Escape from Cubicle Nation

How to avoid fright-inducing link sharing and networking techniques

In the spirit of Halloween, I thought I would share some tips for not frightening the crap out of people you admire by employing scary network or link-building techniques. Here is a ghoulish handful that spring to mind:

• The "I want something" email.  So much of networking protocol can be boiled down to high school dating strategies.  Would you really approach the cute girl (or guy) in your class without ever having spoken to them before and ask them to the prom?  Of course not!  So why would you email a complete stranger and ask them to do you a favor before taking the time to get to know them?  Don't kick off your relationship by asking for something.
  Better strategy:  start the relationship with the "I found something that may be useful to you" email.  Much better, and it opens the door to a friendly, mutually-beneficial relationship.
• The "I'll give you yours if you give me mine" link building strategy.  We are walking on major pet peeve territory here, as it makes the hair bristle on the back of my neck when someone writes and says "I came across your blog and thought we might have some mutual goals.  I will post your link on my blog if you post mine on yours.  Can you tell me when it is done?"  OK, I may be paraphrasing here a bit, but I really do get requests like that. I NEVER ask someone to put a link to my blog on their site.  I know that someone's blog is highly personal and they need to make careful choices about who they feature.  When you dangle the "I'll only post yours if you post mine" threat, you put the person in the very awkward position of telling you no, they don't feel that your blog merits link space on theirs.  A frightening proposition for all involved.
  Better strategy:  Send the "I really love your blog and put a link to it on my site" email.  Introduce yourself and let them know what you are up to by including links to your blog or other projects.  This takes the pressure off the person to make a decision, and if they like what they see, they will add you!  You should be very picky about who you feature on the link section of your blog, so trading links for links never makes sense.  You are better than that!
  
• The "Please blog about my company" email.  This is similar to the link request in that the person specifically asks if you would blog about them, or link to a post they have written. 
  Better solution:  Tell the person what you are doing and ask if you could talk to them about it.  I recently had a very positive experience with Jeff Landers from Office2Share.com. He is running a Home Office from Hell contest that he thought might interest my readers, and instead of making the request by email, he set up a phone call to talk about it.  We talked about what he was hoping to accomplish in his business by running the contest.  He was down-to-earth and friendly and made me comfortable with sharing his message.  If you have outgrown your home office, check his contest out! 
• The "Please blog about the company that pays me to do their PR" email.  This is a more recent phenomenon which I have encountered from well-meaning PR people.  Without much introduction whatsoever, they say "Could you share this promotion/write about this product?  Even if I like what they are doing, if I have no  context for judging the reputability of their company and it makes me very uneasy to just pass on a commercial to my advertising-wary readers. I recently blogged about the Sprint fiasco with Joel Spolsky which illustrates this point perfectly.
  Better solution?  If you are a PR person, cultivate relationships with bloggers before needing something from them.  If you are representing a company with useful products and services, nature will take its course, and they will spread the good word, if there is good word to be spread.
• The "Nice to meet you here's my card and my 30 minute drone about myself" technique at live functions.  Didn't your mother ever tell you that "There is a reason why you have two ears and one mouth - you should listen more!"  I heard Jim Collins say in a presentation that he wants to be an interested person, not an interesting person. 
  Better solution:  When you meet someone for the first time, ask them questions! Maintain a spirit of openness and curiosity and don't worry about dazzling them in the first 5 minutes with your impressive resume, or digging to find out immediately if they are important and can help you.  I had a great experience with this recently when I went to an event in New York.  I saw a couple that seemed really nice and interesting and I went and introduced myself.  We had a very long talk and I asked them all kinds of things about themselves.  It wasn't until we were 45 minutes into the conversation that I found out that he was a producer at MSNBC and she was a news reporter.  Useful people to know - but our relationship got off to a great start since we began our conversation with mutual respect and no strings attached.
  

I wrote about more networking tips in this month's Get a Life ezine - check it out!

