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- It’s 2012: Do You Know What Your Core Values Are?
- Viral Growth Trumps Lots of Faux Followers
- The Next Million Dollar Idea
| It’s 2012: Do You Know What Your Core Values Are? Posted: 30 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT
We are living in a time when the core values of companies and their founders matter. Deeply matter. There’s a shift in consciousness on the planet that has more and more people a) seeking greater meaning, autonomy and authentic self-expression in their work, and b) wanting to buy products and services from companies that care about people, that are authentic, aligned, that make a positive difference, and that are passionate about what they do. I’ve consistently noticed this to be the case with the entrepreneurs I’ve met, interviewed and studied who are thriving in their Sweet Spots, doing the work they’re most meant to be doing on the planet: they know who they are and what they stand for, and their core values form the unshakeable foundation of the business (and life) they’ve created. Your core values are the common theme that run through all you do, and that guide your daily decisions and actions. Having core values is not a guarantee that you are living by them, or living by them consistently. When you are aware of your core values and you are in the deliberate habit of ensuring your decisions and actions are in alignment with your core values, you become laser-focused and single-minded, making it much easier to fulfill your vision that’s an expression of those core values. So the obvious question becomes, if you want to be in your own Sweet Spot and make the greatest possible impact with what matters to you, what are your core values? You may have a general sense of what matters to you, but putting in the time and effort to explore, articulate and prioritize them puts you in a whole different mindset and energy, and will produce a whole other level of outcome. You can find a simple exercise for determining your top 5 core values here. It’s a straightforward, helpful starting point. If you’re ready to dive into the deep end and find and prioritize your top 10-15 core values, check out Steve Pavlina’s much more in-depth article about determining and living your values in his hugely popular blog about “Personal Development for Smart People.” I went through the first exercise and found that the Top 5 core values for Project Sweet Spot are actually a Top 7 (sometimes you’ve got to make up your own rules! Here’s a really cool video that demonstrates how important your core values are to building a thriving business. Brand designer Jason Borzouyeh just took Mindvalley, the online publishing company founded by Vishen Lakhiani, through a comprehensive branding exercise. Just watching that video reveals how Mindvalley has come so far and made such a difference in such a short time: rock-solid and clear core values have guided them every step of the way. What are the core values that are guiding you and your business? |
| Viral Growth Trumps Lots of Faux Followers Posted: 30 May 2012 05:00 AM PDT
A lot of these fans and followers are faux. Sunny day friends. In one experiment I did, 200,000 followers led to 25 clickthroughs. Ouch. Check out the graph on the right. The curves represent different ideas and different starting points. If you start with 10,000 fans and have an idea that on average nets .8 new people per generation, that means that 10,000 people will pass it on to 8000 people, and then 6400 people, etc. That’s yellow on the graph. Pretty soon, it dies out. On the other hand, if you start with 100 people (99% less!) and the idea is twice as good (1.5 net passalong) it doesn’t take long before you overtake the other plan. (the green). That’s not even including the compounding of new people getting you people. But wait! If your idea is just a little more viral, a 1.7 passalong, wow, huge results. Infinity, here we come. That’s the purple (of course.) A slightly better idea defeats a much bigger but disconnected user base every time. The lesson: spend your time coming up with better ideas, not with more (faux) followers. |
| Posted: 30 May 2012 02:00 AM PDT
He decided instead to market the maintenance free “pet”, 32-page owner’s manual and all. Well, the pet rock indeed turned out to be a stupid idea. It sold for about 6 months and before being relegated to the dustbins of marketing history but not before selling more than 1.5 million units and making Gary Dahl a millionaire. Still think it was a stupid idea? How many people have ideas far better and more useful than a pet rock? What makes Gary Dahl or any other person who executes on an idea different from those who do not? Gary and his type avoid a common habit I call “auto-negation.” How the Conversation Usually Goes? Had anyone other than Gary Dahl thought of the pet rock that evening (let’s say a guy named Tom), the conversation might have gone more like this: Tom: “You know what we need? A hassle free pet that requires no maintenance whatsoever–something that just sits there. We can call it the ‘pet rock.’” Everyone around the bar laughs. Tom: “What a stupid idea. No one would buy that? Can someone pass the nuts?” I suspect this type of conversation happens thousands or perhaps millions of times a day all around the world. Auto negation is the process of killing a potentially good idea the moment it arrives. Many people are so convinced their ideas have no value they dare not even say them aloud, even when alone. A flash comes to them in the shower, they dismiss it as stupid or unworkable and move on to their daily routine, which too often ends with them complaining about how much they hate their job. Years later they see something on television and say, “Hey, I thought of that!” Ideas are a dime a dozen. Execution is what matters. Reversing the Action If you suffer from this habit, today is the day we will kill it once and for all. The good news is that the cure is quite simple and may lead you to your first breakthrough. The next time inspiration hits, follow these simple steps: 1. Take immediate action – Whenever you get any idea write it down immediately, even if it seems crazy. There is tons of research on the power of the unconscious mind and how we store every experience there. I am convinced that our flashes of inspiration, gut feelings and ideas originate from deep in our unconscious and may be linked to something more powerful than what meets the eye. There is now scientific evidence to back up this belief. Take a look at the book Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer for more on this fascinating topic. 2. Keep a watchful eye – Be on the lookout for this menace by monitoring the language you use when you get a new idea. You will be shocked by how often you put yourself down! When auto-negation happens, stop it in its tracks by taking immediate action. Writing is a definite first step but go a step further by researching the idea. This could be as minor as performing an Internet search. You can also share the idea with a trustworthy friend who will not ridicule you. Building Up Your Idea Muscles If you are like most people, you have unconsciously trained your mind to reject your own ideas. Now you have to train it to do the opposite. The moment you finish reading this article, or the first chance you get today, take five minutes to write down 10 ideas you think will help you improve your job or business. The type of job or business does not matter. There is only one rule–no judging. Write it down even if on the surface it seems ridiculous. Then, schedule a time to do this at least once per week. Put it on your calendar so in order to make it a real commitment. I do this often and have great fun with it. Once in awhile I actually get a good idea! The pet rock started as a nutty idea but developed into a hit gag product. Other crazy ideas, like flying across the ocean for example, changed our quality of life forever. Great ideas come from the minds of ordinary people not much different than you. The only difference is in taking action or dismissing yourself as crazy. Now go change the world. Photo Credit: Stock.XCHNG |
): Freedom, Fun, Self-expression, Mastery, Thriving, Community and Celebration. I still plan to go through Steve Pavlina’s exercise as well and see if it changes or refines any of these.
Many brands and idea promoters are in a hurry to rack up as many Facebook fans and Twitter followers as they possibly can. Hundreds of thousands if possible.
In 1976 a few friends sat around a bar complaining about the woes of being pet owners. You have to feed them, water them, and walk them, not to mention the vet bills. One of the friends, a man by the name of Gary Dahl, joked of how a rock would be a perfect pet. No feeding, cleaning or any other hassles. It would just sit obediently without making a peep. Stupid idea, right? Yep. However, Gary Dahl, a marketing executive, did not do what most of people would–call it a stupid idea and move on to the next drink.| You are subscribed to email updates from Upmarket To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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