Tag: scott ginsberg

Little Known Ways for Creating an Open MIND Policy

Doors are for amateurs.

Approachable leaders need to have open MINDS.

Because even if you surgically remove the door from your wall, that might not reduce the psychological distance between you and your people.

Here are four little known ways for implementing and Open Mind Policy at your office:

1. Create an environment of openness. People need to feel they’ve been given PERMISSION to (1) come up to, (2) feel relaxed around, (3) open up with, (4) comfortably walk away from, and (5) confidently return to you.

Don’t be too busy to explain anything. If that’s the perception people maintain of you, you’ve communicated two dangerous messages: (1) Your time is more valuable than theirs, and (2) Their question is not important. Suggestion: Stop whatever you’re doing and give yourself fully to the other person.

Or, if people catch you off guard, book “blank time” in your schedule so people know for certain when they can get you. Another suggestion is to post a “Lunch with Mark” sign-up sheet outside your office or on your door. Let people choose the day that best fits their schedule. That way they can come shoot the breeze with you on an informal, unstructured, non-threatening, one-on-one basis. They WILL open up. How do you initiate movement toward people?

2. Be someone who can be trusted with sensitive information. Becoming someone that anyone can tell anything will reduce the likelihood of your company kicking you to the curb.

Exercise confidentiality when dealing with sensitive issues. Create a Question Friendly Environment (QFE.) A safe space. A non-threatening atmosphere where people (1) feel comfortable, and (2) feel like they have permission to ask anything that’s on their minds.

Consider trashing your “Suggestion Box” and replace it with a “Question Box.” People will open up. Honesty will flourish. Feedback will flow like wine. Especially if people don’t have to sign their names. Do people feel safe around you?

3. Engage in more “What if?” discussions. Approachable leaders are giant question marks.

There are only two possible responses to a “What if?” discussion: Either you pause and openly consider the question with an attitude of curiosity and enthusiasm — or you reflexively launch into a defensive routine of “Yeah, but…” backpedaling in order to preserve your precious ego.

And the challenge is, ONE of those response patterns draws people TO you, while the other repels people FROM you. I wonder which one YOU practice. Perhaps a sticky note with a giant X through the words, “Yeah, but…” would reinforce this behavior. What words govern your questions?

4. Eagerly pursue new knowledge, skills, and methods. Approachability is a function of teachability.

In the book Beyond Counterfeit Leadership, Ken Shelton explains, “Continuous learning is the best protection against pride. A person who is vigorously learning can’t be egotistical about what he or she knows, because each increase in understanding reveals a larger area of ignorance.”

The secret to being teachable is daring to be dumm. Demonstrating a willingness to put your ego on the shelf and approach everyone and everything as your teacher, mentor and resource. Without such mental flexibility and openness, here’s what happens: You stop learning, which means you stop growing, which means you start dying. Yikes. Not good for business. How many books did you read last month?

REMEMBER: Nobody cares if your door is open – they only care if your mind is open.

That’s what being an approachable leader is all about.

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

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You Don’t Have to be The Ritz Carlton to Provide Unforgettable Service

When my publishing/consulting company was just starting out, I worked nights & weekends at The Ritz Carlton to make ends meet.

My job was s a valet crasher parker.

AND HERE’S WHAT I LEARNED You don’t have to be The Ritz Carlton to provide unforgettable service.

Consider incorporating these nine practices into your customer interactions:

1. Decide how you want customers to describe their experience with you. Have each employee write down his top three words. Tally them up. Vote on the three most popular. Then print them on posters, wallet cards and inner-office materials. This will keep the service philosophy in front of people’s faces, thus holding them accountable TO and giving them ownership IN to a decision they contributed to. What’s your service philosophy?

2. I’m sure we can find a way. This sentence will put upset customers at ease. It’s solution oriented, positive and flexible. And even if you don’t know off the top of your head what the heck you’re going to do, say it anyway. You’ll think of something. Will you find a way?

3. In a commoditized world, the key differentiator is service. That’s why you’re reading this article. Because you KNOW that it ain’t the products, it ain’t the website, it ain’t the warranty and it ain’t the commercials. It’s YOU. Your service. Your people. Your culture. That’s what customers are buying. And the more unique it is, the more of it they will buy. Otherwise they have about a zillion other choices in the click of a mouse. How are you branding your service?

4. Increase customer pride. Create an exclusive club, special level or elite status. Enable people to become card-carrying members of SOMETHING. Then, your customers will take pride in the fact that they’re your customers. Hopefully by showing that card to their friends. My friends @ Brains On Fire did this in a cool way. They designed a special website for people who weren’t exactly customers, but whom they loved anyway. These people were called “Kindred Spirits.” And BOF even handed out little business cards (selectively) that thanked certain people for being special. Totally awesome. How are you making your customers prouder?

5. Friendliness isn’t enough. You need to be (specifically) friendly. See, the word is defined as “Favorably disposed; inclined to approve, help, or support.” So, your frontline needs to be idea friendly. Question friendly. Emotion friendly. Complaint friendly. User friendly. Employee friendly. Get the picture? How friendly are you?

6. Reveal your authentic self in your service. As you’ve already discovered, customers don’t like robots. They like people who are uniquely imperfect, just like them. They like people who aren’t afraid to exert their distinctiveness, even in mundane moments like answering the phone or replying to a tech support email. How are you integrating your humanity into your profession?

7. What are they going do wrong next? This is the standard issue posture of 80% of the customers who walk into your hotel. Or restaurant. Or club. Or wherever you work. This exists because people are SO used to getting crappy service from dishonest, unreliable businesses, they now expect it from everybody. As such, you’re starting with a negative balance with ALL of your customers. Fortunately, this preoccupation is the PEFECT opportunity for you to prove them wrong by delivering unforgettable service. Are you going to be unexpected or just like everyone else?