If you are scaring people with in-your-face networking techniques, give yourself a rest.  Building a supportive community takes time and is enjoyable.  So relax, and leave the frightening antics to your kids tonight.

The delicate art of business partnering

One of the first things you learn as a new entrepreneur is that you cannot possibly do everything yourself.  There are too many details involved in running a business to rely on any one individual.  Many people are used to going to a lawyer or accountant for business advice, but have you ever thought about going into partnership with someone else to grow your business?

There are a few different kinds of partnerships you can consider:   legal business partners where you share ownership and responsibility for your company, independent project partners (also called subcontractors) who you can bring on to help with a particular project, or joint venture partners, who you can work with to develop and promote a joint product or program.  No matter which configuration you choose, there are some things to be wary of when choosing your partner:

1. Legal structure.   If there is one thing I have heard often in small business classes of all shapes and sizes it is to be very careful of choosing a business partnership as your legal structure.  Horror stories abound of one partner bringing the business down in flames and then leaving the other to sweep up the ashes with complete financial responsibility for the chaos.  I don't mean it will never work, but you need to be very sure that the person you trust with your livelihood is ethical, responsible and trustworthy, in addition to being creative and brilliant.  Make sure to talk to a savvy accountant and lawyer before you go down this path.
2. Money matters.  Specifically, you need to define and agree upon an approach to business finances.  What are the financial habits of your business partner? How will they impact the growth of your business? Is she afraid to take any risk?  Is he prone to lavish spending and excess?  They say that money conflicts are the biggest cause of divorce in the U.S. - it isn't much different in a business.  You should be able to share your credit reports with each other and understand past spending habits.  If you feel this is too personal, you have chosen the wrong business partner. 
3. Market reputation matters.  If you are entering into a joint venture with someone, you are risking your own professional reputation.  The person doesn't have to be hugely famous or noteworthy, but he does have to have a solid track record and a good reputation with his clients and customers.  If you feel uneasy about working with someone, you should explore the reasons why.  Do they feel "too big" to you?  Do you have concerns about the quality or reliability of their work?  Will they treat your clients right?  Do they have ethical business practices?  Do you feel comfortable and open talking with them?  Would you feel safe allowing them to write to your clients directly?  If not, you may want to reconsider a joint venture.
4. Communication style.  A good reason to choose a business partner is to compliment your own communication style.  One of you may be a raging extrovert and the other quiet and thoughtful.  This can work well if you respect each other and make sure to discuss your communication needs.  If not, you may trip all over each other and find the business relationship deteriorates into resentment.
5. Shared values.  If one of you feels passionate about delivering exceptional customer service at any cost and the other aims to flip your company for big bucks in a short period of time, you will have big conflicts.  Discuss your approach to the business and find out which values you share together that will guide business decisions.  Like communication style, you don't have to be exactly alike, but you do have to share common ground on important things.

I have been lucky enough to work with some extremely smart and professional business partners over the years that have really helped to expand the reach of my business.  Some of the best due diligence I have found is watching the person in action.  I found many of my business partners at former employers or clients, after working with them on a project and liking what I saw.

I had a martial art teacher many years ago who said something wise to me in this respect.  He had been training and teaching martial arts for many decades, and had a tremendous reputation in his field.  Unlike many other teachers, I never heard anyone say anything bad about him.  When I asked him how he maintained such a good demeanor among lots of politics and backstabbing, he told me this:

"Present the same face to everyone.  Be kind and gracious.  But be very careful who you "let in" to your inner circle.  Spend lots of time watching the person and see how they interact with others.  If they are nice to you but rude and nasty to a waiter, beware.  It won't be long before they are the same with you.  Most importantly, watch how they treat their mother.  Spend lots of time watching this person and have patience.  Their true character will emerge."

This makes great sense to me.

What is your advice for choosing a business partner?

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Added note:  I couldn't help but use this funny picture.  Do you know that the city below this attractive business partner couple is Barcelona?

