GarthBox

The beer geeks of the world care deeply about the glasses they drink out of, not just the shape of them, but that they’re clean. (Bartenders pressing a glass down on a beer glass rinser before putting beer into them wasn’t always the norm.)

How can you tell if a beer glass is clean?

If, as you drink beer from a glass, you see lacing on the inside of the glass, it’s a clean glass.

It amazes me how nicely a nitpicky thing can become a trend and turn into an awareness initiative on social. Take a gander at this write up of #MCCleanPint.

It begs the question: how can you leverage the nitpicky parts of your product or service on social?

If you’re a pizza company do you ask fans to post a photo of the perfect crust done right?

If you’re a crafting brand, how about the nitpicky-ness of sharp scissors. Perhaps call on fans to post a video of their flawless fabric cut?

When all the big things are figured out, we’re left with the little things.

Can you own them before anyone else?

 

Stay Positive & Little Things Will Continue To Matter More And More

A lesson in darts.

Math would tell you the more you throw, the likelier your chances are you’ll score.

The problem is, the harder you try to make hits, the less likely you’ll make hits at all.

Your arm tires. Aim becomes sloppy. Toes go over the line.

The same goes for business.

The solution: aim small.

The right hits matter more than so-so hits and much more than wrong hits.

 

Stay Positive & Aim Small

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The best way to break the rut is to literally break it.

Break that thing you regard with “I’ve always done it this way before.”

Break that piece that’s slowing you down.

Eliminate what you can’t make better so you have a void to fill with something…well, better.

 

Stay Positive & Be Betterable

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A mentor is there to console you. She’s there to keep you facing the right direction. She’s there to remind you of your goal that you may have forgotten overnight. A mentor is there for you to talk things through with. What worked? What didn’t? A mentor, at the end of the day, is your friend. There’s a bit of a fault to that, I believe.

A trainer, on the other hand, she’s there to keep you moving in the right direction. She’s there to remind you of the step you need to take right now. A trainer is there for you to celebrate your wins with and quickly jump on what’s next. A trainer, at the end of the day, may leave you frustrated and exhausted. There’s a bit of glamour to that, I believe.

The problem I’ve seen is people search for a mentor at work and a trainer outside their organization or they flat-out think they need a mentor when they really need a trainer.

Knowing which you need starts with understanding what a mentor does and what a trainer does. Then you’ve got to decide how accountable you want to be held, how fast you want to learn, and how easy the conversations you want to have.

Certainly there’s no harm in having both, it’s actually better you do.

 

Stay Positive & Just Don’t Confuse The Two

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It’s almost always more profitable and fulfilling and collectively rewarding to work in doubt than in certainty.

If you’re certain it works, then it loses its main value.

A juggler isn’t great because he can juggle. A juggler is great because he might fail.

It’s worth noting how often you’re asking “could we do this?” Could we take an idea to the edge? Could we try something we never have before? Could we succeed with something new?

If your team says, “I don’t know, but let’s give it a shot,” then you’re surrounded by a supportive team.

If they push back, if they fight for keeping things the way they are, if they want to stay in the space of certainty, it may be worth your time to search for a new team.

 

Stay Positive & Play In The Field Of Uncertainty (It’s Where The Magic Is)

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I admit that I check Facebook a few extra times a day than I should. Sometimes I’ll send a text out if I don’t get one by the afternoon. I suppose I do it because I know I won’t be able to for much longer.

The email, Facebook, tweet, and text queue will get longer the more we go down the path of creating remarkable work.

Checking the ding is an opportunity to feel momentarily good when we’ve been feeling uncertain, fearful, anxious about the work we’ve been doing for the last 20 minutes.

The distinction that everyone needs to make: is responding to the dings helping you?

I’ve admired Seth Godin for limiting the channels he engages people on. He set himself up for communicational success with his fans. He wouldn’t have time to do the remarkable work he’s doing now if he was always responding to the dings.

Same goes for us.

 

Stay Positive & Care If You Want, But It’s Likely You Have An Email Waiting For You

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