Project Exponential

Tag: opportunity

  • Find people better than you.

    He always makes the deal. She finds coveted inside information. He lands top meetings and befriends the opposition. Her comments catalyze progress that proceeds company-wide change. These folks are not your competition. Their work, their composure, their grace under fire, their successes are not your threats. In fact, these people are your greatest allies.

    People better than you offer a tremendous opportunity. They are resources to help you up your game. Their excellence can challenge you to learn the tools and techniques you need. Their greatness can inspire you to ask difficult questions. Their wins spur self-assessment. Their honesty can remind you that little steps and a slow start is what is needed until answers become clear. Their bravery and fearlessness can spark your own leap into the unknown.

    Extraordinary individuals provide an outside window into your own work. If bridged properly, these relationships will lead you to goals you have yet to dream of.

    Forget comparisons. Use the gifts of others as a personal springboard, and align yourself with those you admire as you continue to polish your own story. Delight in the company of those who push you.

  • A free program

    If you’ve felt it, you know magic happens when the right people enter a space.

    Sometimes it’s serendipity; most of the time there’s a driving force.

    I want to encourage you to take part in what Seth Godin has dubbed the Connection Economy — to use your most meaningful relationships to inspire you to create art, contribute to your community, and nourish the connections in your own life.

    Deepen the connections in your world and start conversations that matter.

    I’m thrilled by the prospect of sharing my passion and work. The capacity for what can happen when the right people come together is unlimited and largely untapped. Call this six-week program whatever you want: a book club, a group, an experiment, an adventure.

    There are people in your world who need to meet.

    Your efforts to organize this program may change someone’s life, but it’s up to you to make it happen. There are people out there who are stuck (as you may have discovered, paths are rarely straight and laid out). Be present and challenge each other with kindness and care.

    We all have something unique to share. Let’s help each other do the tough work.

    Questions? Successes? Let me know how it goes.

    Step 1. Form a group.

    Sure, you can do this alone. But a group offers support, accountability, and the ability to help you up your game. You want people who can call you out, people who can serve as your cohort and personal network as you advance your ideas forward. Your group is your sounding board, letting you know when you’re on track and gently nudging you when you’re off.

    It doesn’t matter how many are in your group; it could be one other person or four. Call up a few friends and send out emails, “Will you try something new with me?”

    Step 2. Time and place.

    Face time can’t be substituted. Choose one location and meet consistently, each week. Settle on the details and commit. Six weeks. No excuses.

    Respect everyone’s time. Everyone is busy. Make each other a priority.

    Step 3. Finalize your reading list.

    I’ve listed several books for you to use as a starting block. Recommended, but by no means required. If you have a book that has been especially influential to you, use that one instead.

    Sample book list:
    Linchpin
    Poke the Box workbook
    Superconnect
    Business Model Generation
    E Myth Revisited
    4 Hour Work Week
    Creatively Independent
    Make Your Idea Matter
    Host an unforgettable dinner party

    Step 4: Homework (Projects & Exercises):

    The activities suggested are designed to get you out of your comfort zone, inspire you, and reinforce what you’re reading. If you feel inclined to add your own twist, please do.

    Most importantly, set aside time to make writing a priority. I’ve listed a few prompts to encourage you and provide creative direction. Again, use what is helpful and improve what isn’t. Not everything will work for everyone.

    Week 1

    Reading: Bernadette Jiwa’s Make Your Idea Matter
    Project: Go find a journal that inspires you. Buy it from that indie book store you’ve always wanted to check out, look for something inspiring while you’re waiting in line, make it yourself.
    Writing exercise: Set your alarm for ten minutes. Choose one:

    • Imagine your dream life. Envision everything it entails. Now write. It doesn’t need to be complete sentences or thoughts, words are fine.
    • Ask questions. Write them down, every question you can think of. They don’t need to make sense. You don’t need to have the answers. Tangential is fine. Just ask.

    Discuss: What is the difference between dreaming and storytelling? Do you set aside time to create and dream? What stories do you tell yourself? To others?

    Week 2

    Reading: Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Work Week
    Project: Do something new this week. Cook dinner with veggies from the local market. Sign up for a class. Explore a new neighborhood. Get lost in a library.
    Writing exercise: If you could do anything, anywhere, what would it be?

    Discuss: How do you define work/life balance? Is a distinction necessary?

    Week 3

    Reading: Seth Godin’s Poke the Box workbook
    Project: Print out the workbook. Plan thirty minutes of uninterrupted time to complete.
    Writing exercise: Notice any areas of hesitation while you’re completing the workbook. Is there a particular topic that seems more challenging than others?

    Discuss: What obstacles stop you from shipping? How are you getting in your own way?

    Week 4

    Reading: Project Exponential’s Host an unforgettable dinner party
    Project: Schedule a lunch date or host a dinner party.
    Writing exercise: Set your alarm for ten minutes. Choose one:

    • What are the traits you most admire in others?  What are the traits you’re most proud of?
    • Assemble an imaginary Dream Team. You get five players. Who do you choose? What skills do they offer?

    Discuss: Talk about how teams are formed and what kind of environments contribute to their growth. What kind of people belong on your Dream Team? Who inspires you?

