Month: February 2012

Every Interaction is a Chance to Change Somebody’s World

Everybody is somebody’s somebody.

It all depends on what we see when we see people.

When we sit down on a bus next to a complete stranger, we
have a choice. We can take the easy way out, crack open a book, put in our ear
buds and disappear into ourselves.

Or we can say hello. We can notice people. We can create an
act of connection in a moment of silence.

It doesn’t work every
time, but we have a lot of times.

What’s neat is, once we have a chance encounter with a
stranger that changes everything, we start to see strangers differently. Our
posture changes. What we see when we see people isn’t what it used to be.

And that’s when the real fun begins.

Not because we see somebody as a mark, but because we view
every interaction as a chance to change somebody’s world.

Maybe theirs, maybe ours, or maybe both.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How many people did you go out of your way to ignore last week?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “19 Telltale Signs of the Perfect Job,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Was Your Work the Same a Year Ago?

Evolution is inevitable.

On the personal side, at least.

But professionally, if our work is the same it was a year ago, if what we do hasn’t evolved with who we are, we’re in trouble.

Some of us fail to renew because we’re lazy. Others because we’re comfortable with the current level of our success and don’t want to let go of what’s working. Some fail to renew because we don’t think we need to evolve. And some of us fail to renew because we don’t think renewal is necessary to become great.

But more often than not, we fail to renew because we fail to reflect. We fail to renew because we’re so busy with the day to day, wrapped up in the demands of the marketplace, that we forget to take time to step back from the work and ask ourselves what the work is evolving into.

And as a result, we become prisoners of our own labors.

Instigating a process of renewal is so essential. Without it, we don’t just grow stale, we grow cynical as we watch the evolvers pass us by.

We can’t keep telling the same story just because we know it’s guaranteed to get applause.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Where do you need to renew?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “15 Ownership Phrases That Payses,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

The Nametag Manifesto — Chapter 9: The End of Incivility

[ View the infographic! ]

“Everyone should wear nametags, all the time, everywhere, forever.”

That’s my thesis, philosophy, dangerous idea and theory of the universe.

My name is Scott, and I’ve been wearing a nametag for past four thousand days.

And after traveling to hundreds of cities, a dozen countries, four continents, meeting tens of thousands of people, constant experimentation and observation, building a enterprise and writing a dozen books in the process, I believe, with all my heart, that the societal implications of wearing nametags could change everything.

This is my manifesto:

9. The End of Incivility:
If everybody wears
nametags, we are instantly and consistently accountable.

With nametags, we lack constant invitations for selfish
behavior. There’s less incentive to get away with bad behavior, because there
are always people watching to positively modify our behavior through healthy doses
of social pressure.

With nametags, we give others the priceless gift of security
by letting them know who they’re dealing with. That’s why we get better service
from employees and better customers for those employees. Because there’s nothing
to hide behind. Our identity is always verified. There’s a social construct
that forces us to sign our work, put our name on it and take a stand for our identity.

Now, there’s no temptation to act from a position of
anonymity. Nametags paint us into more accountable corners. They’re
micro-structures we put into place to limit ourselves to only practicing honorable
action. Nametags take away all our choices. They permanently position us in
situations where acting in accordance with our values is the only plausible
course of action. The structure installed bankrupts bad behavior.

It’s social contract. We resign it every day. And we wear it
on our chest for all to see, public, so we can’t run away from it. When you sign
your name to it, you own it.

It’s accountability through attribution. By directly tying
our actions to our real identity, by connecting the individual to what they do
– and making that connection explicit to the rest of the community – we make
better decisions. We think before acting. We consider the potential
repercussions that arise from direct accountability.

If everybody wears
nametags, no more inconsistency, no more road rage and no more social
coarseness.

# # #You can read The Nametag Manifesto, in full, for free, right now, here.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your manifesto?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “10 Ways to Help Your Customers Know You,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Publisher, Artist, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012 – 2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Damn You Justin Bieber!

Humans love to say they’ll never do things.

Until one day, before we know it, we’re doing it. The arbitrary boundary we set for ourselves fades away like a fart in the wind. And our grand intentions of abstinence turn out to be grand delusions of obstinance.

Moments like these aren’t just important — they’re inevitable. They teach us that life is a subjective experience. They show us that absolutes are hard to come by. And they remind us that, despite our best efforts to stand by our convictions and stay consistent with what we thought was true, life can prove us wrong at the drop of a hat.

A hat we never thought we’d wear. A hat we used to think looked ridiculous on us. A hat we spend our whole life running from and speaking out against.

But now that we’ve tried it on, we realize that the hat isn’t really that bad. In fact, it’s kind of flattering.

Who knew?

Definitely not us.

Except maybe Bieber.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What have you recently started doing that you said you never would?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “27 Reasons People Aren’t Listening to You,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

When Dreams Shrivel into Dead Memories

Dreaming is the easy part.

The human imagination has no trouble with that.

What kills us is when
we demand excessive permission to make our dreams a reality.

Because we wouldn’t dare follow our heart’s desire until we
were ready, until the time was right, until we had enough money, until all the
planets were aligned and until the risk of failure was minimized.

No, that would just be plain stupid.

So we wait. And wait. And wait.

And eventually, our dreams shrivel into dead memories. And we
convince ourselves that we never really wanted them in the first place, so we don’t
feel as bad.

But maybe we meet somebody who isn’t addicted to permission.
Somebody possessed by a relentless inner voice. Somebody whose dreams are
actually coming true, right now, before their eyes, in real time, because of
the daily actions they choose to take.

And in that moment, we have a choice.

