Brian Solis's Blog, page 98

Racing IndyCars with Team Penske and Hitachi

On August 30th, 2015, I dropped the top on my 1960s Corvette Sting Ray, fired up the 427 and made my way from Silicon Valley to Sonoma Raceway for the big IndyCar race finale. For those who don’t know, I am enamored with cars and have been since I was old enough to play with Hot Wheels. I remember obsessively washing my hands before and after too. In fact, my parents still tease me about it to this day because the obsession with cars continues. Except now, I try to have fun with an entirely different scale of rolling toys.

I was invited to the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma not because my passion for cars however. Instead, my hosts for the day, Hitachi and Team Penske, invited me to learn more about the technology driving modern racecars in the hopes that I would share their story with you. I happily obliged. After all, there’s very little tech in an old Vette, even though there’s always something to maintain.

Before the big race, I spent time with Steve Miller, Engineering Manager at Hitachi, and also Jason Wonderly of Team Penske. After a chance to tour the pits, the garage and also meeting Team Penske’s drivers Helio Castroneves, Will Power, Juan Pablo Montoya, Simon Pagenaud, I sat down with the race team to learn more about everything we don’t see during the race.

Up first, Hitachi…

Steve Miller is responsible for the adaption of Gasoline Direct Injection fuel systems for the North American automotive market. Before we started our conversation, he took a moment to remember Jstin Wilson, “Before we begin,” Miller paused, “I would like to express my deepest sympathies regarding the passing of Justin Wilson following the race at Pocono Speedway.  Justin’s passing is certainly a tremendous loss for the IndyCar community.”

Indeed. I noticed every car sported a #BADASSWILSON sticker on the tail wing during this race. See below.

Question 1: How does Hitachi work with Team Penske as part of this partnership?

Hitachi provides high pressure pumps and fuel injectors for all Chevrolet engines in the Verizon IndyCar series.

Hitachi receives brand exposure on the firesuit and livery of the always outgoing Helio Castroneves, as well as the rest of Team Penske’s IndyCar lineup. IndyCar races are also a great venue to invite key customers and prospects for Hitachi

What technology and insights does Hitachi supply to Team Penske?

Hitachi’s direct injection technology is an important part of the power behind Team Penske and all Chevrolet engines.  We assist Chevrolet’s technical partner, Ilmor, in maximizing power and reliability of their IndyCar engine.  Through our collective efforts, Chevrolet engines have won three consecutive IndyCar championships (2012-2014).

Why is Hitachi involved in IndyCar? What’s in it for the company and Hitachi customers?

The engines in the Verizon IndyCar Series racecars are much more demanding than production vehicle engines.  Engine speeds are almost double production vehicles and run at high speeds for most of a race.  Any failure of the fuel system is magnified by the prospect of an almost certain poor finish if one of our parts were to fail.  Hitachi strives to meet rigid requirements for on-track reliability, all while helping maximize the engine power necessary for race victories.

Additionally, the development schedule for IndyCar is highly compressed compared to production engines.  Instead of having years to develop a new design, racing schedules push for answers in months or weeks.  As a result, being involved with the Chevrolet IndyCar engine has increased Hitachi’s development speed and efficiency, which is passed directly on to consumers.

What kind of real world relationships has this partnership fostered for Hitachi in America?

Being involved with Team Penske and Chevrolet, for example, has increased the visibility of Hitachi to say the least. Hitachi is not a brand car buyers regularly think of because we supply many of our products to automotive manufacturers globally, not directly to the new car consumer.  Most consumers are not aware that Hitachi parts are on many vehicles on the road today.  However, being a part of Team Penske and having our technology showcased on Chevrolet engines has been pretty amazing.

So, how does Hitachi direct fuel injection improve performance of Team Penske drivers?

Not only does Hitachi Direct Injection improve the power of Team Penske and Chevrolet IndyCar engines by providing more efficient and controlled combustion, but it is an important technology that helps vehicles meet increasingly stringent global emissions regulations.

OK, I didn’t see that coming. Tell me more about global emissions.

Okay. In the case of IndyCar and Team Penske, Hitachi direct injection components are tuned for increased power for top racing performance, of course. However, for production vehicles, there’s also a large focus on controlling engine emissions. Direct injection enables very precise metering and spray of fuel into an engine’s combustion chamber, which is necessary to meet future emissions and fuel economy regulations. Much of the same Hitachi direct injection technology used for the Chevrolet IndyCar engine and Team Penske is also used on many GM production vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac ATS-V.

