October 2011 Archives

Amidst the dozens of obituaries, articles, and tributes I read about Steve Jobs, one particular characteristic stood out: Steve's mistrust in focus groups and in going to the market first to ask what the consumer wanted.

"It's not the consumers' job to know what they want," he once said.

What a staggeringly brilliant statement.

More speakers than I can count -- ranging from new presenters to CEOs, executive vice presidents and national sales managers at some of the world's most celebrated brands -- have asked me at one point or another if I thought the audience would be okay for them to include XYZ or do ABC in their presentation. Their inquiry was most often paired with a story of a coach or colleague who had warned them, "You can't do that," "You shouldn't do that" or "That will never work."

So why are these individuals still thinking about doing that particular thing?

Because they are still musing on their own intuitive creative genius and wondering whether or not to trust it.

I say, "Trust it."

The fact is, it's never the idea that's inherently bad or good; it's how it's positioned and presented...and the intention behind it.

Specific examples of presenters' ideas and questions have included....

Do you think it would work if I were to....

·       bring my guitar on stage?

·       talk about how my parents suffered through the Holocaust...and survived?

·       use the theme in my national sales meeting of "growing" & "gardening" vs. "killing" & "bombing"?

·       create a duo speaking act (with my wife) vs. a solo act (each on our own)?

In the case of each of the speakers I mentioned above, we worked together and found the kernel of how and why their intuitive idea could work. We then positioned and developed the idea so that its inclusion wasn't self-indulgent but meaningful for the audience.

I'm proud to say that every one of these people (all the examples mentioned above) met with huge success and they have told me with glee months (and in some cases, years later) that their particular idea is still mentioned today by those who were present.

As Bessie Schonberg, the legendary choreography teacher once said to me, "I don't care if you stand on your head in the middle of the stage and wiggle your toes as long as there's a reason for it and as long as it furthers the dance."

As you begin to create and craft your presentation, record all possible ideas that you're musing on. In the early phases, don't throw any out. Most of the time, your intuition already knows something that you consciously do not.

Steve trusted in his own sense of where they market would and could be.

And no one is drawing a map for that.

That map, however, is already in you...more than you know.

RETWEETABLE BITS

Are people telling you what NOT to include in your speech? Try trusting yourself. http://tinyurl.com/3ap2eej via @VictoriaLabalme

You're smarter than the naysayers. http://tinyurl.com/3ap2eej via @VictoriaLabalme

Your intuition already knows what might be best. Lessons from Steve Jobs. http://tinyurl.com/3ap2eej via @VictoriaLabalme

As you think forward into the fall and on into 2012 and contemplate your work life on a day-to-day basis, what images come to mind?

If the future looks a bit grey, a bit like a "conveyor belt day" of nonstop meetings, emails, deadlines, committees, more meetings, budgets, projections, plans, conference calls, errands, files, too much to do and not enough time (sounding familiar?), you might just be missing an opportunity to tap into your unique gifts.

Often in the workplace, we tend to set aside our hobbies, unique interests, and hidden talents while we go about being diligent in our professional conveyor belt lives. And this is a huge loss. The fact of the matter is, your greatest strength as a professional lies in harnessing your unique gifts and bringing them into the workplace. 

In a breakout session I do titled The Prism Effect™ & The Art of Teamwork, I explore ways that leaders can apply their own unique gifts, talents, passions and hobbies in their everyday work lives to improve teamwork, presentation skills and communication skills.

Hmmm.

Let's look at your life.

First, what are the activities you love doing? Not like. LOVE.

The answer might range from photography to video editing, camping to racquetball, singing to scrapbook work, football to blues guitar, dancing to sailing.

Second, how can you -- even on the smallest scale -- bring this into your work environment? Maybe it's a photo on a wall, an analogy in a presentation, or a prop you use when explaining an idea or concept.

How does dancing relate to education? What's the connection between film making and putting together a pitch? How about cooking and sales? Comedy and....?

When I do this with groups, the room lights up as people share their passions and brainstorm on ways to incorporate these passions in a work environment. And this type of energy and joy represent what is often missing from teamwork today.

People think of teamwork as a serious endeavor. They think of sports and war analogies such as rowing and crew or fighter pilots and flying.

Teamwork, however, can (and should) be fun and engaging. People perform at their best when they are using their unique gifts and having fun, not just when they are under insane top down pressure.


And what better way to access this level of performance than to tap into the activities that make people happy outside of work and weave them into organizational & corporate communications--as a PowerPoint image, a metaphor, a group activity, an example regarding complexity or structure, or even as room decor.

•    What if you loved golf? What if you started your next meeting holding a golf ball and compared this to the complexities of education and funding? It'd be MUCH better than starting a speech with a slide titled, "Education Outlook: Funding Issues in 2012." Snooze.

•    What if you loved sewing? One woman in my workshop came up with the idea of creating a quilt with patches made by each person in the office, whether fancy or simple, and then framing it.

•    What if you loved running? One man's team came up with the idea of his using the analogy of preparing for a race to explain to his team the importance of training.

•    What if you loved comedy? One professor I know starts his classes with either a comedic video clip or his very own Letterman-style "Top 10 List." Fun, eh? His students run across campus to be sure to make it on time to his class.

•    What if you loved drumming? What if you put two drumsticks on your desk in a pencil holder? It might lead to some pretty interesting conversations. And you might find yourself drumming between phone calls on your stack of file folders. If this image makes you smile, welcome to the power of The Prism Effect. 

Tapping into The Prism Effect™ energizes and inspires your teams, your organizations and most of all, yourself.  What are you waiting for? Take one small action tomorrow -- one tiny step -- that brings a creative idea to your world of work...and tie it into your message, your teaching, your leadership vision, your theme. Then, watch what happens next. People are soon going to be talking about how fun you are, how smart you are, how inspiring and creative you are.

And guess what? You're already all these things. You've just been holding yourself back. 

Now...you have permission. Go get 'em. And write me with the results. I might just feature you in the new book!!

Studio@VictoriaLabalme.com