Amanda Congdon in my backyard - live video!

I was happy to see the interview video up on the Amanda Across America site late last night from our conversation last week in my backyard about life, work and introducing yourself.  I swear, we didn't choose the cactus as a prop - it lives on our back table as these are the only kind of plants that thrive here in hotter than Hades Arizona.

Note:  This image is a still photo, not a live link to the video interview ... check out the live video here!

It was a lot of fun to have Amanda and her crew here and to be part of her entrepreneurial project.

An interesting part of the discussion was our "role play" of Amanda's struggle to introduce herself in the midst of a big career transition.  It stemmed from my post where I wrote about how many new entrepreneurs fumble when introducing themselves.  Most people know Amanda from her Rocketboom fame, but of course she doesn't want to stay stuck in the past as she moves into new areas of her life and career.  I think our interaction perfectly models what many of us do when we are trying to explain less-than traditional work and career paths.  If you get bogged down in technical jargon, you will just feel flustered and confuse the person you are talking with.  After the camera was off, we continued the conversation and came up with an interesting gem ... When people ask her what she does for a living, she could always answer "I talk with interesting people."  If you have any suggestions for her, please leave comments on her blog!

I never realized that I was such a gesticulator ... maybe I should take up puppetry or clay sculpture, since my hands obviously feel oppressed by being forced to type all the time.

Top 10 entrepreneur song list

Like David Letterman and Guy Kawasaki, I am fond of top 10 lists.  For awhile now, I have been trying to come up with a top 10 song list for wannabe entrepreneurs.  I jot notes in my "little black idea book" whenever I think of one.  I don't have hours and hours to sample music and come up with a perfectly ordered list, like John Cusak's character does in the movie High Fidelity (that is one of my favorites - I highly recommend renting it, if for nothing else than Jack Black's record store employee character), so here goes:

1. It's My Life by Jon Bon Jovi.  With good ole American head-bouncing lyrics like "I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd, you're gonna hear my voice - I'll shout it out loud:  It's my life and its now or never, ain't gonna live forever ..."  how can you not get fired up to take responsibility for your life?  BONUS:  Get the Paul Anka version and prepare to crack up.  This would make it suitable to play for your grandparents. Bon Jovi version: Paul Anka version:
2. We're Not Going to Take It by Twisted Sister.  This is one of the great "Damn The Man" rallying cries of all time.  You could sing it to your corporate bosses as you flame out the door:  "Oh you're so condescending, your gall is never-ending, we don't want nothin' not a thing from you, your life is trite and jaded, boring and confiscated, if its your best, your best won't do ... Oh we're not gonna take it - no, we ain't gonna take it ... we're not gonna take it anymore."  Bizarre personal connection:  I saw the lead singer of this band at my Greenstone Media event in New York.  Strange, I know.
3. Who Are You? by The Who.  This gets at the heart of what every new entrepreneur has to deal with ... who are you, really, and how do you want to express yourself through your work?  I thought about using it as part of my intake process for new coaching clients, then considered that Roger Daltry screaming "Who the F... are you?" may be slightly off-putting to new clients.  Still, the thought crossed my mind.
4. While You See a Chance Take It by Steve Winwood.  I will admit that I am one of the biggest crybabies in the world and choke up every time I hear this song.  I don't know if it is the stirring music or the words that get me: "When some cold tomorrow finds you, when some subtle dream reminds you how the endless road unwinds you ... while you see a chance, take it, the wrong romance, break it - because it's all ... on you."
5. Here Comes the Sun by George Harrison.  When you actually quit your job and begin to taste the freedom of entrepreneurship, this song seems appropriate with lyrics like " Little darlin' it's been a long cold lonely winter... Little darlin' it feels like years since its been here .. Here comes the sun, here comes the sun And I say its alright ...." Note:  I could not find the George Harrison track anywhere, so this is a cover: 
6. MJB is da MVP by Mary J. Blige I have written about this song before, since I love the way she responds to her critics ... "Go ahead envy me, I'm the soul hip hop queen and I ain't going nowhere, but you already know me ..." Then, after thanking her fans and celebrating the place she is in her life, she says "You can hate it or love it!"  Truer words never spoken.
7. For Once in My Life by Stevie Wonder.  I realize that Stevie is probably talking about a woman, not a business, when he sings "For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of long before I do, someone warm like you would make my dream come true ... For once in my life, I won't let sorrow hurt me, not like its hurt me before .. for once I have something I know won't desert me .. I'm not alone anymore."  Is it so wrong to see your dream business like a lover? 
8. Celebrate by Kool and the Gang I may forever lose the respect of some readers by admitting my love for this song, but I can't help it.  Who in their right mind cannot shake their bootie and dance when this song comes on the radio?  I don't even drink, so I can't attribute my enthusiasm for this song to drunken escapades in discos with 80's flashbacks.  It is just the kind of song to play for your family when you come home after giving notice at the job you hate.
9. Muevete by DLG (Dark Latin Groove)  This song is in Spanish and simply tells us to "Get Moving!" with engaging rhythms and a hypnotic dance beat.  I am a total fan of salsa music and get motivated to shake things up on and off the dance floor when I hear this song.
10. Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones.  I just couldn't have an entrepreneur song list without this one. Not just because of its obvious connection to starting a business through the song title, but the way that Mick Jagger reinvents himself year after year and always comes out swinging.  When my son was a little baby and could hardly sit up by himself, we were watching the U.S. football Superbowl and the Rolling Stones played.  He immediately perked up and started dancing in place.  When the song was over, he started clapping wildly.  I swear, we never taught him to clap like that -- it was Mick's magical enthusiasm, catchy for 90 year old grannies and 10 month old babies alike.  If we could all transcend market segments so well!

