A Course About People | 5 Little Things You Want To Know

Your 5 little snippets wisdom for this week, from the collection by Thomas Leonard, are listed below. As always, these statements can be obvious or profound, but either way, we hope you’ll stop and think…maybe even find an item that is useful for when you’re interacting with people.

• People want to know more about themselves.
• People are always looking for a supportive listener.
• People aren’t alone.
• People are becoming increasingly anxious about their lives.
• People are rethinking work/life balance.

To receive more snippets like these every week in your email, you can sign up at www.ThoughtsByEmail.com .

We’d love to hear your thoughts.

copyright 2002-2010, CoachVille, LLC all rights reserved.

The Columbus Group

Last week I sent out a note inviting readers to join me in an exploratory email-based discussion-stream I’m calling The Columbus Group.

The name is not terribly earnestly thought out, but it conveys the sense of adventure into the unknown that I know will pervade the thought-stream, so there it is.

This is a supplementary note to expand just a bit on what The Columbus Group is, and a more overt invitation than last time to participate if you’d wish.

Essentially my desires for forming the group are thus:

1. I am doing a lot of learning right now which feels far too good (and of value to thought leaders in business and life) not to share. The topics include thought leadership, reclaiming our physical selves, power dynamics in relationship, fear, sustaining change, teaching and expression, and learning itself.
2. It helps me greatly to write and process the learning in conversation with my chosen community, that is, you.
3. I’d like to enjoy, on an even more personal level, your company, which isn’t maximally possible in the format of this regular newsletter. Plus, not everyone will want to catch the vibe right now, in the season of their lives.

Translation: I think there is something of value here and am lightly constructing a container in which to capture it, with the intent to enrich us all, and if the idea strums you, I would thoroughly enjoy you coming along for the ride.

What is The Columbus Group exactly?

1. A discussion stream wherein I will write text-based insights, stories, learning points and ‘connecting of the dots’ and send them to you via email. (This will be text only and very rudimentary/rough in formatting – no pretty pictures or anything like that. Think charcoal stick and piece of bark.)
2. You will be invited to participate by replying to me in email. Sometimes I will have questions – what the heck, of course I will have questions – both direct, requesting thoughts from you, and indirect, more general questions that simply invite you to throw into the mix.
3. From time to time I will post Columbus Group writings into this blog and invite responses out on the blog so the group and others can read, and there can be an archive created. There will be a bit of evolution I’ll follow in terms of how often I’ll use the blog and how often I’ll stay in email. I’m not sure yet and will be open to your thoughts.
4. As to frequency, during intense periods you may receive more than one email a day, a couple of times a week. Other weeks you may read me on this channel once or twice, or not at all. More usually probably somewhere in between. My suggestion to you would be to approach this very lightly, with not a shred of should, only with joy and curiosity like approaching a favourite meal or walk, or maybe a treasured conversation with someone who stimulates you.
5. The Columbus group is open and no charge. Obviously it will be up to you, and an easy way to come and go will be made available. There is no requirement to participate a certain number of times, but I will very much value all you bring, as frequently and deeply as you’d like.

What it’s not…

• I’m not technically calling this an R&D team, of the Thomas Leonard ilk, because it won’t be project driven, nor will I be creating products for sale out of this exercise.

Benefits to you…

• You will be stimulated to think new things.
• You will be encouraged to act on those new thoughts.
• You will likely become more creative in your own projects as new perspectives open up in your mind.
• I believe you will become more flexible, critical and clear about what you think.
• I believe you may become more compassionate with and celebratory of yourself, as you share in a learning process transparently with me.

Translation: Let’s be thinking partners, shall we?

A few technical details:

• Please do not join The Columbus group with an eye towards directly lifting or using the materials I share. I will be giving full credit to the sources I’m learning from, which will vary, and, there will be material I create of my own. If you have a desire to repost or republish writing from the group, I request that you write me for express permission. While I am very willing to expand the circles that connect with us, I’m not yet ready to give complete free rein. In other words, I’m cultivating a small, organic, deep level of expansion as opposed to a speedy viral one, at least to begin.
• On the flip side, what you contribute and offer by way of response in emails or comments will belong to you, and I will not – without actively requesting and receiving permission from you – pilfer, reprint or otherwise use your offerings. It’s a two-way partnership.
• Having said both of the above, I anticipate there will be quite a few requests for sharing which is wonderful.
• My intention is to reply to everything I receive, even with just the briefest of smiles. Sometimes that will take hours and other times days.
• Last but not least, you may certainly welcome other people to this invitation. In this world of so many absolutes and goal-orientation, the vagueness and intrigue of ‘exploring learning’ together in unpredictable ways will, in itself, have an adequate self-deselection process as to keep things on the clean and clear.

Well, that feels like plenty enough blathering.

I hope this clarifies what that little invite was, such that you can determine if you’d like to join in. It means a lot to me that already several dozen of you raised your hands knowing nothing but the name of the group. I’m touched.