8. What else can I help you learn? Try asking this question in place of, “Is there anything else?” or “How else may I be of assistance?” It’s unexpected, thought provoking and revolves around your ability to educate your customers. Try it. I triple dog dare you. Are you teaching?

9. Your company. Your company = YOU! Your company = The words you use. Your company = The words you OWN. Your company = What Google says about it. Your company = The person who answers the phone. Your company = The stories you tell. Your company = The stories customers tell about you. What’s YOUR company?

REMEMBER: Anyone can provide unforgettable service.

Even if you’re not The Ritz.

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

9 Secrets Most Small Business Owners Overlook – Even the Pros

1. Advance the conversation. Stop the bloodsucking and start the billing. Otherwise move on. Your time is too expensive. Are people picking your brain or renting it?

2. Assault the minute. Optimize your time. Ask yourself, “What are you wasting your time and energy on that isn’t making you any money?” That’ll change your agenda pretty quickly. Is what you’re doing right now consistent with your #1 goal?

3. Ban the bland. Fact: Nobody notices normal, nobody buys boring and nobody pays for average. So, stop waiting for permission to be remarkable and start becoming a living brochure of your own awesomeness. Are you the echo or the origin?

4. Buy the domain. The word “domain” comes from the Latin dominium, which means “property.” Thus: Owning the domain = Own the idea. How many million-dollar ideas are you sacrificing by not registering domains?

5. Discard the irrelevancies. If you assume people care about you, you lose. But, if you deliver your message with meaningful concrete immediacy, people will listen. And you will win. Are you willing to explore the negative space around your idea?

6. Dispel the stereotype. Prove to people that you’re the exact opposite OF, and the one exception TO, everyone else who does what you do. They’ll never work with anyone else again. How much money are you losing by perpetuating people’s prejudices?

7. Gain the nod. As in, “I like it, I get it and I’d like to try it.” As in, “This guy is good.” As in, “We should hire him.” Otherwise, the alternative is for customers to yell, “Next!” Are you unnextable?

8. Lose the fads. Anchor your expertise in that which is timeless. Your Thought Leadership position will be stronger, more relevant, more credible and more sustainable. Will your intellectual asset become an endangered species?

9. Spend the money. Don’t cheap out. It will be worth the cost when people start to call it beautiful. Is your teenage daughter (really) the best person to be redesigning your website?

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What small business secrets are your overlooking?

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

Need to build your Thought Leadership Platform?

Perhaps my monthly (or yearly) coaching program would help.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!

12 Ways to be More Honorable than Abe Lincoln Hopped Up on Sodium Pentothal

The Sanskrit word namaste translates to, “The sprit within me honors the spirit within you.”

The cool part is, namaste isn’t just about honoring people – it’s about honoring everything.

So, if you want to make a name for yourself, consider this list of twelve ideas to be more honorable:

1. Honor all energies. Good. Bad. Ugly. In fact, stop labeling the energies as Good, Bad or Ugly. Attachment to words reduces the reality of something. When you use words, you label. When you label, you judge. When you judge, you react. When you react, you’re unconscious. And being unconscious is unhealthy. Judge nothing; accept everything. Say yes to what is. What is coming into you, right now, at this moment?

<2. Honor the practice. First, by invoking your Muse through prayers, rituals or incantations. Second, by maintaining integrity – that is, the foundation – of your own practice. Third, by respecting the flow, style and artistic idiosyncrasies of others’ practices. What are you practicing?

3. Honor nature’s rhythms. Nature never lies. Nature respects purpose. So, experience it fully. Yield to it. Explore it. Acquaint yourself with it. Wonder how nature would solve this problem. Wonder what truths in nature are applicable in non-nature domains. What would the trees do?

4. Honor the process. That means journey, not destination. That means flow, not output. That means completely immersing yourself in the practice, releasing your expectations about what a “good” result is. What result do you need to let go of?

5. Honor the truth-tellers. Like nature. Like your kids. Like your body. Like your dog. Like your experiences. Like what people remember about you. All of these things around grounded in truth. We need to be looking to them more often. Whom (or what) is your final arbiter of truth?

6. Honor thy tingles. They’re trying to tell you something. Hints. Clues. Omens. Signs. That’s what tingles are. When the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, be sure your awareness stands up as well. Erect your carriage and figure out what it is you’re supposed to be noticing. What am I supposed to be learning from this?

7. Honor your artist. You heard me: Your Artist. Because you ARE an artist. And I don’t want to hear your bullshite excuses like, “I can’t even draw a straight line!” or “I couldn’t write if my life depended on it.” Let it go. Everyone is an artist. Everyone has music inside of them that yearns to be sung. And if that beauty is never released, we’ll never be able fully realize our Truth. What art inside of you wants to be – NEEDS to be – written, painted, sung or danced?

8. Honor your body. Your Temple. Your sanctuary. Your engine. It’s where you’ll find the answer to every question you’ll ever ask. And the best part is, all you have to do is get quiet, relax and listen. Wisdom WILL arrive. There is nothing in the world louder than the sound of your inner voice. How many days did you meditate last week?

9. Honor your discomfort. It’s the single greatest teacher you’ll ever learn from. Comfort zones are overrated, anyway. The secret is to purposely put yourself into situations that S-T-R-E-T-C-H your mind, body and soul. Then, the secret is NOT to fight it; but rather, to embrace, welcome, honor and cherish those moments when you feel like you’re going to (1) Freak out, (2) Die of embarrassment, or (3) Yuke all over the floor. How will you step out of your comfort zone today?

10. Honor unintentional music. In Lane Ayre’s book, Unintentional Music, he says, “The unintentional aspects of the music we make contain more wisdom that we think. Unintentional signals the appearance of God. Unintentional appears at the moment when something ineffable is trying to express itself through us. So, love whatever happens, stay with it and trust that it will lead you to where you ultimately want to go.” Wow. How much accidental brilliance have you ignored recently?

