Tom Asacker

Vita Sackville-West on growth

"Growth is exciting; growth is dynamic and alarming. Growth of the soul, growth of the mind."

Most static people, brands, etc. try to convince us that they have "it" (and we can feel it).  Most dynamic people, brands, etc. can't "be" (and they can feel it).

Static is under control.  Dynamic is out of control

Static is dependable. Dynamic is unpredictable.

Static is calming. Dynamic is scary.

Static is boring. Dynamic is exciting.

Static is appealing (over time). Dynamic is appealing (right now).

Static needs a drink.  Dynamic needs Prozac.

Dean Koontz on intellect

"Some people think only intellect counts: knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion and empathy."

I read an interesting post yesterday at Regina Miller's blog - HR's Brand New Experience. She wrote about a recent Sunday NY Times' job posting where applicants were instructed to "apply with a resume and cover letter including GPA and standardized test scores."

That's great! So long as their job has nothing to do with customers. Why? Well let's just say that I have my own mantra when it comes to marketing and selling in a world polluted by too many products, messages, and opinions. And it ain't "the smartest win!" It's empathize or die!

Customers today are like jittery and confused suicidal jumpers teetering on a rooftop ledge. Shout at them and they'll jump. Ignore them and they'll jump. Be a smug, wise ass and they'll jump. You must gently inhabit their minds by observing, listening, asking and imagining their desires, needs, and pains.

This ability to empathize with others is the key to developing that elusive, intuitive sense.  The one that allows you to create products, services, and solutions which connect deeply with customers. So if I were interviewing job candidates, I would look for that one trait above all else.

I would ask myself: Will this candidate care for my customers and make them feel valued? Will she be curious about their fears and concerns? Will she be passionate in her role as a helper? Will she display the excitement and energy needed to breakthrough their sedated minds? Will she put them at ease by communicating in a caring, convincing way? Will she respect their need to speak and express themselves? Will she value their time, desires, opinions, and concerns?

I don't have a formula or precise calculus (like the SAT's) for deriving the answer to those questions. But I wouldn't hire anyone unless my gut was completely satisfied that they have the passion and humility needed to remain both resolute and flexible. Static and dynamic (there it is again).

William James on reality

"There must always be a discrepancy between concepts and reality, because the former are static and discontinuous while the latter is dynamic and flowing."

One of the main systems of philosophy that James is best remembered for is pragmatism. The idea that the test of truth is its practicality or usefulness. In my new book I work hard to make clear that "brand" is a verb, not a noun. My hope is that businesspeople will embrace this new, pragmatic concept and invest their energy and money in the dynamic nature of their brand. The simpler days of brand as top of mind awareness are quickly coming to an end.

Everett McKinley Dirksen on life

"Life is not a static thing. The only people who do not change their minds are incompetents in asylums, who can't are those in cemeteries."

Can a static ad or web page also be dynamic? Did you just have a visceral reaction to the image on the left? Click this link for a few more funny splash pages: REBranding.

William James on life

"Knowledge about life is one thing; effective occupation of a place in life, with its dynamic currents passing through your being, is another."

Static and dynamic. I can't seem to get this way of looking at the world of business (and life) out of my head (see yesterday's post). Here are some random thoughts/distinctions. Tell me, am I way off?

Radio talk shows

- Static component (the known): A familiar voice, and views which just so happen to vaildate our own views.

- Dynamic component (the unknown): Who or what will be spotlighted (current news and popular culture), and how our host will spin it.

Note: Both static and dynamic qualities are ratcheting up as hosts become even more opinionated and polarizing.

Sports

- Static component (the known): My team (players, colors, stadium, etc.). The rules of the game. Nostalgia.

- Dynamic component (the unknown): The conflict (on and off field)!

Note: The steroid scandal diminished the static, yet enhanced the dynamic component. Net effect = zero.

TV shows

- Static component (the known): The cast. The format.

- Dynamic component (the unknown): The writing (story).

Note: The compelling dynamic component of Law & Order has blossomed into $1 billion of NBC's $3.8 billion in prime-time advertising revenues this year.

Blogs

- Static component (the known): The author(s). The format.

- Dynamic component (the unknown): The writing, discovery, learning, inspiration, new connections (via comments).