So there is my first shot at a playlist.

Now ... your turn!

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Update 10/26:  Sevenoaks had asked me to include audio clips, so with much head scratching and fantastic guidance from Alex Suarez, Darron Padilla and Derek Padilla, I figured out how to do it! It was such a learning adventure that I am going to blog about it tomorrow.

Escape podcast episode 5: Beat negative self-talk when starting a business

Listen to the latest episode of the Escape from Cubicle Nation Podcast!

When you decide to start your own business, you might find yourself plagued with all kinds of negative self-talk like:

• I am a terrible salesperson
• I don't have the self-discipline required to be a successful entrepreneur
• I will never be able to start a business because of my low credit score
• All my competitors are more talented/experienced than I am

I am not saying that all of you will feel this all the time, but there will be moments of fleeting, and sometimes not so fleeting, insecurities that will make you feel terrible if you let them.  Most importantly, they sap the energy you need to build and market your business.

In this podcast episode, I share some helpful advice from two good books:  Finding Your Own North Star:  Claiming the life you were meant to live by Martha Beck and Loving What Is:  Four questions that can change your life by Byron Katie.

Martha talks about a distinction between your essential self, your true personality which is filled with natural desire, and your social self, which is shaped by your family, educational background, popular media and community environment.  She describes them this way:

"The essential self contains several sophisticated compasses that continuously point you towards your North Star.  The social self is the set of skills that actually carry you towards this goal.  Your essential self wants passionately to become a doctor; your social self struggles through organic chemistry and applies to medical school.  Your essential self yearns for the freedom of nature; your social self buys the right backpacking equipment.  Your essential self falls in love; your social self watches to make sure the feeling is reciprocal before allowing you to stand underneath your beloved's window singing serenades."

When your essential and social selves are in harmony, you experience peace of mind and happiness.  In the podcast, I refer to 25 questions Martha writes in her book for testing your social-essential self connection.

Rate each question with the most accurate response:  "often," "sometimes," "rarely," or "never."

