I’m sure whomever created these church signs had very good intentions. But as you and I know, intentions don’t count. People will always judge you on execution.
Author: Maurilio Amorim
-
More Bad Church Signs
I’ve heard him preach. The sign is accurate 
I don’t even know what to say about this. 
Scaring people into heaven is a great evangelistic strategy Look what nice French wine we have for Christmas Eve. Make sure your offering matches the quality of the wine 
Some churches can kill you faster than worry for sure 
It’s a slippery slope when you start calling people “bags” -
The Law of Expectation
When does a luxury stop being something special and become part of the expected? Well, sooner than you think.
Only a few months ago Wi-Fi was not available in airplanes. It was one of the last places on earth, 30,000 feet above the earth, where one could truly unplug. But then someone figured out how to connect a moving plane to the web and suddenly such luxury became available on selected flights.
I just boarded a plane that does not have Wi-Fi. I was disappointed, even a bit upset because I now expect to get my email and text messages wherever I am, and fast.
I call this phenomenon the law of expectation. Globalization has accelerated the way new technologies and products reach us. Unwittingly it has accelerated the expectation of consumers as well. That is a tough proposition for those of us in the service industry, including churches and non-profits. The idea of going beyond the call of duty for your customer base becomes an ever-moving target–and a fast one at that.
Yesterday’s “wow” experience becomes today’s “ho-hum” and tomorrow’s “disappointing.” How can we ever keep up?
I don’t think the expectation race can be won by better technology or products alone. These are now commodities and you better have the latest and best or you will not be competitive for long. But I think the ultimate advantage in the law of expectation lies in the most basic of all business principles: great customer service from friendly and well-trained people.
Think about it. I will go out of my way to do business with people I like, visit stores that understand customer service like the Mac store or Nordstrom while driving by stores that offer the same products.
Where have you found exceptional customer service?
-
We All Need a Perspective Folder
In business, as in life, things don’t always go the way we plan. Some days are disappointing: the account you have worked so long and hard to land decides at the last minute to go with your competitor; the relationship you have worked so diligently to preserve goes south anyway; the promotion you know you deserve falls to someone else; someone you thought was a friend turns out to be a foe. You get the picture. In those moments, it’s easy for us to “lose it,” to fall apart. In these times, more than ever, we need a radical change of perspective or else negative thoughts and disappointment find a way to cloud our thinking and drag us into a dark place.
Decades ago IBM sales executives were trained in what the company used to call “gratitude course.” These were the brightest and most tenacious recruits selling multimillion dollar systems for the world’s most successful business technology provider of their time. During the training, the executives were asked to create a “happy folder.” There they would put anything that made them happy: a poem, a note from a satisfied customer, a picture of their kids, whatever. IBM knew that disappointment is inevitable in business, specially for those in sales. By focusing on the things that make us happy, they hoped it would help those in need of encouragement to change their perspective. Instead of focusing on the negative outcome of the moment, people would focus on the long-term things that made them happy, giving them purpose and reminding them of a bigger picture.
I like that approach. I have started what I call my “perspective folder.” It’s not a manila folder that I keep in my office drawer, but a digital folder stored in my DropBox account I can access from anywhere on any device including my phone. In it I keep digitized copies of notes from friends and family, pictures of my boys, my personal and career goals, and even Scripture that speaks to my heart.
My perspective folder, much like my life, is growing and becoming rich with content that attest to the blessed and great life I have. During the times I lose that perspective and turn my heart towards what has been lost and what is not working, I make my way back to it. In a matter of minutes, I find myself resetting my internal compass and leaving behind the shadows.
If you were to start your own perspective folder, what would be in it from the beginning?
-
We Must Pull The Band-Aid Before We Can Heal
Often the anticipation of the pain is far greater than going ahead and “pulling” the proverbial band-aid. We all have been there…the sense of dread, the knot in the pit of the stomach, the worry about the fall-out.
I have seen organizations and individuals go through a season of angst due to an impending decision that keeps getting postpone time and time again because the decision maker fears the confrontation and whatever consequence that might come from it.
Years ago I remember postponing letting a team member go because of the knowledge base that person had on a lot of different projects within our company. The longer I delayed, the inevitable the worst things got with clients and the rest of the team.