11. Honor your gift. If it’s true that each of us possesses some God-given gift or talent or genius, it’s also must be true that our gift BACK to God is to use that gift in the service of others. Every day. Because usefulness IS worship. How have you validated your existence today?

12. Honor your Truth. Your Being. Your independent identity. Your essential, highest nature. That which cannot be stripped from you. That which cannot be argued about you. The first-rate version of yourself. The inviolable core from which your greatest performances draw their strength. How would the person you’re trying to become do what you’re about to do?

Good luck. Honest Abe’s got nuthin’ on you.

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How will you become more honorable?

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

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Watch video lessons on spreading the word!

8 Ways to become More Askable than a Tibetan Mountain Guru

You can’t make people ask you questions.

You CAN, however, increase the probability that people will approach you with their concerns by becoming more ASKABLE.

So, whether you’re a teacher, leader, parent or office manager, here’s a list of eight ways to do so:

1. Begin with a willingness to find answers. Sadly, not everybody does. Not everybody is interested in taking the time to find answers to the questions they’ve been asked. Mainly because their ego won’t let them. So, there’s an attitude of curiosity and openness that MUST underscore your askability.

Otherwise people will perceive you as someone who isn’t interested in expanding his worldview. Someone who’s too set in his ways. Never willing to change. Never willing to let new ideas enter his mind. And rarely interested in considering questions that challenge his point of view.

This perception stops questions in their tracks, preventing you from uncovering the key issues in the lives of those you serve. And if you set aside your ego and opened yourself to being changed, how much stronger would your organization become?

2. Dare to be asked more. If you’ve ever done Q & A during a presentation, TV spot, radio interviews, or a public press conference, you certainly recognize the risk in making yourself more askable. After all, it IS a form of sticking yourself out there. And so, notwithstanding the discomfort that’s required, being askable begins with your attitude. It’s about opening yourself to the possibility of being vulnerable, being wrong, and, in some cases, looking like a complete idiot.

Speaking of idiots, take Sarah Palin. During the 2008 Presidential Election, she was reluctant to do almost ANY public interview. Meanwhile, opposing VP Candidate Joe Biden was everywhere. TV. Radio. Print. Town Hall Meetings. If you had a question, Joe would be happy to answer. Palin, on the other hand, was completely unaskable. And I wasn’t surprised that the Obama campaign crushed her and John McCain.

Now, I’m no political analyst, so I’m not going to make any gross assumptions. But if I had to make an educated guess as to what made Sarah Palin such an unaskable person, I’d say it’s because she’s never “dared to be asked more.” Either that, or the fact that she was a colossal redneck bimbo moron. Do you dare to be asked more?

3. An answer for one is an answer for all. People – especially students – will shy away from asking questions because they don’t want to hold up the discussion. (Especially if recess, pizza or the end of class is rapidly approaching.) Students also don’t ask because they assume everyone else in the room already understands everything. However, in many classroom settings, this isn’t always the case.

My mentor and former high school English teacher, Mr. Jenkins, practiced an effective strategy for overcoming this fear. “I always encouraged my students NOT to approach my desk with questions, but rather, to ask me from their seats. That way, ALL the students in the class would hear the answer – including the ones who were too shy to raise their hand.”

What’s more, this approach also helped saved time since multiple students usually pose similar questions. As my yoga instructor always says, “An answer for one is a an answer for all.” How much time would you save if you addressed questions communally?

4. Disarm immediate preoccupations. The challenge is, many people associate question asking with conflict. So, the silent dialogue becomes: “Asking questions means rocking the boat, which means questioning the status quo, which means making a big mess, which means getting in trouble. Better keep quiet during the meeting…”

For that reason, your goal is to make sure your people know that their answers won’t be used against them. That anytime is the right time to ask. That asking questions isn’t a threat to formality or a violation of the chain of command. And that when you ARE asked questions, that you don’t feel like you’re being interrogated. When is the feeling of formality preventing your people from communicating freely and honestly?

5. Have a positive track record of listening. Otherwise people won’t take the time to ask you a question in the first place. It’s only after you have proved yourself as open, trustworthy, non-judgmental and willing to listen that someone starts to think to herself, “I feel like I can ask him anything.”

Like my askable dad, Mark, who reminds me, “It’s about playing the averages. Aggregating trust and building openness by making small, frequent deposits in people’s emotional bank accounts.” What deposits in people’s emotional bank accounts have you made in the past 24 hours to foster greater askability?

6. Be a good answerer. People ask questions to people who give good answers. Period. Creative answers. Unexpected answers. Counterintuitive answers. And the best part is, answering in these kinds of way leads to higher levels of thinking. Which elevates the conversation. Which enables people to discover individual truths. Which yields more compelling results. Here’s a list of ways to become a better answerer:

o “Actually, that question doesn’t matter.”
o “Well, let’s take that question in pieces…”
o “Well, that depends on how you define the word…”
o “Well, there are a couple of answers to that question.”
o “There are three reasons my answer to that question is no. Number one…”

Ultimately, the point of answering questions in these creative, counterintuitive and unexpected ways is NOT to dodge the truth; nor is to appear brilliant. It’s about achieving a higher level of thinking for both parties. What’s your answering style?

7. Be more informative. Without overwhelming people with your knowledge, provide as much information as you can give AND as much as the context will allow. Think meat, not carbs. And if your asker is taking notes, that means you’re doing something right. If your asker is checking their text messages or flipping through pictures of their pet ferret, you’re doing something wrong. Are your messages low-carb?

8. Help people process their questions. My mentor, Arthur, is an expert at this practice. He’s a consummate counterintuitive thinker. So, when you ask HIM a question, he often responds (not) with an answer, but with a challenge to your question itself. Common responses include, “Are you sure that’s the right question to ask?” “What’s the question behind that question?” and, “I’m not sure that question is relevant – instead, what about asking yourself this…?”

That’s the cool part. By helping you process your own question, he opens up new worlds and new answers that you never would have discovered otherwise. What unexpected answers could you give people to challenge their thinking?

