The Salesby5 Blog

Las Vegas Strip with City Center - Nan Palmero

I love Las Vegas! Not for the gambling, the sin, the late nights or the shows. The shows are good but my love goes towards the outcome of dreamers like Steve Wynn and the many others who have created a city of architectural awesomeness. The technology, the lights, and the Bellagio Fountains with an incredible music serenade. So many people I know do not like Las Vegas and one thought is that perhaps they are not seeing the flowers for the weeds.  The see, feel, touch, experience can be unreal if you open the senses and, of course, your palate to the incredible foods.  My take away from this trip is huge from incredible speakers, including some one on one time with Bob Bloom and John Assaraf.

My biggest take away, though, is the need to continue to dream and dream BIG. We are limited by ourselves and our environment!  I realized that too many times in my life I have put self constraints on success, happiness and my ability to think big.  Friends and family can be a huge influence on our thinking and ability to dream big or constrain our dreaming. Who are you dreaming with and do you remember how to dream?   For me, Las Vegas is stimulus to think bigger, do bigger things and be part of something bigger than myself.

The past few weekends have been brilliant in proving that audiences vary all over the world.  Two different events with which I had a personal experience painted a vivid picture.  First, the iPad launch.  I’ve read a number of tweets, blogs and even a clip on Modern Family asking why someone needs an iPad.  It’s not really a computer, ebook reader or netbook.  It’s just…different and it’s at $500 in it’s least expensive form.  But you can read books on it!  You know where else you can read books?  In books.  Consider Luis Soriano, who has a “biblioburro” or a “library donkey” in Magdalena, Colombia.  Children in his part of Colombia will walk up to 40 minutes to get to school.  He’ll ride 5 to 8 hours to get books to kids.  The iPad’s price, need for electricity and web seem preposterous in those terms.  Think of all the books we could buy in developing countries!  Nonetheless, Apple raked in about $150 million in sales the first weekend.

Nan Palmero | BlackBerry Power User

I received a call this week from a close friend regarding her annual review. She described how her boss explained to her that they really liked how dependable and trustworthy she was in her position. The quality of her work is of the highest caliber. Her boss then explained that he felt that she needed to do more work – she needed to take on more projects and more responsibilities. He felt as if she hadn’t been doing enough. Cue the sinking feeling.

Nan Palmero | BlackBerry Power User

Have you ever been told “that person can do no wrong in your eyes” or “give the guy another chance, he’s a really nice person”?  This past week I found out that those preconceived notions have a name: Hypothesis Bias or Confirmation Bias.  In the case of someone you may not like, you’ll look for comments, actions and intonations to help support your reason for not liking that said person.  On the other hand, for a person that you’re fond of, you’ll easily gloss over flaws and mistakes simply because that person is held in high esteem.

Nan Palmero | BlackBerry Power User

My mornings usually start the same way; with me sleepily stepping into the gym.  I turn on my music, put one foot in front of the other on the “dreadmill,” lift weights, get cleaned up and head to work.  I’ve met a few people at the gym, but chat rarely.  You can count on a “good morning” or “hello” and a warm smile as I rest during reps, while the headphones blare.  I may be guilty of yelling my greetings due to the volume (don’t judge me).  Today, though, I plopped down on a machine, started my exercise and a friend came and sat beside me, so I pulled the headphones off.  After we exchanged pleasantries, I kept the music off.  I noticed something.  The sounds of people breathing, the weights clanging, more huffing, sighing and grunting from those people around me.  The silence and the sounds between those seemingly random noises affected me.

Nan Palmero | BlackBerry Power User

Years ago I wrote a short paper on de-motivation in the work place and steps to overcome it. I have referenced this many times in our posts and at events we speak at. We have people who write us on advice on how to deal with a de-motivator in the workplace, friends and clients. This post is geared to the bosses, leaders, managers and supervisors since the word has not gotten out.

Take this for example: You hear your employees laughing, joking, having fun.

