The Noun or the Verb?

ex·pe·ri·ence

noun

Practical contact with and observation of facts or events. "He had already learned his lesson by painful experience." Involvement in, participation in, contact with, acquaintance with, exposure to, observation of, awareness of, insight into. “His first experience of business.”

verb

Encounter or undergo (an event or occurrence). "The company is experiencing difficulties." Undergo, encounter, meet, come into contact with, come across, come up against, face, be faced with. "Some employees experience harassment."

I like words. Some of my favorite words are the ones that have multiple meanings. LOVE is probably the most popular word that can mean many things. You can love pizza, dogs, your wife, a movie, your job, your friends, your people. The simple three letter word “run” has dozens of meanings. I am told that this word “run” sets the record for having the most different meanings. But today, the word “experience” is in my life, every single day, in a very big way.

Although I was never a teacher or formal “educator” I am deeply involved in the world of education. I have spent most of my career in and around the sales and marketing of TBLS (Technology Based Learning Systems). It struck me: education in all of its forms (K-12, High School, College, Corporate Training, Coaching…...everything) is experience.

Educators, Trainers, Coaches, they are all in the Knowledge Transfer business. When someone pays tuition to a school, they are purchasing the “experience” of all those who have come before them. Is Medical School not a type of “store” that is selling experience? A medical student is effectively purchasing the knowledge (the experience) of the entire medical profession.

By some twists of fate, I had the opportunity to work with the Disney organization. And from that, we are now working with all things “Orlando” and all those in and around Orlando. Since March, I have been back and forth to Orlando seven times. And that has been only seven trips to Orlando because I canceled a few meetings - or - they came up to New York City to meet with us up here.

The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando and Kissimmee, Florida. The resort is the flagship destination of Disney's worldwide corporate enterprise. Is there anyone on the planet that has not been to Walt Disney World? If no…...your time is coming!

"Magic Kingdom" was often used as an unofficial nickname for Disneyland before Walt Disney World was built. The official tagline for Disneyland is "The Happiest Place On Earth", while the tagline for Magic Kingdom is "The Most Magical Place On Earth".

Disney is in the experience business.

So, it struck me. Everything in our lives is about experience. The noun AND the verb.

When we apply for a job: “Do you have any experience?”

When we sell something: “Oh, wait until you experience (the speed, the power, the…)”

When we are falling in (or out) of love: “I am experiencing a broken heart.”

A five star restaurant has taken “food” and made it an experience. One of the most well known guides is the Michelin series which award one to three stars to restaurants they perceive to be of high culinary merit. One star indicates a "very good restaurant"; two stars indicate a place "worth a detour"; three stars means "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey".

The more stars (in hotels or in restaurants) the better the……..customer experience. Is an Ivy League Education really worth the crazy money? You can get a degree from a school like Rutgers.edu or a school like Harvard.edu  The difference in tuition can be dramatic. Will the overall delta in the “experience” match the price? At some point the law of diminishing returns comes into play. Is an education at an Ivy League School worth 10x the price? What are you exactly getting for your tuition? Bragging rights? Access to the Alumni network? My father used to say: “If you send a jackass to college, you get a smart jackass.”

Jobs. Education. Travel. Entertainment. Technology. Food. And of course……. People.

They say that happiness in life comes not from buying things, but from buying “experiences”. Ah, but the people that come in and out of our lives are not things to be purchased. Employees, staff, partners, contractors. Who we choose to work with, those we learn from, those we choose to train or to teach - these are the most important decisions of all.

Life = experience. The people who come in (and out) of our lives are the foundation of every experience of our lives.

In March of this year, I met the amazing Lee Cockerell of Disney fame. Suffice it to say, meeting Lee has DRAMATICALLY changed my life (hence the trips to Orlando).  

Earlier this year, I reconnected with someone that I first met many years ago (on Facebook, no less) who has now become the Executive Director of the NYDLA.org (and she has become a good friend and now, a business partner).

Life = Experience = People.

The world has changed, and it is changing faster with each passing day. We no longer have to go to a store to buy something. We no longer have to turn on a computer to check our emails. We no longer have to buy a car, or even travel to a school for the experience of an education. The only constant is change, as they say. But, there is one more rule that has existed since the beginning of time:

The quality of our lives = the quality of our experiences = the quality of the people in our lives.

And the best news of all?  We get to choose. We get to pick the people in our lives. So, the next time you think about (your spouse, your friend, your employee, your teacher, your student, your client, your customer)

You are their experience, and they are yours. The people in your life - they are your life.

Be as nice to the people in your life as you would be to yourself. Treat the people in your life as you would treat yourself, because that is exactly what you are doing. And remember: we are ALL in the experience business, every single day. Just like Disney.

Is it safe?

Event Security is a hot topic space right now and will continue to be for some time to come. Safeguarding today’s stadiums, venues and arenas requires daily work with focused, concentrated efforts. The significance of ongoing training, education/career development resources for staff cannot be underscored.

