“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.”

A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

We all seem to have that instinctive thought, the same feeling as Edward Bear that there has to be a better way. When I’m standing in line at the DMV for 45 minutes, on hold with the phone company with the fourth representative…you bet I’m thinking there has to be a better way. Yet, I still stand in line, stay on hold and in essence keep bump, bump, bumping along.

And as a result, I have been asking myself how we can challenge ourselves (as an industry, society, culture) to walk down the stairs instead of bumping along to avoid the headache that Edward Bear has?

Take the time to explore.

Explore new options to solve problems, explore new problems that need to be solved, JUST EXPLORE. The best part about exploring is that you don’t have an end destination and end up somewhere you never knew existed. Some might define exploring as another way of “getting lost”, but when was the last time you got lost and didn’t learn something new?

Help turn bump, bump, bumping into…upright movement.

Last week was a great week.

It ended with the best couple of days I’ve had in Greenvegas in a long while. I had the honor of being the “official timer” at the first ever TEDx Greenville. (And for the record, even though it was threatened — I never got officially fired.)

I sat backstage and chatted with some of THE most amazing people on the planet. Seriously, it was truly the best seat in the house. I have this theory that all of us are a bit vunerable right before we go on stage. No matter how much we like or dislike the spotlight. It was so interesting to see that and then see these amazing people take a deep breath, step onstage and watch their passion and stories blossom from their hearts.

I was just in absolute awe of the talent, the greatness in everyone around me that day.

The presenters, the planning committee, the attendees. Each and every person there had a remarkable story to tell.

And it was funny. Surrounded by all that inspiration, it was as if we were all seeing the potential of each other with eyes wide open. It was hard to ignore.

You know, I think we are all guilty of going through the motions of life sometimes, doing just what is expected of us. We need experiences and surprising connections to others that shake us up, and wake us up.

Hard to explain in words really.

I’ll let you know when the videos go up so you can check them out for yourselves. Believe me, there were some ideas worth spreading at this event. And I’ll do a post or two — or ten — about the lessons I learned in that one single day.

Last but not least, I promise to do a post about the experience I had with some of the TEDx presenters and attendees at the BMW Performance Center on Saturday morning. That place is amazing.

So lots to talk about. Just need to organize it all in the coming weeks.

When I finally took a moment of stillness on Saturday afternoon, I came in the office and found this piece of paper.

Funny how things like this just show up in my life.

Anyway after a bit of poking around yesterday, I discovered they were Cordell’s wise words. And I want to share. Enjoy.

“The capacity for greatness is seeded in each of us. The journey to discovering starts with understanding that your greatness is yours alone. For too often we look out at the world and we see others greatness as the greatness we want. In doing so, we limit ourselves and far too often fall way short.

For some greatness is something they feel unworthy of. Maybe even fear the embarrassment of their own unique greatness because it feels out of sync, peculiar or taboo.

For others the enemy of greatness is good. We reach good and we give up on great. Maybe we decide good enough is good enough. Maybe we get scared the chance at greatness isn’t worth that chance of losing what’s good. But whatever barriers exist, exist only in our hearts and mind. The world is always ready for the next thing. All we have to do is own our greatness and let it shine…”

Hmmmm.

Let your greatness show this day. Come on. The world is waiting…

Brains On Fire has a new client—Capital Communications Federal Credit Union in Albany, NY. Their CEO is Paula Stopera; an insightful, personal leader. The first time I met Paula was at a monthly company-wide breakfast meeting. Paula took the microphone, walking the floor engaging her employees in a session called “Ask the CEO.” Watching “Undercover Boss” made me reflect on Paula, could she go undercover at Capital Communications Credit Union? My guess is No!

So as Heather Hough and I were wrapping up a presentation to the Capital Communications team, I asked her that very question. She laughed and she said “the other morning I came in the door on my way to my office… it took me 26 minutes. I chatted with employees about work, kids, dogs, you name it.” Paula would have liked to get to her desk 23 minutes sooner but that’s part of her day, everyday— because she’s the accessible CEO.

