DW's Blog

Imitate or Innovate

by DW Green — June 28, 2023

Differentiation arises from both the choice of activities and how they are performed.

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 ...

by DW Green — June 21, 2023

Yet almost every situation is made better by love…

In 1992, Barbara Jordan addressed the Democratic National Convention and railed against the greed and selfishness and divisiveness of the previous decade. (Sound familiar today!) People were ready for a change. “Change it to what?” she asked. “Change that environment of the 80s to an environment which is characterized by a devotion to the public interest, public service, tolerance, and love. Love. Love. Love.”Love. Love. Love. Love. Why? Because, as the Beatles put it, “In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” Not just in politics, not just in tolerance, but in our personal lives. There is almost no situation in which hatred helps. Yet almost every situation is made better by love—or empathy, understanding, appreciation—even situations in which you are in opposition to someone.And who knows, you might just get some of that love back.

Read More – I Love You

...

by DW Green — June 14, 2023

When people are afraid of making mistakes, they shut down; they won’t take risks or try new ideas.

Ben Franklin once said “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” I would add mistakes to that list of certainties! All three are inevitable! Though it seems that we view our personal mistakes much differently than mistakes made by others. Especially those mistakes made by our subordinates. Why is that? Since we all make mistakes shouldn’t we extend the same forgiveness and understanding to our employees that we accord ourselves for our errors?

Unintentional mistakes just happen. Accept that reality. Identify the cause and work to improve the process. The notion that the same mistake will never happen again is erroneous. Like stubbing ones toe, one cannot guarantee the same mistake will never happen in the future.

What’s more troubling to me is when employees become fearful of making mistakes, for fear of reprisal or retribution. When people are afraid of making mistakes, they shut down; they won’t take risks or try new ideas. We learn from failure not from success. It’s best to treat mistakes as a learning experience. Discuss, learn and move forward...

by DW Green — June 7, 2023

Brand marks are simple, clean, and an easy-to-remember graphic representation of a company’s Brand name.

Cool, as in the context of slang, as an interjection to express acceptance, approval or admiration. And what’s more cool—neat, nifty, boss, keen, groovy— than a brand mark or Icon. Brand marks are simple, clean, and an easy to remember graphic representation of a company’s Brand name. Brand marks are like punctuation symbols:. stop, pause; pause longer! exclamation mark? question mark Brand marks and icons can represent a deeper meaning of a company’s purpose or an abstract expression like the Nike swoosh. We have a Northwest client whose brand mark is a sailboat. Who would have thought of a sailboat icon for a food store? The sailboat is very meaningful to their company culture. It’s meaningful to me too. I’m proud to wear their caps and jackets that showcase their company icon.The DW Green icon reflects our design and life mantra “Less is greater than more.”So, if you’re considering a new or updated design for your company’s brand mark, give us a call.

Kinship With Truth

by DW Green — May 31, 2023

A lifetime kinship with Truth.

Friendship itself is a metaphor for another kind of friendship, our lifetime kinship with Truth, with Love, with Unity, with God. We may spend much of our time unaware and unenlightened, yet the presence of Truth and God, like a deep and ancient friend, can shape our entire lives.

Read More – I Got You

...

by DW Green — May 24, 2023

Have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing.

Do you recognize any of these comments: “We have always done it this way”, “We tried that once and it didn’t work”, “The big chains don’t do it that way” “Our wholesaler thinks that would be a mistake”. Sadly, these comments are more common than you might think. Consider a different perspective. Have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing.This seems like a principle to live life by. I’d like to think I have an open mind, or mostly an open mind! But then this statement isn’t about having an open mind, it’s about having a mind that is open to everything. I’m sure I’ve discounted or rejected things from either an unwitting bias or an unpleasant or unsuccessful comparable experience. A mind that is open to everything is a mind that is open to trying new and different things, and understanding a different point of view, a different way of doing.I think the second part of the statement “attached to nothing” is more difficult to achieve. Why? Because what we’re attached to, is often an attachment to our identity. If I do this or that, I might look dumb, or unsophisticated or foolish or some other negative quality. Those are possible outcomes. I know I’ve...

by DW Green — May 17, 2023

Well-placed signs and story telling add to the magic and message of BUY ME!!