REMEMBER: If you want people to ask you questions, you don’t have to be a Tibetan Mountain Guru.

Just try being more askable.

Stick yourself out there today.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How are you increasing your askability?

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For the list called, “79 Questions Every Manager Needs to Ask,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

You Don’t Need to be Tom Peters to be a Thought Leader

Are you a trusted source who moves people with innovative ideas?

If so, then you’re a Thought Leader.

You don’t need a PhD.
You don’t need to be Tom Peters.
You don’t need to manage some huge consulting company.

You just need to think.

AND: You need to capture, organize, deploy and build a following around your thinking.

Consider this collection of tools for increasing your perception as a Thought Leader:

1. Create a Visibility Plan. When attention is currency, anonymity is bankruptcy. As the book On Being a Thought Leader explained, “It’s impossible to change minds or challenge hearts unless you own SOME of the spotlight.”

Remember: Nobody will be inspired BY you until they’ve heard OF you. Stop winking in the dark and start commandeering attention. Because the more attention you attract the more people your thoughts can touch. How much more visible are you than you were a year ago?

2. Create enduring content. Anchor your expertise in that which is timeless. Democratize and genericize your thoughts so they outlast you. Always be on the lookout for ways to increase the shelf life of your material. Ask questions like, “In five years, will this idea still be irrelevant?” “Is this a fad, a trend or an evergreen?” and “What is a bigger, more stable theory of the universe that I can attach this idea to?”

Remember: If you’re not current, you’re not credible. Always run your expertise through the wringer of WHEN. How stable is your philosophy?

3. Dedicate yourself to building a HOT body. It’s not about writing one book. Or one article. Or one blog post. You’re a thinker. And as such, your goal is to constantly add to and strengthen your body of work. Don’t be a One Hit Wonder, One Trick Pony or One Anything Anything.

As Julia Cameron said in The Artist’s Way, “Each day’s work is part of a larger body of work, and that body of work is the work of a lifetime. Unless we are able to take this long view, we will be derailed by rejection.” Edison registered 1,800 patents. The Grateful Dead played 2,318 shows. Stephen King published 480 books. How hot is YOUR body of work?

4. Develop an ongoing relationship with your market. Combine outreach with attraction. Make it easy for readers, subscribers and audience members to engage with you, every day. Ask for their feedback. Take heed. Take notes. They will tell you how to serve them better. They will also tell you how to sell to them better. What’s your listening platform?

5. Everything you already know about “leadership” still applies. You’re still attracting followers. You’re still a perpetrator of inspiration. You’re still superior article. And you’re still a composite of all you’ve experienced. The only difference is, the medium through which these attributes are experienced by your constituency is your brainstuff. Your thoughts. Your words. Your philosophies. Your writings. Your presentations.

You don’t need a title, a corporation or a gavel to be a leader. There is no leadership. Leadership, shmeadership. There is only being and expressing yourself truthfully and passionately. Does that describe you?

6. Have a paper memory. Your brain is a moron. And if you don’t write it down, it never happened. So, the secret is simple: Take a serious inventory of your thoughts. Chronicle your thinking. Make sure everything you know is written down somewhere. Develop a unique process for entertaining ideas. What’s your Content Management System?

7. Make your ideas more accessible. Accessibility doesn’t just apply to interpersonal communication. Ideas can be accessible too. Here are four examples along with a helpful article on each one:

a. Don’t just tell a story. Stick the landing.
b. Don’t just write a blog. Be a great date for your reader.
c. Don’t just deliver a presentation. Engage every audience instantly.
d. Don’t just give an interview. Craft a listenable, unforgettable telepresence.

Remember: Accessible means easy. Open. Relaxed. Attainable. Understandable. Relatable. Is that an accurate description of your ideas?

8. Mold a beautiful thought atmosphere for yourself. This space looks different for everyone. For example, my thought atmosphere includes hot tea, a rising sun, sticky notes, dry erase boards, flip charts, note cards on the floor, instant access to my content management system and hours of relaxing music by All India Radio, Marc Cohn and The Buddha Lounge. What does yours look like?

9. Smart is overrated – be an intellectual. My mentor, Bill Jenkins, is one of the great intellectuals I know. He explained the difference between the two as follows: “Smart people study content for the purposes of memorization. Intellectuals entertain ideas for the purpose of democratization.”

Look: The world has too many smart people and not enough intellectuals. So, stop accumulating knowledge and start becoming an explorer of ideas who can extract universal truths from his experiences and apply them to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Are you an intellectual or just really smart?

10. Syndicate your expertise. Deploy, deploy, deploy! Go public with your words, ideas, philosophies, expertise and School of Thought. Fortunately, it’s easier than ever. And considering the sheer volume of diverse social media tools available, there is NO excuse for not getting your ideas out there and creating more opportunities for people to say YES to your expertise.

Remember: Be out IN the marketplace with your ideas or be out OF the marketplace completely. What’s your system for shipping your idea off to battle?

REMEMBER: You don’t have to be Tom Peters to be a Thought Leader.

Think. Capture. Organize. Deploy. Listen. Repeat.

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How strong is your Thought Leadership Platform?

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

Need to build your Thought Leadership Platform?

Perhaps my monthly (or yearly) coaching program would help.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!

The 10 Secrets to Becoming Your Own Muse

People who complain that they can’t find any good ideas should their vision checked.

Ideas are in abundance everywhere. Every minute of every day. And they’re waiting for you to snag them.

All you have to do is give them permission to happen to you. To make yourself available to their offerings. After all, art is learning to listen your world – then rendering whatever you feel.

Let’s examine ten secrets to becoming your own Muse:

1. Begin by bowing. Humility grants you an all access pass to where your ideas might take you. But only if you recognize that it’s not you coming up with these ideas. Because they’re coming through you – not from you. My suggestion is to invoke the Muse before you officially begin your day’s work. Say a prayer. Light a candle. Recite an invocation. Whatever ignites your soul.

