Maurilio Amorim

Author: Maurilio Amorim

Technology: Don’t Underestimate Your Audience

We underestimate our audience all the time. That’s even more true when it comes to technology. As I type this blog, the lady sitting next to me is reading a book on her second-generation Kindle. She’s well into her 70’s.

One of the perpetuating myths I run across often is that people do not know how to use technology. Usually it goes in the form of “our people are not very good with technology. They are ten years behind.”

What we have forgotten is that technology is now ubiquitous. It’s not an end or a statement anymore—perhaps it is for the cutting-edge technophile who’s looking for the latest gismo with an on and off button. But today, communication and technology are synonymous. Technology is no longer a luxury or even a choice. Even the older generations are now becoming digital users. If they want to be a part of their children and grandchildren’s lives, then they must learn and adapt to a new mode of communication.

Baby Boomers and seniors are flocking to social media. A study from Pew Internet found that between April 2009 and May 2010, social networking site usage grew 88% among Internet users aged 55-64, and the 65 and older group’s social networking presence grew 100% in the same time frame.

More recent trends show older people are among the fastest-growing demographics online. Social network use among Internet users 50 years old and older has nearly doubled to 42% over the past year. In fact, in the U.S. alone there are nearly 16 million people 55 and older using Facebook.

So before you dismiss or grossly underestimate your audience and decide that you don’t need to invest in a strong web or mobile presence for your ministry or business, think again.

Your people are online.

Even your old people are online.

How aggressive is your digital strategy? Are you leading or being left behind?

September 4, 2012
A Basic Man’s Guide on What to Wear

“I want to look better, what should I wear?” I get that question all the time. My answer, however, might surprise you. I don’t point people towards a store, a brand, or even a personal stylist. Here’s my advice:

You have to “feel” good before you can “look” good. Your outlook and attitude have more impact on the way you look than what you’re wearing. You can dress up in the most expense designer suit, but if you’re a miserable, unhappy person, you’ll still come across as, well, miserable and unhappy guy with nice clothes on. If you buy something that makes you feel sharp and well-dressed, you will carry yourself much better every time you wear it. But before you decide that the double-pleated, stone-washed jeans is your best “look,” ask a trusted source if they agree.

It’s all about the fit. Beyond style, well-fitting clothes will make you look your best. I cannot tell you how much better a man looks wearing clothing that fits, instead of over-sized shirts and ill-fitting pants. I wrote more about it here. This is more about how to wear it than just what to wear.

Know your body. No matter the current trends, find styles and colors that work best for your body and skin tone. There are some universal rules in fashion that one should not break. If you are carrying extra weight, for example, you should avoid wearing horizontal stripes and solid whites. They make you look even bigger. Black, on the other hand, covers a multitude of sins.

Say “no” to fashion pressure. If you are not comfortable in it, don’t wear it. If you don’t think you can “pull it off” then walk away from it. There’s nothing more unattractive than a man who’s uncomfortable in his own skin. And if your wife, girlfriend, mother (boy that’s a therapy session line up!) buy you something you just cannot see yourself wearing, be true to yourself, be a man, and just say “no.” Often, “hell no” is an appropriate response depending on how offensive the purchase is, like the bedazzled jeans your girl thought would make you look hot. It doesn’t. It will only get you beat up. And rightfully so.

What other suggestion would you offer to help a man figure out what to wear?

August 30, 2012
Reverse Mentoring

When was the last time you learned something from someone younger than you…much younger? The idea of youth learning from the aged and wiser has been around forever, but I often think of the lessons that those who are younger than I can teach me.

Besides helping the elderly figure out technology, young people have something to offer that is uniquely theirs: perspective. As a communicator and someone who leads a team into the uncharted waters of tomorrow, I need perspective. I often seek council of those whose knowledge base is broader and deeper than my own. And more times than not, these individuals are accomplished professionals on the top of their careers–men and women whose life experience and knowledge have grown with their age.

But when my job is to communicate across cultures, demographics, and psychographics, my focus must turn to those in my target audience. In times like these, I need those in their 20’s to mentor me. I call that reverse mentoring. Understanding the world through the eyes of a younger generation takes time, effort, and honest conversations that can only happen in the context of a relationship.

I have always said that I am a life-long learner. But a while back, I found myself surrounded by those who looked, thought, and acted like me. My personal bubble seemed to be getting smaller every day. I didn’t call it reverse mentoring at the time, but I decided to reach out to younger people. I didn’t want to necessarily mentor them, just become a friend.

In the process, they became mentors to me. They have helped me see a different world. They have walked me through their thinking patterns and they have challenged my own biases. I don’t have to agree to understand, but I have gotten a deeper appreciation for their worldview.

What do you think about the concept of reverse mentoring?