Team Penske’s Perspective of Hitachi Technology

Ron Ruzewski is the technical director for the four-car Team Penske operation in the Verizon IndyCar Series. He took the time to answer these questions remotely while preparing for the championship round of the season.

How does Hitachi technology affect and contribute to Team Penske’s IndyCar racing team and Helio Castroneves for example?

Hitachi supplies the fuel pumps and injectors that are critical items in the engine fuel system and critical to providing the performance and reliability.

The fuel injection system performs hundreds of calculations per second to assess how much fuel should be injected and when to maximize performance and fuel economy. These calculations adjust fueling for ambient conditions and how the engine is being used. The use of high-pressure fuel injection increases the window of operation and therefore allows greater fuel economy and performance. There’s only so much fuel (and time) in so many laps and everything counts in small and large amounts. However this then places greater demands on the electronics and the engineers calibrating the systems which both demand extensive use of mathematics and controls to ensure the system if running optimally.

Did you know that these guys have a “boost” button that they can use up to 10 times in a race?

How does Hitachi direct fuel injection improve performance of Team Penske drivers?

Direct fuel injection has allowed advancement in race engine design to improve efficiency significantly. Removing the requirement for port fuel injectors means ports can be designed to improve engine breathing and gas exchange. This means a smaller engine can produce more power. Direct injection of the fuel improves knock performance and as such compression ratios can be increased, making engines more powerful and efficient. This allows race engines to be downsized into smaller, lighter packages while still producing the high power required for racing.

These (not so small) v6 engines produce almost 700 horsepower. It’s pretty incredible.

How is technology overall changing the world of racing?

Technology is present in today’s racing in almost every form.  There are better sensors and data systems (computer processors) that allow faster and more accurate data collection so that we can understand and make safer racecars.  Video and audio capabilities are enhanced to get people closer to the action and a better feel of what is actually happening on track.  Continued work in the virtual word where simulations are done prior to ever hitting the race track are increasingly accurate. This aids development and understanding of the racecars of course and also the race performance. All of these new technologies exist within Hitachi’s product portfolio.

What types of inputs are you tracking in real-time?

We monitor an impressive array of engine specific sensors such as temperatures and pressures but we also monitor quite a few chassis parameters such as total aerodynamic load, percentage of aerodynamic distribution front to rear, brake bias, ride heights, vehicle attitude and steering.  Overall, there are around 250 sensor outputs and metrics that we transmit in real-time.

If you’re tracking 250 different inputs, how do you use these during and after the race?

During the race we use the data to understand what adjustments we need to make to the car relative to the handling capability.  We also monitor items to understand if there is an issue or problem ranging from overheating to a tire losing pressure.  After the race we do analysis to understand how the car performed over the entire race distance; meaning did something change, was there a trend better or worse, are there items that are potential reliability concern, etc.

What role do you see data playing in everyday real-time scenarios in business for example?

Just like racing, businesses operate on information in and out.  Information of course helps people make quick and sound decisions.  Just as we use the data from the racecars to identify trends or potential issues, the same can be done in a business sense.  Even post analysis or simulations in the virtual world can be performed if the parameters are defined correctly and correlation to an accurate representation is achieved.

What’s next?

This will be defined by the continued evolution of the information we gather.  I believe racing is a platform that promotes quick and accurate decision-making, which is used and needed in the business world and beyond.  Technology, and the ability to get the information and use it quickly, helps race teams be more efficient in their process.  This definition of technology can ultimately make businesses more efficient as well by definition of the techniques. It’s the same foundation that Hitachi is building its Social Innovation Business.

Roger Penske

About Penske Corporation Partnership:

The relationship between Penske Corporation and Hitachi provides both companies with a platform to extend the relationship beyond the racetrack. Penske Corporation worked with both Hitachi Data Systems as well as Hitachi Solutions to develop and implement a storage area network system for our company. This dedicated network and systems associated with it provides Penske Corporation with a safe and secure device that helps store sensitive corporate information. This storage area network provides Penske Corporation with the ability to be more productive and allows for a more strategic path for generating long-term growth opportunities for the company’s future.

