Somebody made that

This is going to be a long-winded blog, so if you need to visit the restroom first, I’ll wait.

So…….yesterday my wife and I took an Uber from Boonton Township, NJ to NYC. Specifically, to “The Frying Pan” restaurant on the Hudson River. We splurged a little. My logic: taking an Uber round-trip allowed us to avoid parking, tolls, and I could have an adult beverage (or two) at dinner. So I convinced myself that taking an Uber from home to “the city” was justified.

So here is where it gets interesting. I could not remember the last time that I rode in the back seat of a car (or a bus) where my head was not buried in an electronic device. I actually looked out…...the window.

And then I started to notice things.

Wow. Look at that house. Big. And the landscaping. Someone built that house. Someone did that amazing landscaping. Hey, they resurfaced the road. Cool.

When you ride in the backseat, without a laptop or an iPad, you have nothing to do but look out the window. We live around 30 miles west of New York City.  And then, it slowly starts to build.

Wow. Look at all the cars on the road. Someone…….built all of those cars. Look at those traffic signs, someone got paid to install those signs. And the streetlights. Someone installed those lights.

More…….cars. Roads. Buildings. Oh man, when you sit in the back of a car……..and just have nothing better to do than just look out the window…….and count the cars. Count the buildings. Count the things that “someone” built, count the things that someone installed or created or made with their hands.

And then, the New York City skyline starts to come into view. How are we crossing the river? The GWB? The Lincoln Tunnel? The Holland Tunnel?

Someone built……….that bridge.  Someone built that tunnel. And THAT tunnel, and THAT one, and THAT one………

And then………..the buildings. The Skyscrapers. For miles and miles……..one building bigger than the next. And my mind started to think about all the “things” INSIDE these massive buildings. The furniture. The elevators. Everything inside all of these massive buildings….the desks, the chairs, the machines.  Someone built……..someone made…….all of these things.

And then…..you think about the airports. JFK. Newark. LaGuardia. Someone built those airports. And the planes (that someone built) that fly people to OTHER AIRPORTS (that someone also built). Chicago. Los Angeles. Someone……...built……...all…...of that….stuff. In all of those cities and towns. In all fifty states.

Someone built the smartphone, that holds the app, that summons an Uber, which delivers a car, that someone built. The smartphone that is connected to the Internet, which is connected to servers, that are housed in Data Centers, that someone…..built. Someone wrote the code, someone made the website. Someone made... all of this.

Dinner last night was on “The Frying Pan” which was a Lightship that sunk, and was raised, and converted into a floating restaurant. Someone built that boat. And then someone built that restaurant on that salvaged boat.

Now when I say “someone” that usually means someone(s) plural. TEAMS of people built those buildings. Crews of people built those bridges, tunnels and roads. So, in the Uber from New Jersey to New York City……...I experienced a chain reaction of epiphanies.

How is this possible? How did any of this……….how did all of this……..happen?

Exactly how old is the United States of America anyway?

If you “Google it” (yeah, somebody built Google, too) you find this: 241 years, 20 days.

Under description: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for film making.

How is this possible?  All of this, all of this....all of this...in just 241 years, 20 days?

All of the roads, all of the tunnels, all of the bridges.  All of the buildings, all of the computers, the cars. Disneyland. And then, Disneyworld. The football stadiums. All of the planes, the ships, the hospitals, the schools. The International Space Station…..!!!

Everything. In 241 years, 20 days…….somebody did…...all of this.

Is your heart beating just a little bit faster after reading this? How does reading this blog, how does pondering this little “thought experiment” make you feel?

The United States of America: 241 years, 20 days. Yeah, somebody built all of this.

We did.

Our parents, our grandparents and their parents before them. Our next door neighbors and their families - we built all of this. We are all “the somebody” that created everything you see, built everything that you touch - from sea to shining sea.

And tomorrow is Monday. Rest up everyone, please enjoy the rest of your weekend. Tomorrow is a work day. And remember, none of us is as smart as all of us.

WE are the somebody that built it all, and we are still building. WE (all of us) are THE UNITED States of America.

There is NO PROBLEM before us that we cannot address and solve. But only if we work together. So, let’s work together. Simple. Will it be hard? YES, of course. But, it is still simple.

Are you pumped up? Are you excited that tomorrow is Monday?

I am.

But first I will take my wife to a movie tonight, “The Big Sick”. It has very good ratings. We shall see this movie in a theater that someone built. A movie “born” via the hard work of very talented screenwriters, and actors, and cameramen, and studios, and executives, and…..

Director: Michael Showalter

Screenplay: Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon

Production companies: FilmNation Entertainment, Apatow Productions

Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel

I'm smiling because my friend grabbed the check!

May I have your attention please.....