Yep, retail is all about presentation and merchandising! Especially food retailing. People eat with their eyes. They purchase with their eyes. Of all the varied supermarket activities, the single most important, the most valued, the skill set to “own”, the key to competitive advantage is presentation/merchandising. Even the value of “street appeal” rests in the appearance of the storefront from a distance.Presentation and merchandising set the tone for the entire shopping experience. Its what creates the “likeability”, “comfortability” and “authenticity” of the retail brand. Its what creates sales and additional sales and additional sales. Of course, readable, well-designed, well-placed signs and story telling add to the magic and message of BUY ME!!If you could do just one thing for the balance of the year, work on improving your store presentation and merchandising skills. If you do, you will experience a handsome increase in sales!

Read More – Guest Vacation Blog

...

by DW Green — May 10, 2023

And in the end, listen to some Beatles music this week!

And in the end, the love you take
Is equal to the love you make.”
—Lennon-McCartney, The End, Abby Road 1969“And in the end”, when your career has concluded, and when life on Earth is over, what truly matters, is that the love you received is equal to the love you gave. This isn’t a Pollyanna mind-set, it’s a Universal Truth.In the long run, whether you’re negotiating with vendors, or working in relationships with employees or customers you always get back what you are willing to give. In Adam’s The Pope blog, Milt Jones is remembered for his kindness, generosity and loving spirit. While a shrewd negotiator, Milt’s success was built on his compassion and commitment of service to others.Love ‘em or otherwise, the Koch family has built an incredibly successful and financially rewarding business. “As CEO of Koch Industries, Inc., I am proud to work with principled people who help themselves by helping others improve their lives. I am dedicated to pursuing only a certain kind of profit—what we call ‘good profit’. …Good profit comes from making a contribution in society—not from corporate welfare or other ways of taking advantage of...

by DW Green — May 3, 2023

Neurobics: mental exercises designed to create new neural pathways in the brain using the senses in unconventional ways.

I can attest to too many tests. Testing 1, 2, 3, 4…Therefore, I propose a simple brain exercise. Hmmm, I seem to misspell exercise every time I type it! Sometimes I mispell misspell. Anyway, not difficult exercises like brainteasers, riddles, conundrums or cross word puzzles. This is a simple neurobic exercise from a great book; Keep Your Brain Alive. 83 Neurobic Exercises to Help Prevent Memory Loss & Increase Mental Fitness. —Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D., & Manning Rubin“Neurobics is a scientifically based program that helps you modify your behavior by introducing the unexpected to your brain and enlisting the aid of all your senses as you go through your day. An active brain is a healthy brain, while inaction leads to reduced brain fitness. Or in simpler terms—“Use it or loose it.”All of us have our morning rituals to get us quickly and “mindlessly” out the door. These set routines allow the brain to go on automatic pilot and be more efficient. And at bedtime, when we need to wind down from a day of mental and physical exertion, routines are similarly comforting.Because routines are so ingrained in our m...

by DW Green — April 26, 2023

Kindness increase’s one’s own true power without exacting any toll.

There’s much distress, conflict, distrust, anger, and fear, in America. And yet, there have been many examples of selflessness, heroism, courage, love and compassion during the pandemic. Same country. My prescription for the former is the root of the later. Kindness. Some might say that kindness is Pollyanna, naivete or even weakness. I disagree.Simple kindness to one’s self and all that lives is the most powerful transformational force of all. Kindness produces no backlash, has no downside, and never leads to loss or despair. Kindness increase’s one’s own true power without exacting any toll. But to reach maximum power, such kindness can permit no exceptions, nor can it be practiced with the expectation of some selfish reward. And its effect is as far reaching as it is subtle.