The Drivers

Simon Pagenaud

Juan Pablo Montoya

Helio Castroneves

Will Power

Thank you Hitachi for sponsoring this experience.

Photo Credit: Steve Swope and Brian Solis

Connect with me… Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest

 

The Importance of Artistry in Business and Everything

I am a big fan of Chase Jarvis and I’m also proud to call him a dear friend. As I was preparing for the launch of my next book, I found this gem of a video from 2013. I can’t believe I lost this.

In what is either a serendipitous or coincidental discovery, this video was shot as part of the official debut of CreativeLIVE‘s studio in San Francisco at the same time I was introducing  What’s the Future of Business (WTF) with Mekanism.

Right before I officially debut the latest chapter in my work, this video reminded me of the path to how I got to where I am today. Long story short, I only started writing WTF only after I began what’s next. I had an incredible bout of defeatism in my struggle to master the subject. WTF turned out to be a pleasant and productive distraction.

The team at CreativeLIVE was gracious enough to allow me to share it with you below. It’s also part of the “Secrets from Silicon Valley” series that you can watch here.

Timecode

0:00 Intro

1:20 – The transition between The End of Business as Usual and What’s the Future of Business (WTF)

4:20 – Creator vs. Creative and the importance of artistry in everything

6:40 – Knowing your audience – This is a time for leadership not management

7:45 – Marc Ecko and need for more artists and makers in business

9:22 – Inspired by the challenges and frustrations of others

12:08 – Unpacking the learning and sharing of information

13:25 – We are all students

14:30 – Changing the way businesses create experiences

17:05 – The CreativeLIVE experience

19:00 – Examples of businesses delivering great experiences

20:05 – Maggie asks about the Apple backlash and getting back to the core

23:45 – Chase always says “be different, not just better.” What to do to be different.

BONUS: An edited answer to the question about Apple in a post Steve Jobs era.

Connect with me… Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest

The Importance of Artistry in Everything

I am a big fan of Chase Jarvis and I’m also proud to call him a dear friend. As I was preparing for the launch of my next book, I found this gem of a video from 2013. I can’t believe I lost this.

In what is either a serendipitous or coincidental discovery, this video was shot as part of the official debut of CreativeLIVE‘s studio in San Francisco at the same time I was introducing  What’s the Future of Business (WTF) with Mekanism.

Right before I officially debut the latest chapter in my work, this video reminded me of the path to how I got to where I am today. Long story short, I only started writing WTF only after I began what’s next. I had an incredible bout of defeatism in my struggle to master the subject. WTF turned out to be a pleasant and productive distraction.

The team at CreativeLIVE was gracious enough to allow me to share it with you below. It’s also part of the “Secrets from Silicon Valley” series that you can watch here.

Timecode

0:00 Intro

1:20 – The transition between The End of Business as Usual and What’s the Future of Business (WTF)

4:20 – Creator vs. Creative and the importance of artistry in everything

6:40 – Knowing your audience – This is a time for leadership not management

7:45 – Marc Ecko and need for more artists and makers in business

9:22 – Inspired by the challenges and frustrations of others

12:08 – Unpacking the learning and sharing of information

13:25 – We are all students

14:30 – Changing the way businesses create experiences

17:05 – The CreativeLIVE experience

19:00 – Examples of businesses delivering great experiences

20:05 – Maggie asks about the Apple backlash and getting back to the core

23:45 – Chase always says “be different, not just better.” What to do to be different.

BONUS: An edited answer to the question about Apple in a post Steve Jobs era.

Connect with me… Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest

Creator vs. Creative and the Importance of Artistry in Everything

I am a big fan of Chase Jarvis and I’m also proud to call him a dear friend. As I was preparing for the launch of my next book, I found this gem of a video from 2013. I can’t believe I lost this.

In what is either a serendipitous or coincidental discovery, this video was shot as part of the official debut of CreativeLIVE‘s studio in San Francisco at the same time I was introducing  What’s the Future of Business (WTF) with Mekanism.

Right before I officially debut the latest chapter in my work, this video reminded me of the path to how I got to where I am today. Long story short, I only started writing WTF only after I began what’s next. I had an incredible bout of defeatism in my struggle to master the subject. WTF turned out to be a pleasant and productive distraction.

The team at CreativeLIVE was gracious enough to allow me to share it with you below. It’s also part of the “Secrets from Silicon Valley” series that you can watch here.

