The Power of Incubation

“Learn to pause, or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.” -Doug King. Have you ever worked so hard on something or thought so much about it that you felt nearly paralyzed? I have. It can feel like the momentum is sucked right out of you. In cases like that, I know it’s time to step back and let the power of incubation take over.

When we work things too hard using our left brain, or more logical side, we can stifle our right, more creative side of our brain. So, when you feel stuck, tired, or like you are losing some steam, step away from your work and let it incubate. Stop thinking about it, adjourn your meeting for a later date, and take a shower, a nap or a jog. Allow your mind to think about other things. This wakes up the creative part of your brain to begin working on it when you aren’t even aware.

Sometimes the solution comes when you least expect it. Have you ever had a dream where the solution is right there? Or how about you’re driving down the road and you see a sign or site that clicks something in gear for you? That’s the power of incubation. Don’t lose those opportunities. That’s your brain’s way of telling you that it’s time to get back to it. Wake up or pull over and take some notes. Don’t lose that opportunity if you can help it.

There are also ways to keep you from getting stuck in the first place. One of the biggest culprits is to expect too much from a single meeting or thinking episode. To expect a team, for example, to come up with a new idea and figure out how it should be implemented in one sitting is asking for a meltdown. Chunk your work into manageable bites so that you can make steady progress. When working on mission statements, for example. I always ask the teams to get the gist of the mission down, then we purposefully step back, let it incubate and edit for eloquence at another meeting. Having a break from it clears your mind and helps you think about it again with fresh eyes. ‘Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone. – Alan Watts.

I regularly design incubation into my consulting and coaching process. Pace out your work and allow it to have a steady amount of energy. Remember that greatness takes time. “There is a moment of conception and a moment of birth, but between them, there is a long period of gestation.” Jonas Salk. So, let your ideas incubate, your brilliance is waiting!

Fail Fabulously

“Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” C. S. Lewis. Did you make any mistakes today? Who doesn’t? We are imperfect people living in an imperfect world. Do you realize that failure is really only failure if you don’t learn something from it? With the right mindset, you can go through your entire life without ever really failing.

If things came too easy for you, you would never be challenged to improve? Thomas Edison didn’t fail 1,000 times when he was trying to invent the incandescent light bulb; he found 1,000 ways that it didn’t work, which ultimately lead him to the one way that did work. And, he never gave up!

If you try something and it doesn’t work out exactly as you had hoped, step back and ask yourself a few questions: What did work about it? Was there something it achieved that maybe wasn’t your ultimate goal, but moved you in a forward direction? What did you learn when you tried it? By learning what your customer’s don’t want, did you get a bit clearer about what they do want?

Maybe it wasn’t the idea that was the problem, but the target audience wasn’t the right match for the strategy. Maybe you didn’t give the idea enough time. Just because something doesn’t work overnight doesn’t mean that it won’t work. So, don’t abandon ideas too quickly. Give them time to see if they will work.

“There was a journey in being an entrepreneur. “It was about going through failure and bouncing back. Are you going to bounce back and take the chance to go to bat again, or let this failure stop you? If you look at all of the ultimate success stories, both personally and professionally, they all had to bounce back at one time or another.” says Nicholas Hall, CEO of Start-upFailure.com. Failure is part of the success journey. You simply cannot have success without the learnings that come from failure. They are interchangeable.

How big of a risk should you take in trying something for which you may fail? In his book The Empowered Manager, Peter Block writes about 'non-suicidal courageous acts'. The goal is to take reasonable risks, not commit suicide. Those are risk-taking behaviors that are related to facing harsh realities, admitting our own contribution to the problem, and being authentic in the face of disapproval. Courageous people are not socially or politically suicidal or homicidal. You don't need to be extreme to be brave.

Weigh the risks, don’t give up and make sure you learn from your mistakes. You are bound to make mistakes, everyone does. Learn from them and allow them to propel you forward. Fail fabulously!

Testimonials as a Powerful Promotional Strategy

“Testimonials represent the most powerful, productive and profitable promotional strategy I have ever encountered. Stop looking for a magic bullet recipe that will attract clients or advance your career. "Instead, hone your craft, develop your expertise or build your skills to such an extent that clients and colleagues will brag about you and your value." Michael Hughes. Testimonials are free and they are gold. If I were to go on and on about how great I am, I bet you would roll your eyes. Somehow when we toot our own horn, it's a bit off putting to people. But, when someone else testifies to my helpfulness... well then, maybe it's worth paying attention to.

The secret is to ask for them. When someone says; ‘Wow that was fantastic. That really helped me." That's your cue to say thanks and ask them if they would write you a quick email to that effect, or Ask: "Do you mind if I share that statement on my website"? Put those one sentence quotes on your LinkedIn profile, or your website and let those testimonials help you gain credibility.

Ask three people for whom you know you have been helpful, or who can speak to your character to write you one sentence. Ask them what you bring to the table, or what they value most about what you do, or how you are most helpful to them. Then, ASK them for permission to use the quote in your marketing. Post those quotes in prominent places.

