DW's Blog

Feelings

by DW Green — January 10, 2018

In a word it’s purpose

Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, I became a non-conformist, a maverick, and a Beatles fan, always questioning and challenging the status quo. I think that’s why the study of brands is so appealing to me. Branding is about connecting companies emotionally to their customers and helping them differentiate themselves in their markets. It’s about leading, not following. It’s about competing with yourself, making your company better, stronger, staying relevant in an ever-changing world and creating the best possible shopping EXPERIENCE for the customer.At the risk of sounding wacko, I invite you to have a look at a different organizational paradigm. Consider refocusing on the deep longings we have for community, meaning, dignity, purpose, and love in our organizational lives. Begin to look at the strong emotions of being human, rather than segmenting ourselves by believing that love doesn’t belong at work, or that feelings are irrelevant in an organization. Begin to see ourselves in much richer dimensions, to appreciate our wholeness, and hopefully, to design organizations that honor and make use of the great gift of who we humans are.In a word, it’s purpose. What is the underlying purpose of your...

by DW Green — January 3, 2018

“When you are through changing, you are through.”

Change is synonymous with life. Everything, everywhere is in a constant flux of change. I like this quote from Bruce Barton, author, advertising executive and politician, “When you are through changing, you are through.”The supermarket business continues to go through radical changes and rapid transformation. Remember only you can control your reaction to changes in your business. Everyone filters information through his or her personal background, wants, needs, fears, hopes, prejudices and beliefs. The result is often the development of urban “myths” about change. Let’s explore some of those myths—and the reality of business.Myth: This will go away.Reality: Change is here to stay. Myth: It will help if I get upset with this.Reality: Controlling your emotions increases your control over the situation. Myth: This is a bad thing for my store(s).Reality: Progress often masquerades as trouble. Myth: I can keep running my store(s) as I always have.Reality:...
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For A Leader

by DW Green — December 27, 2017

May those who work for you know You see and respect them

As 2017 draws to a close, I would like to thank our clients, business partners and vendors for your business and for your friendship. I’d like to thank each of you for the positive influence and impact you have had on my life and on my company. I am most grateful and appreciative of our relationships. I am honored to work with each of you. Thank you.To acknowledge the end of the year, it seems both fitting and proper to share this leadership blessing with you. I am inspired by Mr. Donohue’s words and read them often. For A LeaderJohn O’Donohue May you have the grace and wisdomTo act kindly, learningTo distinguish between what isPersonal and what is not.May you be hospitable to criticism.May you never put yourself at thecenter of things.May you not act from arrogance butout of service.May you work on yourself,Building up and refining the ways ofyour mind.May those who work for you knowYou see and respect them.May you learn to cultivate the art ofpresenceIn order to engage with those who

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Riddle

by DW Green — December 20, 2017

A sound Riddle

Riddles are fun. Well, for me anyway! You know the old riddle: If a tree crashes in a forest and there’s nobody there to hear it, does it make a sound? Well, sound requires an eardrum and a nervous system behind the eardrum. We can say that when the tree falls it makes air vibrate, and if there is anyone around with an ear and an appropriate nervous system, there will be a sound, because sound is a relationship between motion and air and ears. If there’s nobody around, the tree falling will make a vibration, but won’t make any sound. In the same way, a star sends light out into space, but the space surrounding the star is dark unless an object—a planet floating by, for example—enters that space. But if there isn’t anything in that space to relate to the star, there won’t actually be any light there.Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!
Read More – The Name Game
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Trust Your Instinct

by DW Green — December 13, 2017

“If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities.”

We recently had a conversation regarding Return On Investment (ROI). It’s a wise, astute business practice. ROI is about analyzing the probability of a successful outcome. There are few guarantees in life. Not even the blessing of living another day. Dr. Wayne Dyer said, “If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t you will see obstacles.”Yet relying solely on ROI and choosing to do what we’ve been doing and expecting a different outcome is foolish. Sometimes you need to trust your instinct. That knowing or feeling that something will work is all you need.Trusting and acting on your instinct, your intuition is a powerful life skill.“Trying hard and giving our all without knowing where that will lead us is a working definition of faith. Regardless of what we face, effort and faith will lead us into the larger stream of life that holds us. And being held by the larger stream of life is another way to describe grace.”—Mark Nepo
Read More – To invest, or not to invest, that is the question
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Thoughtfulness

