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Linchpin looks back to move forward

Sometimes, extraordinary things simply come together. But not without creativity, insight from others and the past, commitment and much work along the way. 

Looking back and reflecting on a flight from Captiva to San Francisco in April 2010, those ~6 hours of reading Seth Godin's Linchpin -- and some invaluable time to really think -- had a significant impact on me and what's to come moving forward. It's a timely book for executives, teams at work, families, college students, community groups, etc. 

Instead of posting a long point of view here, I included links below to some other readers' reviews. And if you're feeling tired or are short on time right now, The Linchpin Manifesto will provide some inspiration. Click, print and post on your wall if you want a reminder of Linchpin beliefs and actions:

Intrigued? These posts provide a glimpse of what the book covers and how others perceive the value:

• Joe Woolworth - Morrisville, NC: Linchpin by Seth Godin Seeks a New Revolution
• Drea Knufken - Boulder, CO: Are you indispensable?
• Squidoo community: Linchpin - Your reviews

If you read Linchpin and have a life-changing experience, please share your thoughts here or on one of the friendly sites above. Yes, now is the time.

Are you really open for business?

Collaborating, loosening the reins on creative control, sharing information, crowdsourcing, automatically extending trust, being exposed to more risks (not necessarily real), and engaging with authentic communications are all indications of openness in business. As your customers, employees and community members in general become more adept at using social and other related technologies (i.e. mobile), they will push you and your business to be even more open. Guaranteed.

Charlene Li, founding partner of Altimeter Group and co-author of Groundswell, recently released her new book, Open Leadership. I was very fortunate to be able to participate in the early stages of her book's development and review, and think it's a must read for anyone who values and understands the currency of relationships in business. Further, if you believe social technologies are changing how we do business then you'll find Open Leadership is a great resource and business-case builder. Here's a quick preview about why Charlene wrote the book and what's in store:

There are many tools and take-aways in the book and online via the open-leadership community. For example, Charlene discusses how all open-driven objectives create common benefits, in that they:

• Remove friction: removing barriers in business, and providing more access to information and people, lowers the cost of decision making

• Scale efforts: a culture of sharing means things spread faster and wider

• Enable fast response: the real-time nature of social technologies means you can respond quickly to needs and opportunities

• Gain commitment: businesses that win the hearts and minds of stakeholders gain business and competitive advantages

For me, this book fits like a glove because I tend to be an open person and prefer to work with other open leaders and practitioners. Close to home, I doubt that I would have landed a dream job this month if both employer and new employee did not share a passion for innovation and openness. 

Try moving out of your comfort zone to reap the rewards of really being open for business.

Cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence

Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance. 

A visionary cultural leader, Sir Ken led the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. His latest book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, a deep look at human creativity and education, was published in January 2009.

In this poignant, humorous follow-up to his fabled 2006 Ted Talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning -- creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish; this video clip is just under 17 minutes and worth the time to watch and share:

What do you think about this topic? 

MarketingSherpa Email Summit 2010

Looking back on MarketingSherpa's fifth annual Email Marketing Summit, I'd say it was a very good event for more than 600 marketers. There were a number of talented speakers and contributors who always make Email Summit a good investment and the Miami setting in January was a nice perk, too.  Here are some thoughts from the event and (4) video clips of conversations with customers and industry leaders. Next week, Online Marketing Summit in San Diego.

 

Think like a tribal leader to create change.

Seth Godin argues, with a sense of humor and insight that only he can deliver, the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big changes. Successful (tribal) leaders today tell meaningful stories, connect people, lead a movement and create change.

I read Seth's book "Tribes" last year during a memorable trip to Tennessee for Thanksgiving with our extended family. This video recorded at TED in February 2009 is a fantastic summary of the book and Seth's ideas on how to lead today... 

Are you leading a tribe? If so, please share your thoughts, ideas and links so others can learn from your experiences.

Socialnomics Video: Facts or Fiction?

This new video, with data from Erik Qualman's blog (and new book) about the social media revolution, is powerful and quite stimulating. The question -- is the video 100% factual or not? I'm an optimist and tend to trust people. But many folks are posting comments that assert the video is misleading. What do you think? 

 

Dan Pink at TED 2009: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose Matters

Dan Pink has a colorful background and it has nothing to do with his last name. His diverse work experience, research, writing, and point of view about creativity and 21st century business is refreshing and not to be ignored. He's also an entertaining speaker for people who are interested in contemporary business and social issues.

Dan and I chatted in 2004 when I was building Creator Connection, an online community for creative people and independent professionals. At the time, he was writing a new book called A Whole New Mind and I was hopeful that Creator Connection would be referenced in the book; it didn't happen. No worries because I read the book when it was published months later and learned a few things about how the world is moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age -- a world where art, creativity and innovative teams play new roles in the workplace.

I've been following Dan's writing over the years and was happy to come across this passionate discussion recorded at TED in July 2009. The video clip is just over 18 minutes long and I think it's worth a listen if you're a business, marketing or technology leader looking for an edge. Hint, autonomy, mastery and purpose are business ideas worth spreading:

SES San Jose: Social Media & Video Innovation

The Search Engine Strategies (SES) event never disappoints as I always walk away with a few nuggets of good information to take back to the office and share with others. This year, I focused on social media and video integration from search/SEO, brand experience and ROI perspectives. 

Today's post on the LyrisHQ.com blog features Michael Fischer, CMO of Coldwell Banker; here's a preview:

 

Stay tuned for at least one more post from SES San Jose 2009 based on video and thoughts from Clay Shirky's keynote and his book, Here Comes Everybody. I'd like to have more time to read it and come back to you with a useful post.