1. My life feels like a great adventure
2. I feel sure I can solve any problems I encounter
3. I have fun
4. I laugh out loud
5. I feel overwhelmed by gratitude
6. I spend time in comfortable solitude
7. I am fascinated by things I am learning
8. I feel deeply understood
9. Things just seem to work out for me
10. I get so involved in projects I forget to stop
11. I use my imagination
12. I do things I loved when I was a kid
13. People seem to enjoy being around me
14. I play
15. I feel perfectly safe
16. I get excited when it is time to go to work
17. I feel mentally sharp and alert
18. I have really cool ideas
19. I love my body
20. I'm flooded with love for other people
21. I do new things, or old things in new ways
22. I do what I want to, even if it is scary
23. I'm completely relaxed with other people
24. I feel intense physical pleasure
25. I am very pleased with myself in general

Martha's scoring:  If you didn't answer "often" to every one of the questions, you could stand to be in closer contact with your essential self.

Sound wildly optimistic and unreasonable?  It's not, really, as long as you begin to do your personal work.

The other thing I reference in the podcast are the four questions to ask of your negative self-talk from Byron Katie's book.  They are:

1. Is it true?
2. Can I absolutely know that it's true?
3. How do I react when I think that thought?
4. Who would I be without the thought?

Hope you enjoy it - test some of these things out and let me know what you think!

Subscribe to the podcast here.

Top 5 nitpicky mistakes made by new entrepreneurs that drive me crazy

One of the fun things about my work is that I get exposure to a lot of different marketing materials from emerging entrepreneurs.  Lately, I have seen a few annoying things that really undermine a professional image.  If you have committed these sins, please don't feel judged ... just fix them asap.

1. Sharing an email address with your spouse. I don't know about you, but I get very confused when I get a message from "Peggy Sue and Billy Bob Johnson."  Which one is sending it?  If I am doing business with Peggy Sue, what do I know about Billy Bob?  Do both read the email, or do they just have both names on it?  What if I have to divulge some information to Peggy Sue that I don't feel comfortable sharing with Billy Bob? Who is Billy Bob?  The part that really drives me crazy is that in this day and age email addresses are free, so it doesn't take more than 2 seconds to set up your own account.  Keep your joint email for personal correspondance and get yourself a dedicated email address for your business.
2. Not having complete information on your "Contact Me" page of your website. I get really, really annoyed at contact pages that force me to fill out a form in order to get in touch with you.  What if I am a reporter from the Wall Street Journal looking for an expert quote for an article I am on deadline for?  What if I want to send you a gift or book or scented candle cause I think you are cool and you don't have your address listed?  I realize that contact forms help with spam filters, but please include complete contact info -- phone, fax, email, website, physical address on your contact page.  If you are too important to be bothered with pesky people like, I don't know, potential customers, keep your contact page vague and incomplete.
3. Not having your picture anywhere on your website or blog.  Mind you, I am not talking about your personal blog where you rant about your lame boss and discuss the exploits of your Chihuahua, I am talking about your business site or blog.  I get kind of suspect when someone is not willing to divulge their identity yet desires to do business with me.  I love all shapes and sizes of faces, so don't think you have to be America's Next Top Model or a Chippendale dancer to show your chops. When I see a picture of you, it breeds familiarity, and that is what you want your potential customers to feel about you.
4. Not including an email signature with your contact info.  I harassed my friend John the other day (you know who you are!) because he was wanting to get the word out about his blog, but didn't include the URL at the bottom of every email he sent or responded to.  You don't have to include a huge long list of contact info, but please at least include your phone number and link to your website or blog (which by now is updated with complete contact info).  I get so annoyed when I am in a hurry to get things done and I want to call someone who emailed me.  Where is the phone number?  What if they are not at their desk?
5. Not including enough information in the "About Us" page of a website.  Maybe this is just me, but I want to read something about the background of the founders of a company, not just what products or services they sell.  Often these "About Us" pages are just a sales pitch.  I like to see a picture of each of the management team with a personal bio that says where they came from and what they did in their work and life.  It can be very whimsical and fun, just make it an interesting story so that I get to know more about the people that work at the company, not just the nameless, faceless brand name.