The secret is to ritualize it. To establish a practice that’s an official, consistent and necessary component to your artistic process. Approached in this humble fashion, there are no limits to where your creativity may lead. What are you doing to set your creativity on FIRE right now?

2. Write what comes up immediately. Honor your first waking thoughts. After all, if you don’t write it down – it never happened. The first suggestion is to begin writing Morning Pages. I guarantee you this practice will change your creative life forever. Even if you’re not a writer.

Secondly, remember what Nancy Slonim suggested in Writing from the Heart:

“As writers, we must go with our instant ideas, our immediate poetry, our first thoughts. We cannot take the time to rethink, reconsider, reedit, restrain. Go with what comes up. Don’t make time for your inner editor to happily announce, ‘They’ll really think you’re suck if you write that.’”

Are you willing to capture and express the truth, even if someone you know reads it and thinks you’re crazy?

3. Escape structure. Stop creating Top 40 music. Annihilate the box. Give yourself permission to write and accumulate and share a bunch of totally random thoughts. They don’t have to make sense. They don’t have to be organized. They don’t have to be brilliant. They just have to be written.

You can use them later. You can stretch and grow and expand them later. You can go back and add dimensions to and improve on those ideas in the future. Have you given yourself permission to buck the creative system?

4. Start with one true thing. That’s what Hemingway did: One sheet of paper, one true thing, and off he wrote. Doesn’t get simpler than that. Here’s an example. I remember the first time I read Emerson’s quotation, “Make yourself necessary to the world, and mankind will give you bread.” And I immediately thought to myself, “Cool. Now I’m wondering what action items people could take make themselves necessary to the world.”

The result was a module called 9 Must-Dos to Make Yourself Necessary to the World. Came out great. People retweeted the hell out of it. So, that’s the secret: Instead of reading something and saying, “What is wrong with this?” start wondering, “How could this be democratized and actionized?” What questions do you ask yourself to light a fire under the Muse’s ass?

5. Stay home. Write what you know about, run into, have a passion for and obsess over. It makes the artistic process a billion times easier, more efficient and less stressful. Don’t write about baseball if you’ve never been to a game in your life. Don’t sing country songs if you grew up listening to hip-hop.

Stay home. Do YOU. Otherwise, every minute of your creative workday will feel like you’re traversing the artistic rapids without a life jacket and an oar the size of a toothbrush. Are you creating from core?

6. Find a place to shape your thoughts. When George Carlin died in 2008, long-time friend and comedian colleague, Jerry Seinfeld, wrote the following in an op-ed for the New York Times:

“George didn’t just ‘do’ material. He worked over an idea like a diamond cutter with facets and angles and refractions of light. He made you sorry you ever thought you wanted to be a comedian. He was like a train hobo with a chicken bone. When he was done there was nothing left for anybody else.”

In order to accomplish this, you need to double your patience. To hang around words and see what they have to say. To allow them to hatch and come alive, right there on the page in front of your eyes. How far down the rabbit hole are you willing to go?

7. Search for meaning constantly and aggressively. Never allow your intellectual curiosity to waver. Be on a quest. An idea hunt. And not to the point where you’re always on, always working, perpetually existing in a contracted position.

Rather, becoming able to move swiftly from complete relaxation to complete exertion (back to complete relaxation again) on a moment’s notice. Have you made it your responsibility to go out and find things?

8. Treat all ideas with deep democracy. In the phenomenal book, Unintentional Music, Lane Arye suggests you value everything you write whether it was intended or not. “Let all the different parts express themselves and influence your artistic decisions. If you are deeply democratic, you listen to and value all parts.”

Therefore, don’t overlook the serendipity of adjacent ideas. Fringe thoughts are your friends. Follow your unintentionals. Let your mind cycle through unrelated facts. Allow unanticipated insight to enter and allow nothing to be meaningless in your sight.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll find exactly what you’re not looking for. What would happen if you regarded no idea as pointless?

9. Don’t just sit in bed thinking. Get up and go think on paper. This kinesthetic process allows you to notice patterns, structures, questions and assumptions connected to your idea that were previously unavailable to an unmoving mind. What’s more, the simple act of experiencing your idea three-dimensionally moves you lightyears beyond where your brain could have taken it unassisted.

So, whether your capture device is a journal, whiteboard, sketchbook, audio recorder or video camera, just get it down. Puke it out. Otherwise your thoughts are going to find a home in your body. And there’s no way you’re going to get any sleep when that happens. What is rising up from within your depths?

10. Build a solid mental reservoir of ideas. Always be collecting words, phrases, paragraphs and lines you enjoy. Allow them to self-organize within your mental matrix. Then, every day when it’s time to clock in, plunge headfirst into that reservoir without expectation or outcome. Soften your eyes and allow the words to come alive on the page.

And, as you watch them do their dance, don’t ask yourself what you “feel” like writing about – ask yourself what wants to be written. You will be amazed, guaranteed. How can you create more than enough of what you need so that you NEVER need to worry about running out?

REMEMBER: Opportunity doesn’t stop knocking – only YOU stop listening.

Execute these strategies to become your own Muse today.

And you’ll never complain that you can’t find any good ideas again.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

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9 Must-Dos for Making Yourself Necessary to the World

Emerson once suggested, “Make yourself necessary to the world, and mankind will give you bread.”

Bread meaning support and livelihood.
Bread meaning money and financial reward.
Bread meaning nourishment and sustenance.

Dee-licious.

Unfortunately, as profound as that quotation is, there’s never been much of a how-to on the topic.

Until now.

Here’s a list of nine strategies for making yourself necessary to the world:

1. Be essential. Whenever there’s a technology-related problem in my family, my Dad is the go-to guy. Not because he’s a computer engineer. Not because he can fix everything. But because he’s a master problem solver. See, as a veteran CEO, the thought process he undertakes to approach challenges – organizational, electrical or interpersonal – revolve around logical, linear thinking.

