Lessons From Bop

My grandfather was an incredible man. His name was Bob Hayes, but we all called him “Bop”. He was a business owner, worked undercover on the Manhatten Project, and was married to the same woman for 62 years. He died last week just the way he lived… peacefully, mentally sharp as a tack, and without being an imposition on anyone. He was 96 years old. Time and time again, we heard the same words used to describe him: Kind, Honest, Stable, Respectful and Faithful.

It occurred to me that the lessons I have learned from him over the years not only apply to family and friends, but to business too.

Be Kind. Bob Hayes was a soft-spoken, caring man. He was gentle, and rarely raised his voice. It seems we should all work a little harder to be that way in business. There is no need for yelling, rudeness, or cut-throat attitudes. The more we help others, the more help will come back to us in return. We’re all in this together, aren’t we?

Be Honest. If you told my grandfather a secret, he took it to his grave. He was trustworthy. He believed in the “gentlemen’s handshake”, and if he said he was going to do something—you could consider it done. I believe that colleagues and customers deserve the same honesty. If a company makes a commitment… the goal should be to overdeliver, not look for ways to cut corners. Being honest in business means being transparent, and being up front about prices, deliverables, and deadlines.

Be Stable. My grandfather’s emotional range wasn’t exactly huge… he never got really excited, and never got really depressed. He was stable. You always knew what you were going to get. Perhaps stability is more important now than ever. Do you customers always get the same service? Does your service always meet the same standard? Companies need to be stable, especially during these uncertain economic times.

Be Respectful. There were a lot of people who disagreed with Bob Hayes, but many of them were his friends for more than five decades. If he had a contrarian point of view, he wasn’t afraid to share it… but he always respected the other person’s opinion. He never tried to convince someone they were wrong, or raised his voice to prove his point. He just respectfully agreed to disagree. Wouldn’t it be a better world if that were the case more often than not?

Be Faithful. In my grandfather’s world, having faith meant having faith in God. He believed in the Lord, and read the Bible often. His faith meant the world to him. But in addition to that, people had faith in him. He sold Penn Real parts for decades, and his customers rarely went anywhere else. They knew he was dependable, and they knew they were getting a fair deal. He was faithful to his wife, to his friends, to his colleagues, and to his customers.

The lessons I learned from Bop were important when I was young, and they are important now. I hope his qualities live on through those of us knew him, and those of you who know us.

Let Go of Control

My husband took me to see Blue Man Group at Universal Studios this weekend. Have you seen it? The best word I can come up with describe the show is: bizarre. I'm really glad we went, and it's like nothing I'd ever seen before.

Something struck me before the show began, however.

There were messages running across a digital sign at the front of the stage that continually reminded the audience not to take pictures. "Repeat after me", the sign said, "I will not take video, I will not take pictures, I will not upload to Facebook". At first I thought it was a joke. Then I realized they were delivering a serious message in a clever way. They truly do not allow any photography during Blue Man Group performances.

At that point, I couldn't get David Meerman Scott out of my mind. See, Meerman-Scott is an online marketing expert, and the author of the best-selling book, "The New Rules of Marketing and PR". He says one of the most important things you can do to market your products and services is to "let go of control".

He uses the Grateful Dead as an example. When the Dead allowed their fans to tape concerts, their popularity soared. More people gained an interest, and more people paid to see the group in concert. Instead of protecting their music... they shared it and it worked. Meerman Scott also points to Radiohead. When the band decided not to have a record label, and instead put everything online, and just ask people to donate what they thought the songs were worth: they made millions. These groups understood the concept of letting go of control.

We can all learn from these lessons. Some organizations are afraid to create Facebook pages or Twitter accounts because "someone might write something negative". Well, sure they might! But isn't is better for organization leaders to hear the negative input, respond, and solve the problem?? Living in the dark isn't going to get us anywhere.

Some organizations are also afraid to give away "company secrets" online. Heaven forbid we tell people how we do our jobs, and offer free advice. What if someone takes our ideas?? Frankly... good for them. In this age of social networking, sharing information is a must. The people who openly offer advice, tips, and inside knowledge are the ones who will succeed.

While I admit the "Blue Men" aren't having a hard time selling tickets... it seems like they could do a better job of letting go of control. I, for one, would have posted the video on this blog, on my Facebook page, and tweeted about it. If each person in the audience did that-- it's the best free advertising a company can buy.

Instant Gratification

Talk about instant gratification.

My business partner and I had a major paradigm shift one time while we were producing video coverage of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) for Aviation International News. The editor-in-chief showed us an email from a pilot that read, “I’m flying a client from Australia to Geneva for EBACE, and I just watched the AINtv headlines. Can’t wait to get there. Keep up the good work”.

He had seen video headlines just hours after we shot them… from the cockpit! Was that really possible? Sure it was. In fact, he could have watched the event live from 30,000 feet.

It's just more evidence of the NEW information age. We can get information from hundreds of sources, at any time, in any form we choose.

It’s an important reminder for all of us when we have a message to deliver. If your message isn’t being distributed instantly, it’s old news. If it’s not available in multiple forms, on multiple platforms, it’s not really available. We have to make speed and distribution a priority to make sure the content reaches the target audience.

Depending on your audience, that could mean creating a written version, a podcast, and a video. It might mean posting the content on your website, Facebook and Twitter. It could mean communicating with your customer with emails, phone calls, and handwritten letters.

The changes in technology are fast and furious, and we have to work to keep up. If you like instant gratification, make sure that's exactly what you're giving your audience.

Speakers with a Purpose

Jeff Hurt would be proud. The leaders at the National Association for Business Economists selected keynote speakers for their annual meeting, that were all directly related to the economy.

In a recent blog post, Velvet Chainsaw's Jeff Hurt wrote an Open Letter to Associations questioning their selection of motivational speakers, that have no direct connection to members.

“I don’t understand why you have paid five- and six-digit fees to secure marquee names like Nancy Brinker, Jeff Corwin, Bill Cosby, Nancy Grace, Jay Leno, Collin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Barbara Walters or any other famous person. We can turn on the TV or click on a website and watch these people any time. Unless they have something specific to say to my job, my industry and my work, I don’t want to hear them. And your insistence to use them only repels me from attending these sessions.” --Jeff Hurt

While there’s no question motivational speakers are talented and interesting, Jeff has a great point—especially considering the current economic situation. Money is tight, so the speakers should add something new, and offer attendees something they can’t get anywhere else.

That’s just what NABE did. Their speakers included the Chairman of the FDIC, Members of the Federal Reserve, and Christina Romer, chair of President Obama’s economic team. Those people all contributed important information about the economy, so NABE members will leave the annual conference armed with information that will impact their careers.

Members who couldn't attend also benefited from these pertinent speakers. The organization emailed NABE-TV video highlights to their entire database. They shared the information, and likely encouraged people to attend in the future.

NABE members are facing tough times, and tough questions in their jobs. They are responsible for forecasting the economy, and are often asked about monetary policies that impact all of us. Their jobs are important, and the speakers at their annual conference reflected that.

Attendees definitely got their money's worth, and I doubt anyone missed seeing Bill Cosby.