Asking for permission is the key. One of my pet peeves is when I see testimonial quotes on a website that end without a real name like Kathy P from Topeka, or housewife from NJ. I immediately assume that the quote is made up. People who are unwilling to have their names be connected with your success are not worthy testimonials.

Here are some opportunities to gain testimonials. Training evaluations are nearly always anonymous. But, you could have a question at the end that says, if you are willing to share your comment as a testimonial, please indicate your name here. When people comment on your newsletter or blog, reply with a request to share the comment on your website. Or simply email your satisfied customers and ask them to write a sentence or two about your service to be included in your promotional materials or websites.

If you get a lot of ‘no’s’ to those requests, it’s time to take stock in your service or product value. If you are delivering high quality service, people will be happy to endorse you. Ask people why they are uncomfortable endorsing you and make adjustments according to their feedback. Once I had a person ask me for a testimonial and I told them why I was uncomfortable giving one. They listened to that feedback and made a great effort to change my opinion. About 6 months later, when my experience had been improved, I did write an endorsement letter. So, you can use this strategy to get valuable feedback about your service as well.

Testimonials will inspire confidence in others to work with you. So, ask for them today.

It's a Wonderful Dream

Have you seen that classical Christmas time film it’s a Wonderful Life? George Bailey has the seemingly perfect life: a loving wife, Mary, four beautiful children, and his own business. However, on Christmas Eve, George has serious business difficulties at the Bailey Building and Loan. George has a major financial crisis when his Uncle Billy loses the cash they owe the bank. The unsympathetic bank owner, Mr. Potter makes things worse. This leads George to a life crisis, and he considers suicide. A visit from his Guardian Angel Clarence shows George how much his life means by showing him how the world would be without him.

It's a magical tale of a man who's allowed to see what his family, his friends and his community would have been like if he had never been born. The moral of the story is that everyone is put on this earth to impact others in their own way. All of us have a unique contribution to make. Your contribution can change the world if you let it.

You may be living your dream and take comfort in this story because you know you are helping people and making a difference; even if times are tough, or things get challenging. The pause to consider the people you are helping will help you live to serve another day.

For others, your dream hasn’t even been born.

For those of us who let our dreams stay in our heads and not in the world; wouldn’t it be cool if we could have an Angel like Clarence show us what the world would be like if we DID bring our dream to life. Who could we help? What impact could we have? What ripple effect would our help have on the people that pass that help on to others?

Is your dream worth it? Can you make a lifelong impact by your special gifts and services? Things got tough for George in the movie, just like they will for you and me. But, in the end, the community came together to help him solve his problem and he was blessed by that. It all worked out. He had impact. The community made sure of it. "Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more." Anthony Robbins

You are not the only one that is hurt by keeping your dream in your head. Do you believe that the world deserves your dream as much as you do? So, do something today to make sure that your dream has the chance to impact people. Do one thing. Do it now!

Paradigms and Reinvention: The times they are a changin’

“When a paradigm shifts, everything goes back to zero. “ Joel Barker. In his now famous video from 1988 called Discovering the Future: The Business of Paradigms, Joel Barker introduced the concept of paradigm shifts into the business vocabulary. A paradigm is a set of rules and boundaries and the problem solving system for being successful within those rules. An example of a paradigm shifting in history was when the Japanese eclipsed the Swiss taking them from more than 100 years of nearly 90% market share in watch sales to only 33% within three years of the introduction of quartz watch technology. Ironically, it was the Swiss who had invented the quartz watch. They thought it was a novelty item and hadn’t even patented it. The Japanese saw it at a trade show and changed the way the world would tell time within a couple of years. Remember, when a paradigm shifts, you cannot count on past success. Everything goes back to zero.

Personal computers, internet marketing and websites like Facebook have changed the rules for sales and marketing completely. Tried and true marketing methods may still work, but simply can’t compete with these new ways of doing business. Are you on board? There is no slowing down change. While people are getting used to teleclasses and webinars, for example, there are new ways of learning right around the corner that will blow your science fiction mind. The world is spinning so fast with new technologies; it can be overwhelming.

These lyrics are truer now than when they were initially penned in the 1970’s in this folksy ditty by Bob Dylan, The Times they are a Changin’…

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

So the question you need to ask yourself is; are you offering something that is relevant to what the customers want and need today? Are you communicating with your customers in the way that they desire? The old paradigm was a push marketing strategy. You push your marketing stuff on them and then sell them. It was a transaction mentality. Today, it’s all about information and relationships. How have the paradigms shifted in your industry? Are you a lifelong learner that is committed to keeping up with the latest technological changes?

There is a danger in not keeping up with market realities. “People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out.” ~ Warren G. Bennis. Just like the Japanese changed the paradigm for watches and computers for the way we work, your customers are changing and so must you. "You can and should shape your own future; because if you don't someone else surely will." Joel Barker