You do the following:

A. Have a meeting to discuss lack of productivity
B. Yell at them to get them to quiet down
C. Have a talk with them to make them more serious
D. Join in and find out how to do this all the time, every day

A, B, and C, can be complete assumptions unless you know for sure productivity has been hampered. My office has their most productive days when we are having fun. D may not be the answer for everyone and maybe not even be for some but at least you should ask. If one person is disturbed by the enjoyment of others, they may need to have more privacy or move locations within the office.

Yesterday I took my kids to play work. Here is my observation: My daughter does not like idle time and loves learning on the job.  She enjoys seeing the fruits of her labor, she wants to earn money, but the work matters to her most. She wants a high quality outcome and does not like the least bit of imperfection. My son wants to know the pay (reward) first and evaluate if it is worth his effort. If he deems it not worth the effort, he will go without the reward. He like to have fun first and if the work is fun and seems less like work, he is all for it.

Yesterday was a great reminder to make sure the companies and people I work with are paying attention to their employees and co-workers and to make sure they are putting them in situations where they will excel. Look at where these people feel the most energized, where they are the most engaged and what their currency is. For most, it is not about the money, it’s about the feeling they are helping others and contributing to the vision.

On Saturday, my buddy, Choco and I were driving back to San Antonio from an event we put on in Victoria for a client. As we buzzed along US 87 we spotted a guy walking with a cross. For the record, I have never stopped for a hitch hiker or a person doing something out of the ordinary on the highway. Saturday, though, was a different day. Choco and I looked at one another and decided that we should stop and have a chat with this guy to see why in the world he would choose to do such a thing. Here’s Steven Hope’s story on why he is carrying a cross.

After watching his video, you could come away with a million thoughts.
“This guy is crazy.”
“I wish I had the faith to do that.”
“Just another radical Christian”
“That’s amazing”

I simply thought “I wish I had as much passion, conviction AND action as Steven.” Most of us, simply bounce from one day to the next, guided by our social norms, bills, families and the like. Our lives turn out to be shaped much by the consequences of our circumstances, more than being shaped by a vision of what we want from our lives, our relationships and our careers.

After I turned the camera off, Steven, Choco and I discussed the amazing things that have happened to him along his 60+ city tour and how he was repeatedly delighted. Choco and I simply listened to the seemingly magical events that affected Steven. Now, I live an incredible life, surrounded by wonderful people, but I feel that I could easily take a lesson on clarity matched with action from Steven. Meeting Steven has inspired me to renew my search for even greater clarity and action. Steven’s words and actions were tied together. That’s why his message was so impactful. If nothing else, Steven’s story is a great example of how powerful it is to do what you say you’re going to do.

If you’re already acting on your passion and you know it, can you share your experience? How did you figure it out? How did you know that you were on the right track? What did it take for you to get started? Was there any confusion if you were on the correct path?

Rules are helpful. They put order in our lives. They reduce risk and minimize variance. “I’m sorry, I can’t give you a free room, the rules don’t allow it.” In fact, I will enact rules to suit me and you likely do the same. At trade shows and conferences, I hate carrying the terrible and bulky marketing materials that the drones distribute. To ensure that I don’t have to bother, I carry an impossibly small bag that fits a few choice items and say “I’m sorry, I’m unable to carry anything larger than what can fit in this bag.” “Oh, of course, sir. Absolutely.” Rules can be established willy-nilly. Our society has built us to believe that if a rule exists, there must have been a far smarter person who developed the rule for a greater good. Although this may be true at times, I suggest that some many of these rules are ruining your life… well, at least your day, and that many of the people that developed many of the stupid rules ranged between myopic and mouth breathing fools.

Last week, we talked about corporate culture’s existence and it’s potential effects on the people who come into contact with it. There are certainly issues that each organization faces from this culture and the decisions made along the way. An old adage says that the new ascending sap crowds off the dead leaves on the tree. It would be next to impossible to knock all the leaves off with a stick, but the sap can clear them all.

Similarly, you’ll find that with your organization, “dead leaves” have accumulated on the branches. To properly push the new sap through your organization, you’ll have to make the tough decisions. For some, this could mean revamping the vision or purpose of the company, adjusting responsibilities of key players, or possibly, sell the mills a la Kimberly-Clark. What have you done to move the old leaves off the branches? What is keeping you from doing so?

photo by essjaynz