Tag: business growth

The Culture of Gone

It shouldn’t be this easy to look this good.

But that’s the state of our
society.

Thanks to online anonymity, civility is gone. And since
nobody expects manners, sometimes all we have to do is act polite and courteous
with people.

Thanks to reality television, talent is gone. And since
nobody expects ability, sometimes all we have to do is be really good for
people.

Thanks to social tagging, privacy is gone. And since nobody
expects discretion, sometimes all we have to do is keep our mouths shut for
people.

Thanks to infinite choice, commitment is gone. And since
nobody expects persistence, sometimes all we have to do is finish what we
started with people.


Thanks to entitlement, work ethic is gone. And since nobody
expects effort, sometimes all we have to do is work our asses off for people.

Thanks to velocity, mindfulness is gone. And since nobody
expects focus, sometimes all we have to do is be present for people.

Thanks to corporate bloating, professional humanity is gone.
And since nobody expects soulful individual attention, sometimes all we have to
do is personally respond people.

Thanks to digital platforms, pure communication is gone. And
since nobody expects approachability, sometimes all we have to do is show up in
person.

Thanks to legalities, common sense is gone. And since nobody
expects radical honesty, sometimes all we have to do is be candid with people.

Thanks to belief, rational thinking is gone. And since
nobody expects critical thinking, sometimes all we have to do is pose questions
to people.

Thanks to search engines, wondering is gone. And since
nobody expects answers, sometimes all we have to do is be vessels of knowledge
for people.

That’s how we convert rare into remarkable.
By figuring out the behaviors, acts, interactions and moments that are things
of the past, and then position ourselves as the only ones who actually deliver
that.

People will notice.

Because the stuff nobody does is
the stuff everybody loves.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What have you declined this week?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “8 Ways to Out Question 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. Customized for your audience. Impossible to walk away uninspired.

Now booking for 2012-2013.

Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!

The Nametag Manifesto — Chapter 12: The End of Selfishness

[ 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: 

 

12.  The End of Selfishness

If everybody wears
nametags, we experience mass generosity.

It’s all about bringing our humanity to the moment. Giving ourselves away. Wearing a nametag is a micro-practice in the art of sacrificing.
It’s an act of vulnerability. We open ourselves and become available and
accessible to people. If they need help, they call your name. If not, at least
they’re comforted by the idea that you’re there.

Nametags change our posture. Especially when we’re present
at an event or aware of someone’s actions: It’s easier for victims to get help
in emergency situations, since bystanders would usually not offer assistance
and intervene with strangers.

But that’s the thing: Now we’re not strangers anymore. We
can’t be. And our connection to each other fosters a greater sense of
connection and community, which makes it harder to stand mute while someone we
know is suffering. Now we can solve problems for each other and with each
other. We’ve shifted from an apathetic population of isolated meat sacks into
one big transcontinental cheerleading squad.

If everybody wears nametags, no more
bystander behavior, no more diffusion of involvement and no more suffering. 

– – – 

You are now ready to move on to Chapter 13.

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, “17 Behaviors to Avoid for Effective Listening,” 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]

My job is to help companies make their mission more than a statement, using limited edition social artifacts.

Want to download your free workbook for The Brandtag Strategic Planning Crusade?


Meet Scott’s client from Nestle Purina at www.brandtag.org!

Riding a Bicycle Downhill Doesn’t Mean Your Legs Are Strong

Recessions force us to decide if we’re a necessity.

That’s a painful conversation to have.

Nobody enjoys
entertaining the prospect of irrelevancy.

But when the shit hits the economic fan, we owe it to
ourselves – and to our enterprise – to honestly assess the value we provide. To
courageously listen if the intersection of our personal obsession and the
marketplace need is worth paying money for.

What sucks is, we might realize that our past prosperity was
nothing more than riding a bicycle downhill under the assumption that our legs are
strong.

And if that’s the case, we may be forced to change lanes or,
worse yet, get off the road.

On the other hand, we might use the recession to renew our
resourcefulness. To reignite our creativity. And to give our business a much
needed kick in the pants.

Point being, we have a choice.

And as long as we’re honest with ourselves, it will be the
right one.

Stupid economy.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How has the economy changed the way you work?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “33 Ways to Approach Unhappy Customers,” 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]

Scott has written and published over 1,000,000 words.

But did you know that you could commission Scott to write custom content for your publication, newsletter or blog?

View a sample of Scott’s commissioned work with American Express.

Are You a One Trick Pony?

Art is an ongoing process of
unsilenting ourselves.

If we want to make our name dear to
history and give the future something to respect, we have to show the world our
accumulated record, not just bits and pieces.

Everyone we meet needs to know
everything we’ve done. And if they don’t, it’s our job to demonstrate the firepower of our
creative arsenal. To help them
taste the full scope of our artistic power.

