If the Cable Guy Can Change, You Can, Too!

While my nearly-grown children have been home from college for the winter break, I decided to broach the idea of a bedroom makeover with my son. (His room is badly in need of new paint and a general upgrade.) This is always a sensitive subject with kids who are in that transitional state – poised with one foot in adulthood and one foot still clinging to childhood. To make matters worse, my son is not fond of change, good or bad.  When I finally suggested the idea, his response was swift and unyielding: “What?! No! My room at home is to remain untouched – a time capsule from my youth!” Take away the thespian-like dramatics and you have a sentiment shared by many adults when it comes to business and careers – but the Cable Guy is about to shake things up for all of us. 

Go Forward: Set Your Sights on the New Year

Let go of the past and go for the future. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined. – Henry David Thoreau

Someone recently reminded me of this quote from Thoreau and how fitting it is as you start the New Year. Of course, it’s truly an inspiring sentiment just about any day of any year in which you decide it’s time to set your sights on achieving your goals.  

I realize many folks have given up the idea of setting New Year’s resolutions; but, the start of a brand new calendar year is undeniably a terrific time to set goals. In fact, one of my favorite social media influencers, Mari Smith, suggests you set a one-word theme to capture the goals you want to achieve in the year ahead. The idea struck a chord with me and I immediately jumped on the bandwagon.

My one-word theme

Know The Lists: What to Read, What to Say

One of my favorite parts of December is the accumulation and publishing of lists by those in the media (journalists, analysts, bloggers, etc). Because, as each year comes to a close, we (as a culture) are apparently fixated with summations of  the previous 12 months.

It’s the obligatory “year in review” that spans everything from natural disasters and political missteps to celebrity guffaws that include lists of failed marriages, embarrassing moments, and best and worst dressed. But, the two types of lists I most anticipate include those that announce banished words and buzzwords (because they were overused, useless or just plain ridiculous), and the lists that offer the books you should have read from the past year. 

Overselling the upgrade: how we market new features

At what point does a “gourmet” grilled cheese stop being a hot, melted cheese classic and instead become just another upscale sandwich? Increasingly, you can find the traditional melted, buttery goodness featuring a combination of any number of exotic cheeses, flavored breads and a variety of accouterments, from apple slices and dates to mangos and caramelized onions. Personally, I think it stops being a grilled cheese at some point  - but I also believe this is truly a clever way of elevating (marketing) the comfort food with a nouveau twist that makes us want to eat more of them.

Not only does this make me hungry, but it makes me think about how other staple products are reinvented, how product feature upgrades are marketed, and how new product releases are handled.

Customer surveys equal fluid philosophies for business

What is your current business philosophy? Has it evolved over time? Given this is officially the kick-off conversation for this blog, I thought it only appropriate to talk about how popular strategies and ideas in business come and go. In other words, let’s discuss some fluid philosophies – in particular, one about measuring customer satisfaction.

If you want to know more about the concept of fluid philosophies and what it means, you can delve into the definition further in my bio. For right now, just know that it’s simply my way to describe the fact that concepts in the business world change often and being flexible is key when it comes to evaluating, adopting, implementing and moving beyond new strategies.

Just this week, I had a conversation about NPS