Risley Ranch

Team Principle #2: Be Positive

Sometimes it's hard.  Sometimes it's really, really hard to be positive.  When you're having a shitty day, or a client says/does something mean, or you're simply overwhelmed with work, being positive is the last thing you want to do.

But you gotta do it.

Negativity is like cancer.  It spreads quickly through a workplace and kills motivation.  I've seen it happen.  I've even participated in it from time to time.  We've all have bad days -- that's not what I'm talking about here.  I'm talking about perpetual, habitual negativity.

I've also seen what a positive attitude can do for a person and a workplace.  One simple act from just one person can set in motion a wave of positiveness.  And the cool thing is, we can chose to be positive, just like we can chose to be happy.

One of my favorite Stephen Covey principles is, there is a space between stimulus and response.  In that space, you get to chose.  So if a co-worker says something negative to you, don't be a victim -- don't let it impact your attitude.  Stop, take a deep breath, and chose not to listen to it, to ignore it or to empathize and let it go.  But it's always, always your choice.

Our team's 10 principles: #1 - Believe

At the beginning of the year we organized ten key principles we believe in as a team.  These principles are not just pie-in-the-sky goals -- they're expectations.  Sometimes it's hard to make words come alive off the page and put them into practice.  But I've found memorizing them and reciting them to myself often helps.  So I thought I'd use my blog to "recite" them as well.  So each day, I'll post a principle and give a little background about where it came from or why we believe in it.

The first one is "Believe."  We're a team.  We're in this together.  If we don't believe success is possible, it won't happen.

The inspiration for this was my high-school basketball coach, Gene Wilkins.  He was the inspiration for much of my leadership today.  But "believing," in particular, was a Coach Wilkins hallmark.  He made a bunch of small-town, height-challenged kids believe they could play the best defense in the league and win ballgames because of it.  And we did.

The mind is a powerful, powerful thing.  All our reality starts in our mind.  If we don't first believe in our hearts and our minds we can do something, it will never happen in reality.

10 Things I Learned at the OIA Rendezvous

Here's a quick deck that highlights some of what I learned last week at the Outdoor Industry Association's Rendezvous in Boston.

Download ten_things_i_learned_oia.ppt

OIA Rendezvous 2008 Social Media presentation

What a great week!  I had a blast at the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Rendezvous in Boston last week.  I had the privilege of speaking at one of the break-out sessions on Thursday on social media.  It was well attended, and several people told me they got something out of it -- the best compliment you can get as a speaker.  I've attached the full power point presentation.  It's published under a Creative Commons attribution license, so feel free to share it, steal it, re-use it or otherwise mash it up -- just give credit to me and/or the original sources I've sited when doing so.

Download oia_social_media_presentation_final_10208_risley.ppt

Augmented Reality

I had no idea what it was, until I read this awesome post from my colleague, Mark Logan.  And he's got a nice new blog look, too.

Get yourself some new (Interwoven)threads

My friend, and Barkley colleague, Andy Woolard, started a very cool, unique online business a couple of years ago called Interwoven Threads.  The company's mission -- "clothing that connects our style, our community and our environment" -- sums it up perfectly.  He sells hip, 100% organic cotten t-shirts on the site, and for each shirt sold, he makes a donation of a shirt or $$ to a local not-for-profit.

I never thought I was quite cool enough (or slender enough) to wear the T's, but I finally bought two recently.  They're great.  Soft, durable, cool and all for a good cause.  Because of my purchases, Andy donated a shirt to Restart Outreach and $5 to America's Second Harvest.

Give it a try.

Get outdoors!

Last month I had the privilege of speaking at the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, Utah.  My topic was cause branding.  It was a real thrill for me because 1) I'm passionate about the topic, and 2) I love the outdoor category. 

I met the people behind many of my favorite brands: Keen, Goretex, REI, The North Face, Mountain Hardware...I was a kid in a candy store.  I also had the pleasure of meeting Skip Yowell, co-founder of Jansport (now owned by VF Corp, who owns two of our client-brands: Lee and Wrangler).  Skip is not only an ambassador for his brand, he's an ambassador for the whole industry.  Like everyone else I met, he was genuine, kind and had a true passion for the outdoors. 

Skip sent me his book, and I just finished reading it.  It was outstanding.  Talk about a fun read.  This guy has had so many amazing adventures...I was envious reading it.  I also discovered that Skip and I grew up in the same part of the world: Western Kansas.  In fact, he was born a short 20-30 miles from me -- albeit a few years earlier ;-)

Although I grew up in the outdoors -- hunting, skiing, camping -- I've gotten away from it in my adult life.  No excuse, really.  But now that we have Joe, I'm completely motivated to get back outside -- to expose him to life away from a "screen."  Nature can teach us so much, as long as we're willing to slow down and listen.  But you have to get outside first.

That's why I was so excited to learn about the OIA Foundation's new cause initiative to "get kids outdoors."  They launched it at the show, and are ultimately looking to raise millions of dollars over the next 10 years to provide grants to existing programs that support their mission of getting kids outdoors.  This isn't just a business-building effort -- it's a public health initiative.  I would say it's as important has the work done by the American Legacy Foundation to stop teens from smoking.  Obesity, diabetes and other sedentary issues can all be helped by being active.  Add the life-skills, leadership opportunities and good-ol-fun of the outdoors, and you've got a natural high.

The OIA has invited me back to speak at their Fall Rendezvous in Boston.  My subject will be social media.  I can't wait.

A great idea

So I was super impressed with the Proximity hotel in Greensboro, and I was equally amazed at its restaurant, the Print Shop Bistro. Check out their unique use of recycled corregated cardboard as coasters.

From the "Isn't-that-nifty" department...

A virtual online allowance and money management site for parents and kids: Zefty (courtesy of eHub).  Is 6-years-old too young for something like this, I wonder?  Joe already gives presentations to make-believe "clients" and creates retail outlets and fake money (a toy store in our basement).  That's my boy!

KC PRSA Presentation

I had the privilege of presenting to the Greater Kansas City PRSA chapter last week.  The subject:  "Building Public Relationships Through Social Media."  We hosted about 40 or so folks at Barkley.  It was a great crowd.  Very in tune with the subject matter, and very engaged.  I've posted the presentation below, along with an appendix of data.  Thanks to Tracy Richardson for inviting me and the chapter for allowing me to speak.

Download prsa_sm_presentation.pdf

Download prsa_sm_appendix.pdf

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