DW's Blog

Look for the Genius in Others

by DW Green — May 1, 2019

“It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.”

Pay attention to the greatness you observe in as many people as possible, and if you don’t see it at first, then spend some mental energy looking for it. The more you’re inclined to think in genius terms, the more natural it becomes for you to apply the same standards to yourself. Tell others about their genius. Be as complimentary and authentic as you can. In doing so, you’ll radiate loving, kind, abundant, creative energy. In a universe that operates on energy and attraction, you’ll find these same qualities returning to you.

It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.—Henry David Thoreau

Read More – The Arrogant Bastard

...

by DW Green — April 24, 2019

People are emotionally connected to grocers

I’ve been an advocate of emotional branding for more than twenty years. A company’s ability to connect emotionally with their customers is a huge, huge benefit and competitive advantage. But it doesn’t happen on its own. Emotional branding needs to be a cornerstone of a company’s brand. It needs to be stated and implemented in every daily activity performed.I read an interesting article by Amit Sharma, in the April 18, 2019 Harvard Business Review, entitled What the Grocery Stores Holding Their Own Against Amazon Are Doing Right. The following is an excerpt from the article.“Emotional connection is another driver of loyalty; our survey found that 50% of consumers are more likely to buy again from a brand that connects with them emotionally or reflects their values. People are emotionally connected to grocers, as utilitarian as grocery shopping may seem. For example, Trader Joe’s, which ranked highly in the C Space study, inspires loyalty by creating an enjoyable shopping atmosphere. A 2018 Forrester survey of 287 brands rated T...

by DW Green — April 17, 2019

The meeting of our inner and outer lives is called integrity.

“To thine own self be true” writes William Shakespeare in Hamlet. “Let your conscience be your guide” the Blue Fairy tells Pinocchio and then asks Jiminy Cricket to serve as Pinocchio’s conscience.Integrity is an important and powerful quality. To be referred to as a person of integrity is the ultimate compliment. I have come to realize that my life experience is about the journey toward wholeness, and to seek wholeness, is to live from a place of integrity. Conscience is the alarm that goes off when integrity is at risk, when wholeness is splintered.“The meeting of our inner and outer lives is called integrity, and the health of our integrity often determines our inner strength and resilience in meeting the outer world. This is the purpose of integrity, to balance the outer forces of existence with the inner forces of spirit,” Mark Nepo, The Exquisite Risk. One of the most useful definitions of integrity comes from Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man: Integrity is the ability to listen to a place inside oneself that doesn’t change, even though the life that carries it may change.So living from integrity is when our actions, our outer life are in sync with our inner...

by DW Green — April 10, 2019

Trying to control our lives limits us.

Learning what we can control and what we can’t, makes life’s journey a more pleasant and interesting one.“The closest thing to being in control we’ll ever be is in that moment when we realize we’re not.” — Brian KesslerGustavo Razetti writes the following in an article entitled Control Less, Trust More, “Happiness is about being in charge of your life not controlling every aspect of it.Not everything that matters can be controlled, and not everything that can be controlled matters.That’s the paradox with life: we want things our way, yet, most of the times, things take on a life of their own. What if we stop trying to control everything? And start trusting our ability to adapt?Letting go of control doesn’t mean not caring. But keeping our minds and hearts open — to make room for the unexpected.As Shakespeare wrote, “Come what come may. Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. One way or another, what’s going to happen is going to happen.” (I like Shakespeare. He’s one insightful dude! My words)“Being in control might bring you serenity at the expense of driving everyone else crazy.Control is ...

by DW Green — April 3, 2019

The status quo impedes the search for competitive advantage.

I was reading an article on leadership the other day. The following from Bill Taylor, cofounder of Fast Company, makes really good sense to me.“The true mark of a leader is the willingness to stick with a bold course of action—an unconventional business strategy, a unique product-development roadmap, a controversial marketing campaign—even as the rest of the world wonders why you’re not marching in step with the status quo. In other words, real leaders are happy to zig while others zag. They understand that in an era of hyper-competition and non-stop disruption, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something special.”It’s been my experience that following the status quo promotes imitation rather than innovation. Leadership is about discovering and performing different activities from rivals or performing similar activities in different ways. Differentiation arises from both the choice of activities and how they are performed. Activities, then, are the basic units of competitive advantage. Overall advantage or disadvantage results from all of a company’s activities, not only a few. The status quo often impedes the search for competitive advantage.