When people ask me if I’m the guy who wrote the book on wearing
nametags, I tell them I’m the guy who wrote a dozen books on wearing nametags.
Not because I’m an arrogant jerk who needs to prove himself, but because I’m a
working artist who needs to express himself.

As creators, it’s our responsibility make sure the people
who know us, know the depth of our creation.

Without that reminder, without that timeline of credibility,
we’re just another one-trick pony, winking in the dark.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Do people know what you’ve done?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “27 Ways to Out the 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]

Before I wrote books, I wrote songs.

After twenty years of burying my music, I finally got the guts to bare it publicly.

Go behind the scenes (er, behind the nametag) and download all four of my albums on ITunes.

We Are Defined By What We Decline

People buy what we aren’t.

If having a brand means taking a stand, then our job is to
make it abundantly clear to the marketplace what we are the antithesis of. Who
we aren’t, what we don’t want, what we won’t do and what we refuse to stand
for.

This boundary, this stake in the ground, is the sweetest
freedom available.

It makes our brand simpler by reducing the burden of choice. It gives our brand room to maneuver within the vicinity of
our values. It helps our brand focus on the small corner of the world
we’ve chosen to serve.

When we choose our enemy, when we become the antichrist to
something, we leave no doubt in people’s minds what we stand for. We are
defined by what we decline.

Franklin Covey, the leading provider of time management
materials and corporate assessments, operates a few dozen stores nationwide.
But if you stop by the mall on a Sunday, you’ll notice the following sign on
their door:

“Closed Sundays to
allow employees time for family and worship.”

Even on the second busiest shopping day of the week, they
refuse to take people’s money. And as a result, they’ve lost millions of
dollars each year for the past two decades.

All because they put their beliefs on the line. They know
who they aren’t.

And they’re not afraid to shout it from the rooftops.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What have you declined this week?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “21 Things I Learned While Spying on Myself,” 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]

What happens when you wear a nametag all day, every day, for 4000+ days?

Strangers make fun of you, mostly.

Check out Scott’s comic strip, Adventures in Nametagging!

Are You Afraid to Have an Imagination?

The last American author to win the Nobel Prize in
Literature was Toni Morrison, for her renowned novel, Beloved.

That was twenty years ago.

Since then, not a single winner has come from this country.

I just discovered this during an interview with Alexander
Nazaryan, a member of the New York Daily
News editorial staff.

“American writers are encouraged to
write from their perspective, to write what they know. And because
of that, the vast majority of them are almost afraid of imagination. That, to
me, is frightening, because many of our great works are founded on this immense
leap of faith.”

Something clicked that day. His comment crushed me like a
ton of books, and I knew that I had to make a change in my creative life, for
better and for always. Otherwise I’d just be just another writer without an imagination.
A mechanic.

Since then, I’ve made tremendous strides in my work:

I starting using Contour, the story development
software, to build outlines for future screenplays, comic books and other epic
adventures.

I published The Nametag Manifesto, which reads like
utopian narrative, envisioning a future in which everyone wears nametags,
everywhere, forever.

I began The Scottany Soundtrack, a podcast with my
girlfriend, which chronicles our life adventures and serves as a playground for
human ridiculousness.

Best yet, each of these projects has kicked open creative doors
to other artistic worlds. Ones I never would have gotten in touch with had I
not reconnected with the purest, craziest and most essential parts of my creative
soul. From music to poetry to cooking to yoga, all areas of my life are richer
because of this decision to have an imagination.

And although I probably won’t win a Nobel Prize, I will win
a more meaningful, more colorful and more inspired life.

Sure beats being a mechanic.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you afraid to have an imagination?

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!

How Much Humanity is Embedded in Your Work?

All work is fundamentally human.

And when we identify the universal experience of
what we do, master the deeper humanity behind our work and embed that spirit
into the whole of our job, we truly have the greatest impact.

As
a writer, publisher, performer and consultant, I’ve worked with hundreds of
organizations worldwide, small and large, from lunch ladies to funeral
directors to pharmacies to landscapers. And every time I spend a day or two at
their offices, I learn something new about the humanity of work. I learn what these
people really do.

Recruiters,
headhunters and staffing professionals enable the explosion of human potential.
Nurses, doctors and healthcare
professionals give oxygen to people’s souls by allowing the dignity of
self-definition. Company and organizational leaders connect the duty of today
with the dream of tomorrow.

That’s what they really do.

Relocation specialists and moving companies unpack the contents of the
human heart. Anti-virus software
companies preserve the inalienable right of digital freedom. And insurance companies help people live
their lives free from fear every day.

That’s what they really do.

