Chrysanthemum Marketing

I don’t wanna …

A colleague mentioned that he couldn’t wait until February when everyone’s New Year’s resolutions pooped out, so he could get in and out of the gym faster. I had a sudden vivid memory of waiting in line for a swim lane at the YMCA at 5:30 a.m. in January, shivering my skimpy Speedo and as the minutes ticked by, calculating how long it would take for a slot to open up.

So what happens in February? “I don’t wanna” outweighs “I’m gonna.”

I don’t think I’ve ever done anything worth talking about that didn’t start with “I don’t wanna …” So many excuses, so little time: I’m afraid I’ll fail; it takes too much time and energy; the traffic is bad; I didn’t know anybody there(!).

It's 9 a.m. and you're still in bed? — It’s 9 a.m. and you’re still in bed?

There are people who are smart, gutsy, competent and land in just the right place at just the right time — taking a job just as a company starts its climb back to the top, starting a company just before the market takes off.

But if I dig a bit, those people are disciplined and driven. They have a goal, and they’re committed to achieving it. They are not whiners. They make choices and act. Sometimes they fail. Can anyone imagine anyone more prolific than Seth Godin and his spare wisdom? Or locally, Maura Thomas‘ disciplined hashmarks, Marc Miller’s prolific Career Pivot posts, and Pike Powers’ iconic pike-o-grams?

So, I’m raising one last glass to 2013 and (slightly) revising the iconic Nike slogan: “If it gets you closer to your goal, just do it.”

3 easy steps to cultivating your sense of the ridiculous

Okay, I’ve had it. Fiscal cliffs, elected officials, desertification, homelessness, elephant poachers, capital gains, women’s health funds, underfunded public education, elected officials, dying newspapers, Lance Armstrong, Mopac at 5 o’clock, aging, abandoned children, cats and dogs. It’s all too much. Time for some silliness (if the aforementioned wasn’t the right kind).

Do the following at critical junctures of your day, while reading email, talking on the phone – or my personal favorite – after I’ve done something particularly stupid. It costs nothing, never fails to provide perspective and can be used at home, in the office, car or plane.

You’ll find this trick rarely fails to make you feel absolutely ridiculous — which for some reason opens a world of boundless possibilities. Here goes:

(1). If you know a basic swing dance step, skip to the next paragraph. If not do the following:

Stand feet together
Lift one foot (ladies, your right; gentlemen, your left). Put it back down. That’s Tap-Step.
Other foot: Tap, Step.
First foot: Step backwards and then bring the foot back in place. That’s Rock Behind.
So, that’s the basic swing: 1st foot – Tap.Step. 2nd foot: Tap.Step. First foot: Rock Behind.

(2). When you’re comfortable with the basic step, add a simple variation, a turn:

1st foot: Tap. Step.
2nd foot: Tap. Step.
1st foot: Rock Behind BUT as you bring your foot back into place, place it perpendicular to the other foot, pivoting 1/4 turn away from your 2nd foot. Bring the foot down in a step to pivot back around and face your (virtual partner).

(3). Now, add music. I prefer The Jingle Bell Rock. It is faster-acting than other options I’ve tried, particular when it’s not December.

The Chipmunks do a fine rendition of the classic "Jingle Bell Rock." — The Chipmunks do a fine rendition of the classic “Jingle Bell Rock.”

Use this tool with a music-playing device, device-less or device-free, depending on your attitude. You can sing to accompany yourself. Here are the lyrics. Learning them also helps with memory loss. I’m not sure about hair or weight loss, but could it hurt?

My January IP to you: Silliness. We’re going to need it.

p.s. Here’s the swing in action, but caution: Don’t allow yourself to be put in a mold. It’s the spirit of the thing. Innovate.

A battle cry of innovation

I’ve found my battle cry for 2013: a quote from Georgia O’Keefe (who died at 98 in 1986) that’s tailor-made for a world where best laid plans collide with black swans:

“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life, and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.”

