different or alike?

One of my favorite weekly newsletters is written by Roy Williams of Wizard of Ads fame. If you are in sales and marketing and don't subscribe to the MondayMorningMemo, I highly recommend it. But this week's edition has life application beyond any advertising campaign you might be developing.

I think Mr. Williams' message has insight on how we interpret and present ourselves to the world as individuals - not just for businesses. His question of whether to "differentiate" or "conform" can be used to to evaluate how we see and relate to others. In other words - how we get along with those around us. The person who insists on always being different and "special" might take heed that there is a cost of not fitting in. The person who always conforms to his or her surroundings might be reminded that each of us have a uniqueness accompanied by gifts that are meant to season the world around us.

But I'll let the true Wizard speak from his observations as an advertiser.

Differentiate or Conform?

Chronic problems in business are usually the result of binary thinking. “It’s either this way or that way. It can’t be both.”

Strangely, the answer is almost always “both.”

“Should I try to attract the price-driven (transactional) customer, or should I go for the (relational) customer who cares about something other than price?”

Both. Create and schedule ads that speak convincingly to the question of price. Create and schedule other ads that speak of important matters beyond price. Just don’t try to do both in the same ad.

“Should I manage with strict policies, procedures, methods and systems, or should I empower my employees to make decisions on their own?”

Both. Systematize the 90 percent of your company’s activities that are recurrent so that your employees have the freedom to humanize and customize the 10 percent of your activities that are ever-changing and unusual. A company without freedoms is a sweatshop. A company without policies, procedures, methods and systems is a country club for unproductive employees.

“Should I promote an exclusive brand and risk the manufacturer betraying me by allowing my competitor to sell that brand for which I’ve created all the demand, or should I create my own in-house brand so that I can remain in control of it?”

Both. You need the credibility of established brands to lend strength to the new brand you will introduce. Advertise both, but never in the same ad.

“Won’t this make me seem unfocused?”

No. You must get on board with proven procedures. You must also do your own thing and go your own direction. It’s not only possible that you do both, it is essential.

Mechanics across Europe began building cars in 1886 and each time they built a car it was different. More than 2,000 different garages built and sold cars one-at-a-time before Henry Ford’s 1913 introduction of the first moving assembly line employing conveyor belts. Henry popularized the concept of interchangeable parts. It was efficient. It also made him the richest man in the world. By 1923 Henry Ford was personally earning $264,000 a day. He was declared a billionaire by the Associated Press.

More than 17,000,000 Model T’s rolled off Henry’s assembly line and you could have any color you wanted as long as it was black. The inefficiency of building cars one-at-a-time forced the other 2,000 garages to sell their cars at about $2,500 apiece while the price of a reliable, new Model T was only $849.

Soon the other carmakers got on board and America became an automotive Wonderland.

But we always take a good thing too far. Fifty years later, General Motors decided to take this idea to the next level. “Instead of designing 5 different brands each year and retooling our machinery to build Chevrolets, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs, why not just put a different interior package and grille and taillights in the same, basic car and sell that car under 5 different names?”

A Chevy Cavalier is a Pontiac Sunbird is an Oldsmobile Firenza is a Buick Skyhawk is a Cadillac Cimarron.

A Chevy Nova is a Pontiac Ventura is an Oldsmobile Omega is a Buick Apollo is a Cadillac Seville.

A Chevy Caprice is a Pontiac Catalina is an Olds 98 is a Buick Electra is a Cadillac DeVille.

On the surface, this looks like exactly the same idea that made Henry Ford rich. The problem with the “platform engineering” introduced by GM in the late 1970s is that it eroded the distinctiveness of their brands. Two decades later GM was forced to close Oldsmobile and a few years after that, Pontiac fell as well. Analysts speculate whether Buick or Cadillac will be next.

Conformity is essential or you will not be efficient. Differentiation is essential or you will not be special.

the necessary compulsion of excercise

On Saturday morning I take off on my bicycle with a couple thousand of my closest friends - including Lance Armstrong and some of his Team RadioShack teammates - on the Harpeth River Ride. I am doing the 62-mile course with mixed emotions. (Not sure how far Lance is riding or what his emotional state is.)