Note: Are there more dynamic components? How would you rank them in importance?

Relationships

Static component (the known): Familiarity. Predictability. Comfort. Trust.

Dynamic component (the unknown): Depends what moves you. True?

James Baldwin on action

"When a man asks himself what is meant by action he proves that he isn't a man of action. Action is a lack of balance. In order to act you must be somewhat insane. A reasonably sensible man is satisfied with thinking."

There's an interesting debate going on over at TP.com about a new book - The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (a Little) Craziness and (a Lot of) Success in America - and Tom Peters' consequent rants: "one more reason why I'm so at odds with Jim Collins' belief in the transformational power of 'quiet, humble, stoic' leaders," and "one more reason that I believe that survival-via-'gaspworthy'-innovation calls for a full house of 'out there' professionals."

Polarizing statements certainly make for great blog posts. It gets the collective juices - and comments - flowing. And that's what Peters' brand is primarily about: stimulating the debate. I write "primarily" because there are two sides to the Peters' brand. Peters' dynamic brand essence or quality is his ability to write or say something SO fresh and provocative that his audience takes notice. But don't be fooled. There is also a static quality that holds the Tom Peters brand together.

Every successful brand is a combination of static and dynamic. A brand that does not change cannot survive. But it also needs a quality of order, a stabilizing force to the dynamic component. Static is intellectual. Dynamic is experiential. Static embraces history. Dynamic embraces the unknown.  Static creates comfort. Dynamic compels attention. Static is the Jim Collins brand persona. Dynamic is Tom Peters.

A few years ago I was in New Orleans on business. I love that city. Perhaps it's because I have Cajun blood running through my veins. Anyway, I decided to grab a Po-boy in a rundown little shop in the French Quarter. As I stood alone waiting for someone to emerge from the back room and take my order, it hit me! A song. One I'd never heard before.

I watched as two girls danced from the back room to a tune so fantastically good that it stopped me in my tracks. I absorbed it. It stirred me. Days later, I remembered that experience vividly. I wondered what that song was. Then later it comes on the radio and I get that feeling again. That song had it! That dynamic quality that compels you.

What typically happens next? We rush to the store and buy it. We get home and play it. It's really good. We listen to it again. And again. And again. Eventually, we get tired of it. Has it lost its quality? No. It's still good. But it's a different good. The first good - that made us want to buy it - was the dynamic quality of the brand. A sort of surprise. It brought light to the darkness of mere being - to the static patterns of our life. The second good is static quality. Still good. We may even recommend it. But we've lost our enthusiasm for it.

Static quality is what you normally expect; e.g. a clean bathtub in your hotel room. Dynamic quality brings relief from the static patterns. It transcends the run of everyday experience; e.g. the warm slice of banana bread proffered soon after check-in at the The Royal Hawaiian on Waikiki Beach.

Yes, we need stability. But we also need the ability to seize on new outside ideas and experiences and bring them into our community - our brand - or we'll be too inflexible to survive. Static vs. dynamic. Sane vs. crazy. Yin vs. Yang. Red vs. Blue. It's all about the tension between the two forces.

More on static vs. dynamic tomorrow.

Frank Moore Colby on questions

"Clever people seem not to feel the natural pleasure of bewilderment, and are always answering questions when the chief relish in life is to go on asking them."

Bloggers appear to me to be a very clever bunch of people. ;)

Do you like quotes as much as I do? Here's one that I read on a tea bag: "Winners are like tea bags. They get stronger the longer they're in hot water." Read it again. Does that make any sense to you? Me either. The longer a tea bag stays in hot water, the weaker it gets. The water gets stronger, not the bag.

I've been in hot water. Often. And during those critical times of escalating temperature I discovered that it was critical to stay active and work my way out as soon as possible. If I didn't, I became hard-boiled. When it happens to you, forget about past mistakes and disappointments and focus instead on the now. Surround yourself with passionate, positive people. Set challenging goals with detailed plans and then go at it with gusto. Don't sit around and internalize. Externalize! Stir the place up with activities designed to create interaction with customers. Relish the questions. And I assure you that you'll find yourself rising to the top again, like cream.

