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Issue 384, June 23, 2010 Got a question or comment? Please comment on my blog or email here: Ask Meryl. "United Breaks Guitars" inspires SpeakStrong song lyrics. Unleash your inner songwriter - creative input invited.If you haven't seen the YouTube sensation United Breaks Guitars, I invite you to watch it now. United Airlines - and the world - got the message and it was a real win for the artist. This song inspired me to write a SpeakStrong song which goes beyond being a complaint song into being about becoming better instead of bitter. Want to be on my creative team? I invite your feedback. Put an X by anything that doesn't feel right, a ! by what you love, and a ? by anything that goes beyond intrigue into confusion. And random thoughts are more than welcome. You can read the lyrics here and email your input to me. Thanks. New SpeakStrong article on rankism drew a comment from the man who coined the term.Hours after I posted the article From Rankism to Dynamic Dignity: How to shed hierarchical limits and enliven synergy, I received a lovley comment from Bob Fuller who coined the term. Here's what he said.
Read the article here. From Rankism to Dynamic Dignity: How to shed hierarchical limits and enliven synergy. Poison to Power Phrase: I’m not tied up, I’m engagedI almost typed my friend that: - I’m tied up until 11AM. I caught myself and wrote instead,
I also could have said,
which is more to the point. I’d much rather be engaged than tied up. Wouldn’t you? (You might not want to answer that…) Reader success story: word choice lessens the burden of tough times.A reader wrote: Words are certainly very powerful and the way we talk about our own situation not only has a big impact on our colleagues view, but also our own responses. I had a very stressful job a few years ago and it was noticeable that I was struggling with the situation, which also contributed to a tense atmosphere in the office. When people commented I would agree that everything was very stressful.I then stood back from the situation and thought about everything and changed the way I described it. So when people asked how things were I would say ‘a bit challenging’. This not only brought a smile to my face as using the word ‘bit’ minimized the situation and made it a huge understatement. But the use of the word challenge changed my whole perspective and attitude as I do like a challenge! The very fact I could also smile about it helped considerably. Things can still get stressful, but I am careful about the language I choose and very much aware when my stress symptoms need attention and do something about it before it becomes a problem. Thanks for you words of wisdom as it helps to increase my own armory of tools to help make life more manageable and fun. Dynamic dignity, corporate ignominy #3 Collaboration. A more useful tool than a sledge hammer.When I got off the phone with my editor from McGraw Hill I was on fire with possibility. When I got off the phone with The-Company-That-Must-Not-Be-Named I was listless. Both are facing the same challenges in the industry. McGraw Hill is embarking on creative new ventures. McGraw Hill invited me to partner with them in one new venture. You’ll like what they’re up to. The-Company-That-Must-Not-Be-Named is cutting back and making decisions based almost exclusively on the basis of cost-cutting. The way they did it left me feeling like I had been hit by a sledge hammer. McGraw Hill treats me like a valued expert they can learn from. Yes, we edited out a few of my treasured concepts from my last manuscript, but the process was collaborative. The-Company-That-Must-Not-Be-Named treats me like a disposable resource even though the book I wrote specifically for their market earned them $5M over the last ten years. Not only was there no collaboration, there wasn’t even notification. If you’re associated with a company that behaves ignominiously, be aware that respect and collaborative relationships actually are on the rise. Companies whose only tool is a hammer miss the opportunities the dynamic companies are finding. Collaboration is a more useful tool than a sledge hammer. And much more interesting. Also read: Dynamic dignity, corporate ignominy #2 From thingification to personalizationWait... I thought we had a relationship... Old fashioned courtesy and treating people like people, not things. Success Story in Progress: You get to decide what success is.It’s been 12 years since my husband left a stressful high-powered hospital administrator position for a job in holistic health with a 70% pay cut. We agree it was a successful move (which has led to much greater opportunities.) You get to decide what success is for you. We all do. That awareness can set you free. How do you define success? I find that because the world is so willing to define success for us, it makes sense to start with how you don’t define success. I do not equate success with perfection, completion or dominance. And I don’t measure it in mega-dollars. Those measures are too static for me. I see success as dynamic. It evolves. We’re all success stories in progress. Too often we don’t see it because we see success as a static arrival. I see success as living according to what motivates me. I am motivated by my love of growth of consciousness, clarity and grace. When an idea doesn’t inspire me, I don’t choose that path. Even if it gets me results, it’s a compromise. I’m still deciding what to aim for with my sudden windfall of resources and the new opportunities they provide. I’m still deciding what a successful outcome will be. But I already know how I will get there. I will succeed in every step I take – by my own definition. I get to decide what success is for me. Anything less is a failure of my imagination. And the same is true for you. commentThings I love about my hubby series: #2. He sees my soulMy husband and I were discussing our friends who were about to be ordained as ministers when he paused to say,
This comment meant more to me than when he told me my face shows no sign of aging (!). The man I live with sees and embraces my soul.
Do you see the soul in the people you’re close to? Or do things left ajar and typos block the view? B2B courtship dance #2: Passion for purposeIn Seth Godin’s post A sad truth about most traditional b2b marketing, Godin writes of executives who spent an entire day talking about profits and never once mentioned purpose. Godin says, “This disconnect is becoming less common, but it still happens. It’s okay to be passionate about what you sell, even if it’s an industrial chemical.” And if you’re courting businesses to hire you, (or managers to promote you) chances for your future are much greater if you recognize and reinforce your “prospect’s” passion. Because no matter how technically brilliant your services are, you are far more likely to get the gig if you “get” the client. If you can expand on your client’s vision with your expertise, you are likely to find your dance card filling up, even in the slowest of economies. I spent an hour yesterday listening to a marketing plan that ignored my vision. My dance partner is a dear friend, but as he continued I felt the life drain out of my body. Only when I got to talk about what Godin notes is often missing – my passion – was I able to see how his plan might have any usefulness to me. Which brings me to a second criteria for whom I want to work with. A passion for purpose. If they love what they do and are inspired by what I do, magic can happen. Yesterday a potential vendor asked me what my ideal business would look like. I remembered a long forgotten dream - to be a singer songwriter. The idea set me on fire. Do you go through entire days talking only about production and profits at the expense of purpose and passion? If you do, how enlivened does that leave you at the end of the day? commentblog commentsNew article on rankism and synergy Success story in progress: #2. Who defines the terms of your narrative? Success story in progress: responding to corporate ignominy Reader Success Story: Trainer applies PowerPhrases when sideswiped at a seminar PowerPhrase: What story do you to tell yourself to make it okay to treat people that way? Poison Phrase: It is what it is Reader questions how to address ungrateful young subordinate
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