In the same way, I remember being in angst for weeks over a difficult conversation I knew I had to have with someone close but didn’t want to deal with the potential pain associated with it. The conversation was difficult but it began the healing process. The days getting there were torturous.
And much like a child who doesn’t want his wounds dressed for fear of feeling even more pain, I lived in discomfort, worry, and anxiety every postponed moment–every wasted opportunity I had to make things right—to speak my heart…to right a wrong.
Perhaps there’s a band-aid in your life that’s long overdue to be removed, and you have postponed it for way too long.
What would it take for you to finally do it?
-
What Should Your Online Identity Be?
I was listening to a discussion today about people’s online identity. Years ago it was taboo, and even considered unsafe to have your own name in forums and chat rooms–the precursors of today’s social media. And a lot of people still create user names that allow them to be anonymous. I’m looking at my Twitter feed right now and see names such as “Shoemoney” and “Angelcollector.” Creating pseudonyms online is web 1.o thinking.
Intuitively I have always used my first and often last name in chat rooms, forums, and now Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and whatever comes next. The main reason I use my real name online is because, for me, the web is not a place where I go to hide, but I place where I go to connect, share my voice, and engage clients and potential clients. It’s a place where what I do and who I am intersect in new and exciting ways. My holistic online existence allows me to write about my 10-year old son’s lack of “confidence” in his toilet after an unfortunate overflow incident, share pictures of great food I experience all over the globe, as well as write about the new technology my company developed for TWR.org…a ministry that reaches into 169 countries in 202 different languages.
My online identity is the closest to the sum total of who I am. I share thoughts, pictures, and video as an ever-growing collage of, well, myself. My online friends–people I’ve only met through my online persona, often say to me “I feel like I really know you.” And, if they follow me on Twitter or Facebook, they probably do. Some might feel I share too much personal information, while others appreciate my transparency. However, my personal brand continues to grow and get exposure to people all over the globe. I could have been “Brazilio” or “LatinMan” if I were using the web for nefarious reasons.
Tom Peters was right: individuals are the brands of the future and not corporations. It would be interesting to find out what happens to Apple now that Steve is gone.
How intentional are you about your online identity? How transparent are you with your posts?
-
Embracing the New Normal
“I am waiting for things to get back to normal.” That’s an expression we often use when the unexpected happens…when life throws us a curve ball…when the rules of the game change mid-season and we are forced to adapt. But lately I have come to the realization that very little in life, if anything, ever goes “back to normal.”
The problem with the idea of wanting the expected and familiar is that it forces us to look backwards. And by now we all know that life only moves forward. It’s the equivalent of the proverbial “letting the cat out of the bag.” Regardless of our futile attempts of holding on to the past, we are eventually forced to let it go and embrace the new normal.
Whether we are dealing with fractured relationships, changing businesses environments, or even aging issues, we have to ultimately come to grips with the new normal, realizing that even today’s normal might become passé sooner than we want.
So instead of wishing for my world to get back to normal, I have decided to embrace the new normal…understand its new dynamics, new rules, new expectations…and retool my life to work with where I am today because I suspect things will never get back to normal.
Are you dealing with a “new normal” in your life?
-
In Memory of Billy Williams My Great Friend
His name was Billy, not William. He was a great friend. I had hoped we’d grow old together, but he left earth too soon. These are the words I shared at his memorial service yesterday:
I met Billy almost 20 years ago in the early days of Bellevue Community Church, now Hope Park. I came in late to the church’s tiny office where Billy was painting. He heard my accent and thought I was the tile man. That’s before he realized I have absolutely zero handy man skills.
We became great and unlikely friends. We travelled together, served together, even owned a business together. Billy and I were opposites in many ways, but our differences made our friendship more interesting and fun.
He could design and build just about anything. I was always amazed by his talent and skill. He loved beauty and both my home and office have Billy’s touch.
He had impeccable comedic timing. And I loved laughing at his jokes, even the ones I’ve heard repeatedly for as long as I’ve known him. They never got old. Well, they did, but Billy said them with such enthusiasm that you couldn’t help but laugh, again. There are so many Billyisms, but two stick out over the years:
When the subject of vegetarianism would come up, Billy would say: “If God didn’t want us to eat the animals, He wouldn’t have made them out of meat.”