Paula is a lot like our CEO Robbin Phillips, Robbin has an investment in the success of our company but she also has an investment in “us as people.” In my opinion knowing that Robbin will always stop and listen to an idea, a problem, a laugh… makes all the difference in the world.

Don't miss the most important thing.

I’ve been been on the road with a band the past week-and-a-half. And that means lots of coffee. And lots of coffee means lots of local coffee shops.

We stopped at a really neat shop in Ypsilanti, Michigan called the “Ugly Mug.” Yes, they serve cups of coffee in an assortment of hideous, garage-sale style mugs. When I went up to the counter to get my fix, I noticed something that caught my attention and made me smile.

They had this little sign on the register that said: “Get off your phone! Thank you!”

On first glance it seemed like all of the other notes taped on registers by employees that are annoyed with phone-distracted customers not ordering and slowing traffic down in the morning caffeine rush.

Or maybe it was getting at something deeper. Either way, it made me think.

You see, the Ugly Mug takes a lot of pride in their coffee, but they take even more pride in their baristas. I had a chance to meet one of them - he knew incredible amounts about coffee, matching tastes, roasting, tasting, testing and crafting incredible beverages. They don’t just pour coffee and make lattes - they’re experts. And they want to do everything they can to match a drink to your palette that will blow you away.

I think sometimes we get so busy staying connected to other people we know through the electronic devices that have become necessary in our lives that oftentimes we miss the people right in front of us. In fact, we don’t only miss them - we miss out on them. Bad customer service aside, face-to-face interactions are one of the most powerful things we can experience - personally or when we’re interacting with a brand. If I had been calling, texting, emailing, tweeting, etc. while I was ordering coffee, I might have missed out on one of the coolest baristas I’ve met - and consequently his guidance to one of the best espressos that I’ve ever had.

I think my goal this week will be to keep my phone in my pocket whenever I’m about to interact with someone face-to-face. There are lots of things worth missing out on, people aren’t one of them.

When Kim and I started Full Circle PR last year, lots of people advised us not to go into our business together as 50/50 partner.  We all probably know that many a business partnership has failed because two people couldn’t come to an agreement on a decision.

And yet, as we wrote up our operating agreement (or, our “prenuptial agreement,” as we like to call it), we couldn’t think of working together any other way.  We liken our relationship to a marriage, and we trust each other implicitly to contribute equal blood, sweat and tears (and laughter, too) into our business to help it grow and thrive.  (As a side note, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve written into our operating agreement if a disagreement should ever arise, we’re to each write our decision on a piece of paper and draw one out of a hat as the deciding factor.  We’re still waiting on an opportunity to “Take It To The Hat”).

Our clients trust us to take their message out to their audiences and speak on their behalf.  Our employees trust us to provide them with an energetic, inspiring place to work every day.  Our vendor partners trust us to work within our deadlines and within budget to create measurable results for our clients. 

Trust is a valuable thing.

We’re so fortunate to work within the same building at Brains on Fire.  When we were looking for office space last year, Robbin said to us, “I know you’re going to do amazing things, and I want to be here to watch you do it.”  That level of confidence and trust she has in our business is incredibly motivating and inspiring. 

We treat it like spun gold.

We work hard to keep the trust level high between everyone we work with – and for.  The public relations industry often gets a bad wrap for being perceived as untrustworthy or full of people who skew the truth for their own personal gain.  And while there are always some bad apples in every group, the reputable PR practitioners I know adhere to the PRSA’s Code of Ethics, as well as general good business ethics, to serve as valued partners for their clients.

Toyota is experiencing a moment of truth right now as the company recalls thousands of its vehicles due to faulty gas pedals.  The verdict is still out on whether or not people agree with how Toyota is handling this situation with its customers.  But many customer testimonials are now showing up with folks saying they still trust the company to produce quality cars.  Because of their forthcoming nature in communicating the recall process, as well working with dealers to facilitate as many recalled vehicles as possible, it appears as if most consumers are still going to trust themselves to drive their Toyotas (I actually own a Toyota). 

