One of the most conservative men’s clothing brands is selling some of the most outrageous slacks in the marketplace. We all expect leather pants from Dolce and Gabbana or skinny jeans from Diesel, but these pants are coming from Brooks Brothers. Who knew?!
We all have stress in our work, but there is a big difference between what I call “corporate stress” and “entrepreneurial stress.” I have dealt with both and I have chosen the entrepreneurial stress. Here’s why.
I hear often from friends who work in a corporate environment about the challenges they face daily. While the size of businesses vary, they all share some of the same dynamics, particularly the personnel, policy and culture dynamics that are beyond their control. While I know that control is elusive at best, entrepreneurs have a simple creed we all live by: we eat what we kill. While that might sound simplistic, it’s ultimate the bottom line for those of us who work for ourselves.
As a business owner, I cannot blame anyone else for making bad business decisions, or for not moving forward fast enough to take advantage of opportunities. These are usually my decisions, or decisions I make with a small team of executives. We don’t have a board of directors, a group of investors or bankers we have to seek their blessing for every major decision. We don’t have to ask permission to spend more than 25 dollars.
My friends in the midst of the corporate world have to manage up, down and side ways. They worry about how their boss perceives them, or whether their boss’s boss knows how incompetent their immediate supervisor really is. They worry that their peers perform better or take credit for work they do. They stress over how to lead those who work for them and make sure they meet the assigned quota whether or not that number is based on reality or arbitrarily pulled out of thin air by someone else at the corporate office.
Sadly, at the end of the day, there’s no security for the corporate worker, even for those who perform well–sometimes specially for those who perform too well. Office politics, budget cuts, re-structuring, or whatever the reason might be, the corporate job stress never subsides. While you might be killing your dinner, your boss’s dinner and village chief’s dinner, you still wonder if your job will be there tomorrow.
After years of living in the corporate dilemma, I decided that, for good or bad, I was ready to live with the consequences and rewards of my own talents and decisions. I have yet to regret it.
Which is more your style: managing the corporate or entrepreneurial stress?
Systems, not vision, determine the sustainability of your dream. This has been a difficult lesson for me to learn, but over the years, I have met many a visionary leader whose dreams grew to a fraction of their potential because of the lack of an environment where the vision could thrive.
Vision must come first in any organization, otherwise systems tend to get a life of their own and become what we hate the most about government: bureaucracy, a means into itself, a self-preserving, self-entitled nothingness.
However, vision without systems is like a train without tracks. In a growing organization, sustainability means understanding strengths, threats, opportunities, trends and how to design organizational culture and procedures to address them. I’ve heard someone put it this way: what determines your product is what happens down the hall and not what’s hanging on the wall.
I’m saddened every time I run into a business, not for profit or church that got the vision part down, but can’t get its systems in place. Unwittingly, they sabotage growth at every turn.
Research tells us that while the millennial generation wants to make a difference in their world, they are not willing to do the hard work it takes to get the job done: “I want to save the world, so I bought this cool bracelet.” This past week I experienced just the opposite. I have renewed my faith in a generation some have given up on.
I spent the last seven days in Honduras with a mission team from my church, Cross Point, in a ranch near San Marcos de Colon owned by Mission Lazarus. In the past decade, this work has been able to start 19 churches, 4 schools, 3 medical clinics, a sustainable life program, 4 vocational schools, an orphanage and employing over 140 Hondurans. It’s one of the most dynamic young mission organizations I know. Interestingly, while its founder and board of directors operate in the US, most of the hands-on work is done by a group of very talented and committed 20 somethings.
I was impressed by the breadth and depth of the ministry but even more impressed by the commitment and maturity of its young staff. While most people in their 20s are trying to figure out what they want to do in life, Cameron 26, Meredith 27, Rebecca and Seth 25 are managing the local staff, leading thousands of gringos in medical brigades, school programs, construction projects, food distribution, while operating a large working ranch. Oh, and they also work alongside the Honduran church leaders to make sure the work is owned and led by nationals.
Personally, I am processing of what that means to me as a leader, employer, and father of millennials. While I’m not sure of all the implications, one thing seems to stick out to me: wisdom and leadership are not the product of age; however, energy is. I’m sure to remember that next time I interview for a new position at my firm.