On one hand I love riding my bike and I see the benefit - or more accurately the necessity - of riding to get in better shape (another way of saying, "need to lose 20 pounds ... again"). On the other hand, after a long winter hibernation and then an early spring surgery, I'm not in the best shape of my life, a condition that both motivates and discourages the obvious cure. So I know full well that not all of the 62 miles promise to be fun. In the short time I've had to get ready for this modest ride I've discovered that after about 25 miles the gentle rolling hills of Middle Tennessee are not always so gentle.

I was sifting through some excerpts from Albert Schweitzer's Africa Notebooks and stumbled on this relevant observation the great missionary and humanitarian made as he conversed with the natives of Africa. They were curious as to the differences between themselves and the people of Europe where Schweitzer was born.

So I go on to tell them that in Europe people row for pleasure, a statement followed by uncontrollable laughter. ... I don't attempt to make clear to them what sport is. The conditions under which they live in so many ways compel them to use their physical forces and take exercise to a greater extent than they like, that they cannot understand at all how people can do so except under compulsion.

We may have a choice whether to exercise or not, but in our corner of the world where food is abundant and many of us ply a trade that is sedentary, it's not surprising we put on jogging shoes or head to the gym or hop on a bike under a certain compulsion, too.

So will I ride for pleasure or compulsion on Saturday? I'm telling myself it is for pleasure. But halfway through I may not be able to fool myself any longer. As is so often the case in life, the answer is a definite and resounding, yes.

lessons after a loss

On January 12,2011, the bus carrying the Mount Union College wrestling team hit a snow plow while driving in wintery conditions. Thankfully no students were seriously hurt though there were a few minor injuries ... but tragically the team trainer was killed.

A friend who grew up with the Mount Union coach, Mark Hawald, forwarded the following public email that he sent out to his contact list. Even if you know nothing about amateur wrestling and aren't particularly into sports, he has distilled some incredible lessons when faced with a loss, big or small. Hope you are able to glean and apply some truths from this email as you say a prayer for all those intimately connected with the tragedy.

The experience the Mount Union Wrestling Family went through Tuesday night was something I hope no other coach ever has deal with.  On the way home from a dual meet, our team’s bus was involved in an accident which took the life of our trainer and friend, Dan Gorman.  My assistant coach suffered a broken wrist, and thankfully there were no other injuries.
 
This has been a difficult and confusing time for both my team and me.   Dan was more than a trainer to us.  He was like our fifth coach.  He attended all of our practices and home meets, and some of our away meets.  Dan was a mentor to me and my wrestlers and always had advice on how to be a better person, so I want to use this experience as Dan would, as a way to help others grow and improve their own lives.  I hope I can pass on what I have learned to others and that they will not have to experience anything like this to learn such valuable lessons.
 
I have learned to better appreciate the people who deserve my appreciation.  I thought Dan was an amazing trainer.  I often referred to him as “the smartest person I know.”  His mat side diagnosis was usually the same as the one given by a specialist weeks later after looking an X-Ray or MRI.  Beyond his profession, Dan provided incredible life lessons and insight to anyone who was willing to listen.  He made my job as a coach easier because I knew that my wrestlers would become better people after spending just a few minutes with him.  I appreciated Dan for everything he did for this team, but I don’t know how clear I made that to him.  As my wrestlers discussed winning a conference title to honor Dan, I interrupted and said the best way to honor Dan is to model ourselves after him and become better people.  We need to better appreciate the people who deserve our appreciation, let them know how much they mean to us, say thank you for the impact they have made on our lives, and try to be the Dan Gorman is someone else’s life.
 