So as we carry out all our duties in our personal and professional lives – with our business partners, our spouses and even our favorite brands – we have begun to see the underlying factor of success is trust.

Trust is all around us, and we are grateful for this.  How has trust led you be more confident in your own life and business?  We’d love to hear from you.

I love to keep things simple. I live in a house that contains a small collection of practical and necessary things without much color. Just pattern and texture. The other day I send this to a few friends and made the statement:

Maybe my next home will have color.

Cordell wrote me back:

Oh no. Don’t get crazy. People and nature and art are the only color the world needs. Clothes and walls should be nothing more than blank canvases to flaunt the beauty of our humanity and individuality.

Hmmm.

Think about that for just a minute. Communities are a company or organization’s blank canvas to flaunt the beauty of their customer’s and employee’s humanity and individuality.

My friend Chris Sandoval said something I keep rolling around in my head. (Weird, I seem to quote him a lot lately.) Can’t remember his exact words — going from memory, but he said that he has come to understand that technology should be invisible.

It’s the people that we need to celebrate and remember.

Amen, Brother.

On a recent blog post,Chris Brogan quoted Trey Pennington who said this:

We facilitate experiences.

Another simple, beautiful concept.

Hmmm… What do you think about that? Maybe it’s all just that simple. Cause it’s not about the fancy colorful tools and tactics. Is it now?

Geno has this little book of doodles. Love it. And occasionally I will ask him… “What’s new in your world?” This morning’s doodle is the title of my post.

Interesting set of words, huh?

Like a lot of companies we work with and know, we get our share of praise and love. Sometimes in the form of love letters, well crafted and sweetly emailed. Sometimes praise comes in the form of tweets and retweets while we are out speaking. Sometimes even face to face.

I heard this quote about praise once. “Getting carried away by praise is like climbing a pole of grease.”

Hmmmm…

If your company starts drinking your own Kool-aid, you run the risk of becoming complacent. You stop challenging yourself. Or in the eyes of Cordell, you lose your “sense of wonder with the world”.

Geno has another way of reminding himself and others to focus on what matters:

Concentrate on being interested, not interesting.

We do the Net Promoter Survey every year and in 2006, the first year we did it I poured over the comments to see if we could set our sights as a group on a couple of areas to focus on and therefore improve our score.

One thing that struck me on our first survey was a couple of quotes that went sort of like this: Great work/people/company, but kinda arrogant.

Well, I was stunned. Us? Really. Nah.

So we talked about it as company and we realized that we needed to work at being more approachable and interested. Some good ideas were tossed out. Like when we go to conferences spread out and meet others. Don’t stick together. Welcome everyone who walks in our door. Everyone took on a personal challenge to listen better.

And you know what — with effort it worked. The next year, there were remarks about us being…well, approachable and very genuine. Not an arrogant message in the whole lot.

That self awareness thing is pretty powerful stuff.

Ramsey said this to me over a beer the other night. “We should lose the term “rock star” from our vocabulary.” Yup he’s so very right, if you create rock stars, you create an ego driven company (look at us, look at us), instead of a one that is driven by heart and soul. A company that promotes rock stars runs the risk of getting focused on themselves instead of their customers.

So there’s what I think about that little doodle of Geno’s.

Your turn…

Every once in a while, Greg Cordell sends me a one-liner email. My favorites are when he tells me I look nice.

Hey, I’m a girl.

Well, the other day he sent this:

Social Media is absolute proof we are insane or bored out of our minds.

So this weekend early on Saturday morning, I was perusing Twitter, like someone in the olden days might have perused the newspaper. Just thumbing through it.

Have to admit I was temporarily bored waiting on the washer to buzz so I could put a load in the dryer before I stepped out for a walk. Just standing in the quiet of the kitchen, sun pouring in and waiting. And I realized…

I am flat out bored waiting on this freaking laundry to quit spinning.

