spreading ideas
846 posts
Trust And Traction
When we want to get a project off the ground, we are often confused about the best way to achieve our goal. We believe if we could only reach more people, we’d immediately have traction. But reach is a poor substitute for the trust of a handful of the right people. A deep connection trumps…
Giving Attention Vs. Getting Attention
The more people have to attend to, the harder it is to get their attention. Attention is a precious resource. And as with any resource, scarcity creates value. Our culture has taught us that those who can capture the most attention win—never more so than in the digital age. So, we devote a considera
Listening To Lead
The promise of the digital age was the ability to more cheaply and rapidly raise awareness of our value, our message, or our cause. Digital media levelled the playing field and gave all of us the chance to spread our ideas. In some cases, the desire to quickly spread ideas has led to the misbelief…
Consistent, Persistent And Patient
The slim woman dressed in activewear, in line at the cafe next to the gym, orders a black coffee. As she’s handing over her card when the barista asks her the question he’s asked every single customer who ordered a takeaway coffee that morning. ‘Would you like a glazed doughnut for just $2 to go…
The Best Laid Plans
This day ten years ago you probably had plans in place for the year ahead. Maybe you achieved some of those goals in 2010. But I’m guessing that you could never have planned for some of the unexpected events, opportunities, twists and turns of the decade you’ve just lived. It turns out that it’s har
Gap Bridging
What gap does your product or service help your audience to bridge?
The Daily Opportunity
Meaningful progress doesn’t happen in a single, magical alignment of the stars. Opportunity can’t pass us by because it’s available to us in this moment and the next one.
Like The Weather
Often the thing we can’t control distracts us to the point of getting in the way of the things we can affect and change.
Nurturing Growth
When we begin to think in terms of nurturing (protecting something while it grows), we are compelled to be more intentional about how we grow—and focusing on how makes all the difference.
Showing Value
We can all benefit from learning to demonstrate, not just explain the value we create. Marketing and sales are about showing and telling.
The Lost Art Of Storytelling
What stories will you tell today and why will they matter to the people who hear them?
Believed In
The one thing all successful ideas have in common is that they spread. But why?
Worthy
The people you’re trying to reach and resonate with are filtering. From the contacts you try to add on LinkedIn, to the clients you’re hoping to attract. They are deciding who is worthy of their permission and their time.
Stand Out
You, your product or your company can stand out by changing how someone feels about themselves in your presence, not just today, but every day.
Exactly Who Do You Serve?
It’s easier to build the right business for the right people when you know who those people are.
The Power Of Owning Your Work
When we own the work we’re proud of it becomes more valuable to the people we serve. How are you owning the work you’re proud of?
Disappointment And Delight
You can find an opportunity to delight, especially when you disappoint. A mistake doesn’t always have to end in disappointment.
It’s Not For You
When you’re brave enough to put a stake in the ground, you will find your right people—those people who you can help.
Effective Change
Even though nine of her children emigrated to England in the 1960s to find work, my grandmother never travelled outside Ireland. She refused to taste cucumber, even though my English aunt insisted on making cucumber sandwiches whenever she came to visit. Even after her doctor told her cigarettes wer
Make Your Customer The Hero
The best marketers give people something to believe in, not just something to buy.