I have learned that the rewards of wrestling do not always show on the mat.  Tuesday was the worst moment in my coaching career, but also my proudest.  I often leave practice frustrated.  If my guys don’t work as hard as they should or can’t figure something out I ask myself what am I doing wrong as a coach or what is wrong with my guys that they are not doing exactly what they should.  I learned Tuesday night that I have succeeded as a coach and that my wrestlers are exactly the men that I want them to be.  When faced with a crisis, these young men were true champions.  The lessons they have learned from this sport were apparent on Tuesday night.  We had a goal to save our dear friend.  They worked together and did everything they could.  Everyone played an important role.  Those with “medical” experience immediately put their attention on Dan, some ventured out into the cold to set up flares, waive down vehicles, and assess the situation of the bus, some comforted the girls (our managers) who were shook up from the accident, and the rest gathered close to stay warm and started praying.  I hope other coaches too will learn that although our guy does not always get his hand raised, we are playing a crucial role in developing real-world champions.
 
I have learned is that the brotherhood known as wrestling is the one of the strongest, most dependable, and most honorable groups of individuals on this planet.  The support that this team has received has been unbelievable.  I have received support from across the state and across the country.  From high schools and colleges.  From all divisions.  Our biggest competitors have become our biggest supporters.  I lost count early yesterday of how many programs have extended their support.  I have seen the worst situation bring out the absolute best in people.  We decided to still hold our tournament we had scheduled for Sunday at the request of Dan’s wife.  She said that carrying on our lives and acting no different is what Dan would have wanted.  I have had multiple coaches tell me that they would be willing to run the tournament or provide other help.  Words cannot express what this support means to the team and to me.  Wrestlers who quit my team for whatever reason, were waiting for us when we returned to campus to offer their support.  I hope that people reading this will not wait for the worst situation to bring out their best.
 
I hope this message can be valuable to anyone who has suffered any type of loss and that in sharing this message, others can grow from this as the members of my team have and continue to.
 
Lastly, here are a few specific messages to different groups involved in our sport…
 
WRESTLING PARENTS
Your children are in the hands of the finest men on the planet.  Every coach I know in this sport is a great man and will do anything for your son.  Wrestling coaches will try to make a better wrestler, but will definitely make a better man.

WRESTLERS
Cherish every moment you have in this sport.  You have chosen to surround yourself among the greatest peers in your teammates and the greatest role models in your coaches.  Practice is tough.  Cutting weight is tough.  Losing is tough.  But so is life.  What you learn in this sport will be the most valuable lessons you will learn in life.

COACHES
As we waited for the emergency crew to arrive, I was holding blankets over Dan and rubbing his arms trying to keep him warm.  While our student trainer was trying to get him back, I started talking to Dan.  I was saying “Stay tough” and “You can do this” and “Dig Deep” and other things like that.  I caught myself and realized that these were the same things I say to my wrestlers when times get tough in a match or at practice.  I was looking forward to having a good laugh about it with Dan and my team when he would make his return.  I will not have the opportunity to have this reunion, but this did make me realize that in a crisis situation, I fell back on the wrestling coach that I am.  This situation has taught me that our value to these young men is greater than I could have ever imagined.  Don’t forget who you are and the impact you have on so many people’s lives.

Merry Christmas 2010!

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why I bought the Kindle instead of the iPad

I have been in the publishing industry for almost 30 years now. Everyone knows that electronic production and delivery will shape the future of the book publishing industry - and most suspect that the future is now. So that's the main reason I finally bought an ebook reader - to be less technologically behind in the work that provides room and board for the family. If you're going to consider yourself an active member of the "long form" publishing world, better at least be aware of the mechanics - or electronics - of the digital book experience, I figured.

The final nudge I needed to order the Kindle was an impending trip to China last month. Anticipating 18 hours in the air each way, I wanted to make sure I had plenty to read without packing a stowage trunk. Sure enough, the Kindle worked like a charm on that trip. I downloaded four or five books at New York's JFK Airport, boarded the plane, ate dinner, watched a movie, and then fired up a book I've been wanting to read. I was sleeping like a baby in fifteen minutes. It felt like home! (And yes, I did finish the book and two others while flying over the Pacific Ocean.)

After I told an author friend why I bought the Kindle, they let me know they were more interested in why it took me so long.  Good question. Frankly, I've not been sold on buying an ebook reader in general, and the Kindle in particular, until now. I do like the feel of paper and ink bound inside a paper or board cover - but that's not what really held me back.