Not everyone in our family can do that. And that’s what makes my dad necessary to the world: We’d be screwed without him. To whom is your unique thought-process essential?

2. Be inescapable, inevitable and unavoidable. In Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, he revealed the genius behind sales legend John Patterson: “Rather than just trying to sell the concept of a cash register, Patterson create the demand for a receipt.”

Cool. Because that way, Patterson didn’t have to sell. Every consumer who made a purchase and demanded a receipt made the sales pitch FOR him. All Patterson had to do was supply the cash registers. (And then ring one of his own!) He was necessary to the world. How could you make it impossible for people to NOT do business with you?

3. Be the cure, the answer and the shortcut. Halfway through Pulp Fiction, mob hit men John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson run into a BIG problem: They accidentally shoot their key witness, Marvin, in the face. Naturally, the backseat of their car is a bit messy.

In a panic, they call their boss, Marsellis Wallis, for help. And his response is, “You ain’t got no problems. I’m on it. Go back in there, chill those guys out and wait for The Wolf, who should be coming directly. Feel better?”

Upon hearing who was on the case, Samuel L. Jackson replies, “You’re sending The Wolf? Shoot. That’s all you had to say!” Twenty minutes later, Harvey Keitel shows up to their house dressed in a tuxedo, rings the doorbell and says, “HELLO, my name is Mr. Wolf. I solve problems.”

Now that’s what I call being necessary to the world. Maintaining such a positive reputation that when people hear the mere mention of your name, a wave of calm comes over their soul. What are you the shortcut for?

4. Become a possiblitarian. Norman Vincent Peale coined this term in his book, The Tough-Minded Optimist, which I recently bought for three bucks at a book fair in Brisbane.

“With a possiblitarian, you get the idea that he actually enjoys problems. That life would be dull without them,” he wrote. “And when the gloom artists sit around, taking dismal views, they wonder why they never saw the possibilities in the first place.”

Your challenge, according to Peale, is to walk around the problems mentally and prayerfully and see what you see. He contends that you will never see a problem that doesn’t have a soft spot if you just keep on poking.

I totally agree. It’s about facing problems artfully and loving them enough to convert them into something beautiful. It’s about asking people this question: If, overnight, a miracle occurred, and you woke up tomorrow morning and the problem was solved – what would be the first thing you would notice?

5. Become noticeable in your absence. Not only do you want people to notice when you’re away, you want people to miss you, too. To wonder: (1) Where you’ve gone, (2) Why you’ve left, and (3) When you’re coming back. And not in that stalker, micro-manager, Big Brother kind of way. But from a baby-I-love-you-so-please-don’t-go kind of way.

It’s like driving cross-country with so many boxes in the back seat that your rear view mirror becomes useless. And what happens is, you still look in the mirror out of habit, but because it’s blocked, you suddenly realize how often you actually use it.

Ever happen to you? That’s being noticeable in your absence. Compelling customers to look in the rearview mirrors of their daily lives and think, “Damn it! I wish Steve was here.” Who misses you when you’re gone?

6. Develop signature and singular capabilities. After finishing a marketing workshop in Great Falls, Montana, my client took me by Fritz’s Auto Repair Shop. Now, for some reason, I kept hearing about this place from all the locals.

When we arrived, I asked my client, “What makes Fritz’s so popular?” He smiled and said, “Well, just look around. What do you notice about the cars in lot?” And then it hit me: They were all Cadillacs. Every last one of them. From ’56 Coupe de Villes to ’71 El Doradoes. Apparently, Fritz actually worked on the Cadillac assembly lines for twenty years. Then he spent the next five years as a contract consultant for Cadillac.

Eventually, he retied and opened his own shop in Montana. And the promise he’s made to his customers for the past twenty years is: “Fritz will fix any problem, any model, any year – as long as it’s a Cadillac.” He has a three-month waiting list and does ZERO marketing. Customers drive in from hundreds of miles away just to have Fritz work on their Caddillacs. Why? Because he’s The Only. And that’s what makes him necessary to the world. What are you the world heavyweight champion of?

7. Plug your expertise into strategy needs. Which means you have to be a resource. An expert. An advisor. Not a salesperson. Not an employee. Not a consultant. A Thought Leader who anchors her expertise in that which is timeless. That’s how you get invited to strategy tables. When you demonstrate that it’s not about what you do, it’s about the effect of what you do. Do you solve problems that are real, expensive, urgent and pervasive?

8. Position yourself as an unconditional servant of truth. Interface Construction is one of the largest minority-owned firms in my hometown of St. Louis. During their 30-year anniversary celebration in 2008, I had the honor of meeting their president and founder, Sam Hutchinson.

Now, the question I asked him was, “Sam, after thirty years of profitable growth – what’s Interface’s secret?” And his response floored me. Certainly not the kind of insight I expected to hear from a construction guy. He said, “Scott, our job is to respond to the demands of truth.” Whoa. I thought he was going to spout some construction cliche like, “Measure twice – cut once.” No wonder their company is so successful. Have you decided to become a servant of truth?

9. Position yourself as the only path to fulfillment. Position your expertise in such a way that your fans wouldn’t DARE go into the marketplace without your opinion. That way, they wouldn’t make a move without consulting you first. Now, this can happen if you aren’t selfish with your knowledge. Because if you share your expertise generously, people will recognize it, became addicted to it and eventually depend on you for it.

That’s called mindshare, and it eclipses the value of marketshare. Suggestions: Courageously step forth and make your natural talents available. To put LOTS of samples out there. Not just a few pieces of chicken on toothpicks – we’re talking free Happy Meals for EVERYBODY. Also, regularly let people know the different ways they can use you. This will crate a need for what you have to uniquely offer. That will make you necessary to the world. What makes you The Only?