    Week 5

    Reading: Jess Pillmores’s Creatively Independent
    Project: Challenge yourself to write the first draft of your very own ebook.
    Writing exercise: Consider the uniqueness that you, and only you, bring to your work, your relationships, your family. What separates you from competition? What is that one trait that singles you out?

    Discuss: How do you stay inspired while working on a big [exhausting] project? What tricks and techniques have you found to be most helpful when setting big goals?

    Week 6

    Reading: E Myth Revisited and/or Business Model Generation
    Project: Brainstorm how you might turn $10 into $100.
    Writing exercise: Write out a sample business plan. What would you do if you had no excuses, no responsibilities? Journey back to the days of mowing lawns, selling lemonade, babysitting. What would change if today was your last day at your current job?

    Discuss: Would things be different if you consistently set aside time to write, dream, explore, learn?

  • It’s easy to hide

    We’re exposed now more than ever before.

    Our steps are easily trackable, our buying decisions traceable with the click of a mouse. We document our lives on film for our friends and the world to see. We post our professional accomplishments on open social networks. We look for validation and response from what we show the world, from names printed in magazines to recognition in the neighborhood coffee stop.

    Yet we can hide like never before.

    We have unlimited options to conceal our true identity, forsaking vulnerability and connection for a clean, manufactured image. With so many distractions for us to choose from, we can hide from ourselves, busying our focus from concentrating on things that matter and topics we know to be pertinent.

    Our priorities become lost to routine and inefficiency.

    It’s easier to distract ourselves than sit down and get to the real, gritty work.

    It’s easy to check email and Facebook regularly.
    It’s hard to focus on making big things happen.

    It’s easy to sprinkle business cards around a room.
    It’s hard to develop meaningful rapport.

    It’s easy to leave a meeting without speaking up.
    It’s difficult to put your ideas on the line.

    It’s easy to attend a party not having learned anyone’s name.
    It’s difficult to make intentional introductions.

    It’s easy to speak on a panel.
    It’s hard to create an experience that changes the way someone feels.

    It’s easy to manufacture the same item over and over again.
    It’s difficult to create a once-in-a-lifetime work of art.

    Seth Godin recently reminded me of questions I can’t afford not to answer:

    Is this making me uncomfortable, pushing me to grow? Or am I hiding?

    Each day we have a series of choices that, when combined, contribute to the story we tell ourselves and the world.

  • 3 tips to make your meeting count

    Tip #1: If you’re looking to connect meaningfully, place the other before you.

    Most successful people are busy people. They’ve carved time out of their day to meet with you. Time is a resource neither party can redeem after you’ve parted ways. Be considerate.

    After every meeting, thank each and every person for their contribution and time. A follow up thank you builds rapport and communicates respect, paving the way towards a meaningful connection. Your thank you also provides an opportunity to make sure your intent and needs have been clearly communicated.

    Tip #2: People cannot help you if they don’t know how.

    “I’m looking for a job” will quickly place you into a forgotten drawer of miscellaneous. However, confidently stating, “I’m looking to support locally owned restaurants with sustainable missions” positions you in a specific category, making your ask an easy recall. Guess who will be first in mind when any kind of opportunity in the health, wellness, hospitality, sustainable industries pops up? Be specific and know what you want. People generally want to see you succeed and will help if they know how.

    Tip #3: Jazzy Jane from Toledo is sitting by the cheese dip.

    Effective networking and memorable impressions go hand in hand. It’s like learning names. Create a colorful story when you first meet someone, and you’ll have an easier time asking them to pass the salad bowl.

    What characteristics separate you from the crowd? Practice telling your unique narrative to a friend. If you aren’t comfortable making your remarkable presence known, chances are high that you won’t during your meeting, either.

  • 14 tips to make your next conference worthwhile

    1. Ask if you can help.
    2. Better yet, email in advance and offer your services.
    3. Do your homework. Learn about the speaker, the attendees, the presentation.
    4. Don’t sit next to someone you know.
    5. Ask a question — everyone will know who you are.
    6. Ask only one question. Don’t be THAT guy.
    7. They are business cards, not playing cards. Distribute sparingly.
    8. Take advantage of the breaks. Chat with fellow attendees. Ask why they’re there.
    9. Organize a dinner and pass out invites during lunch.
    10. Hang out by the food table. Eat last.
    11. Don’t hound the speaker. Send an email three days later with something you learned.
    12. Stay an extra night after the conference ends. Set up coffee dates. Plan a sightseeing tour.
    13. Embrace the unexpected. Don’t over-schedule. Impulse and serendipity are good things.
    14. Graciousness and appreciation cannot be overstated.

  • Are you the first to the party?

    Most people are afraid to arrive early. They stall around and carefully consider the appropriate time to enter the room. Arriving before others places you in the category of looking too eager, bland, idle. And think of all that empty space you have to fill before other guests arrive—silence! awkwardness! preparation! look busy! smile!

    Yet these in-between moments are when great relationships are formed. The moments before the talk begins, the hours after the conference has ended, the off-campus lunch break.

    Show up early and offer help. You’ll be thanked, you’ll be the first to meet attendees, and you’ll establish familiarity with your surroundings before the rest show up.