Understand "the power"

There is a new power that each of us now have, that really did not exist 20 years ago.  But what is this power?

It is NOT a "technology thing."

When you give a small child a crayon, it is not seen as a crayon thing, it is seen as a tool to express themselves. 

When you give a grade school child a pencil, it is not seen as a pencil thing, it s seen as a tool to communicate.

"The power" is a communications thing!

Posting to facebook, posting to a blog, texting, tweeting, are forms of communication.

You now have the Power to reach people who think like you, that you never would have dreamed of.  You now have the power to tell people about your products and services in places you never would have thought of.

The power is that of a tremendous communications tool.

The power that can help you to control time and space, as you get in touch with people you have lost contact with from thirty years ago, in countries all over the globe.

The Power to get a message out quickly and efficiently, as you can reach hundreds, thousands, even millions of people, in just a matter of seconds.  You will be able to get your message out, in ways that were not humanly possible not all that long ago.

Technology is just a set of tools in a toolbox. 

Tools perform tasks. Tasks lead to outcomes.  Focus not on the tools that you use, but the outcome you desire. 

If you were asking someone to build a house, would you ask questions on hammers and saws?  Or would you discuss what you wanted the house to look like?

Whether we integrating technology into our classrooms, or our office space, the biggest mistake people make is figuring out which tools to buy, before they have a plan for what tasks they wish to accomplish.

"The power" has all happened so quickly.

There are a lot a parallels between Television and the internet. The commercial version of the internet we know today was born in the 1990's. Based on various comparisons, you can say that the internet of today is at a level of maturity of television in the 1950's.

This set of tools are not yet complete, there is still a lot of growing up to do.

Choose your message wisely

Once you understand the power of the internet, you have the responsibility to choose your message wisely

Technology excites people, they get fired up, they just came up with a thought, an answer to a question, a reaction to an earlier discussion, and they have to post it to their blog, shoot it out as an e-mail, tweet it to their friends.

Is you approach --> Ready --> Fire! --> Aim?

You really should think about what you are firing, and where you are firing.  Do you compose your message right from your brain directly to the tool you are using? 

It is a good idea to open up notepad, and dump your thought into word first, and take a look at what you are about to say.  Think about how your message might impact you, your business, your colleagues.

Whether it is a job interviews, or a sales presentation, people will try to get you to say why you are better than the competition. Be careful! If you can't say it as a positive benefit, don't say it!

 There is no "do over" button.

There is a really big reason for choosing your message wisely, once you send that e-mail, post that page, launch that tweet, your message is forever in cyberspace. 

During a recent coversation with a salesperson he made an unsoliticed negative remark about one of his competitors.  Since it was just  myself and the salesperson present at the time, the remark made was only heard by me.  Whether I agreed with the remark or not, I was taken back by the comment, as I thought it was out of place.  Had this remark been made using some form of social media, it would have circled the globe in a few hours time. 

There are NO secrets on the Internet. Once you put something online it stays there. Even deleting or retracting comments afer they are made, online entries are nearly impossible to completely erase from cybersapce.  Things like silly photos of activities that seemed like  a good idea at the time and off color remarks about your competition may come back to haunt you.

Didn't your mother ever tell you, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all?

Dispel the myths

Once you understand the power of the internet, part of your responsibility is to dispel the myths

Dispel the myth that technology makes you smarter! 

You're just as smart as you always were.  Now you are a thousand times faster. Now when you screw up, you can do it more efficiently.

Remember, technology is a set of tools.  Simple tools in the hands of a craftsman can lead to great results.  Great tools in the hands of someone who does not know how to use them, does not guarantee any results.  It's not using all the tools in the box that counts, it's using the ones that work the best for you to their fullest.

Dispel the myth that the Internet is evil! 

The internet is a collection of wires, silicon and copper, it has no soul, it has no mind of its own. This whole sentiment that the intenet is evil, goes back to understanding what is the power. It's not the internet that makes people bad, but there are bad people on the internet.

The internet is just a mirror, a reflection...

If you don't like what you see, what do you do?  Some people break the mirror, others change what's being reflected.

The internet doesn't take sides, it gives birth to both good and evil. The internet is our collective mind, it is our collective soul. It is a reflection of all of us, and together we have the responsbiility to focus and form that reflection.

Simple ideas, Powerful concepts

I used the theme of "Simple ideas, Powerful concepts" as one segment of a sales seminar I gave to small business people.  When I first did this seminar as a communications seminar to a more general audience, I was lucky enough to be in a town that had a radio station known as KISS. So I talked about the two most powerful radio stations "K.I.S.S." and "WIII-FM"

"K.I.S.S." is an acronym for Keep It Simple Stupid.