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Vol 17 (1943), photographed by Alfred Stieglitz, 1918 © http://www.arttoday.com

The quote suggests that O’Keefe rarely operated in her comfort zone. I looked through a big book of her paintings I bought when I was in college. Each picture is distinctly O’Keefe’s: giant flowers, towering landscapes, skyscrapers. But she somehow struggled to stay raw and alert, testing her premise and refining her distinctive style. She figured out how to get better and better.

It’s really hard not to want to be comfortable, to respond in the same way, go to the same restaurants see the same people, walk the dog on the same safe street. But even if that were possible, it’s not the way I want my obituary written. So I’m trying to make experimentation a habit. The bugaboo is that it it’s neither quick nor easy. I have to let myself block out the time, fail and get better.

At the organizational level, this process is called innovation. Companies and institutions pursue research and development in-house, by participating in incubators (a future post on this intriguing area), through partnerships, strategic alliances and spin offs None of these routes is fool-proof, far from it. Sometimes they work; other times they don’t. It’s all about changing for the better. I mean, who would have thought the local toll road would be doing radio spots, the post office would partner with the grocery store and PayPal, and tiny cars could be rented on the street?

Scary stuff, but oh so necessary.

Thinking in a different way

Now I get it. It’s about thinking differently to tackle big problems like cancer, climate change, floods, droughts, hunger, pandemics. Last week’s Austin Forum showcased the Texas Advanced Computing Center and the University of Texas System’s mind-boggling infrastructure. But it wasn’t until a week later, when I listened to Open Stack’s Jonathan Bryce talk about the cloud that it all fell into place.

Armed with horsepower provided by TACC and UT, M.D. Anderson researchers can see results in one-third to one-half the time of earlier efforts. Visualization overcomes the communication tangles that get in the way of so much sharing. Results can be studied and compared in real time (a picture’s worth …).

Think about it. TACC, with its 10-petaflop supercomputer and super-charged network, can help researchers solve problems in days or even hours that used to take weeks or months. Armed with faster answers, the researchers ask more questions. They collaborate more. They ask different questions and expand the circle of collaboration. More minds, more perspectives, more questions. Perhaps the initial problem morphs into several smaller ones. Perhaps one or more of these is easier to solve.

A high point: A self-described hacker asked if he could pitch in. TACC Director Jay Boisseau responded that yes, there would be collaborative opportunities, individual as well as the collective ones provided by a research park. That’s encouraging news in a world that needs some brain power focused on things that matter. Perhaps future sessions will touch on the process of developing a smart set metrics to guide all of this collaboration.

In the meantime, let’s work on that fiscal cliff.

If you want a lesson in professionalism, go hear some (Texas) music

I never got to see the new exhibit at the Bob Bullock museum. The music was so good: I had to stay and listen. On opening night, Marcia Ball and The Texas Guitar Women gave me a lesson in pure professionalism. They showed us their art — and their hearts — and of course, I loved it.

It was a tough gig: a huge, cold granite space that made fleas out of all of us humans. The audience ranged from what looked like about eight to 80-plus, all scattered about behind pillars and giant stars. But those women filled up the space — and kept going without letting up. It was as if they lit a bonfire in the middle of that massive cave, and we all gathered round and warmed our hands.

Every so often I need a role model to remind me that being really, really good takes a lot of work. Those women knew what we expected and over-delivered on every count.

Oh, just in case you don’t know who’s in the Texas Guitar Women, it’s Carolyn Wonderland, Shelley King, Sarah Brown, Lisa Pankratz and Cindy Cashdollar (who wasn’t there that night). All showcased by the inimitable Marcia Ball.

So, go hear some Texas music and wander into Waterloo to buy those CDs. It’ll loosen up your brain (and heart). Besides, It’s gift-giving time.

Hearing and listening

I have an old phone, and it’s gotten to the point that — if conditions are less than ideal — I have a hard time hearing what’s being said. I’ve also discovered, thanks to the phone, that I don’t always take the time to focus and repeat what I think I heard. In other words, I don’t always listen. The phone, by flagging my laziness, is actually improving my listening skills.

I still need to get a new phone.