To sign up, please enter your info, click Submit, and, well, you know the drill.

Name:
Email:

The first posts are queued up and will be sent to you upon signup. I look forward to hearing from you about them.

A Course About People | 5 Little Things You Want To Know

This week’s 5 snippets of wisdom about people are here, from the collection by Thomas Leonard and assembled by his R&D team.  We hope you’ll enjoy them, and perhaps you’ll find one or two that stand out for you as you go about your week.

• People cannot describe what they want. How will they ever recognize it when it turns up?
• People do not take seriously the promises they make to themselves, although they would honor the same promises made to a virtual stranger.
• People who dare, win.
• People are re-evaluating what they have in terms of what makes them truly happy.
• People are realizing that they are tolerating way too much on a daily basis.

If you would like to receive more snippets like these every week in your email, we invite you to sign up at www.ThoughtsByEmail.com .

Any thoughts?

copyright 2002-2010, CoachVille, LLC all rights reserved.

“Old-School Marketing No Longer Working? Blame Canada!” By James Chartrand c/o Copyblogger.com

Note from Andrea about this reprint: As one of dem Canadians, eh, I rather adored this article. It’s unique AND has something tongue in cheek to say about marketing. I bet you’ll enjoy it, too. In fact, I bet you a Loonie.]

Canadians are a funny lot.

They use strange words and spell with a U. They kiss cod. They enjoy being frozen solid nearly 8 months a year, and they call their money Loonies and Toonies.

Don’t get me wrong; they’re nice people just the same. They’re nature lovers and humanitarian and they like things simple and friendly.

And contrary to popular belief, they’re actually pretty smart.

But there’s just one problem. Your marketing strategies? You notice how they’ve been changing? That the old-school methods aren’t working anymore . . . at all?

Well, I’ve figured out whose fault it is.

Blame Canada.

You see, Canucks have a strange mindset. They’re gentle people, and mostly kind of quiet. If you drove up to the frozen tundra and started screaming, “Buy my stuff!” at the top of your lungs, you’d probably startle the wildlife and be ushered off (politely) by Mounties in red coats and really great hats.

It’s happening all over. Those wily Canadians are causing a marketing revolution, and it’s spreading too fast to contain. Think about it for a minute. All of a sudden, your potential customers hate screaming and being pushed around, don’t they? It’s almost like they’ve been influenced by an evil foreign power.

A Course About People | 5 Little Things You Want To Know

Here are your 5 snippets of wisdom about people for this week, all from the collection by Thomas Leonard and assembled by his R&D team. We hope you’ll find them meaningful and useful as you go about your week.

• People limit themselves without realizing it by reacting to situations, rather than responding and broadening their horizons.
• People who let go of outcomes lead fulfilled lives.
• People who communicate their expectations are very likely to have them met.
• People who have a coach progress more quickly.
• People warm to warm people.

Would you like to receive more snippets like these every week in your email?  We invite you to sign up at www.ThoughtsByEmail.com .

What are your thoughts about this week’s snippets?

copyright 2002-2010, CoachVille, LLC all rights reserved.

Books vs. Programs, $ vs. $$$ | The Answer To ‘Why Would Anyone Buy That, When…’

In my capacity as product-creating, funnel-building coach/consultant, I hear certain questions repeatedly.

One of them is:

“If I’m offering this material in XYZ format, why would anyone buy the same material in another format?”

In this context, think in terms of XYZ usually being a lower-priced item such as a book, or, say a 3-part teleclass versus a 2 day live training event or lengthier program.

The best answer I have to this comes like so:

‘It’s a good question…tell me, what is the name of one of your favorite musicians or music groups.’

The answers here are quite fun. I’ve had everything from Andrea Bocelli, Roberta Flack, Billy Joel, The Ramones.

This answer in hand, I then ask… ‘Well, if you have their CDs or MP3s, why would you ever go to a concert?’

This way of answering is an example of a shorthand coaching moment, within what is arguably a very consulting- oriented conversation.  Most consultants would not take this tack, agree?

Value comes in many forms, indeed, and not just in obvious ways. Keep this in mind as you productize or strategize your next SKUs. What name would you give the value you are creating? Is it the equivalent of a concert? CD? Other?

A great little extension of this occurred this week, wherein the coachee answered the name of their favorite band, and said in addition that it was a very sad thing that he’d never had a chance to go to a concert and they regretted it greatly!  So the extra learning became available – in what manner could the ‘concert’ they were to create – live training, keynote speech, etc. – be so valuable and so rich and intense an experience, that word would get around and people would regret missing it?

Great coaching or consulting or business rule number one: have something great to say. That requires some ongoing thought, and inevitably involves finding and developing your thought leadership.

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Crafting coaching moments like this is one of my favorite activities.  There are five more available in the Money and Meaning book excerpt available – no-charge – near the top of this page. Takes less than a minute to avail yourself and – it’s as easy a read as this post was. Why not go for it?

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