event, the need for volunteers, committee, and board members, and other topics.

Thanks to Kate for taking the time to chat.

Podcast: VOICES

Get Yourself Connected…

Thanks to Michelle Kaye at Battelle and Battelle, who brought me in today to speak about networking, social media, blogs, networking, and the emerging web to a number of her fellow employees as well as some of the employees of McGohan Brabender.  Originally the event was going to be held at Battelle and Battelle, but because of the large number of people who signed up, it was moved down the street to McGohan Brabender.   I was thrilled that so many would show up to hear me speak.

My presentation revolved around the concept of using the web to connect with others and to create and develop, as Tom Peters would call it, Brand You.  In addition to discussing some general concepts, I spoke specifically about tools like Twitter, Squidoo, WordPress, and LinkedIn - discussing how these tools could be used in conjunction with traditional items like hand written thank you notes and face to face meetings to connect with the world.   We live in a truly amazing time.  Never before have individuals been so empowered to learn, share, and grow both personally and professionally.  I appreciate being given the opportunity to share the little that I know with others.  It was my pleasure, and I hope that those who took the time to listen to me enjoyed my presentation.   Thanks for your hospitality.

McGohan Brabender - Welcome To McGohan Brabender

The Physics of Marketing - Conservation of Energy

This week’s Physics of Marketing post is about energy. It is clear when someone has energy and more clear when they lack it. Starbuck’s has made a fortune on regularly selling me cups full of energy in the form of caffeine laden black coffee.

Energy takes many forms, and is probably best thought of in terms of change or motion. Both are forms of kinetic energy. Potential energy is less intuitive, but equally important. It is the boulder at the top of the hill, which if nudged would descend with tremendous momentum, crushing anything in its path. While at rest, it is potential energy.

Conservation of Energy means that energy is neither created or destroyed, but rather that it simply is transferred from one form to another. There is a finite amount of energy, but seemingly infinite manifestations of that amount. Energy is the E in Einstein’s famous E=mc².. Energy is a fundamental part of the universe, and again is neither created nor destroyed.

So, how does the conservation of energy relate to marketing?

Immediately I was drawn to the idea of the interaction between a company and the consumer. The product or service offering of a company is designed to address some unfulfilled need of the consumer. “Wouldn’t it be great if that were bigger, faster, better, cheaper, more, easier, smarter, less, …” You get the gist. The consumer chooses if the need is important enough to act upon, and if so, can choose to seek help from a particular company. This all represents potential energy. The goal of marketing is to convert this into kinetic energy - initially this is a sale. But it does not end there.

If the initial sale goes well, there is a good chance that more of the consumer’s potential energy is converted to kinetic energy. This may take the form of repeat business. If things go exceptionally well, the consumer may choose to actively participate in the conversion process by spreading the word to friends and family. This positive word of mouth can deliver more kinetic energy. This should ultimately result in cash for the company - potential energy. At which point, the company might choose to invest in future innovation - potential energy.

Conversely, if the sale goes poorly, the conversion of energy from potential to kinetic follows a different path. If the experience is mediocre, most of the potential energy will likely remain unconverted, or will be converted by another provider. The consumer goes away, and the transaction is a one-time experience. If things go very poorly, large amounts of potential energy will be converted - this time to the detriment of the company. An angry consumer in the digital age can spread negative word of mouth far, wide, and fast. In instances where others share a similar negative experience, the result for the company can be devastating. . Consumers will move to competitors, and the company will struggle to survive.
According to Abraham Maslow, all people have needs. These needs constantly change form but always remain present. Thus energy is always present in the marketplace. Marketing seeks out potential energy. Great marketing maximizes its conversion to kinetic energy, and then back to potential energy again.

What do you think? Draw your analogy between Conservation of Energy and Marketing. Join the conversation and leave your comments.

Is iGoogle the next SharePoint?

Could iGoogle be used as an effective alternative for the Microsoft collaboration tool SharePoint?  Let me qualify that by saying, I don’t mean today - but rather in the not so distant future.  SharePoint is a pretty powerful application.  Still, if you look at what Google is trying to accomplish with web based applications and cloud computing, ask yourself “could iGoogle be developed into a fairly robust collaboration tool.”  It already allows for customization of content, and there are numerous gadgets that deliver everything from email and calendar to ToDo lists and games.  You can also share individual tabs with others - allowing for a shared workspace for small teams.  I have been pondering this for some time, and thought I would put it out there for discussion.  While I think it is a long way from being something that could be rolled out in a large firm, small businesses could absolutely utilize this free tool to communicate with customers and employees alike.  Also, the fact that SharePoint is one of Microsoft’s hottest products, must make it a huge target for companies like Google and others.  You have to think that the people at Google have at least pondered this notion.  So, what do you think?  Could you use iGoogle as an effective collaboration tool?

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