I just returned home from Comic Fest 2017. It was fun. It is supposed to be fun, so that’s a good thing! I did, however, feel like I was in a dream sequence from “The Big Bang Theory” television show.

I learned of Comic Fest via my son’s old college roommate who is destined to be the next “Stan Lee” and it was cool to see him again.

What I REALLY wanted to do, was meet as many artists, animators and creative people as possible. Via the NYDLA.org we have constant, ongoing demand for creative talent. Things like whiteboard explainer videos, animated websites, and all things “UX/UI” need creative people to make things online to... come alive. We cannot hire creative people fast enough.

While User Experience is a conglomeration of tasks focused on optimization of a product for effective and enjoyable use; User Interface Design is its complement, the look and feel, the presentation and interactivity of a product. But like UX, it is easily and often confused by the industries that employ UI Designers.

There. Was that nerdy enough for you?

So, I walked serpentine, up and down all the rows of the trade show, collecting business cards from as many animators, artists and “creative folk” as I could find. I might have handed out a few of my business cards as well. Well, more than a few of my business cards. Well, maybe a few hundred.

But then it hit me.

All the people in the building...all the people dressed up as characters...all the people who paid for a booth...all the people who were displaying their talents, displaying their skills, displaying their body of work:

They all wanted my…….. attention.

Nothing happens until I have your attention.  It does not matter how good my product or service might be. It does matter the price, or the size or shape or color. It does not matter if you need it or not; if I do not have “your attention” for 30 or 60 seconds (or more) nothing is going to happen. Nothing good, and probably nothing bad. But it will be…..nothing.

We are all in the “attention business” whether we realize it or not. Once I have EARNED your attention, I maybe (maybe) have a shot at winning your business. But until I indeed have your focus, your attention, everything is just a big waste of time and money.

Why did I stop at THIS booth and not that booth? Why did I stop to take a picture of THIS person and not that person? Why did I GO BACK to a busy booth to talk to the person later, making a mental note that this person has “earned my attention” they just don’t know it yet.

Yeah, that was my lesson for the day.  We are all in the attention business. If you read today’s blog this far, then I earned yours.

And, if you did not read this far…….then you won’t be able click here, right?

Oh, you know you want to click it.  Go ahead. Nothing bad will happen, right? Don't worry, there are enough Superheroes around today if you need any help.

Your ideas are all wet

Several years ago, I met “The Famous River Hot Dog Man” Gregory Crance via Facebook.

Living in Northern New Jersey (not far from the Delaware Water Gap) we would often see “tubers” floating down the river in the summer. “Hey, look at the tubers! Look, rafters! Wow, that looks like fun. We should do that one day…..”

And that is where it ended, the Capone Family “we should do that one day” list.

As time went by, the thought of sitting in a tube, drifting down the river with minimal caloric effort became more and more attractive.

Is there anything more “low tech” than sitting in a tube, and letting Mother Nature do all the work? Last year was our first year floating down the river. Today shall be our first trip of many “floating family meetings” for the season.

One day while on Gregory’s “Jet Boat” on the river, I told my new waterlogged entrepreneurial  friend about some ideas that I had for his river business.

• You can update your website so that people can “book their events” online, similar to an Eventbrite experience.
• You can make “an app” so that people can buy their tickets online, organize their own groups, and check weather/river conditions.
• You can create “alerts” for last minute specials, “friends and family” on the river alerts. Something like MeetUps on the river. “Hey, the Smith Family is going to be on the river today, let’s join them!”
• You can use Uber “pool” service to have small groups of people dropped off / picked up at the river launch points. Maximum savings and convenience.
• Lashing the tubes together makes for a perfect “floating meeting” for corporate teams.
• Birthday parties, team building, family outings, the list is endless.
• Leave your wallets in the car - your Smartphone app lets you buy anything you need - including food at the halfway point on the river.
• Waze is the world's largest community-based traffic and navigation app. Join other drivers in your area who share real-time traffic and road info, saving everyone time and gas money on their daily commute. So now our app does that... for the river.
• Of course, we shall supply waterproof cases for Smartphones, water shoes, sunscreen, and other river gear at the launch point.
• And let’s not forget the “tube for the cooler” - bring your own goodies or fill your floating cooler from our marketplace.

Know what my friend said? “If you think these are such good ideas, why don’t you do them with me?” You know what happened next, right?

How many people living in North New Jersey know about this amazing hidden gem of a summertime day trip? There is an old saying in marketing: “Don’t keep your light under a barrel” which means don’t keep your strengths a secret.

Other old sayings: “Your ideas are all wet…….or…..You are still wet behind the ears......or....Don't be a wet blanket.”

See you on the river……...and don’t forget your sunscreen.

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.