Buzz words make me tired.  I know in our world today, and especially in technology, acronyms and geek speak are sometimes hard to avoid.  But in discussion groups, and web site profiles, the bombardment to the brain of massive doses of this jargon makes me want to scream.

Keep your message simple. People don't want an internal combustion engine propelling a set of steel belted radials, they want a mode of  transportation. Simply put, just give me a car. Mazda had a great tag line, "it just feels right."

I have preached myself, early and often, the doctrine of "keep it simple stupid."  Most of my blog entries, and teaching over the years,  while often about technology, is written with the hopes of being understood by any reasonably intelligent person.

I'm not sure what The Dalai Lama knows about technology, but he is a very wise man, who sure has a way of putting things into perspective: "simplicity is the key to happiness in the modern world." 

Keep It Simple. You don't have to fully understand the technical aspects of any operation to enjoy the benefits of it.

"WIII-FM" is an acronym for "what is in it for me."

Because we are often so limited by time and space you need to cut to the chase. Similar sentiment to keeping it simple, is to keep specific, to a single point, "what is in it for me."  People don't want a bar of soap, they want clean hands.

What is in it for you, is success!

If you use the power wisely, and responsibly, You Will be successful!

Talk is cheap, wisdom is priceless. Don't try to copy an idea, try to capture its spirit. Refine them to fit your particular situation.

Ponder the following quote by entrepreneur and inventor Clarence "Bob" Birdseye: "Only through curiosity can we discover opportunities, and only by gambling can we take advantage of them"

Clarence Birdseye truly understood the definition of entrepreneur.

The internet is a powerful tool, use it wisely!

Practice it, Preach it

I use many analogies that refer to the weight loss industry because it drives the point home in a way most people understand. Do you know of anyone who bought a diet book or exercise video? How many of these people are really losing any weight?

How Many Times Must You Watch an Exercise Video Before Losing Any Weight?

Watching the video without doing the exercises will produce little, if any, results. The best tools will not achieve your mission if you can not do the exercises of success.

Just like the millions of people every year who buy various weight loss self help programs, with the ideas and intentions of losing weight, millions of business people buy various technology tools with the ideas and intentions of improving their business and generating sales, only to wonder why their tools did not produce the results they had expected.

The unfortunate scenario that exists too often in the modern business world is one where people buy the tools to succeed and never learn to properly use them.

Tools Alone Do Not Guarantee Success

As an instructor I introduced each course I taught with the weight loss analogy. I told my students that if the only reason they were coming to class was to hear me read to them, I could simply give them a list of books to read and end the program right there.

The other benefit I provided was that as a coach and mentor. It was my job to present them with exercises to help them practice what I was teaching, and to give them the motivation to get up off the couch and do the exercises.

How is Being Successful like Losing Weight?

Being successful is the result of proper training and exercise. It's not how good your intentions are that count, it's how many times you get up off the couch and do the exercises!

Why do some people never fail?

The great inventor Thomas Edison is one of the best examples of a successful state of mind. As the story goes, Edison was asked after several hundred attempts to invent the electric light bulb, how he would handle his failure. Edison stated that he had not failed, but rather had produced several hundred outcomes which would lead to success. Several thousand outcomes later Edison successfully produced the electric light bulb, whether consciously or unconsciously, Edison had to program his mind and body to channel his energy into a successful outcome.

In many cases the difference between winning and losing is a matter of perspective. It is ironic, and insulting, to have a reporter ask an Olympic athlete who had just had the best performance of their life if they are disappointed by winning a bronze rather than than a gold medal. A true winner will tell you the reasons for having the best performance of their life, a loser will tell you their excuses for not winning the gold medal.

Winners make things happen. Winning is not the magnitude of the outcome, it is the perspective of the outcome.

When evaluating your "outcomes", look for reasons, not excuses. Don't forget its not how many times you read the book, it's not how many times you watch the video, it's how many times you get up off the couch and do the exercises.

Winners have reasons, losers have excuses.

The recipe for success is a careful blend of education, and motivation. Once you come up with plan that works for your situation, the proper training and exercise will help you and your associates to achieve your goal.  Once on course to succeed, the leadership to keep focused and motivated will keep you on course during good times and bad.

Success in business today is being able to take some well established philosophies of business and human nature, and apply them today using the new wave tools of the internet and technology.

Understand your power, and accept the responsibility.