Timecode

0:00 Intro

1:20 – The transition between The End of Business as Usual and What’s the Future of Business (WTF)

4:20 – Creator vs. Creative and the importance of artistry in everything

6:40 – Knowing your audience – This is a time for leadership not management

7:45 – Marc Ecko and need for more artists and makers in business

9:22 – Inspired by the challenges and frustrations of others

12:08 – Unpacking the learning and sharing of information

13:25 – We are all students

14:30 – Changing the way businesses create experiences

17:05 – The CreativeLIVE experience

19:00 – Examples of businesses delivering great experiences

20:05 – Maggie asks about the Apple backlash and getting back to the core

23:45 – Chase always says “be different, not just better.” What to do to be different.

BONUS: An edited answer to the question about Apple in a post Steve Jobs era.

Connect with me… Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest

Apple’s Odd, Yet Effective, Social Media Strategy

CIO’s Matt Kapko recently explored why Apple’s social media strategy seem to play the game differently, according to its rules, and not the best practices of everyone else. We  talked at length about it now and over the years. This time, I focused specifically on the question about why/why not have an @Apple account. Part of my thoughts made it into the final article, the rest is below for you to see.

Excerpt:

Apple does social media differently than its peers in the tech world, and though it isn’t ignoring social to the extent it did in the past, you shouldn’t expect to see any official @Apple account on Twitter anytime soon.

Why isn’t @Apple the voice of the company on Twitter?

This is a question that rears its head every few months. And it’s a valid question at that.

Let’s not forget or belittle the fact that the company boasts highly followed accounts for Beats, iTunes, AppStore, et al. Even Tim Cook Tweets from his personal account. Let’s also remember that Twitter is an information network unlike Facebook, which is more of a social network.

Twitter binds people together around shared interests mostly creating an interest-graph. Facebook is largely comprised of relationships creating the world’s largest and most connected social-graph. Apple doesn’t need to, nor does it have a history of, communicating updates to either graph.

In a post-Jobs era, who or what is the voice of the company?

Having a Twitter account, if you want it to mean something, takes care, intention and thoughtfulness. At the moment, all of Apple’s needs, and more importantly its customers and stakeholders on Twitter, are covered. Anything else requested by those posing the original question might benefit from taking a step back to think through their question. Maybe the question is why would Apple, a highly strategic, secretive and possibly introverted company need a Twitter account? The answer can’t be, “because, every company should open a branded account to talk to people.”

If you believe that, I have some shares in a shady startup I can sell you.

Think about the majority of branded accounts out there, who’s running them, the voice + person, the governance (of lack thereof) of its engagement.

It’s an art, not a mandate. I think too many companies talk more than they listen and act before they think through mutual value.

Let’s start there.

Connect with me… Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest

New Media and the Path to Business Transformation

I have a standing offer to all universities (around the world) that use my books as part of the editorial program. I will happily make time to speak to the class to address discuss the material and also answer student questions. In one such case, I joined my friend Kristian Strøbech who teaches budding media professionals at The Danish School of Media and Journalism along with his students for what turned out to be a fantastic conversation. I hope you agree.

For your review, I have embedded the full session. Here are 6 short cuts to Kristian’s personally selected highlights from our Google Hangout:

The path to digital transformation: Timecode: 09:13.

“A simple, but key question to ask yourself: What would my digital customer do differently than my traditional customer? Focus on behavior, not technology and suddenly, things like social and mobile start to come alive”.

Struggling to meet business goals: Timecode 12:08.

“Why is it so persistently difficult for many organizations to align social media strategy with clear business goals?”

Experience architecture is your challenge in social media: Timecode 17:14.

“Everybody is competing for the moment and it’s a bad habit. Think about content in social as a social object and start designing for the experience around that object.”

Organizational models for implementing social media. Time code 31:41.

“The holistic model is when use of social media is widespread throughout an organization and people use it like they use email. In the holistic model which is honestly far away, people are self governing, self aware, educated and also strategic.”

My advice on social media policy: Timecode 37:11.

“If you’re going to use social media in your job and it wasn’t part of your job when you were hired, you deserve a reward.”

On Lady Gaga and the force of community: Timecode 41:19.

Lady Gaga puts a smiley up on her Facebook wall and it receives 93.000 likes. Can we still talk of social media with such a mass phenomenon?