Could my money be more useful than my non-medical skills? I had to reason with myself about the merits of going on a week-long mission trip. Rationally the answer was a resounding “yes,” but, as it turns out, the answer is a big “no.” At first thought, I have no business being on a medical mission trip. Since I haven’t been able to find a marketing or technology mission trip yet (hey, now that’s an idea!), I decided to join the Cross Point Honduras mission team and brought my 16-year old son, Marcus along. I’m glad I did.
While my money can be used to buy supplies and hire more help, my presence here is more important than just my resources. Here are some thoughts:
Looking into the eyes of the Honduran people, touching them and letting them know they matter is a deep personal experience no funding mechanism can duplicate.
Working for 10 straight hours doing something simple but important ( I did over 200 blood sugar tests yesterday) brings an amazing sense of accomplishment to someone who is used to days filled with strategy meetings, creative briefs, and software feature development.
There’s nothing like walking through muddy streets in a poverty-stricken village to remind myself of how privileged I really am. Interestingly there are no diet drinks to be found around here.The locals need the extra calories. Obesity is no where to be found.
I’m glad I left my privileged bubble and brought my son along. He’s having an education of a lifetime and I’m recalibrating my world view.
A brand strategy exercise is a great tool, a map, a guide to make sure your product, message and promise are aligned and working together. A brand strategy helps you define and know your story, your language, your customer. However, it is a means and not an end. The plan must be executed in order for the strategy to have any value whatsoever. But without an internal brand champion, a brand strategy is seldom is implemented.
At The A Group we do a lot of Brand exercises. These are usually a full day of distilling brand identity, promise, positioning and creating strategic next steps. Even though I’m usually exhausted by the end of them, I love these sessions because they help to define, guide and focus an entire brand, marketing and sometimes even a business plan. But a plan is just a map. Without implementation it does as much good as a unfilled doctor’s prescription.
Unfortunately some businesses, churches and not for profits think they have a brand strategy. What they really have is a brand document. In my experience that happens because there is no brand champion to make sure the plan goes from the hard drive into real life. Brands are not made by the crowd, but by the relentless intentional watch and work of its champion. Apple went from the brinks of bankruptcy to surpassing Microsoft in revenue because of the efforts of its brand champion, Steve Jobs. Jobs knew what he wanted Apple to become and didn’t give up or let up until he got there. I’m sure he’s not finished yet.
While you might create a logo, or even an image overnight, your brand is crafted daily with every product, interaction, hire, phone call, and exchange. The champion’s job is to protect, remind, refine the organization to be true to its brand promise. It must be intentional. It never happens by accident.
I’m convinced you cannot use focus groups to describe a ground breaking idea. I’m usually a fan of research, but not when it comes to introducing a cutting-edge idea or new product into the market. Focus groups might be a valid way to improve on an idea, or a help on choosing new features or services but they fail when they’re are asked to envision something completely new. This morning I read a comment on a blog that drove the point home: “I remember reading an article about the first-generation iPod and thinking: I can’t imagine ever needing one of these. Within months I had purchased one and I never went anywhere without it.” Innovators don’t ask permission. They bet on their instincts and create the experience we cannot live without.
Can you imagine if Steve Jobs had decided to get validation from a focus group before building the first iPod? It would probably never have been built. I can see a room full of people and some market research guy trying to describe an iPod: “imagine you have this device the size of a deck of cards and in it you could have thousands of songs and blah, blah, blah. ” Most people would have said, my CDs work fine, I don’t need another device. Until they saw, touched and used the iPod, the idea of one wasn’t compelling enough to change everything. Oh, and can you see Tony Hsieh, Founder of Zappos.com trying to get a focus group to embrace his online shoe retailing behemoth concept? “That’s crazy. People will never buy shoes online.” Most people cannot imagine a future; only after they experience it they are able to change their perspective.
That’s why most entrepreneurs don’t spend a lot of time asking for validation on something truly groundbreaking. They spend their time and resources actually building and deploying their ideas. However, let me say that you can be successful and not be an innovator. I work with a lot of business that take a niche and explore it, that take a product and improve it, or that are good at marketing and selling products and services. But breakthrough companies are not afraid to spend resources on an idea before most people see its value.
Where have you seen the most innovation lately?
