Daniel Johnson Jr. recently asked: For every one of my strengths, there is a balcony and a basement level. The balcony level of a strength is when the strength is showing up at its peak effectiveness. The basement level is when the strength can potentially become a weakness. For example, I’m one to whom strangers…
Buying a martial arts black belt from Amazon does not bestow the skills of a martial artist on the buyer. Hiring someone unqualified and giving them the title of CMO does not confer any skills the candidate didn’t already have. Misnaming something to defy reality or take shortcuts never creates the results we want. Take the…
In the martial arts, we spend a lot of time learning how to face and deal with difficult situations, dangerous enemies, and unpredictable challenges. However, the worst, most dangerous enemies we often face are ourselves. We get in our own way. We sabotage ourselves. We make things more difficult than they have to be. We…
What’s the difference between leadership vs. management? Imagine you’ve got a patch of woods that’s brambles, thorns, trees, and brush. You need to move yourself and your group through the woods safely and quickly. The Leader is the person in front, hacking away at the foliage, making the trail for others to follow. The Manager is the person who…
One of the most common questions asked of conference organizers goes something like this: “How do I justify this conference? Why should I attend it?” The short answer is: no conference can provide justification. None. Even if some conference marketers make “justify your trip” collateral. Why? A conference by itself is just a gathering of…
A few people have asked for some general advice about keeping safe in unsafe, uncertain times and places. The ABCDEF basics apply to everyone, are easy to remember, and easy to teach others. Please feel free to share this with others if you think it would be helpful to them. The Checklist Avoid being alone.…
We live in complex times as marketers. Every day brings new advances, new technologies, new ideas for us to incorporate in our work. How do we keep our skills sharp? How do we avoid becoming overwhelmed? We can look to one of the most complex martial arts systems for some answers. I’ve been practicing ninjutsu…
Verna asked, “What is the dynamic between the marketing technology operations and other technology teams?” To make marketing technology work, we must be equal parts marketer and technologist. The Chief Marketing Technology Officer (or equivalent) is the bridge between the CMO and the CTO. To make marketing technology work at an organization as a distinct…
Kerry Gorgone asked this intriguing question on Twitter: Advanced marketing subjects is an interesting question. What is advanced marketing? What does advanced marketing look like? To answer this question, let’s look from the perspective of the martial arts. In your beginning days, you learn mechanics. How to punch. How to kick. How to block or…