by DW Green — December 5, 2017

Thoughtfulness is a habit

Thoughtfulness. A simple enough concept; yet not always easy to practice. Once mastered, however, it is one of the greatest gifts you can give; and not just to friends and loved ones on special occasions and holidays…but to everyone, always. And, as you establish yourself as thoughtful to others, they’ll go out of their way to please you back. Thoughtfulness is a habit; internalized, it becomes a way of life, a part of our being.It’s always cool when a renowned business expert validates a belief. Here’s a short article on thoughtfulness by Tom Peter’s.Service: on Thoughtfulness —Tom PetersI think it was the recession—the great recession, or whatever you want to call it—that really got me thinking about this. You know, when times are very tough and tough decisions have to be made, as they certainly have to be made, fundamental human decency toward one another is arguably more important than at any other time.And somehow or another, the word thoughtfulness came into my mind. And I like the word thoughtfulness. And then the next step in this process—and I’d ask you to think about this—many of you, most of you, probably have some kind of value statement. Put the empl...
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Thanks Jim

by DW Green — November 29, 2017

Live the value

Company values provide guidance and direction for our actions and behavior, for our selves and for our relations with each other, with clients and with vendors. Business tactics change over time, but values are immutable. While values are aspirational, the goal is to become the value. To Be the value. To live the value.I have a friend in the Seattle area. Jim Huffman. Jim is often described as integrity. He IS integrous. Among his many attributes Jim is always integrous. He’s amazing. Thanks Jim. Thanks for Being Jim.
Read More – That’s NOT What She Said
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Gratitude

by DW Green — November 22, 2017

The greatest gift…the gift of life

Today and everyday is a time to be grateful. The more we practice gratitude, the more we see how much there is to be grateful for, and our life becomes an ongoing celebration of joy and happiness. When we master gratitude, we perceive God in everything, and our reaction is love and gratitude for the greatest gift, which is life.To live with gratitude is to enjoy every moment of this precious gift that comes from God. Gratitude is one of the greatest expressions of love. To express what is in our hearts is to be truly alive. Just saying thank you will open all the doors to an abundance of life’s blessings from all directions, but especially an abundance of love.Since Thanksgiving is the “official” day to express thankfulness for our blessings, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for clients and staff, past and present, who have provided me with so much joy, knowledge, wisdom and happiness.Thank you all very much and Happy Thanksgiving.DW“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a ...
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Let Go

by DW Green — November 14, 2017

Let go of control

I received the following article from a client a few years ago. It’s about letting go. We’ve all been told to “let go”. Let go of this or let go of that. As if the process of letting go will make things better, or less painful. Written by Scott Mabry, Letting-Go Leadership. His words are very meaningful to me and I read them often.“Let go.This line of thinking is counter-intuitive. Our instinct is to hold on, to protect, to become attached, to expect. The more we attach ourselves to expectations, people or things the more anxiety we create and the less effective we become.So why do we “hold on” in unhealthy ways? As leaders, we believe we are responsible for what happens in the organization. And because we hold this belief we are afraid. If the outcome is not what we desire, or think others expect, we will have failed. We will not have lived up to the reputation and titles we have worked so hard to achieve or perhaps to some standard we internalized earlier in life. To protect ourselves we micro-manage, manipulate others and view a negative event or unflattering comment as an attack on our professional identity. We even become attached to the label of “the leader�...
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Play

by DW Green — November 8, 2017

Fun-loving child again

I’m going to a developmental retreat next month in Seattle. One of the distinctions we will be exploring is Play. Play as in not taking everything so seriously. Play helps us keep the distance we need to observe rather than identify with the natural anxieties of life. Plus play is just plain fun! Let yourself be that spontaneous, in-the-moment, fun-loving child again. Or, as Friedrich Schiller put it, “Keep true to the dreams of thy youth.”One of our assignments is to bring a joke or two to the retreat. Humor is important in life. Laughing is healthy. Laughing is fun. Here’re a few jokes I like…What do you call an intelligent, good-looking, sensitive man? A rumor.World’s shortest books…Career opportunities for History majors.Amelia Earhart’s Guide to the Pacific.Accountant JokeA patient is at her doctor’s office after undergoing a physical examination. The doctor says, “I have some very grave news. You have only six months to live. What can I do cries the patient. The doctor replies, Marry an accountant. Will that my life longer asks the patient. No says the doctor. But it will seem longer.You know you’re getting old when……your back goes out more ...
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