Coffee shops create a familiar, daily refuge for people seeking an act of
peace in a moment of chaos. House
painters enable the expression of individual humanity. And
professional networks and industry associations
build a network of human healing.

That’s what they really do.

And
that’s exactly why their customers, employees, patients, members, users and
readers love them forever.

It’s
the humanity embedded in their work.

Sell
that, and it won’t matter how bad the economy is.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What is the human side of your work?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “99 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!

History Yelds to Instinct, Not the Other Way Around

Having a history together isn’t reason enough to have a
future together.

For two people to thrive, there has to be more than just pile
of memories. We have to know, in our hearts, that there is a rightness to the
relationship.

That’s a key word, rightness. I remember at friend’s wedding about three years back, the mother of the groom toasted to the “rightness” of the
couple.

Sadly, I looked over at my date and saw nothing of the sort.

Plenty of history, not enough rightness.

Shortly thereafter, it ended. Abruptly. Hardest decision I’d
made in years. But few years later, my dad told me something I’ll never forget

History yields to
instinct, not the other way around.

It’s kind of like those public service announcements at the
subway station, “If you see something, say something.”

Except this time it’s more serious.

I might change the wording to, “If you feel something – or
in my case, if you feel nothing – say something.”

Otherwise you’re just winking in the dark.

LET ME ASK YA THIS… 

Are you depending on history or instinct?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “33 Ways to Approach Unhappy Customers,” 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]

“After investing in your mentoring program, I’ve become centered on
who I am and what I have to offer. Now, I am attracting clients I want
to work with. Life is great and I just wanted to thank you from the
bottom of my heart.” —-Melanie Jatsek, Diet Busters

Rent Scott’s Brain today for 2 hours, 30 days or 3 months!

The Passion Paradox

Passion is illusive.

For years we’ve been told that if we find it, follow it,
channel it, leverage it and stay committed to it, then eventually, with a lot
of hard work, we can profit from it.

How romantic.

I fell for that fairytale when I started my company nearly a
decade ago. And while I’m still a believer in passion and the profitability
thereof, unfortunately, because of the nature of passion, because of its
white-hot burning fire in the deepest parts of our hearts, we quickly forget
that passion isn’t without its own share of problems:

First, passion is not a substitute for
reality. Without an intersection between our obsession and
the marketplace need, we’re just passionately irrelevant. It’s the difference between making something
useful and just making something.

Secondly, the thrill of our passion dissipates once it
becomes a daily task. Sometimes what used to bring purpose, meaning
and mattering to our lives slowly begins to cause stomach ulcers. To avoid
this, our passion must be both scalable and sustainable.

Third, passion without
purpose is pointless and leaves us penniless. Without a strong why, without
a foundation that comes from our truest desires, our passion becomes a blazing
fire that burns everyone we touch, including ourselves. Careful.

Fourth, passion isn’t
the only activity that occupies our time. If we work a job doing what we
love, we still have to deal with the menial, soul-sucking activities that have
nothing to do with our passion. And if we don’t delegate those tasks, our
passion becomes a chore.

Fifth, passion without
commitment is just an expensive hobby. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Hobbies are essential to life. But if we want to turn a profit, if we want to
make dent in the universe, we have to make the decision to play for keeps.

Not to rain on your passion parade or anything.

Because the good news is, every year, people around the
globe make millions dollars doing exactly what they love. Passion is, was and
will always be, a profitable enterprise.

And as long as we’re willing to confront the realities
attached to making a living from our passion, there’s no reason we can’t be one
of those people too.

We just have to make sure we’re not dreaming in the wrong
direction.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What is the paradox of your passion?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “27 Ways to Out the 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!

Do I Really Need Twenty Pair of Sandals?

Moving out is an emotionally charged experience.

Especially when our personal identity is tied to our physical
environment.

As we box our things
up, we box ourselves up too.

We let go of the version of ourselves we’ve outgrown. And we stop hanging onto certain things, lest they hang onto
us.

But what’s weird is when we look back. When we take a break
from schlepping furniture and taping boxes to reflect on all the stuff that
used to define us, that used to matter so much. And we start asking ourselves questions:

Was that really who I was? Were these things actually
important to me? Did I really need to own twenty pair of sandals, or did I
allow the world to superimpose its own definition of what I needed to have and
who I needed to be, and passively absorb it as my own belief system?

In the end, we keep old stuff around so we don’t have to confront the fact that we’re changing. So we don’t have to
admit that we might have been wrong when we bought it in the first place. And so
we don’t have to accept the fact that, with every move, we’re one step closer
to the end of it all.

The good news is, when we let go of what we have, we get
what we need.

Even if we’re not sure what that is yet.

If we could just free up enough space, we could grab it when
it crosses our path.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What are you afraid to box up?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS… 

For the list called, “5 Creative Ways to Approach the Sale,” 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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