Connect with me… Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest

The Hero’s Journey to Digital Transformation

I spent some time with Bernhard Steimel to help him with research for his “Smart Service” series. He sent over the audio files from our conversation for review. He organized them into snackable formats to make it easier for me to follow the conversation. It was so well done that he’s allowing me to share the discussion with you.

Each audio segment ranges between two and four minutes.

I hope these brief segments help you in some way…

1. The End of Business as Usual and state of the business technology landscape

2. The dynamic customer journey, the four moments of truth and the need for internal collaboration and innovation

3. Generation-C (Connected), the new customer and inspiration for business transformation

4. The Hero’s Journey and the psychology of change

5. The six stages of social business maturity

6. This is a time for leadership not management…and, leadership can come from anywhere

7. The road to digital transformation

8. The “hero” in the hero’s journey is you & the human algorithm

Connect with me… Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest

The 10 Commandments of Content Marketing

Marketers often confuse content marketing with engagement. Just because you get someone’s attention doesn’t mean your audience actually cares. You spend all of this time following the work of others, listening to experts who preach soundbites and executing against a programmatic calendar only to miss the very thing that connects with people…relevance.

It’s hard to gauge or appreciate something so contextual however when we base our work on the measurement of the wrong things. Numbers do not reflect engagement. They measure activity. And, whether or not that activity matters to your business or brand, doesn’t matter too much at the moment. Campaigns are planned, executed and measured by outdated KPIs every day. A view isn’t the same thing as a connection. A “Like” isn’t an opt-in nor a reflection of a targeted community. An impression isn’t symbolic of a prospect. R.O.I. isn’t calculated by vanity metrics…that would be the other R.O.I (return on ignorance.)

The are human beings on the other side of your content. There are frustrations, aspirations and willing attention spans on the other side of the screen. Engage them. Entertain them. Inspire them. Only three things matter as you develop your content strategy, relevance, resonance and significance (R.R.S). Everything you do should incorporate these three pillars of engagement.

To help, I developed a fun set of “commandments” to shake the mediocrity out of the marketing ecosystem. More so, seeing possibilities for what they could be rather than basing them on what exists allows us to ctrl-alt-del or command-ctrl-power content strategies to be more relevant, engaging and ultimately resonant.

The 10 Commandments of Content Marketing

1. Don’t chase shiny objects. Examples include newer channels like Periscope, Meerkat, Snapchat, et al. There will always be the next big thing, but you don’t have to chase after them. Instead, chase after your customers—be where your customers need you or want you to be.

2. Stop operating against a content marketing calendar. Content calendars make you think about quantity, not quality. Your consumers are already overwhelmed with mediocrity, so don’t flood them with more.

3. Refrain from exclusively following case studies of people “doing great content.” While they may be rock stars in their own markets or at conferences, they don’t have a relationship with your influencers, customers and stakeholders in the same way that is unique to you. Best practices for reaching those particular audiences are yours to figure out.

4. Don’t you dare use technology to “scale your shit.” Technology is forcing us into a trap of scale. While we might preach 1:1 engagement, technology gets us away from that and back to the “one-to-many” broadcast model we always tend toward.

5. Shift from views or impressions as metrics and instead track performance and outcomes. Everything in terms of media has traditionally been about consumption. In the social mobile era, it must instead be about sharing and action. Change perception or inspire behaviors. Cause positive effect in your markets. Move people to mutually-beneficial outcomes.

6. Don’t assume you have one audience. You have many different types of people you need to speak to—all of whom believe they’re special snowflakes. Your audience has an audience who has an audience of their own (aka audience of audiences). Know who they are, and create content tailored for them.

7. Stop creating content for people who will approve it (like your CMO or client). Remember there are human beings on the other side of that screen. They also think they are special snowflakes. Treat them like it. Your job isn’t to assume that you or your organization is special. Your job is to make everyone you reach out to feel like they are the only person you wanted to talk to that day.

8. Stop reaching out to people only when you need them. This business is all about relationships. That’s what marketing is supposed to be all about—it’s based on creating mutual value and earning reciprocity.

9. Stop selling. For every one time you sell, you should have at least four other pieces of content or moments of engagement that help, entertain, solve problems or inspire people. Some call this the 4-1-1 approach.