August 27, 2012
Every Dr.’s Office Should Run Like This

Yesterday I need to see an eye doctor. By the time I made that decision my left eye was in bad shape. It had been swelling since Saturday and by Tuesday the swelling had grown to Quasimodo proportions. At 3:30 in the afternoon I finally decided that I needed to see a doctor. A quick Google search brought up a clinic not far from my office: Primary Eye Care Group . I was prepared for the typical response “we are booked up but might have something available tomorrow afternoon.” That’s not at all what happened.

Gwen answered the phone and got my sad story of how bad my eye was doing. “Well, then we need to see you right away. Let’s make sure that eye doesn’t get any worse,” she said with southern charm and care in her voice. “Can you be here in 15 minutes?” And just like that I was off to see the doctor.

The front staff was friendly and accommodating. I did not feel I was at a medical office. The counter was low and open and the atmosphere was much more engaging than your typical sterile, high counter with a window type of exchange. I expected to wait for a while since I didn’t have an appointment and the waiting room was busy. However, I was in within 10 minutes of arrival.

Once the nurse got the history of my growing eye stye, she did a quick reading examination before offering me a cold bottle of water. Dr. Young was in in not time, diagnosed the infected stye, wrote me a prescription, and told me he was concerned that the infection could spread so he would like to see me in a couple of days.

I was in and out in less than 45 minutes. Amazing. I could tell everyone there was not only friendly, but they were trained to maximize their impact. In my short time in the waiting room I saw how each Dr. in the practice walked their patients back to the front desk personally before shaking their hands and telling them goodbye. I noticed how the front desk team as well as the nursing staff always ended an exchange with “is there anything else I can do for you?” This is obviously an intentional strategy to make people feel valued and cared for. And it worked!

I posted a review on Google after my visit. I’m writing this post because of such positive impact. And, if you know me at all, I’m not an easy person to please. These guys could teach a thing or two to medical professionals, or any service organization for that matter. I wish they would.

What kind of experience did you have during your last visit to a doctor?

August 22, 2012
The Perception Paradox: Losing the Battle to Win the War

Sometimes you have to lose a battle before you can win the war. There’s nothing appealing to me about losing anything–not a battle, not my keys, not even weight these days. But in business, as in life, we must pick our battles carefully even to the point of letting go of what we are certain of in order to accomplish the bigger goal.

I was reminded of such dynamic as I saw a large Interstate billboard featuring a campaign The A Group has developed. There’s nothing wrong with the billboard. It’s well designed, legible, and its message clear. The main problem is that it’s not the most effective way to market the product. The return on investment (ROI) on the expensive billboard is not proven. So why do it in the first place?

The billboard was an important piece for the client. The ability to see their marketing campaign on a major thoroughfare created a psychological well being in the entire organization, validating in the mind of many the efficacy of the entire campaign. So how much is the client’s perception of a project worth? A whole lot. Trust me.

It took me a while before I realized that certain things which were important to a client were not necessarily tied to success but to the perception of success. The billboard is a reminder of it for me. Sometimes it’s an app, because every organization must have an app to be legitimate, of course. Ultimate we cannot lose too many battles or we will most definitely lose the war, but we must understand what’s important to our clients and figure out a way to win on the perception side while delivering the bottom-line results we were hired to do in the first place.

When was the last time you lost a battle to win the war?

August 20, 2012
Leadership and Your Workplace Culture

Every organization has a culture that sets not only the vision, mission, and goals, but also pace and tone. These dynamics define not only the bottom line of productivity, but also the interpersonal dynamics across the entire organization. And the organizational culture is set by its leader.

The tyrant creates a fear-based work environment where he keeps everyone on their tiptoes and worried about their job security. Most people try to avoid the wrath of the leader by keeping their heads down and doing what they are told. It stifles creativity and initiative. High capacity individuals don’t last long in this environment.

The arrogant leader creates a non-learning organization. Enough success in one area becomes a reason to become the expert in every area. In this setting people talk more than they listen. Disaster is just around the corner, however.

The passive leader creates chaos. Leaders who avoid confrontation usually allow those with the strongest personalities within the organization to bully and intimidate others into getting their agenda accomplished. This leads to a culture where you have to be able to fight your way into getting things done. The survival-of-the-fittest work place eats and spits out those who enjoy collaboration and team work. It’s a jungle there and you better strike first and hard or else you are done.

What other types of cultures have you seen?

August 17, 2012
The Two Greatest Enemies of Vision

“The two greatest enemies of vision: being sedated slowly and being seduced by momentum.” Those were the words of my Pastor, Pete Wilson this past Sunday. As I thought about that statement for the past day, it still resonates with me and my experience in both growing my business as well as consulting with organizations world wide.

When you are a new business or brand new non-profit you cannot help but be laser focused if you are going to succeed. After all, the competition has more resources, and both broader knowledge and bandwidth to get things done. Start ups cannot compete on the broader spectrum, they have to go deep in one area, a niche, if you will. But the larger and more “stable” any organization gets, it becomes easier to start going wide and to lose focus in order to pursue other fun and interesting options that most likely are not in the very core of what brought you this far. You lose your focus and passion, and soon settle for maintenance. The day you pat yourself in the back and say “we have made it” is the day you’ll begin the slow slide to irrelevance and ultimately death.