<...
read more

Timeless

by DW Green — March 27, 2019

Strong brands are enduring and successful over time.

Time is just an illusion. Albert Einstein said, “The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” Hmm.Well, this blog post is not about time as an illusion, but indirectly, it is about time.In my view a company’s BRAND is its most important asset. Strong brands are enduring and successful over time. Weak brands not so much. Wise leaders protect their brand by investing in their brand image. The brand is what connects their business with their customers, community and employees. Controlling expenses is critical but not at the expense of diluting or harming the brand. Marketing and promotional design must reflect the nature and professionalism of the brand. Poor design can have a negative effect on the relationship between the brand and its stakeholders.2019 marks the 100^th Anniversary of the National Football League. Impressive. Even with their recent hiccups, the NFL is a very successful and enduring brand!

A Tidbit of Consciousness

by DW Green — March 13, 2019

Tidbits to ponder

If you were traveling in Tibet, you would experience tidbits of Tibet. If you were a native Tibetan, you could be a Tibetan tidbit?Any way here’s some tidbits to ponder.Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.You are not in the Universe. You are the Universe, an intrinsic part of it. Ultimately, you are not a person, but a focal point where the universe is becoming conscious of itself. What an amazing miracle.The secret to happiness is letting go.Accept all people and all circumstances in your life exactly as they are. Knowing that everything is as it should be. Practice defenselessness and relinquish the need to convince or persuade others of your point of view.Tibet is an administrative division of China. North of the Himalayas: prior to 1950 a theocracy under the Dalai Lama; the highest country in the world, average elevation about 16,00 feet. Capital is Lhasa. Tibet is north and east of Nepal. Kathmandu, Nepal, is my favorite city name.

The Dalai Lama on Leadership

by DW Green — March 6, 2019

“We are naturally driven by self-interest.”

The Dalai Lama seems like a pretty cool guy. It’s amazing to me how people get to be who they are. For example, Tenzin Gyatso is the 14^th and current Dalai Lama. He was born on a straw mat in a cowshed to a farmer’s family in a remote part of Tibet. He was born into a humble family of farmers as one of 16 children. He became the most popular world leader by 2013. It’s amazing how wise and insightful he has become.He wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review in the February 20^th 2019 issue. The article is titled The Dali Lama on Why Leaders Should Be Mindful, Selfless, and Compassionate. Here’s a portion of that article.Be selflessWe are naturally driven by self-interest; it’s necessary to survive. But we need wise self-interest that is generous and cooperative, taking others’ interests into account. Cooperation comes from friendship, friendship comes from trust, and trust comes from kindheartedness. Once you have a genuine sense of concern for others, there’s no room for cheating, bullying, or exploitation; instead, you can be honest, truthful, and transparent in your conduct.Buddhist tradition describes three styles of c...

by DW Green — February 27, 2019

Say YES to life

I really enjoyed reading Adam’s blog last week. Is the bar really lowered? At the end of the blog Adam wrote that “Adapting is not surrendering to the pressure of an unwinnable battle.” The word surrender got my attention. Surrender carries mostly negative connotations, for guys anyway. But I’ve learned that surrender is a positive action. I liken it to acceptance, to letting go, to trusting or having faith in a higher power, a higher intelligence. Surrender is to say ‘yes’ to life—to see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you. It’s about giving up everything that no longer serves you. Easier said than done.Eckhart Tolle defines surrender in the following way.“To some people, surrender may have negative connotations, implying defeat, giving up, failing to rise to the challenges of life, becoming lethargic, and so on. True surrender, however, is something entirely different. It does not mean to passively put up with whatever situation you find yourself in and to do nothing about it. Nor does it mean to cease making plans or initiating positive action. Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yieldi...