Furthermore, the threats, challenges and vulnerabilities remain for those entrusted with duty of care responsibilities within the space.

Security is an aspect of sports that often gets overlooked, yet is integral to the entertainment value of the fan experience. This premise is shared all over the world. Agencies work as a team to ensure fans that their choice to attend a game won’t come with repercussions that will affect their lives outside of fandom.

Talk to anyone in the today’s Sports & Entertainment Industry ( a multi-billion dollar juggernaut) about what fuels the market. Most will tell you that it’s all about safety/security and the overall fan experience.

Billionaire owners, ownership groups, sports marketers, venue directors, contract security, guest services, box office, merchandising, security, those entrusted duty of care responsibilities, understand that along with corporate sponsors, the well-paying fan base drives the market.

I recently recorded a podcast with James A. De Meo. James is a Retired Nassau County Police Detective with over 25 years of law enforcement, security and consulting experience. I won’t steal my own thunder here, as you can listen to the podcast yourself on the NYDLA.org website.

But here was the “thing” that stayed with me for hours…….long after the podcast recording was over:

We will never be safe.

The sheer magnitude, the complexity of trying to keep us “safe” at airports, football games, movie theaters, shopping malls - it grows with each passing day. Drones flying into stadiums. Cybersecurity issues. Malware. Campus shootings.

There is an innocence lost that our children, and their children will never recover. The same technology that allows us to enjoy Netflix, and Uber and Airbnb has also created a never ending battle of good vs. evil. A type of arms race of people trying to do us harm, and those trying to protect us.

I just pause and remember a simpler time, when the thoughts of going to a stadium or an arena would never, ever be associated with the words terror or fear.

They say that things work in cycles. I can only hope that we can cycle back to a simpler time.

The Power of 2 (or more)

"Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?" -- Benjamin Franklin

I love books. I am still a fan of “the paper book” as I like the feel of a real book. I like using bookmarks, and a highlighter to mark-up points to ponder. eBooks are cool too and serve a purpose. I have purchased eBook copies of my favorite paper books. Yep, all types of books are cool.

Two books that I highly recommend:  Power of 2 and StrengthsFinder.

I make it mandatory for all new hires (employees or contractors) to send me their StrengthsFinder report. The test comes free with the purchase of the book. The insights on a person’s true essence are spooky accurate. You cannot fake the results!

Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?

Chances are, you don't. All too often, our natural talents go untapped. From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings than to developing our strengths.

To help people uncover their talents, Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, in the 2001 management book Now, Discover Your Strengths. The book spent more than five years on the bestseller lists and ignited a global conversation, while StrengthsFinder helped millions to discover their top five talents.

In StrengthsFinder 2.0 Gallup unveiled the new and improved version of its popular assessment, language of 34 themes, and much more. While you can read this book in one sitting, you'll use it as a reference for decades.

Loaded with hundreds of strategies for applying your strengths, this Wall Street Journal, Businessweek, and USA Today bestseller will change the way you look at yourself -- and the world around you -- forever.

Power of 2 is a book that takes research from the Gallup organization and develops a theoretical model of eight factors that make up effective/ineffective partnerships: complementary strengths, a common mission, fairness, trust, acceptance, forgiveness, communicating, and unselfishness. The model is applicable to both work and personal relationships.

The authors present a blended approach to the content that makes it interesting and useful. They provide key statements for each factor along with examples that support their model. In addition, they provide specific strategies the reader may utilize in improving his/her own approach to developing and maintaining effective partnerships. It's one of those books that I call a re-read---you read it once and can't help but re-read at a later date to enjoy nuances and further learning on the ideas presented.

These are not new books, but they might be the core of my entire business philosophy. I am big believer that we should play to our strengths. And I have learned that true success - nothing of any value in the world of business - comes from a single individual.

1. Play to your strengths, and empower your people to play to their strengths.
2. None of us is as smart as all of us.

My StrengthsFinder report says that I might be (to some) impossible to work “for” but I can be amazing to work with.  

We are social creatures. So, we should all “play to our strengths" and always remember that life (and business) is a team sport. 

JoinNYDLA.org and I’ll send you these two books for free.

The Obstacle is the Way

There is a very cool book by Ryan Holiday: The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

I often give this book as a gift. It is my “go to” for anyone that works for me, with me, or anyone that I hope to work with. They say that you are who you spend the most time with. Well, I want to spend time with people who love this book. 

This book is a good read for getting over yourself, complaining, and doing something about your problems. I feel that this book was very practical, applicable (especially in today's society), and concise about stories of turning adversity into an advantage of examples from bad asses throughout history. Ryan does a great job of keeping the biographical examples brief and concise, then straight to the point of the lesson in each chapter. Ryan achieved what a lot of other authors who write about similar subjects, but better and more concise. It's an easy read and is a useful reminder for us all when we feel like the chips are down, that we can always flip the tables. It will definitely be a book I will always turn back to.

