May 7, 2012

10 “Get Dirty” Rules For Success

Success. Achieve your goals. Hit your targets. Nail your objectives. Achieving anything substantial in my experience is an ugly matter. Rarely do things go as originally planned. Stuff happens as they say. The unpredictable rears it’s head. You have to scramble to get back on track. People sometimes don’t cooperate with you or keep their promises to you. It’s messy.

A Dirty Affair, really, this achievement thing. The reality is, though, if you are NOT prepared to get Dirty, chances are you won’t reach your desired destination.

What does “Get Dirty” look like?

1. Make FAST decisions.
2. Have Plan “B” ready-to-go.
3. Embrace Imperfection. Live it.
4. Do it. Try it. Fix it.
5. Work late hours.
6. Work outside your Comfort Zone. If you’re not uncomfortable you are playing it too safe and are likely to be called Mr Clean.
7. Bend the Rules that prevent you from getting it done. Find someone who will protect your back.
8. Do what needs to be done. Forget the Job Description and formal position responsibilities.
9. Eat lots of burgers and fries. Fast food fits your personal And you need all the “Comfy” food you can get.
10. Make mistakes. Lots of ‘em BUT make sure you learn something from each and every one of them.

Clean hands typifies someone who conjures up pristine theoretical solutions but has difficulty delivering.

Dirty hands, on the other hand, describes the practical person who is prepared to dive into the Grunge to deliver.

Want to succeed? Take a look at your hands.

Cheers,
Roy
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Posted 5.7.12 at 03:44 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 5, 2012

Saturday - What if You Could Only Do Three Things?

Let the Numbers Speak
Cruising With The ONLY
The Silver Bullet for Leaders
Successful organizations are brilliant at focusing on the critical few things they need to get done right. They don’t get caught up chasing possibilities. There are many things you COULD do (are fun and comfortable) but there are usually only a handful of things that really matter to your success.

Roy’s Rule of Three states that people can only really do three things well at the same time (ok maybe four but NOT ten).

Here are three things that I have found REALLY MATTER if you are challenged with limited resources and time which is ALL of you.

Rule #1 - BE mindlessly focused on your Fans. Know who they are. What they desire. Ask them to get involved in your business. Ask them for advice. Treat them special. Help connect them with each other and with you. NEVER offer a deal to a non-fan and not offer the best deal to a Fan. Your success is a function of how well you treat people who are loyal to you. Take care of them and they will return the favor.

Rule #2 - BE the ONLY ones who do what you do. If your business doesn’t have an ONLY Statement, you don’t have a competitive position. And you will be indistinguishable from the Herd. And you will be invisible. And you won’t attract business. And you will die. It’s a tough job, but spend whatever time it takes to build your ONLY: “We are the ONLY ones that….”. Pure uniqueness in the market gets rewarded. A member of the faceless Herd does not.

Rule #3 - Create VALUE for your Fans and be more than a product play. Flogging products is what the Herd does. Competing on product features is what they do. Offering discounted prices. Copying Best of Breed (the best cow is still a cow, right?).

Change the Rules of Engagement. Break out of the Herd. Create stuff that delights people. Leaves them breathless. Excites them. Surprises them. Makes them happy. Honors them. When you illicit these feelings you have created VALUE For them. Package stuff together with a single Value Proposition: you’re not in the moving business; you “Move Lives” and you could bring together many services under that umbrella.

The point is: look for the impact your product has on people. Don’t simply push the technology or narrow features.

There you go. Three things, that if you started working on, will make a difference.
FOCUS ON YOUR FANS
BUILD YOUR ONLY STATEMENT
CREATE VALUE
Have a go.

Cheers,
Roy


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Posted 5.5.12 at 04:40 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 2, 2012

Guest Blog - Frankly Speaking / Being Different or Being Bland

Being Different or Being Bland
Are There Benefits to Playing and Being Nice?
Time to Reboot Your Passion
Do You Have the Guts to do What it Takes?
What Keeps You up at Night?
Are You Staring at a Blank Canvass?
The Power in Saying Hello
Another Brilliant Article from Frank Palmer to his team at DDB. Words of Wisdom…

“Bland is just another word for being boring.

Usually when we talk about something that’s bland, it’s a food, but it can also be a company that has no special or unique qualities. It’s company that has no features, displays no excitement, has no opinions or special character. Bland can also describe a person that’s boring and has very little taste.

Why is Apple a exciting brand and most others in the same category are bland or dull? Apple is a brand that all others follow. So what makes a company or a person stand out from the crowd? Apple’s slogan maybe says it all?  Think Different.

Think Different says a lot to me. It means standing out from the crowd or going the extra mile. For a person who wishes to get ahead the same thing applies.You need to stand out from the crowd and you need to go the extra mile. It’s about living your best and being your best. It also means embracing your individuality and trusting that your choices are the best ones. You need to always be projecting that you are confident about yourself.

Remember that you are also a brand and start thinking of yourself as a business.

For example: DDB as a company must always focus on positioning ourselves as a business that has the best solutions for our clients requirements. We need to remember that we are there to service their needs, issues, challenges and future success. We must always be seen as the leader in the field, on the cutting /leading edge and on top of all the current trends. We are moving a warp speed and not being seen as the leading brand, we become like all the others as being bland. I think that 99% of businesses today are bland, boring, blah where everything has become a commodity.

Fortunately we are all working in one of the most exciting industries around. We have the freedom to create, imagine, innovate and think outside the box. Our biggest bank asset is in our value to think. Our mission is to being seen as a company that’s seen as extraordinary. A company that doesn’t fit into the bland mould because we are our own individual unique mould.

Different and Unique. Same rules apply to you!

Maybe your slogan should be: Doing things differently. Standing out from the crowd means that you take action while everyone else stands back. Standing out is doing what you say you’ll do and then do it. My question to you is, do you want to stand out or are you comfortable being bland? Or do you want to be seen as exciting, compelling and intriguing?

It’s your choice.

Frank”

Posted 5.2.12 at 05:00 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 30, 2012

What’s your BE DiFFERENT IQ?

I have often said there is no Silver Bullet to BE DiFFERENT. No single thing you can do that will vault you to a relevant and unique VALUE provider. No one act that will bring you into focus and separate you from the Faceless Herd.

The BE DiFFERENT journey, rather, is about doing a lot of the right things. The LITTLE things that are really “uncommon sense” (if it were common sense you would think more organizations would be doing them!)

My work is pretty basic. Simple. Uncommon sense. I have discovered and successfully implemented Practices that DO propel an organization to make a GaSPWORTHY and commanding competitive position in their markets.

People come up to me after a Seminar or Workshop and comment how straightforward my stuff is and how refreshing it is to have a Business Leader like me get down to ground zero tactics that actually work.
Makes my day.

What is your IQ on the things that need to be out in place to BE DiFFERENT?

Take my QUIZ to learn where you think you are on the Journey. 40 Questions dealing with key Practices that define the Milestones along the way. An opportunity to sort out where to focus your priority to expedite your progress.

The QUIZ promotes honesty. Take in a private place where “no one is watching”. Be brutal with your answers. Only then will you be able to make productive moves.

Take the QUIZ with your team. Use the process to build a broader honest view of where you are. And be prepared for team spirit to soar.

Just do it - Begin - Stay focused - Execute - Endure the pain - Enjoy the success - Reap the rewards.

Cheers,
Roy
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Posted 4.30.12 at 05:31 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (0)