We can sigh, smile, pat them on the back, say good-for-you
and sheepishly mutter how we wish we could follow our dreams too.

Or.

We can channel their fire to elevate our hope, leverage
their energy to disrupt our inertia and open ourselves to the invitation to
take the plunge.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Whose dreams are you using to inspire yours?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “100 People Not To Listen To,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Standing on a Whale, Fishing for Minnows

I was flying to Denver when it happened.

I was preparing my notes for a speech called, The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma. The focus of the presentation was how loneliness was an inevitable landmark of the entrepreneurial landscape, and how to manage it. A topic near and dear to my heart.

The guy next to me couldn’t help but notice my screen. After about twenty minutes of sneaking glances, he finally asked, “So, Scott, are you writing a book?”

Headphones still in, I said yes.

Next, he asked about the topic of the book. And I said something vague like “communication.” Being on a roll with my work, I didn’t want to give an answer that garnered too many follow up questions.

Couldn’t this guy see that I was busy trying to write about loneliness?

I went back to my work.

About thirty seconds later, he asked another question. Then another. And another. Apparently he had never met an author before and was curious about the publishing process.

Seriously. This guy really needs to leave me alone. How am I supposed to finish writing this piece about how lonely I am if –

Oh. Right.

Standing on a whale, fishing for minnows.

Smacked in the face with a healthy dose of irony. I wised up, unplugged and started talking to him.

Nice guy, actually. He was an entrepreneur himself.

And I asked him, “What takes you out to Denver?”

“My father’s funeral.”

Oh.

And I thought I was lonely.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How many people did you go out of your way to ignore last week?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “12 Ways to Out Service Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

Go, Go, Go Make Something Happen

We’ll never run out of reasons not to do something.

Our capacity to rationalize our way out of anything will always be available. Human beings, more than any other species, have an infinite ability to procrastinate their way to inaction. We can put things off like bumblebees can fly.

Eventually, though, we have to decide.

To move our dreams out of dream form, we have to figure out what’s important to us, honestly admit what we’re really afraid of, calculate what we’re willing to lose and then go, go, go make something happen.

Otherwise it will never happen. The resistance will win. And we’ll reluctantly join the ranks of the wannabes, gonnabes and nevergonnabes, reminiscing about dreams we once had, but never did anything about.

The exciting part is, no matter how many excuses, no matter how many reasons we have not to do something, all we need is one really good reason to say yes.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What do you need to decide?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “12 Ways to Out Service Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!



Reverse Word of Mouth Marketing

I recently chatted with woman who ran a mom and pop garden center.

When we got on the topic of word of mouth, Ellen bragged about how her customers rarely told people about her plants.

I was confused. Anonymity didn’t seem like something to be proud of.

Until she told me what one of her customers told her.

“I love your flowers, so please don’t send me your catalogs. I don’t want my neighbors to know where I buy them.”


Yes, it’s a selfish thing to request. And yes, it’s a frustrating marketing dilemma for any business to manage. But this level of loyalty, this echelon of exclusivity, might contain huge leverage potential.

Sometimes buzz that goes the wrong way, goes a long way.

Because if a business is willing to stay small, willing to focus all of its energy on a single, narrow, high-end micro audience – who buys enough to keep the lights on – maybe it doesn’t matter if not everybody’s talking about us.

Maybe all we need is a small handful of people who love us to help our brand last forever.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Who’s afraid to tell people about you?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “50 Questions Every Entrepreneur Should Ask,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!



Why We Don’t Need More Supplements

It’s hard to be healthy alone.

When it’s just us, there’s no accountability. Nobody to keep us conscious of portion control. Nobody to meet us at the gym before work. Nobody to remind us that we don’t need another drink.

When it’s just us, there’s no incentive. Nobody to motivate us to get better. Nobody to celebrate with us when we reach our goal. Nobody to bust our chops when we fall short of the mark.

When it’s just us, there’s no relationship. Nobody to share the joy of cooking with. Nobody to experience the catharsis of exercise with. Nobody to build a sense of connection with.

When it’s just us, there’s no community. Nobody to share our humanity with. Nobody to face our injustice with. Nobody to make us feel less alone about handling the ups and downs of life. 

If want to be healthier people, we don’t need more supplements.

We need more people. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What’s your health secret?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “26 Ways to Out Brand the Competition” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!



The Beauty of Reflection

Not everybody reflects.

Thanks to our backwards school system, most of us were never taught us how to reflect. Only to sit in straight rows, follow the rules, solve the next problem, memorize meaningless facts, take the test, accept our grade and move on to the next assignment.

God forbid we stop for a moment to look back on life.

No, that would require independent critical thinking. That might even lead to questioning authority. And you can’t control people who do that. You can’t grow them into obedient, productive cogs for the corporate assembly line if they’re too busy contemplating how baldy they’re being screwed by the system.

For this very reason, we owe it to ourselves to introduce rituals of reflection into our lives. Even if it’s only five minutes a day, we always benefit from looking back.

It’s not a form of narcissism – it’s an act of introspection.

It’s not about living in the past – it’s about confronting our history.

Only then, when we know where we’ve been, can we decide where we need to go.
Only then, when we know who we’ve become, can we decide where we need to grow.

And yet, many of us still won’t do it. Not just because we think it’s an unproductive use of our time, but also because we’re afraid of what we might see, what we might realize we were dead wrong about.

But that’s the beauty of reflection.

That which stares back at us is that which we most need to see.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What are you afraid to reflect on?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “10 Ways to Make the Mundane Memorable” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg


That Guy with the Nametag


Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting


[email protected]



Never the same speech twice.

Now booking for 2012-2013!

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!



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