I haven’t met anyone perfect yet. There are few people who want me to believe they have it all figured out, but I’m not buying it. Some struggles are easier to hide, others play out in the public eye, and some are devastating. But part of the human condition means that we are fallen creatures and that we often sweat the small things, wrestle with big questions, doubt was supposed to be certain. Some refer to these struggles as baggage. I don’t agree. Baggage is something you choose to carry around. Our struggles are too often tied in to the very core of who we are, to the human condition.
As a Christian, I find myself wanting to judge people whose battle is different than mine more harshly and empathize with those whose struggles mirror my own.
That’s very hypocritical.
Today as I run into hurting people whose struggles are so different than mine that I can’t relate to, I’m committed not to judge them. I’m going to try to love them. While judging comes naturally for me, loving takes a lot more effort. That means showing,
respect,
kindness,
attention,
grace,
friendliness,
I believe this will be harder than I expect, but I must start sometime. Today feels like the right day.
Some men think grooming is optional. Others feel it’s less masculine to be well groomed . But a well-groomed man always looks better than his frumpy, sloppier counterpart. “Manscaping” has been a term used to describe the grooming/hygiene habits of human males. Even the most unattractive guy can look his very best by taking care of the basics. Here’s how you can best present yourself without having to spend money on fancy, expensive clothing.
Trim.
Nose, ear, neck, hair is not attractive to most people in the western hemisphere. I don’t make any claims on some indigenous group of Papa New Guinea, but most people don’t want to see your nose, ear, or neck hair. And while you’re at it, look on top of your nose, yes, on top. I’ve seen guys with long hairs growing out from the tip of their noses. Not attractive. At all.
When you look in the mirror, you should see two eyebrows. Also take a look and make sure there are not long, rogue hairs growing out of your brow. Trim them with clippers or cut them back. While you might not see them until the next time you look in the mirror, the rest of us are looking at them all day long. Do it for us. Do it for the children.
Cut.
Cut your fingernails and toe nails. Unless you’re a guitar picker, men have no business having long fingernails. And if for some unnatural reason you want to keep them long, make sure you keep them clean. No one wants to see you cruddy fingernails.
Men, we have a tendency to neglect our toe nails to the point of embarrassment. Un-kept nasty toenails didn’t look good on Shrek and they certainly don’t look good on you. And if you need professional help to get your toes ready flip flops, get a pedicure and make sure you tip the poor soul that works on you.
Clean.
It amazes me to see grown men finish a hard, sweaty workout and put on deodorant, change back into their business clothing and head back to the office. Axe body spray does not clean, it just masks the offensive odor with other obnoxious smells that, I assure you, no woman finds pleasant, no matter what the commercial says. Even when you cannot smell yourself, the rest of us can. And we do. The French have tried to make a science of masking their odor with powerful colognes. But if you have ever found yourself in a Paris subway at rush hour, you know that they’ve failed. Miserably. This is not France. For cleanness sake man, take a quick shower.
No one like detours. If you’re an impatient type-A person like me, you really hate detours. I don’t build enough margins in my day for extra time to get somewhere. By its own nature, a detour is a slower, longer, less convenient way to get anywhere. Who wants that? But it has been in the detours of my life that I have grown the most.
As I take inventory of the times where I made the most progress in the professional, personal, as well spiritual parts of my life, I can point out to specific “detours” that forced me to get off the highway, take the slower more cumbersome path that would eventually lead me to a place a discomfort but growth at the same time.
I remembering taking a detour in college when my parents called me on my 19th birthday to let me know that they couldn’t send me any more money. Brazil had new laws for sending money outside the country, and besides they could no longer afford to pay for my tuition. Not the call I expected. But that detour led me to trust God in a real way that I had never done before, and looking back, it was the best gift I could have received. During that season I transferred my dependency from my parents’ resources into God’s hands, an excellent exchange.
While some personal detours are inconveniences, others are painful. Some we bring upon ourselves, like the time I allowed the wrong person to manage my team, others come without provocation. But however difficult it is to be content in the middle of something we didn’t plan for, or wanted in the first place, we can easily find ourselves there again unless we are willing to learn and grow.
Chances are that we are going through a detour in some area of our lives right now. It might be a career, relational, physical, spiritual or even an existential one. What should we do? I’m not sure. Each detour is different. I just know that there’s always a growth opportunity, a lesson to learn, or simply a much needed slower pace somewhere in the midst of the inconvenience.
