Josh Linkner's Blog, page 20
August 23, 2015
Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution
Imagine you have a brilliant idea to start a company.A lightning-bolt of inspiration led you to invent a razor blade for daily shaving that pivots more gently with special blades that last longer.You’re totally focused on this product idea as you raise money and launch your business. Unfortunately, you’re complete focus on your new solution leads you to running the company into the ground.All your effort, time, and money… gone.
How could this happen?Where did you go wrong?You thought the prod...
August 16, 2015
What’s Missing?
The ultra-quiet, high speed fan that’s missing an on/off switch. The gorgeous print ad in a national magazine that’s missing a website address. The sales pitch that dumps facts yet never inspires action.
What’s missing?
Much of modern business work involves either creating something new (writing a news story, preparing a legal brief, designing a brochure) or editing others’ work (fixing grammatical errors, adjusting colors to match, leveling an uneven floor). An often overlooked, yet wildly i...
August 9, 2015
The Long Shot (ASAE Edition)
Yesterday, the annual meeting & expo for theAmerican Society of Association Executives(ASAE) kicked off with much anticipation and fanfare. While you may not be familiar with this organization, they represent 21,000 members in over 9,000 organizations in 50+ countries. These are the folks that hold those big conventions, bringing millions of dollars of business to destinations around the world.
In other words, if your city gets to host this amazing annual event, it’s like hosting the Super Bo...
August 2, 2015
How Bureaucracy Can Kill
Last week, 154 people came within minutes of losing their lives. The cause of this near-death experience? Bureaucracy.
On July 23, Allegiant Airlines Flight 426 radioed to air traffic control in Fargo, N.D., upon approach. The pilot told the tower he was critically low on fuel and needed clearance to land within the next five minutes.
Air traffic control (ATC) denied the request since a Blue Angels air show rehearsal was underway. ATC suggested the plane land elsewhere. Here’s how the convers...
July 26, 2015
You’re FIRED!
Your boss walks into your office and quietly shuts the door behind her. She sits down at your desk in a most somber manner. After taking a deep breath, she coldly releases the words you dreaded all your life: “You’re fired.”
Think of the emotional tornado now racing through your mind. Fear. Regret. Sadness. Shame. And then your internal chatter goes into overdrive with repetitive messages blasting in your head: “If I’d only done more. Why didn’t I take my job seriously? I wish I shared my big...
July 19, 2015
The Nine Questions of Breakthrough Achievement
From discovering new drug therapies to winning triathlons, the capacity for human achievement is humbling. NASA scientists reached Pluto this week, beaming back stunning imagery of the distant planet. Brian Acton and Jam Koum, who founded WhatsApp in 2009, sold their startup to Google for $19 billion just five years later. Easton LaChapelle built a robotic hand out of Legos and fishing wire in his bedroom at age 14, and his invention is now helping amputees around the world.
Triumphs take man...
July 12, 2015
The Wizard’s Downfall
“Your call isveryimportant to us. Please stay on the line and a representative will be with you shortly.”
Twenty-eight minutes later, an apathetic, poorly trained call center drone clarified through her actions what her company actually meant: “Your call is really notimportant to us at all. If it were, we’d staff more customer service specialists, train them better, answer quickly, be respectful of your time, and genuinely want to help. However, we are focused on maximizing profit and since y...
June 28, 2015
Easy
As someone who has played guitar for more than 30 years, I can tell you that the secret to regular practice isn’t teeth-grinding discipline. It isn’t external rewards or penalties. It isn’t even the dream of rocking a stadium for adoring fans.
The truth is, the regularity of practice — and the progress than ensues — is often driven by convenience. Simply put, the easier it is to pick up my ax, the more I play. If my guitar is leaning against the living room couch, I’ll pick it up regularly an...
June 21, 2015
The Frequency Factor
If you ask an advertising guru what it takes to inform consumers and ultimately move them to action, they’ll instantly spout out their golden formula: Reach + Frequency.
This marketing truism has been captivating customers since the days of Henry Ford, and has carried its weight through every technology advance, product launch and celebrity endorsement over the last 100 years.
Decoding this recipe, Reach refers to reaching the right audience with the right message at the right time. This is h...
June 14, 2015
Play Up
Imagine you step onto a tennis court, facing a partner that’s at least 50% better than you. As you volley back-and-forth, you notice the precision of your shots, the power of your serve, and the intensity of your game. Your stronger opponent has raised your level of play, helping you push to new heights of performance.
Now imagine the same scenario against a player 50% worse than you. You know you can win the match handily, so you take it easy. Your play is a bit sloppy and while you win the...