I recently witnessed “The Obstacle is the Way” in practice.  On March 10th - 12th the NYDLA.org was invited to observe as 9 regions, 5 continents, 1000 hackers & The UN SDG Action Campaign connect, create and collaborate during a 48-hour global hackathon around 3 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Why now? For the first time in our history, we are at a point where we have the tools, ideas and technology to solve the world’s problems and have a real impact on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Why us? It has become commonplace thinking that government cannot and should not be expected to solve all our problems. Today it is up to us to work together to build the future we need. We must help the the UN achieve its goals.

Why get involved? The most successful businesses come from pain points. We want to create and build successful yet sustainable and responsible businesses that tackle real problems for genuine impact. All successful ideas will be put on a crowdfunding platform to facilitate their growth. There are a few quotes that I love. One quote is that “Mistakes are Tuition” in that we learn from our mistakes. We “paid” for that mistake - so why not get the full value of our investment? I expect my staff and colleagues to make LOTS of mistakes every day. If we are not making mistakes, are we not learning, and if we are not learning, we are not growing.

But the better lesson is that indeed: the Obstacle is the Way. Problems are the Purpose. To attack a problem is to live a full and passionate life. To take on the big hairy audacious goals to save the planet, to take on the problems that will lead to serving others, to make a difference in the world - what a gift. It is our problems that gives us our life purpose.

I spent 72 hours at Microsoft at 11 Times Square - watching the best and the brightest minds “attack” the world's problems. And living their passion in the process.

Now what? We can do this. We got this. There is NOTHING that we cannot accomplish if we all work together. The Obstacle is indeed The Way.

Vote for the best liar

People like politicians who give straight and honest answers, so why don’t they?

Here is my best guess: politicians who do not answer questions clearly and succinctly do this for a reason and are doing it quite consciously. But it is very unnatural behavior. In “real life” it is hard to get away with it in any other profession. And interestingly, voters seem to be turned off by it. So why do politicians keep evading questions?

The reason: they are actually in a difficult personal position. Of course they know the answers to the questions. But they are worried that if they give a straight answer, they will be crucified by party members and colleagues, or they think it might limit their flexibility in future decision making. So, they have many things to think of when giving an answer, and their calculation typically is that not giving an answer will give the best return. And many of them cannot think fast enough to answer in a safe manner.

The cognitive process going on inside a politician’s brain when evading answers is not straightforward. It takes training and mental control to answer this way. People who are impulsive would probably not be able to do it well. Part of the problems of many new grassroots politicians is that they often are somewhat more impulsively responding to questions. This meant that the party did not look like one with a united set of ideas. And this can lead to a number of scandals, and ultimately, a number of these people losing their elected positions.

Only the people who are really good in saying what they think the party wants them to say and saying things that they think the public might want to hear will be able to stay in the political game. Not everybody is capable of this. There are special psychological traits and mental abilities that are important for being a politician.

But, there is a big but! To really get to the top spot, to be the absolute leader (in a democracy) it is not enough to be good at evading answers and being able to stick to the party line. For those positions, the ultimate winner might be someone who is indeed giving straight answers. Straight answers that are not only straight answers, but also answers that reflect a vision that people want from a politician.

Now, once you are POTUS (or the top official) you should be above the fray. You should be able to freely state what you believe to be true, without any worries or consequences. Hell, you are POTUS! It should be liberating to know that you can say the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. YOU WON! Maybe, just maybe you are going to worry about being re-elected. So, maybe you feel that you need to continue to answer questions with half-truths.  But even if you don’t win a second term, hell, you were POTUS! 

Potus: feel free to tell the actual truth at all times, and let the chips fall where they may!

There is an old saying in politics: to change the world, first you need to get elected. So, politicians justify being evasive, hell, even flat out lying - so that they can get elected. And then once elected, they can make a difference.  In their minds, the ends justifies the means.

But Tom, you always blog about “technology” and the Internet and such? Where are you going with this?

http://www.snopes.com/  http://www.factcheck.org/  http://www.npr.org/tags/502124007/fake-news

Today, BECAUSE of the Internet, the speed at which a politician can be caught telling whoppers is nearly real-time.  We always knew that politicians lied, for the reasons stated above. Now, due to the ability to prove things false so fast, to check the facts almost instantly, our politicians come off as morons. As idiots. As unfit to serve.  

Where all of this will take us is anyone’s guess. But one thing is for certain; the speed of the Internet and the power of instant “fake news” has changed the game of politics forever. So don’t blame lying politicians; blame faster and affordable mobile Internet connections. Our politicians did not change, our technology did.

If a politician lied to get elected, we get that. We can see how the system works. But now that you are elected, cut the bullshit. You won, now go out into the world and do your job. Go forth and lie no more.

And these are not only facts, but these are “true facts” as they say in Washington.