Alright, tirade over, I just had to get this off my chest before I went into the weekend.

What drives you nuts?

Is it ever safe to call yourself an expert?

Of all the overused, hyped-up marketing nouns out there, "expert" has to be near the top of the heap.  It is used so often that people have (rightfully so) become very suspect of the word.

An interesting thing happens, however, to many perspective entrepreneurs ... they feel so frightened about calling themselves an expert that they think they have to obtain 20 years of experience and a post-doctorate to even be considered credible.  I think this is counter-productive, as most successful entrepreneurs build expertise and credibility bit by bit.

So to shake you out of your "I'm not worthy" mode, here are some alternative "expert" definitions:

The "no one would call them an expert because they are too young but they really are an expert" expert

John Trosko (more on him in a minute) showcased a perfect example of this on his blog, featuring the very enthusiastic "folding expert" Ben Zweig (The original source was from Lifehacker.)  What Ben lacks in years on the planet, he makes up with exuberance, charm and a true knack for making a great instructional video. 

(BTW, this is the first time I have ever inserted a video into my blog and I am really stoked I figured it out!)

The "low on training or formal education but high on results" expert

30-minute meal cooking phenomenon Rachel Ray is a perfect example of this.  She was not formally trained at an elite cooking school or 5-star restaurant, she honed her skills while preparing food demonstrations in a mall.  I am sure there are Cordon Bleu-trained chefs who watch her show and cringe.  In the meantime, she perkily flings food around her kitchen on her way to a multi-media empire.  It doesn't hurt to have Oprah as a backer, but I do believe that it was a lot of her own ganas (inner fire, drive) that got her noticed by major media.  She is a master at being open, friendly, accessible and practical, and this adds to her appeal.  While I may not call her an expert chef, I would call her an expert at bringing simple, quick and healthy food preparation to the masses.

The "been there done that" expert

This kind of expert has learned a tremendous amount from real life experience, not formal education.  They often share their expertise through analogies and examples, not textbook citations.  Sometimes the experts from this area gain experience in areas outside of work, for example the child abuse expert who grew up in an abusive household.

The "been to the right schools and has the right advanced academic degrees" expert

They do exist, and thank goodness.  There is real value in seasoned, well-read and analytical experts who know volumes about their subject matter.  The caveat I would propose for experts with this pedigree in the business world is that they should be able to demonstrate results from all of their book smarts.  All of us have probably come across a cultured genius with more letters after their name than in their name who is also a tremendous windbag.  The key is not just knowing a lot about a given field, but knowing how to apply what you know in a practical business situation.

The "has a combination of academic and 'been there done that' experience along with a boatload of enthusiasm" expert

This is where John Trosko of Organizing LA serves as a good example.  It is clear from his bio that he has lots of professional experience, but the vibe that comes off his blog by virtue of the colors and images is of high energy and enthusiasm.  I am an organizing nerd by nature and a Virgo to boot (which means I give anally retentive a new meaning), but even if I wasn't, I think I would enjoy reading John's thoughts on organizing.

My aim at giving some texture to the definition of the word "expert" is to encourage new entrepreneurs to expand their view of what it means to be credible.  It is ok to stand up and say with pride "I really do know and care a lot about this subject and you should listen to me!"  If you have the results to back it up, you have just as much right to say this as does a post-doctorate from Stanford.

Pam's travel pic roundup

I have been on the road and interacting with "real live human beings" (no offense, my virtual friends!)more in the last month or so than I have in about 2 years.  My first foray out of the desert was my whirlwind trip to New York last month to meet Gloria Steinem, then I went to Georgia to teach a workshop for Habitat for Humanity, then, just today, Amanda Congdon and her crew stopped by the house to film a segment for Amanda Across America.  I took pictures at each event and thought that I would share them with you in the spirit of an "extended family" photo album.

