when things go wrong

September 20, 2007 by Mary Wynne-Wynter · Comments Off 

Two stories resonated with me today. One is about a popular marketing blogger who is out of his mind dealing with a Comcast phone installation: Comcast Must Die: Chapter 4. The other is about an obsessed D.C. judge and his $67 million lawsuit against a neighborhood dry cleaner that he claims lost his pants in 2005: Pants Update: The Dry Cleaners Shuts Down

Frustration is everywhere. I recently went through numerous Comcast truck rolls for broadband phone and finally realized it was futile – they couldn’t get it done, and nobody could figure out the glitch. Tomorrow I go back to the Apple genius bar for iPhone #3 because both #1 and #2 dropped 90% of the calls I make from my home/office (I’d already disconnected my landline and had to get it turned back on.) Everyone I talk to has several current or ongoing customer service or technology horror stories to share. We’re all dependent on our technology to run our businesses and have to fight to not get screwed over…right?

Well, I’m beginning to think that we habitually “make it up” that this is the way things are, and we fixate on the problem and the customer service people who can’t resolve it. I’m seeing that that the more we fight and yell and retaliate, the tighter we bind ourselves to continuing technical difficulties, service problems, stress and suffering. It drains our time, resources and energy.

That’s why its important to be vigilant (the “V” in D.R.I.V.E.) about how to respond to these problems, and vigilant about observing what are the payoffs we get and tradeoffs we make when we continually draw battle lines in the sand and become fixated on things that don’t go right.

I’m finding that vigilance is not about accepting less. Its about suffering less when I shift my awareness about the independent professional life that I choose. And that choice includes dealing with technical challenges and customer service folks who sometimes can’t (or won’t) help me. Suddenly, I’ll realize that I’m enjoying the satisfaction I get from finding my own innovative solutions and sharing that learning with others. I’ll also get a sense that I’m aligning with ease and assistance for me and my business when I’m a respectful customer, whatever the conditions of a particular customer service interaction.

And most importantly, resolve to be alert to the unexpected, and often bigger and better things, that inevitably show up as a result of a shift in belief and commitment to self-leadership as the better response to “when things go wrong”.

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social networks redux

September 18, 2007 by Mary Wynne-Wynter · Comments Off 

I joined Facebook and I like it and have recommended it to others. This is significant, to me at least, because every previous social network attempt was a disappointment at best, and a major PITA at worst. Some thoughts:

- For independent professionals, Facebook provides an easy, no maintenance way to add dimension and “liveliness” to existing online presence. The blog feed keeps your Facebook page current once you run out of friends to add.

- My top requirement is that I have total control of my content and can make changes and deletions immediately; Facebook provides that.

- I’m older and have no desire to join social networks for my age demographic, but I’m disappointed to not find more people like me on Facebook. For example, when searching my graduate school Facebook network for age 40+ demographic, only several hundred came up out of the 4200+ total. I think there’s an opportunity here.

- I understand the need for revenue generation, and can deal with subtle advertising, but I have doubts about the effectiveness of Facebook’s ad targeting plan. I can’t say I’d find it “creepy”, as the article suggests, I’m just skeptical about predictive technologies creating demand. The example I most often use is Netflix. I’ve had Netflix for over 6 years and its never predicted what movie I might want based on what I’d previously selected, or even more far-fetched – based on what others in Cambridge MA rented. However, I did find this WSJ article a useful summary of the ad business model.

Facebook’s plan, if it works, could be potentially powerful for advertisers. While Google’s keyword-targeted ads aim at “demand fulfillment” — that is, they are triggered by Internet searches conducted by people who are actively looking for something that they want — Facebook’s new ad plan could help advertisers address an area called “demand generation.” This involves using available information — not just from a user but also the activities and interests of his “friends” on the site — to figure out what people might want before they’ve specifically mentioned it.

- My dream? To interact with my personal network through Facebook and my clients through Basecamp. Anytime, anywhere, and I would pay for it.

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guru feedback

September 14, 2007 by Mary Wynne-Wynter · Comments Off 

I never tire of reading about Rick Rubin: record producer, musician, co-head of Columbia Records and the man big music hopes will save their industry. To me, he’s also a larger-than-life embodiment of self-awareness as core to business leadership. I call it D.R.I.V.E.

Discernment

”Lars” — Ulrich, the drummer — ”will play two things for me, and I’ll say, ‘This one is great and that one is terrible,’ ” Rubin recalled. ”Lars will say: ‘How do you know? They both sound good to me.’ Well, I just know. The right sound reaches its hand out and finds its way. So much of what I do is just being present and listening for that right sound.”

Radical

I have no training, no technical skill — it’s only this ability to listen and try to coach the artist to be the best they can from the perspective of a fan.”

Intention

Though Rubin maintains that his intention is simply to hear music with the fresh ears of a true fan, he has built his reputation on the simultaneously mystical and entirely decisive way he listens to a song.

Vigilance

”Columbia is stuck in the dark ages. I have great confidence that we will have the best record company in the industry, but the reality is, in today’s world, we might have the best dinosaur. Until a new model is agreed upon and rolling, we can be the best at the existing paradigm, but until the paradigm shifts, it’s going to be a declining business. This model is done.”

Enthusiasm

I would take the train from Lido Beach into Manhattan, and I’d hang out in magic shops. When I was 14, I had magician friends who were 60. I learned a lot from them — I still think about magic all the time. I always think about how things work, the mechanics of a situation — that’s the nature of being a magician.”

Via NYT Select

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advice from the jazz world

September 14, 2007 by Mary Wynne-Wynter · Comments Off 

If you love real jazz, stream WBGO out of Newark. Its the best jazz station in the world. Announcer/musician Michael Bourne speaks frequently of his 3-month old triple-bypass. Of the many get-well wishes Bourne received from all over the world, the most memorable was from Dave Brubeck, who had the same heart surgery.

Brubeck’s advice: “do what you love, quickly!”

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the solo sabbatical

September 3, 2007 by Mary Wynne-Wynter · Comments Off 

Its hard to believe that its been 90 days since I’ve done any of the following: blogged, opened my RSS feeds, read much of anything business or tech-related, worked on my business in a structured way, etc.

I didn’t plan a sabbatical. Rather, I followed an impulse without any strategy, analysis, fear or hope. A week turned into a month, and that turned into 3 months. I just did what was in front of me to do, including non-work stuff:

Rowing/racing at 2007 USRowing Masters National Championships in Oak Ridge TN in 100+ degree weather and winning 2 gold and 1 bronze medals with a group of fabulous women.

A week of wave-bobbing at Briggs Beach in Little Compton RI

Sold my 1984 Van Dusen scull and bought a 2001 Empacher from a great friend.

Rowed approximately 60 miles a week.

Re-cultivated some neglected daily practices: meditation, Five Tibetans, getting up at 4:30 a.m., looking up, reading.

Updated my living/working space and environment: paint, simplification, balance and beauty

The work I did was mostly to align and clarify – simple things, but they’d eluded me until my solo sabbatical. Before it, my last (never finished or published) blog post was titled “What Does Your Business Want of You?”. I couldn’t get it written because I was stuck in my head, trying too hard and feeling out of it. What I was being asked to do was take a break, have fun, and just “be” RedShift.

Happy Labor Day!

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