Sometimes when you go to a business conference you walk away re-engergized and ready to transform your work and your life. Then you get back to the office and suddenly all those inspiring lessons vanish as you dive into your emails, to-do’s, and the inherent resistance to change. And that’s really unfortunate considering the investment in money and time you and your company made in sending you to the conference.
SOBcon Chicago was a month ago and I thought it would interesting to list the key lessons that actually did stick with me.
Skimming the surface isn’t going to help you change the world. You have to immerse yourself in your work to make a difference. The beauty of this is that if you love what you do, it isn’t really work, and becomes integrated into your life and who you are.
Sure, you can just focus on making piles of money; it’s not bad. But does that alone change the world and fulfill you? What magic do you offer that no one can? The magic that makes you irreplaceable?
How many businesses do you know that started out with such promise but lost their way in the pursuit of growth? It’s because they let go of their purpose. Set yours and revisit it as you grow. Make sure each new hire knows what it is and embraces it.
This was from Tim Storm of Fatwallet.com. Imagine how much productivity and loyalty companies would create if they treated their employees as guests? What a simple, yet powerful concept. And one few companies will embrace. But you can.
For every excuse there’s a positive. When you’re big, you’ve got deeper pockets. When you’re small, you’re more nimble. And when you’re back’s against the wall, you know there’s no one sneaking up behind you so hit the gas. This is the powerful concept Rick Turoczy delivered. I think about it every day.
There’s too much noise and clutter preventing us from listening to our second and third voices (internal/external). Silence helps us connect with our thoughts and find clarity. Try it for 30 minutes and note what surfaces.
It’s a key reason why I went to SOBcon and why you should too. It’s filled with really excellent people who care about each other. This has become my number one goal: seeking out people who inspire and push me to be a better person, and avoiding those whose mission is to pull you down to mediocrity.
This thought is from Steve Farber, and is a simple indicator to push you into action when you’re on the fence. Don’t over think it. Don’t let fear take hold of you. The fact that it scares you means you’re about to expand your world.
Few of us are lacking new ideas. Rather, we’re skipping from idea to idea without seeing many of them through, keeping us from achieving our goals, thinking the grass is greener. Take that step back and explore the ideas you already have written down. I bet there are some special nuggets there waiting to be brought to life. I know I have some in the very Moleskin I brought with me to SOBcon. I’m just as guilty as you for not executing.
Through his work, Les McKeown has uncovered the model and signs a business takes as it grows and dies. It doesn’t really matter what field you’re in, there are some remarkable steps to sustaining success and avoiding demise. I now view my work through a different lens.
Now if it were only that simple to execute on this!
Don’t let your thinking keep you from acting. It’s easy to think, and then think some more. I do this a lot. SOBcon was all about taking action. What actions are you putting off? What are you waiting for, really?
SOBcon was intent on stoking the fire within each of us and getting us off our dime. I’d heard it was a powerful event and decided this was the year to go. I was not at all disappointed. I look forward to building deeper relationships with many of the people I met there. This may also be a conference that I return to again. It’s that good.
SOBconNW is coming up this September. If you care about making a difference in your life and your work, you should really go.
Featured image courtesy of loswl licensed via Creative Commons.
Patrick Prothe is a marketing and social strategist leading teams focused on creating wow and delight in B2B technology. He gets excited about connecting dots and people. To fuel his creative drive he is an entrepreneur photographer currently working on a book on Oregon's historic coastal bridges.
My favorites were "rediscover silence" and :"how can I better understand the ideas I CURRENTLY have". I know all the beeps/pings/buzzes that go on in my personal office space can amp up my heart rate. Sometimes need to step away - or shut everything off - to "get your bearings" again!
Thanks, Patrick.
Fantastic take-aways, Patrick!
As you say in #1, if you really want to make a difference and do breakout work, you need to immerse yourself and go deeper. Easy solutions that may satisfy the basic requirements of the job are always at hand, but going further is so much more fulfilling. It may be ten times the work, but SO much more fulfilling (and better for our clients and companies we work for too!).
Thanks for the insights!