I have to say that having a tuned in, supportive blog community has inspired me to get out more, create more, expand the reach of my message, walk my own talk and build a great brand and company.  So THANK YOU for your encouragement and I hope you enjoy my photo assortment.

Click on any image to see it full-size.

Most recent first:  Amanda and I have our interview at a table in my backyard. The full interview will be posted next week and I will of course link to it.

My family and the Amanda Across America crew, Brady Bunch style on my back steps, clockwise from bottom left:

My son Josh (with candy in his mouth, which his Dad used to stop him from screaming MOMMY in the middle of the interview), my husband Darryl, me, Amanda,  Mario (videographer), Rob (videographer and Mario's brother) and my bonus son Jeffery.  Emily, also in Amanda's cross-country crew, is not in the pic as she was behind the camera!

   

Americus, Georgia with Habitat for Humanity's Youth Program Staff:
I don't have a listing of everyone's name, but you will note that the two nerds in front are me and Patrick, who both felt compelled to pose "grammar school softball picture style"  on one knee. We discussed in the training that a "nerd" or "geek" is actually a compliment, so I am not insulting Patrick by my label.  Also of note is my best friend Desiree, the director of Youth Programs, who is in the far left of the back row.  Thank you Youth Programs staff for all your wonderful energy and enthusiasm!

This picture was taken in front of one of their display homes in their Global Village education center where they show full-size Habitat Homes from many countries.  I totally forget which country this was from ... sorry!

OK, now here come the strange possessed photos from the Greenstone Media launch in New York.  For some reason, in every pic I look like an obsessed serial stalker who I would run from if I saw myself in a crowded room.  Maybe I was just star struck, I don't know. 

This group are the blogging gals who came from various parts of the country (and Canada)to attend the launch event.  I enjoyed hanging out with Funky Brown Chick (to the right of me) Her Bad Mother (to the left of me) and Mom 101 (with the headband to the left of Her Bad Mother).

Here is where we get Jack Nicholson from The Shining meets the Stepford Wives:  me squished behind Gloria Steinem, looking scary.

   

Here is me actually talking with Gloria, but still looking quite possessed.  No wonder she "kept working the room" and moved on to other conversations.  Wouldn't you?

All these wonderful in-person interactions have kept me very energized and stoked my passion to keep growing and expanding my work.  Hope you enjoyed the ride!

Great writing on writing

I have always been a big fan of great writers, as I was raised in a household of voracious readers.  My father is a photojournalist and my mother has always loved to read.  My older sister is an editor, and although my brother ended up being a scientist, he toyed with the idea of being an English major while an undergraduate student.

My fondest memories of summer vacation are my family members lined up on lounge chairs by a lake or ocean, book in hand, drinking a cup of coffee and being thoroughly engrossed in a good book.  Occasionally one of us would be so overtaken by a beautiful passage that we would have to break the silence and read aloud. 

As I made my way through the business world, I realized that good writing was a key skill for just about anyone.  The more you can share ideas, generate excitement, educate, train and inspire with your words, the more successful you tend to be.  With the recent popularity of blogging, this has become even more important.

So if you are like me and write for part of your living, constantly strive to do it better (grammar is the bane of my existance - I am sure you see my errors on the blog) and want to read some great writing on writing, here are my suggestions:

Books

Guy Kawasaki wrote about If You Want to Write A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland.  It is an uplifting, witty, helpful and supportive book for writers.  Written in 1938, it is still relevant today.

My Dad first told me about Bird by Bird Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott.  She is a hilarious writer who provides great insight into the process of writing, evidenced by some of her chapter titles:  "Shitty First Drafts," "Perfectionism," "How Do You Know When You Are Done?," and "Jealousy." 