Momentum is a wonderful thing. It helps us move forward without a lot of effort and once it’s rolling, it can roll us past a speed bump without a lot of trouble. However, momentum also gives organizations a sense of pride and arrogance that can be its undoing. Just because you are doing well, doesn’t mean you know everything and that your expertise then applies to anything you touch. This type of arrogance can bring organizations down when it comes to finances, to major capital investments in real estate, or starting business units without knowing their true costs. Xerox used to own the copy machine industry. They decided that since they were in most offices around the world that they could then be a computer company. They spent millions trying to launch a business unit that eventually failed. Their momentum gave them a false sense of security that eventually cost them not only the new computer division, but market share in the copier business as well.

Have you seen or experienced the sedated-slowly and seduced-by-momentum dynamics?

August 14, 2012
The Monk Double Strap Shoe Comes Back

I have had my eyes on these shoes for quite some time. With summer almost over, I think it’s going to be my next purchase. The monk double strap shoes have been around for a long time. The monk refers to the style of shoe once worn by Alpine monks in the 15th century. It is a moderately formal shoe: less formal than a full Oxford (American: Balmoral); but more so than an open Derby (American: Blücher). In between these, it is one of the main categories of men’s shoes. The double strap with buckles have been making a come back in the past few years. You’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the days to come.

A very versatile Edward Green double monk.

Unless you are the opening act for Lady Gaga, stay way from these Dr Martens metallic monks.

Simple and elegant.

This is not for the fashion timid.

A more casual approach: sock-less with an unfastened strap.

It works well with jeans.

double monk seated — The shoes hold their own. There’s a lot going on in that getup

What’s your take on the monk strap shoes?

August 10, 2012

Get Rid of Drainy People

Every minute you spend with someone who is a negative influence in your life is a minute you could spend with someone else who could be helping you grow. While such thinking might sound self-serving, and it can be if all you care is yourself, it can help you make a smart choice about investing your precious time.

The longer I live, the more time becomes a precious commodity. It seems to accelerate with each passing year. The long days of impatiently waiting for birthdays and holidays to come around of my youth are now replaced by the sudden realizations of “where has this year gone?”. I have finally realized that some relationships, whether professional or personal, are completely draining. Like a black hole that takes everything in its path, these depleting relationships never give back. They only take.

Mentoring and volunteering aside, those closest to us have the greatest impact in our lives. Exchanging a negative, depleting relationship for one that enriches and builds us up is a good idea.

Think about your life. Do you have anyone who “needs to go?”

A Reminder that Happiness is a Choice

We often cannot choose our circumstances, but we can always choose our attitude. I was reminded of this maxim recently as I sat down to eat at The Coffee Shop, a small breakfast and lunch restaurant in Marathon, (pronounced Mer-thon) Texas, population 450.

The place looked like something out of a 1950 movie set: an old corner building with a few tables outside and a few more inside. A couple of local men in cowboy hats mingling inside and a few visitors to the area having their breakfast outside. As it turns out a lot of people come from all over the world to visit Marathon, a town in the middle of nowhere in west Texas. The vastness and the “lost-in-time” feel of the area attract people who want to experience the grandeur of the American West.

Francine waited on me and had a notebook filled with names of people and the places they were from. She was well into her 70’s. But her attitude was contagiously fun. “I work for Nancy. She owns the place,” she said. “She’s also my cousin.”

A few minutes later, I met Nancy. She was a spry, diminutive woman with a big smile. By all accounts she should long be retired and spending her days playing bridge. But she owned the only coffee shop in town. And along with her two cousins, both well past retirement themselves, she’s been running the place for the past 3 years.

After I asked her a few questions about the business, she pulled up a chair and told me her story and the circumstances that had landed her as a business owner late in life. Nancy lost her husband to cancer 8 years ago. “I had to do something with my life and I needed to work,” she said without one bit of resentment or regret. “After the man I used to work for closed his restaurant down the street, I decided to open mine.” She smiled big and the lines on her face told the story of a long, hard life while her words were positive and filled with hope.

I was instantly drawn to Nancy and her unflappable optimism. “People ask me why I’m always positive after all that has happened to me. Well, who wants to hear me complain anyway?” she says through the smile that hasn’t left her face since we began the conversation. Francine overhears her and chimes in, “when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade!” And then they both disappeared behind the small restaurant door.

I took a bit of inventory and thought of the times I have felt like life treated me unfairly, of the times I’d felt robbed of what I deserved, or of all the times I had felt sorry for myself because things didn’t turned out the way I wanted them to.

I’m keeping Nancy’s picture nearby as a reminder that while I cannot control my circumstances, I can control my attitude. Life is going to give me lemons. I’m committed to make lemonade and even a lemon pie if necessary. I just don’t want to sit around and complain. After all, I agree with her: who wants to hear my complaints, anyway?

Who has inspired you with their attitude? How has it impacted you?