Archive for: July, 2013

Visualizing Your Way To Changing How You Think & Work

A couple of weeks ago I interviewed John Caswell and Hazel Tiffany of Group Partners on How Visualization Provides Strategic Ways To Solve Business Challenges. This is a guest post by John Caswell.

In 2001 few people understood our work nor why visualization was so important in the business of transformation, change and strategy.

A lot of smart people didn’t even think it was an idea worth listening to.
But we were stubborn because we were passionate about visualization’s power to create meaning…

We’ve learned a lot since then – and we’re still stubborn – but people are wiser and more clued into the power of it.

As you read the stories below please don’t think we’re against words, we’re only against them being used to deceive and mislead. Please don’t think we have it in for numbers, only their soporific effect on those who don’t use them to do anything.

And don’t misunderstand either our use of the word visual. In our book it means using all the visual weaponry at our disposal – everything symbolic, diagrammatic, immersive and viewable that increases the transfer of meaning and purpose between us humans. Used in ways that engage and enlighten us.

How are you denying yourself of adding more value to your customer?

So, anytime a new service pops up, I jump on to experiment. Enter Fiverr, where you can find gigs/help starting at $5. Being that I’m looking to create a multifunction widget for my blog, I saw it as an opportunity to go to Fiverr and find someone who could do what I need for $5.

On Fiverr, I saw a dude who “sells himself” as a WordPress Guru. So, I thought he should know. Turns out he hasn’t even heard about https://websitehosting.com. But, if he’s a WordPress Guru, then he should know people who can do this specific job that I’m asking for. Right?

The best solution is to hire a team of knowledgeable professionals WordPress design services whose expertise in the platform allows them to adapt and modify your WordPress site to your individual design and technology needs quickly and efficiently.

Nope.

If you don’t like how things are done, tell a different story

If you don't like where you are going change your direction

A typical marketing and sales person recently asked me why I don’t place ads on my blog to generate additional revenue. Being that this blog gets between 6K – 9K visits/month, I’m in a very good position to do so (I have gotten requests from companies to place ads). But, I don’t want to place ads.

I simply don’t like advertising. And, generating revenue from ads is not a narrative I want to be a part of.

When he heard my response, he thought I was crazy. In his own words: that is not smart.

Innovation book review: The Innovation Expedition by @gijsvanwulfen

The innovation expedition Gijs Van WulfenThere are a multitude of innovation books that are either published or are going to be published with something along the lines of  “innovation lessons from ___fill in the blank with a famous person’s name___”.

These are typical books that provide tips and principles to follow. Nothing wrong with that, except that there are too many that come to the same conclusions. There are others though, that do present a different concept.

Gijs Van Wulfen sent me his newest book last month, I think it is very cool. Called “The Innovation Expedition: A Visual Toolkit to Start Innovation“, consist of a visual journey through Gijs FORTH Innovation method. Which is all about “How to get started with innovation effectively“.

My Disruptive Heroes Interview with @simpletonbill

Popular blogger and author of multiple best-selling books, Bill Jensen, nominated me as one of 50 Top Disruptive Experts. An elite group of Disruptive Heroes, that already includes Marissa Mayer, Guy Kawasaki, John Hagel and many others.

And, as part of his Disruptive Heroes series, a few week ago I was interviewed by Bill. At the end of this post, you’ll find the short video interview.

To provide you with some context, he asked me the following three questions:

Bamf! Nice try but you took us a step back with Mexico’s new brand identity

So, here is Mexico’s new brand identity. Personally, I don’t like it. The previous identity communicated much more of what Mexico is about. This one, while very clear and simple, does not. The video below is in Spanish, and, for the purpose of perception, that makes it a good test. Watch it, and ask yourself: Does it make me care?