We all know that technological improvements take place so fast that version 2.0 of the newest gadget follows 1.0 by weeks, not months or years. I'm not a late adopter of new technology, but on the other hand, I don't want to be the one purchasing 1.0 at twice the price of 2.0, which will undoubtedly have more features and less problems.

So I waited for multiple powerhouse companies to launch new readers and for three million of my good friends to buy the first two iterations of the Kindle before I jumped in on the third wave.

But then came the next question from my author friend: why the Kindle over the iPad? It is hard to beat Apple for sleek and cool and seamless usability. And the iPad was all over the news and just about to sell its one millionth unit within months of its release when I bought the Kindle.

So here are my reasons for buying the Kindle over the iPad. (Perhaps I'll take up the question of why I chose it over the Sony Reader and Barnes & Noble Nook at a later time.)

1. I read books and there are approximately seven times more books available through Amazon's Kindle Store than are available for the iPad. The gap will close but is still significant.

2.  The i-Pad costs three to four times more than the Kindle. I'm not saying the i-Pad isn't worth it. It looks to me like the iPad is the future of laptop computing and style. Apple and others will come up with a next generation device that is a cross between the laptop and the iPad, which will replace what I use now. But I don't need all the extra computing and bells and whistles that come with it. I've already got a MacBookPro. I just need a book reader. It isn't lost on me that most people I see with the iPad on airplanes aren't reading books, though to be fair, it looks like the magazine reading experience is much better than it would be with the Kindle. But the iPad users I see are more often watching a movie or playing a game, not reading a book. And as a confession, I get distracted easily enough in life. When I want to read a book, less is absolutely more.

3. The electronic type on the Kindle has now reached the same level of readability (and lack of eye strain) as the paper and ink book. When I took the Kindle out of the box I assumed there was a protective plastic film with a picture of a tree covering my screen. The saturation level of electronic ink was so rich and brilliant that I was surprised to discover it was the actual screen. (I'm glad I didn't give in to my impulse to grab a sharp object to lift an end of the "film" so I could remove it from the screen.)

4. The size of the Kindle is just about perfect for carrying in a briefcase or purse - though I wouldn't know firsthand on the purse - and the iPad is just a little too large as an "extra" device. As mentioned above, I don't think the Kindle can compete with the iPad on reading larger visual publications (and certainly not playing games or watching movies). And it's not just due to the smaller size. The Kindle is strictly black on white. So if I was in a different area of publishing - like fashion media or nature photography - I would undoubtedly purchase the iPad.

5.  I also picked the Kindle because I can now use it to carry and read my own documents. This is not really a reason I picked it over the iPad because that is not and never has been a limitation for the Apple device. Let's just say that Amazon fixed something that they got wrong in earlier editions of the Kindle. Because it is a proprietary device tied to the Amazon Store, it used to be if you wanted to read a non-commercial-book document on the Kindle, you had to figure out how to upload it to the store and buy it from yourself there. I know one of the Big Five publishers bought all their employees the Sony Reader for this very reason - there were no limits on putting your own material on your reading device. The publisher wanted associates to experience an ebook reader and distribute company material on it. That was too tough - and expensive - on the Kindle. Maybe a better of way of making this point is to say that Amazon removed a reason I had previously been resistent to buying their Kindle. I'm going to fly to Orlando later today. I want to review a manuscript I prepared for the meeting. Now all I do is convert it to a pdf and email it to my Kindle email address that they assigned to me when I bought the device. The document will be waiting for me on my Kindle in about a minute.

Those were my reasons for buying a Kindle. They may not work for you.

So who should buy the Kindle? Simple. Book readers. I don't think it's going to a good purchase for people who want to read books instead of playing games but need a little extra motivation. But the iPad is obviously - and for more reasons based on around multi-use distractions - not going to do that either.