My Dad also tipped me off to Eats Shoots & Leaves The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss.  I can't believe that my family is the only one who enjoys passages such as this one:

"The consequences of mispunctuation (and re-punctuation) have appealed to both great and little minds, and in the age of the fancy-that email a popular example is the comparison of two sentences:

A woman, without her man, is nothing
A woman:  without her, man is nothing"

And if it has been awhile since you picked up your college version of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, you may be interested in the new, illustrated version.  This is the slim, classic text for cleaning up your meandering writing to make it crisp, clear and compelling.

Blogs

My favorite blog on writing is Matthew Stibbe's Bad Language.  An interview with his "fabulous proofreader" yielded this gem which has stuck with me ever since I read it:

(Matthew's Question) What are the most common mistakes?

‘They’re/their/there’ is a constant source of confusion, as well as ‘where/were’ and ‘you’re/your’. Similarly I see a lot of mix-ups of ‘pair/pear’, ‘discreet/discrete’ and ‘loath/loathe’ (which I loathe). No one seems to know where to put apostrophes anymore.

Also, a new one I’m seeing everywhere - full stops seem to be escaping from self-contained parentheses at an alarming rate. If parentheses appear at the end of a sentence then the full stop goes outside (like this). (But if the whole sentence is contained in brackets, the full stop stays in.) However, people seem to think the full stops deserve their freedom. I shall be campaigning to keep them imprisoned. (emphasis added by Pam - I LOVE this metaphor)

A reader alerted me to this great post on Common Errors in Technical Writing.  If you have been around for awhile, you have probably fallen victim to evil and convoluted technical writing, especially if it accompanies software you must install or furniture you must assemble in 30 minutes or less.

I hope these resources get you started reading about good writing ... the first step to writing well!

And if you have more good resources, let me know and I will update this post.

The power of one thought

Sorry it has been a little quiet on the desert front ... I have been traveling this week and write from Americus, Georgia where I am spending the week working with Habitat for Humanity's Youth Program.  It is kind of rare that I go on the road anymore due to my little guy, but this was an exception since it was a request from my best friend, Desiree, who is the manager of the program. 

I have really enjoyed being up in front of a group again and getting some insight into what is on the minds of employees in organizations.  In this case, most of the staff of the program are young themselves, either recent college graduates or a few years in the workforce.  They are excited, committed and passionate about the work they are doing and it makes me feel really optimistic about the future of our society to see their dedication to making the world a better place.

We drove past the original office of Habitat this morning, which was one house on a quiet street.  Later in the day, I sat in an auditorium and listened to their CEO talk about the huge amount of homes being built by volunteers in 90 countries around the world.  As an example, this month, 2,000 volunteers will build 100 homes outside of Mumbai, India as part of the Jimmy Carter Work Project.

As I sat back and listened to all the activity going on, I couldn't help but think that at one time, the idea to provide "every man woman and child has a decent place to live" was just a thought in someone's mind.  By acting on that thought and getting something started, a huge wave of power and energy was released, which has been harnessed to build over 200,000 homes, providing shelter for more than 1,000,000 family members.  Maybe some of you have been part of the millions of volunteers who have picked up a hammer and nail and helped build a Habitat home in your local community.

Maybe building houses or starting a non-profit is not your cup of tea. Whatever your passionate idea is, if you feel stuck or afraid or hesitant, I encourage you to get moving with it.  You may be amazed at the creative power it unleashes.

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And speaking of being on the road and doing creative things, it looks like Amanda Congdon of former Rocketboom fame and now fearless leader of the Amanda Across America project will come visit me at my home in Arizona next week to tape a video interview.  She is traveling across country and interviewing bloggers and other people with something to say and posting the interviews on her video blog (vlog) site.  She says that there will be about a week delay from the time the interview is taped until it is posted on the vlog, so I will let you know when the link is live.  I am really looking forward to it, and am excited to be a part of an entrepreneurial and creative project.  It will be fun to meet Amanda in person and learn about her adventures first-hand.

I better make sure I clean my house as all of you will join me in my living room!