REMEMBER: Your mission to make yourself, your business and your value desirable, needable and wantable to the point of absolute necessity.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How will you make yourself necessary to the world?

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

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Now You Can Become as Trusted as Oprah without Resorting to Brainwashing or Jedi Mind Tricks

The more people trust IN you, the more they will bet on, buy from, follow after, stand beside and tell others about you.

And if you’ve ever wondered, “Why don’t people don’t trust me?” perhaps it’s time to ask the bigger question, “Am I trustable?”

Here are ten practices to become as trusted as Oprah without resorting to brainwashing or Jedi mind tricks:

1. Trust people first. I learned this lesson at a cupcake during my recent trip to Australia. When the cashier rang me up, I clumsily grabbed all the coins in my pocket, took one look at the confusing shapes and colors – then took one look at the long line behind me – turned to cashier and said, “Here. You do it.”

She smiled back; picked out the coins she needed and completed the transaction. Piece a’ cupcake. And any time I bought anything during the remainder of my trip down under, I used the same technique. Worked every time.

Lesson learned: If you want people to trust you, try trusting them first. Even if you have no logical reason to do so. You’ll discover that when you approach others as (already) being trustworthy, they rarely prove you wrong. Are you willing to ante up first?

2. Lower the threat level. “I don’t want to have to be the first person to trust this guy.” During the buying process, your potential customers are likely to have this concern. Your mission is to prevent this type of emotional resistance from entering their minds.

One suggestion is to collect and share video testimonials of past customers voicing that same concern. Ask the people who trust you WHY they trust you. Better yet, ask them cite specific examples of how you overcame their anxiety with your amazing service. The threat level of your future customers will lower immediately.

Also, you might consider adding a Media Room to your website or blog. By updating a chronological record of every publication that featured, quoted or mentioned you or your company, mass social proof will accumulate. Then, fear will dissipate. How are you going from red to green?

3. I feel like I already know you. Trust is a function of intimacy. And intimacy is a function of self-disclosure. So, I’m not suggesting you reveal your deepest secrets or darkest perversions to everyone you meet. You might scare them into hiding. Ultimately, the question isn’t, “How well do you know your customers?” but rather, “How well do your customers know YOU?”

Therefore: Avail yourself. Be vibrantly vulnerable. Create a plan for slowly and appropriately revealing your truth to the people you serve. How are you using truthfulness to build trustworthiness?

4. Less talkey, more doey. Trust requires evidence, not eloquence. Therefore: The more venues in which you reveal yourself, the more trust you will earn. And the more people trust IN you; the more people will buy FROM you. So, take action: Start a thought leadership blog.

Or, begin posting short, relevant, helpful videos. Perhaps share pictures of you, in your element, doing what you do. Remember: Don’t put your money where you mouth is – put it where you feet are. Most people trust (only) movement. Are you keeping secrets?

5. If you have to “persuade” people, odds are, trust is low. As Margaret Thatcher once said, “If you have to tell people you are, you probably aren’t.” Which makes sense. Think about it: Apples never make health claims. They don’t have to. Snackwells’ poisonous-processed-pumped-full-of-sugar-and-other-crap cookies, on the other hand, do. Because they’re toxic for your body. Of COURSE the box will proclaim their low-fat benefits.

Lesson learned: Be careful not to come off overly persuasive. People can’t trust your words if they’re too busy questioning your motives. Are your efforts to become more trustable working in reverse?

6. Surprise people with your impeccable word. “Wow. He actually did what he said. Didn’t see that one coming.” How profitable would it be if your customers said that about you? How equitable would it be if your customers said that about you …to their friends?

Psssht. You’d have more new business than Netflix. Remember: When trust is at an all time low, the opportunity to floor people with your unexpected integrity is high. How could you surprise people?

7. What will it take to get people to see your name daily? And, what consistent value and promise will be attached to your name when they see it? Those are the big questions. And whether your answers involve blogging, tweeting, or updating your Facebook status, remember the secret: Meaningful Concrete Immediacy. Be relevant, be concise and be actionable.

Still be human, of course. Just remember that “seeing your name daily” will start to get REALLY annoying if your updates include words like “My cat just,” “Waffles for breakfast” or “My idiot husband left the seat up again.” Remember: If you want to become a proven entity, trust comes from constant exposure. What do people think when they hear your name speak?

8. What could I do to establish instant credibility in this moment? This is a question to silently ask yourself during meetings, on sales calls or when out to lunch. For example, maybe now is the perfect time to share that story about an expensive problem you solved for a client.

Or maybe that article about your website in the current issue of FastCompany would be a worthwhile visual aid during this product demonstration. It’s all about leverage and timing. Are you punching people in the face with your credibility?

9. Pack value into everything. Trust is about being a SOURCE of something for people. More importantly, it’s about delivering the goods consistently and predictably to those people. Your challenge is to answer three basic questions about the value you deliver:

*What are you known for knowing?
*What do you know that people would pay to learn?
*What value are you prepared to give to others so that they will voluntarily give you their money?

Once you uncover those truths about your unique value, you’ll be able to pack it into everything. What are you a source of?

10. Be funnier. In 2009, John Stewart was voted as “American’s #1 Trusted News Source.” Now, keep in mind; John Stewart is a comedian. His show airs on Comedy Central. And yet, he beat out mainstream news veterans like Anderson Cooper, Brian Williams and Bill O’Reilly. Why? Because Stewart is funny as hell, and those other stiffs are not. Period.

As bestselling author Jeffrey Gitomer said in The Little Teal Book of Trust: “The funnier you are, the more engaging you are, the closer the audience will listen, and the more authentic you’re perceived to be. Getting the audience to laugh is tacit approval, and it’s your best change to deliver important facts. At the end of laughter is the height of listening.”

Lesson learned: Just be funny. Humor is the great catchall. If people perceive you as being funny, you’re halfway home. What have you done in the past month to become funnier?

REMEMBER: You can’t make anybody trust you.