(Can I just tell you how much I hate doing laundry?)

Anyway. I remembered Cordell’s quote. So I tweeted it and then jumped on facebook. I saw my usual friends online and I asked them all, “What are you doing up so early and on facebook chatting?” The answers were pretty much the same. “Husband’s out of town. I just couldn’t sleep. I don’t know — I just like to see what’s going on…”

Hmmmm.

Then the ever thought provoking @aaronvonfrank asked me this question on Twitter:

Interesting to note this was his previous post. BTW @bittyrant is his super cool significant other…

Hmmm…

Here’s what I think. We are all a wee bit insane. It makes life very interesting and fun and makes us want to connect and learn. And the bored thing. Sometimes, you got to be bored to appreciate the wonder of it all.

So, whatcha think? I mean if you’re bored or something…let’s share.

The other day I asked Sam — our super cool intern — if she’d help me out and write a post for Friday. Well… she did. And here it is. Enjoy. We heart Sam. She has a big shiny future in front of her. We just get lucky that way.

Internships…we’ve all been there and done that. You remember the photocopying and the post office trips. Many of you may have learned the exclusive art of being able to carry 6 vanilla lattes at one time.

Well at any other place this might be the case, but as the Brains on Fire intern for 2010, I have learned what it is like to walk with other team members down to the closest coffee shop and talk about the day, or life, or whatever.

And yes, many of you may role your eyes at the thought of having to answer the company phone, but what if you could answer it in just about any way you want. “Brains on Fire World Domination Headquarters”…yeah, try to have a bad day if that is the first thing you hear when you call a company. And for that matter, try to have a bad day when that is how you get to answer the phone.

I have only been here since the beginning of January, but there are some major things that have stood out about this place, making it different than anywhere else. Brains on Fire is about support and encouragement. It is so rewarding to be a part of a team of people who go out of their way to make sure that every single person gets recognized for their efforts.

I have never felt so welcomed and trusted by a place right from the beginning. This is truly a special place and I am lucky to have stumbled upon this opportunity.

When Robbin suggested that I write today’s blog, I figured that I would write about something that has impacted my life in a very special way. This internship has already given me new insight into the kind of work and working environment I want to be in. As corny as it sounds…I thank every single member of the Brains on Fire team for sharing all of these new experiences and helping me learn.

So, moral of the story (because there always has to be a moral of the story), I have grown to realize that it is not only important to be passionate about work that you do, but to love the people that you do it all with.

Eric Dodds getting real with a tequila shot…

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy up the room. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become REAL.”

Real takes courage.

I love that set of words. Being real as company or a person flat out takes courage. I met someone the other day and much to my surprise, I realized the online version of this person (on facebook and twitter and blogs) was much, much different than the reality. I walked away saying – to myself of course — “Oh, you must be one those people that just plays a character on Twitter.” There’s a lot of personal branding going on these day. And like corporate branding sometimes there is a dis-connect between image and reality. Bugs me a bit. But enough of that. That is not my main point.

We have this saying, be famous for the people who love you.

The people who love you know what’s absolutely real. They can spot a dis-connect in a second. This is true for companies and for people. The word branding has always bugged us. We use “identity” for a reason. We look for the soul of a company or the community they support.

We are looking for what’s real.

I read somewhere lately that it takes a lot of energy to be someone you are not. And that is really true. One of the things I love about this age of word of mouth marketing and social media, is this: Companies and organizations are understanding that their brand is walking around on two feet. That’s what is real. Several companies we are currently working with and talking to are looking to create an internal movement to help everyone in the organization present one voice, one reality.

I am lucky, I get to talk to people within organizations all day long who are looking for our help. It’s fun. I spoke with someone at an large Fortune 500 company the other night. And as we chatted one of the things I realized about that organization is this. The people there, all the way to the top are real. They are approachable and honest and direct. From the frontline customer service reps to the corporate team, they understand on some level that they are part of something bigger. Something important. Got to love that.

So one more parting quote… don’t know who said this but I love it:

“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”