The early book publishing industry statistics say that book readers buy and read more books once they have an ereader. Why? There are no space-time limitations of having to drive to a brick and mortar establishment during open hours to pick up something that is on your mind right now. Just read a good review on your flight magazine? You can purchase the book in about 30 seconds once you land at O'Hare or Hartsfield, even if your connection is tight. (It should be noted that buying a book on a Kindle is not as pleasant as sipping a cup of coffee while strolling through rows of bookshelves at a bookstore - and will never replace that.)

As a final comment, Amazon offers a lot of public domain books for free at the Kindle Store. I was about to board a plane last week when suddenly a story from my childhood popped into my mind: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I looked it up and found a free edition, which I immediately "bought." It was waiting for me when I took my seat. I read the opening chapters and was flooded with a sense of nostalgia - right after I woke up from my nap. Just like being at home!

Oh, Say Can Ye Sing - a Modest Proposal

College football begins tomorrow. The NFL opens the following weekend. My son Zachary has already played in two high school football games. The dog days of summer are over. Baseball, America's pastime, might still be in full swing - but now is when America's passion kicks off! (I've been flagged for excessive gratuitous sports-related puns!)

But whatever sport floats your boat, I do have a modest proposal; one I've been meaning to address for some time. In fact the seed for this proposal was quite possibly planted in my mind on July 25, 1990.

Where were you on that date?

Doesn't matter. You remember it. Even if you don't remember that you remember it yet. That was the inglorious day that comedienne Roseanne Barr screeched out the National Anthem at a San Diego Padres baseball game. Her irreverent rendition of the Star Spangled Banner set off a firestorm of criticism that plummeted her popularity as a person while her television career continued to soar to new ratings heights. What's the saying? There's no such thing as bad publicity - even if it is off key and boorish.

My proposal really doesn't have much to do with Roseanne other than the fact that she is just one of hundreds and thousands and hundreds of thousands of individuals who have been asked to perform the National Anthem before a sporting event.

My question is this: whatever happened to someone standing up and leading the whole crowd in singing it together? Have we become so passive and lazy that even the National Anthem is strictly a spectator sport? Have we been turned off to group singing forever just because international soccer fans sing "Ole, Ole, Ole" over and over - and in South Africa they do so accompanied by that horrible device of otic torture known as the vuvuzela?

I occasionally take matters into my own hands - or my own vocal cords - and sing along with the performer, even if not invited or encouraged. But there are two problems with that.

First, performers like to ... well, perform. They like to show what they've got talent-wise. After all, America has talent according to Englishwoman Sharon Osbourne - and after allowing husband Ozzy to perform "Take Me Out to the Ballpark" at Wrigley Field, she would know. But I digress. My point is that a simple, recognizable, minimalist approach to the National Anthem doesn't showcase a performer's talent. That means performers select elaborate arrangements with pauses and holds and undulating flights from one octave to another - and often with less than stellar results. But again, I'm not concerned with the results of the performer. I just know I can't follow along if it's the first time I've heard the tune.

The second problem is that I'm not a very good singer. Some would say I make Roseanne sound pretty darn good. If I'm one of ten thousand singing in Section 3, it's no big biggie. If I'm the only one from Section 3 singing along with the performer, well then, Houston, we've got a problem.

I think the whole crowd should be encouraged to sing along with our National Anthem.

So I make my appeal to high school band instructors, college athletic directors, pro sports producers, and church softball league commissioners to move away from a performance-based approach to the Star Spangled Banner - though I know there are rare breakthrough performances of the National Anthem that launch careers (though I can't remember whose).  But between bad acoustics and the general apathy of those not included in the exercise, most of us can't remember who performed  before the coin flip at last year's Super Bowl (and maybe not after the coin flip either), while we can all remember singing "Living On a Prayer" with everyone else in the room the first time we saw Jon Bon Jovi on a Duracel commercial. Heck, he even pointed the microphone in our direction, which ironically made us sing even louder.

So next time the Vienna Boys Choir is called upon to sing the Star Spangled Banner in an acapella soprano voice that would make opera star Kiri Te Kanawa wish she could hit the high notes, nudge the person on your left and on your right to lift their voices loud and strong with you in an attempt to inspire the whole crowd to sing along.

If that doesn't work, maybe you can start the wave.