When someone would get on him for not returning a phone call, instead of apologizing, Billy said: “Love me for who I am; not who you want me to be.”
He loved God. We talked so often about faith, our journey, and God’s plan for our lives. He was a deep thinker and could be very introspective, even in the midst of cutting up.
He loved people. A few minutes with the man and you felt you just met your best friend. He even hated letting people down. When the economy tumbled and we needed to downsize our cabinet business, he called me in. He introduced me as “the evil foreign investor.” And as I told some of the guys we couldn’t keep them anymore, Billy cried. Some of the men who were losing their jobs, ended up consoling him.
He hated the sun, sand, and water, which made it interesting for some of our beach vacations. I would be out for about 8 hours and Billy would join me for 30 minutes under an umbrella before giving it up for the air-conditioned condo.
He loved me. I never once questioned Billy’s motives and his unwavering friendship. I know I could count on him for anything at anytime. Whether it was helping me do stuff around the house that I couldn’t do—which happens to be anything more skilled than taking out the trash, or listening to my plans on a major career move, Billy was there for me.
I already miss him like crazy. But I know that because of him, I am a better man and that I have a better life. His impact on me and my memories of life with Billy will stay with me until I see him again in heaven.
Right now I want to text him, as I often did: “answer the damn phone” and as always, see him text back “love me for who I am.”
Billy, we have always loved you for who you are, and always will. I know that in your moments of absolute clarity you knew it.
-
The Best Business Advice I Have Ever Gotten
When I first started The A Group, we were mostly a marketing agency focused on design, print, and some web work. Today, we are two strong divisions: a marketing agency and a technology company. Throughout our 10 years in business I got a lot of advice from friends and mentors, but one tip has paid off more than any of the others, and it has helped grow my company even in times where a lot of similar businesses have struggled.
I remember telling my friend Mike Miller that I used my organizational and leadership knowledge skills as a valued added for my clients who were buying marketing services from us. His reaction was unexpected: “you’re doing this upside down! The strategy is what matters the most. Anyone can come up with design. Your consulting is what you should be charging for.”
He was right. And that day I began to put a value on what I did best: my ability to understand a situation, figure out an outcome and, intuitively know what the next steps should be. From the strategy, my team has a clear road map to the execution. To date, our best marketing and technology work has come from the strategic services we provided our clients prior to production.
What was the best business advice you’ve ever gotten?
-
There Are No Small Customers, Only Small Invoices
As an entrepreneur I had to learn this lesson the hard way. It took me a while, but I finally came to the conclusion that “there are no small customers, only small invoices,” as Shannon Litton, The A Group’s President so eloquently says. As a business owner, the sooner you learn that, the better off your organization will be.
Here are a few things I’ve learned about the “small customer”:
- They can barely afford your services, so it’s a big investment for them and their expectations are extremely high.
- They are not appreciative of the “extra” effort or discount you might be giving them.
- They lack growth potential for your business.
- The time you spend with them could be spent in a much more profitable way, and/or with a growth potential account.
What else have you learned about the small customer?
-
Making Your Best Choice
Transition is inevitable. Sometimes we choose to make a move and sometimes we are thrust against our will into a completely new timeline, not of our choosing. But during the times we choose to make a move and to transition, whether it be a job or a relationship, I find that too often we run from something or someone into something or someone else.
Too often I find people, myself included, exchange one set of problems for another…one pattern of bad behaviors for another, sometimes with even more dire consequences. Why do we do that? Why do we escape from the fire into the frying pan?
I’m not a psychologist, but a bit of introspection lately gave me a hint. If I don’t know what I want, I cannot make a clear choice. I cannot say “no” to a mediocre offer or to another difficult relationship unless I know what I really want.
It’s easy to say “no” to something good when there’s a deeper “yes” within.
And to know what I want, I have to come to grips with who I am or whom I want to become. Yes, more existential than most posts, but I believe that unless we can frame our choices on the basis of what’s important to us, our worldview, then we’ll continue to move from job to job, from failed relationship to failed relationship.
Big question: Do you know what you want?