And the minute you feel the passion for your business start to leave your blood, get out. By all means take some time to step away and assess the situation. But it shouldn’t take long. Simply answer these three questions:

1. Do I believe passionately in the value that my business provides to people?

2. Do the people I work with believe passionately in me?

3. Do I believe passionately in myself?

If you answered “No” to any of those questions, I’d humbly suggest that it’s time for you to move on to something new. Listen to your heart. You’ll never be truly successful or fulfilled without the passionate belief in all three.

Tina Fey of beer

"In a study, scientists report that drinking beer can be good for the liver. I'm sorry, did I say 'scientists'? I meant 'Irish people.'"

In the true spirit of renewal that is Saint Patrick's Day, I implore you to get out of your office and sing and dance! You're alive! Be alive!

Here are a few traditional Irish blessings to bring along with you, along with some useless trivia:

* Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter; Lullabies, dreams and love ever after. Poems and songs with pipes and drums; A thousand welcomes when anyone comes.

* May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go and guide you in whatever you do - and may his loving protection be a blessing to you always.

* May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields and, Until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

* Irish coffee is a beverage made with hot, sweetened coffee and Irish whiskey (made from barley), topped with whipped cream. Alternate versions contain Irish Cream or other forms of alcohol.

* Ireland was more of a scheduled destination than an "accident" for Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan. After the Department of Commerce refused him permission to fly across the Atlantic due to the poor condition of his second-hand, single-engine Curtiss, he took matters into his own hand. He left New York in 1938 with a full fuel tank, claiming his destination was California. He "mistakenly" headed east, and 29 hours later, landed outside of Dublin. He returned to America a hero.

* The national anthem of the Confederate States of America was based on an Irish tune. No, it wasn't "Dixie," but rather "The Bonnie Blue Flag." The words were written by Harry McCarthy (later revised by Annie Chambers-Ketchum) and put to the music of "The Irish Jaunting Cart."

* Irish moss isn't a moss at all, but a red alga plant. Also called carrageen after a village in southeast Ireland, the edible seaweed is the source of a gelatinous substance used for various commercial and industrial purposes.

* The upcoming Easter holiday is of particular importance to the Irish. On Easter Monday, April 18, 1949, the country officially became the sovereign state known as the Republic of Ireland.

* Two of Ireland's most famous 20th century writers are also two of the most difficult for readers to interpret; Samuel Beckett and James Joyce. Try to tackle "Finnegans Wake" as a before-bed read and see what we mean.

* Experts believe that the Irish Setter developed from a mix that included the English and Gordon Setters as well as the Irish Water Spaniel, Irish Terrier, and Pointer. The three types of Setters (English, Gordon and Irish) aren't divisions of the same breed, but are each considered distinct breeds. The first "solid red" Irish Setters were bred in the early 19th century. In 2004, the Irish was the highest-ranking Setter on the AKC registration list at #64.

Socrates on life

"Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued"

There are really only two types of customers. There's the customer at the end of the money chain who's really only interested in one thing: getting a better life. And there's the other buyer located somewhere in the money chain who, being associated with some commercial enterprise, is also really only interested in one thing: getting and keeping customers.

So either way the winners of the game of commerce get more customers and, being customers themselves, get a better life. So what? So if you market directly to the consumer, focus unceasingly on giving them a better life, however they define it. If, on the other hand, you sell to people other than the consumer, you must concentrate on how you can help them get and keep more customers.  And if you do it better than your competitors, perhaps you'll get a better life too.

Totie Fields on dieting

"I've been on a diet for two weeks and all I've lost is fourteen days."

Which got me thinking about our information diets. I've come to the conclusion that too much information may create weakeness in business, not strength. It may do nothing more than chew up valuable face time with customers, as well as idea generation and implementation time. Also, too much information scanning on a narrow subject matter (like business) may train ones vision, so that when you look up at the broad landscape of people's lives, things appear blurry (e.g. customers look like targets).

I suppose the question regarding today's obvious abundance of information is not how much, but how to consume. Our information diets should be like our food diets . . . balanced. We should eat in moderation, get all of the essential food groups (a broad sampling), and exercise regularly (turn insights into action). That should help keep our businesses alive and healthy for years.