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Thursday, January 31, 2008

January 2008: Personal Re-invention: 31 of 31

The back-story:
1. There are some changes you wish to make. This mini series will do its utmost to help you with those changes.
2. You did sign your personal declaration, didn't you?

31 of 31
Here are three questions for your final three days of your re-invention programme:
Day 29: consider: what are the biggest changes you have achieved? DONE
Day 30: which changes do you still wish to work on? DONE
Day 31: how will you maintain momentum with your quest?

Action: consider today's (day 31) question.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Personal Re-invention January 2008: 30 of 31

The back-story:
1. There are some changes you wish to make. This mini series will do its utmost to help you with those changes.
2. You did sign your personal declaration, didn't you?

30 of 31
Here are three questions for your final three days of your re-invention programme:
Day 29: consider: what are the biggest changes you have achieved? DONE
Day 30: which changes do you still wish to work on?
Day 31: how will you maintain momentum with your quest?

Action: consider today's (day 30) question.

The A to Z of Moleskine: H is Hold

To hold a moleskine notebook is to know that things are going to be OK; a note-book of that quality must contain the answers: how to make money from a long-tail business, why she no longer returns your call and why Catch-22 was catch 22. It's immensley re-assuring.

How To Think Like: The New Marketing Director

1. We'll re-position, occupying a unique niche..and

2. Create an exciting new brand image employing external consultants..and

3. Re-focus the channel..and

4. Create a customer-focused call centre..and

5. Establish a full CRM web-site and congruent blog..and

6. Run concurrent focus groups..and

7. Reduce prices by 37%.

Goodbye Sydney

Goodbye Sydney: gorgeous weather and a great team from Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand. You know what you need to do guys: work those action plans!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Personal Re-invention: January 2008

The back-story:
1. There are some changes you wish to make. This mini series will do its utmost to help you with those changes.
2. You did sign your personal declaration, didn't you?

29 of 31
Here are three questions for your final three days of your re-invention programme:
Day 29: consider: what are the biggest changes you have achieved?
Day 30: which changes do you still wish to work on?
Day 31: how will you maintain momentum with your quest?

Action: consider today's (day 29) question.

The Presentations Surgery is Open

If another person tells me not to use so many PowerPoint slides I'll go mad: I know! I'm not that happy with them either. It's just that when I sit down to prepare my material, I use PowerPoint and before I know where I am, I've got a set of slides...

I sympathise. But don't touch PowerPoint until you have prepared your presentation! Does that sound odd? PowerPoint is a resource you might use in your presentation-not the presentation itself. So: a suggestion, next time you need to present for say 45 minutes, grab an A4 sheet of paper. Divide it into say 9 boxes ( 1 per 5 minutes) and now create your storyboard. How will you end? How will you start? How will you grab their attention back in the middle? Think stories, exercises, questions and props. And then 1 or 2 slides. Give it a go: you'll love it!

The surgery will be open again later this week.

What are you reading?

If you are series about your creativity, then Eric Maisel is your man; I have read many of his books over the years: they are excellent. If you are going to start with him now, choose Creativity for Life. It's comprehensive yet approachable and if you work at his exercises you'll get the results he promises.

You Were There: Beatles at Candlestick Park, USA, Aug 29 1966

As the final chord of Long Tall Sally was played,
John to George: that's it then, never again.

Monday, January 28, 2008

January 2008 Personal Re-invention 28 of 31

The back-story:
1. There are some changes you wish to make. This mini series will do its utmost to help you with those changes.
2. You did sign your personal declaration, didn't you?

28 of 31
You've made considerable progress over the 27 days to date. Let's now do some longer-term work. Take an A4 sheet of paper and turn it landscape. Take a pencil and draw your vision-how you want things to be in around 3 years time. For the moment don't worry about any ifs or buts: just draw.
Now take a look at your picture. What are some actions you could take to ensure that vision happens?Identify:
-one action for this week before the end of January
-one action for February
-one action for 2008
Action: now would be the perfect time to identify those actions.