10. Stop investing in “Mediumism.” Contrary to popular belief, you are not a storyteller. That title is reserved for those who really care about the people they’re trying to connect with specific to the medium of engagement. Mass broadcasting across all forms of media is called spam. It happens so often that I came up with a word to describe it, “mediumism.”

Quite simply, mediumism is placing inordinate value on channels over people. Platforms, channels and technology are merely conduits to human beings. True storytellers are enamored, even obsessed, with relevant story arcs, characters, emotions, outcomes, et al. They aim to immerse people in an experience that matters beyond the moment. It’s thoughtful. It’s informed. It’s relevant. It’s awakening and inspiring.

Think of content as a social object. Aim beyond the moment. In other words, design social objects that stay alive because people can’t stop talking about and sharing it. Don’t just talk to or at people, strive talk to and through them.

Connect with me… Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Attention is a Gift: Once you have my attention, why should I care?

I’m frustrated that my worth is measured more by the numbers of followers, views or visitors that I have and not the merit or impact of my work. You too must start to feel discontent when it comes to your work being judged on hollow numbers alone. The ability to cause effect or change behavior is true influence and that’s the core of what we stand for.

Numbers do not mean much. Without purpose and intention, our work becomes part of the noise and not the signal. It’s easy to fall into this trap though as all day today, you’ll get stuck in meetings where you’ll question the value of why you’re even there, flounder as you try to swim upstream in a relentless stream of email and fall into rabbit holes of introspection as politics, egos and general ignorance force you to re-examine where you are and where you’re going.

There’s just no time or real support to change but that doesn’t mean change isn’t inevitable.

In marketing, there are always trends that people will follow and others will miss. The trick is to not fall into a pattern of mediumism where we place greater value on the channels over native engagement and experiences. The goal most overlook however, and this must change, is the need to earn human relevance and not meaningless numbers.  While some people yell “fire!” (although rightfully so in most cases) and point fingers at others, you and I will focus on developing strategies and creating content that engages AND adds value. As in life, investing in experiences and moments where people leave with something (you decide) contributes to relevance and reciprocity.

Meta 2.0: The New Storytelling

To demonstrate this point, I recently went a bit meta and worked on a content marketing campaign designed to help marketers improve content marketing campaigns. In a new, fun ebook I worked on with LinkedIn’s Jason Miller and Hugh MacLeod of GapingVoid. Our goal was to help content strategists and marketers enhance audience engagement by rethinking the approach to content and community engagement.

Storytelling in its truest sense is more important than ever. Yet, we misconstrue the opportunity to tell a sincere story with creating and broadcasting content that barks messaging across social networks without really embracing or even knowing the people formerly known as the audience. Instead, we often create for the people who approve our work rather than sincerely empathizing with those people who have an audience with an audience of their own. It’s our agenda or nothing right?! Wrong.

Humans are emotional creatures and they want experiences that engage them as humans. They’re not eyeballs, impressions, views, likes, shares, clickthroughs, or conversions. And, it is through empathy that we can design for “Limbic Resonance” to engage people emotionally and to plug-in to social graphs as a human distribution network for our story. By doing this over and over again, we can connect people through sharing and conversation to form communities that we can then cultivate.

That takes understanding, purpose, intent and genuineness not campaigns measured by vanity metrics.

LinkedIn has made this ebook freely available and we hope that it inspires you as much as it inspired us to think differently. You can download it here.

In the end, do everything in ways that are culturally relevant, meaningful, shareable and form the ties that bind the right people together.

Connect with me… Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest

What Do You Stand For? #WDYSF

To change, to make things matter to real people, everything must begin with a new perspective and approach.

Ask yourself…What do you stand for?

It’s an important question you must answer before expecting anyone to stand alongside you.

#WDYSF

What is the value you wish to add?

What is the value you wish to take away?

How does engagement make things better or create new possibilities and opportunities for all involved?

No matter how much we say or create, it doesn’t matter.

If we do not see it differently, we cannot approach it differently.

If we cannot show up humble yet poised to offer value, we are just another person in this digital room talking, maybe even yelling, to get people to pay attention. That’s not what this is about.

This is about community. And, community is much more than belonging to something; it’s about doing something together that makes belonging matter.

This is about standing for something.

This is about seeing something that others are missing.

This is about doing what others cannot or will not.

This is about inspiring a movement and building a community to bring your vision to life.

To be honest, this is true for anything and everything—not just marketing or service.

Connect with me… Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Pinterest