All you can do is increase the probability that they will bet on, buy from, follow after, stand beside and tell others about you by making yourself more trustable.

And you don’t even need to use brainwashing or Jedi mind tricks.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What steps are you taking to boost your trustability?

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For the list called, “12 Ways to Out SERVICE Your Competitors,” send an email to me, and I’ll send you the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

Watch The Nametag Guy in action here!

The #1 Secret to Getting Discovered as an Artist, Entrepreneur or Independent Professional

Everyone’s just waiting to get discovered.

And that’s the problem: They’re waiting.

BIG mistake.

You can’t just sit around, hoping someone will discover how cool and special and unique and talented you are.

You’ve GOT to stick yourself out there.

And whether you’re a salesperson, writer, photographer, entrepreneur or entertainer — the absolute, number-one, failproof strategy for getting discovered is:

BE MORE DISCOVERABLE.

Here’s a list of four ways to do so:

1. Get out of the house. I recently stumbled across as website that published the following list: “The 50 Hottest Victoria’s Secret Models Of All Time.” Don’t ask me how I ended up there. Not important. Anyway, after “carefully researching” the lovely ladies on the list, I started to notice a commonality: Every one of them was discovered in a similar fashion. No pun intended. Check out the ten most common venues in which these supermodels were first spotted:

• Shopping Mall.
• Flea Market.
• Six Flags.
• Supermarket.
• Cornfield.
• Beach.
• Talent contest.
• Pizza Parlor.
• Hollywood party.
• My closet.

What’s the commonality? They’re all public venues. Interesting. I guess guitar legend Doyle Dykes was correct in saying, “Get your butt out of the basement and go out and play for people.” And I suppose my mentor was correct in saying, “If you want to speak more – speak more.”

DISCOVER THIS: If you want to be in the right place at the right time, you need to be in a lot of places. How many places are YOU in?

2. Position your unique value on a discovery platform. Speaking of iTunes and YouTube, let’s talk about platform. That’s the single greatest tool for driving your discoverability. And when I think of platform, I’m reminded of Lisa Donnavan (aka, Lisa Nova), a stunningly beautiful friend of mine from college. Well, OK, she wasn’t really my friend, but at least she knew who I was. Actually, not exactly. I’m pretty sure she used to call me George. Not the point.

What IS important is that after college, Lisa moved to New York to begin her acting career. Naturally, she struggled. (Who wouldn’t?) But instead of throwing in the towel and getting a job as a bartender, Lisa spent her days writing scripts for short movies, comedy monologues, song parodies and other entertaining vignettes.

Next, Lisa decided to post dozens of samples of her work on her YouTube channel. Long story short: After enough hits, views, comments and support, one of the producers of MadTV discovered her. And he liked her work SO much that the show eventually hired Lisa as a regular cast member. She now works as a successful actress in LA. And I would email her, but I’m pretty sure that restraining order is still active. Stupid judge.

DISCOVER THIS: More content = More visible. What discovery platform can you create a presence on with your unique content?

3. Persistence is the price of admission. Arty Skye has been producing and engineering music in New York City for over twenty-five years. He’s worked on over one thousand records with major stars like Madonna, Will Smith, Santana, Public Enemy and Alicia Keys. So, with fourteen Gold/Platinum Records and six number-one Billboard Hits, Skye certain knows what it takes to be discoverable.

“If you want to get anywhere, if you’re really serious, you’ll learn the guidelines and do everything possible to increase your chances of success,” Arty said. “Don’t be one of the thousands of people who email companies saying ‘please give me a chance,’ and then get confused and bitter when no one responds.”

I discovered this quotation on a 2008 article on www.GetSigned.com, a Discovery Platform where unsigned artists can share music and learn how to grow their careers. In the piece, Arty also shared a list of myths of getting discovered.

“Don’t assume that if you email and call enough people, someone will give you a chance,” he wrote. “Why should they? What you don’t realize is that companies get literally thousands of emails everyday with people telling their stories about how they love singing and it’s their dream.”

“Yet, some people have no recording, no music up on the internet, no live performances and the only step they’ve taken in their musical careers is to email companies asking for a shot. Sorry, but that’s not the way it works. If you don’t believe in yourself enough to invest in getting a good recording made, don’t expect anyone else to believe in you.”

DISCOVER THIS: Calling a lot isn’t enough. Believe in yourself. Prepare yourself. Equip yourself. Are you a waste of people’s time?

4. Luck isn’t a profitable strategy. In March of 2007, one of the producers of ABC’s 20/20 contacted me about being a guest on their upcoming show called, “Luck: Fact or Fiction?” Apparently she had read an article I’d published called How to become the Luckiest Person You Know.

Naturally, as soon as I changed my underwear, I said yes. A week later, ABC flew a four-man camera crew, two producers and a news anchor to St. Louis. They filmed interviews at my office, shot footage from one of my speeches and followed me around town for two days. Overall, it was an amazing experience. More importantly, when the piece aired a few months later, more than four million viewers tuned in.

And within the next 48 hours, I received thousands of emails, booked several pieces of business and sold cases of books. Now, here’s the best part: On ABC’s website, millions of other potential show guests filled out an online form to be considered as an interviewee for that same segment.

But none of them were picked. Instead, the producer chose ME because she googled the phrase “luckiest person you know,” and stumbled upon my series of blog posts on that very topic. I’ll never forget email she sent me after the episode aired, “Scott, it’s a good thing you wrote those articles or I never would have discovered you!”

DISCOVER THIS: L.U.C.K. is an acronym for “Working Your Ass Off.” How could you find out where the rock created the ripple so you could go throw more rocks?

REMEMBER: If you’re just waiting to be discovered, you’re probably gonna end up just waiting tables.

Stick yourself out there. Make yourself more discoverable TODAY.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How are you boosting your discoverability?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “101 Ways to Create a Powerful Web Presence,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
[email protected]

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