How many of us specialize in something, only to realize that we’ve neglected it in our own lives?

I have a social business agency, I help brands use Social Media to accomplish business results.

I look at a client’s site and will give brutally honest feedback, yet my own agency website has HUGE gaping holes in the form of pages without content.  I show brands their own Twitter accounts and Facebook pages, highlighting along the way the various missteps, gaps in communication, and unbranded profiles, yet my own company Twitter account lay dormant for days–and sometimes weeks–at a time.

It has to end

It embarrassing to neglect my own business.  It’s embarrassing to leave empty pages on the web for weeks on end.  It’s embarrassing to blog once every 3 weeks and counsel a client to blog more regularly.  I never want to utter that stupid phrase “the cobbler’s children have no shoes.”

I once heard someone say “I’m doing my best” to which the person they were speaking with simply replied “are you?”

I could say “I’m doing my best” but that’s bullshit.  If I was doing my best my site would be done, I’d be blogging regularly and I’d be able to stand by the results I’ve produced.  All I see now is unrealized potential, and I’m over it!

Do you see yourself in this?

I’m not the only one.  I’ve seen SEO companies with sites that don’t rank for shit.  I’ve seen designers without color,  fonts, or a logo.  I’ve met copywriters without bios.  Look at your own world and take note of where you’ve neglected yourself.

The children may have no shoes, but for the love of god, you are a cobbler, get your kids some damn shoes!

Tweet

I’ve been sick for the past few days.  The cold that I caught started with a sore throat and progressed to a stuffy nose, body aches and a congested head.  All-in-all, not so fun.

I don’t get sick very often…usually only once or—at most twice—per year.

During these past two days, I put up my vacation responder, sat on the couch and watched movies.  I drank a lot of fluids and slept in the middle of the day.

Today, I took the first half of the day off.  Sometime around 12:00 I decided that my head had cleared up enough to sit down and do some work.  So after lunch, I sat down at my desk and began working.

Sick Policies

As my own boss, I make my sick policy; as my company grows I intend to have the same sick policy for my employees.  If someone isn’t feeling well they shouldn’t have to be at work, and as an adult they should be trusted with that decision.  There shouldn’t be a number of days people should be allowed to be sick.  If you are sick, you’re sick, take the day off and by all means stay home and don’t get anyone else sick.  If a sick day policy without limitations leads to abuse, then something is either wrong with that employee or how the company is motivating that employee.

If employees are happy, appreciated and challenged, then they shouldn’t want to stay out of work, they should be itching to get back.  I couldn’t wait to get back to work.

Maybe all companies won’t adopt this policy, but if they don’t, then perhaps they have deeper issues than their policy on illness.

Tweet

Sometimes I’m guilty of assuming that because something annoys the piss out of me, that it also annoys everyone. While I have a fairly keen sense of user preferences, I do sometimes layer too much of my own behavior onto others.

I’m going to make a conscious effort to be more open minded to how others use technology, and do so…without judgement.

Tweet

This isn’t about how the world is moving faster and faster each day because of social media—it is, but that’s not what this is about—this is about ME moving faster.

I had an eye opening conversation last night while meeting with a partner/friend of mine, Amy Larrimore.  She tends to open my eyes to a different point of view, and I like to think I do the same for her.

From our conversation I realized that I can work faster, I can get work done faster, I can get proposals out faster, I can writer strategies faster…I’m operating below my capacity.

I often feel like I’m overwhelmed, or that I have “so much work to do.”  Part of that is from working too slowly, it seems as though my day is more full than it actually is.  I stand by the QUALITY of my work, but I can accomplish more, close more contracts and delight more clients if I step my game up.

So…

Game…consider yourself stepped up!

PS.  Thanks Amy for the conversation.

Tweet

I have always heard the expression, “nice guys finish last.”

This was said about relationships to imply that being friends with a girl would have you be the last one to find a girlfriend or get married.  Don’t be too nice to the girls, they only go for jerks and the bad-ass on a motorcycle.  If you are too nice, you’ll be “choosing from the leftovers”

I’ve also heard this spoken about sales by some hard-nosed, seasoned salesmen: “nice guys finish last.  You have to get in there and sell!  Push the contract across the table and stare right through them.”

Well…I’m a nice guy; I tried to treat women with respect during my formative and bachelor years…and I got THE GIRL!  I married an incredible woman and she likes that I’m nice to her.

It leaves me wondering if the old saying “nice guys finish last” is BS in every context?  I don’t push my prospects, I try to befriend them, be generous with my time, and do my best to help them…and my hope is that they sign with me because they enjoy the connection.

We’ll see, but I have a feeling that nice guys aren’t going to finish last.

Tweet

I don’t know when I will get there, but I am confident that in order to fulfill my grand vision for True Voice Media, I will need to outsource all tasks that fall outside of my strengths, and focus my efforts entirely on what I do best and what I’m most passionate about.

At the start of 2012, I did some thinking and determined that the best use of my time is in these 4 core areas:

• Client Work (Strategy, Project Management and Coaching)
• Marketing myself and my company (Social Media, Newsletters, Blogging, Networking, etc)
• Business Development (Talking with new prospects, understanding their goals, building affinity and providing proposals)
• Public Speaking (Keynote speaking engagements, large scale trainings and small presentations)

This leaves a large number of business tasks to be attended to.  Currently I handle the company finances, invoicing, scheduling, administrative tasks, etc.)

I’m working on slowly delegating away everything that falls outside of my 4 core strengths.

Tweet

Inbox 0 is a wonderful place.  Not many things in life or business have the same level of relief as an empty email inbox.

I know that is sad.

What’s worse is that for such an intense relief, the feeling is painfully short lived.  Normally I get a maximum of 10 minutes before my accomplishment is gone and my inbox is once again filling up.

But for now, I’m going to just cherish this moment.

Tweet

We talk about what we do; we do this in conversation at networking events, sitting at bars and catching up with old friends.  ”What we do” in many ways defines us, but “how we feel” about “what we do” is far more telling.  It is an indication about the person you are speaking to but also about the environment in which they work.

WORK has become something we are supposed to dislike, we’re supposed to look forward to the weekend, we’re supposed to crave a halt to the “daily grind.”  It’s almost weird to say that you like what you do, so it’s twice as weird to say that you LOVE what you do.

I don’t want it to be that way…I never have.  My feeling is that if we all need to work to survive, why not go head first at something you love?

I don’t have many people that work for me right now, but those that do are chosen because they are passionate people.   They LOVE to do something.  As my company grows, I am mindful to not only unleash people to go after what they LOVE, but also to acknowledge them and give them assurance that their efforts are appreciated.

I don’t know if this will work, heck, I don’t know if ANYTHING I think is the right way to do something will work but intuitively, it seems that this is the direction work should be headed: towards passion, supported by acknowledgement and trusted with autonomy.

Tweet