One Mann's Opinion

I sensed a new tone wafting through the community over the last few weeks.

It was like freshly baked bread and homemade stew – the kind that you have a second helping when you have no more room.

Familiar. Inviting. Comforting.
Nourishing. Delicious. Reassuring.

We were overdue for a feast.

This required us to remove the junk food in our minds and focus. The issues we face are very real and very steep to climb but we can approach them from a much more strategic angle if we have our heads on straighter.

We were tired of hearing the bad news. The gloom was more doom than we could endure. Greed and selfishness are not welcome here.

Then the shift began to happen and perhaps it was due to a date on a calendar but the corner was near. Conversations turned from negative to hopeful to positive. There were more reminders we can decide to work and spend time with people we like while working on projects we want.

It’s A New Year. It's A New Decade. Now What?

It's just a number if we fail use this annual marker as the starting point. Baggage is a choice, so are rear view mirrors.

Nothing we do can change the past.

2010: The year to get stuff done, to stop making excuses, to ask for help, to collaborate for real and to focus on what we want.

Ready?

@knealemann

written by Kneale Mann 21 comments  

tags: 2010, buffet, business, community, decade, focus, hope, human networking, Kneale Mann, marketing, media, One Mann's Opinion, plans, positive, recovery, social media, teamwork, YouIntegrate

Yesterday we covered five of the ten suggestions for next year.

10. Care A Little Less
9. Give More
8. Do Not Heed
7. Smile and Wave
6. Learn to Say No

Here are five more...

5. Of Course You Can

You have heard it, read it and seen it your entire life. You can do whatever you want if you believe and try hard enough. Are you doing it?

4. Eradicate the Naysayers

Never share your dreams with negative people. What is the point? If you have always wanted to play guitar and finally grabbed the nerve to buy one and take lessons, why would you then ask all your friends if they approve? Naysayers are as common as lint so what's the upside of listening to them?

3. Listen to the Right Voices

"If only I could get another thousand bucks,
I’d start my own business."

"If I have to work in that cubicle one more day,
I think I’m going to drive my car off a bridge."

"Why do we have to listen to her,
she has no idea what she’s doing and she’s the boss."

As soon as you stop listening to the negative voices and start paying closer attention to the ambitious ones, things will change immediately.

2. Trust Yourself More Than You Trust Others

I love to play golf, I don't play it near enough and I am terrible because I think too much. I can crank my driver 250+ yards, straight as an arrow, it is a thing of beauty. And it happens three times a round.

Perhaps it’s time we trusted ourselves more often. This is not about blind arrogance, it's about truly knowing our strengths and going for it.

There is a chance we would crank a lot more 250 yarders off the tee if we didn't over think so much.

1. Quit Your Whining

We love to complain, we find strange comfort in it, we join our colleagues after work to commiserate about our terrible lots in life. Perhaps it’s time for all of us to shut it.

Scientists have yet been able to link complaining to progress.

Happy New Year :-)

@knealemann

written by Kneale Mann 29 comments  

tags: 2010, business, communications, decade, dreams, goals, Kneale Mann, marketing, One Mann’s Opinion, positive, resolutions, social media, strategy, trust, voices, YouIntegrate

Will We Do Them This Time?

As a new decade approaches, the lists continue.

The best of the decade, the worst of the 21st century, the famous and infamous and it all means one thing – we love our lists.

Do we just stare at them and nod our collective heads then file them away with previous years, decades and centuries?

How do the lists affect our lives?

Here is a list of ten timeless things to think about. The first five today, second five tomorrow. They can be accomplished no matter your financial stature or geographical limitations.

10. Care A Little Less

We seem to put far too much credence in the opinion of others. Perhaps because we have a need to belong and in order to quantify an idea or success, we need a pat on the head from others.

For just one day, without malice or harm, try not caring about what we think and see what happens. Ideas may flow and we all win.

9. Give More

This is not another suggestion that everything is free and we all hold hands while we tweet and blog into the sunset. The concept of give more, is to suggest that we allow our talents and gifts to shine and replace all the empty boasting that all too often gets the spotlight.

8. Do Not Heed

If you allow the faceless group named ‘them’ to rule your decisions and behavior, you will lead a challenging life. The musician doesn't ask the crowd before she writes the song.

7. Smile and Wave

Imagine you are going about your day and suddenly it becomes clear that someone is having a bad time and is looking to have a fight with anyone they can lure. Nod your head and remove yourself from the situation immediately.

6. Learn to Say No

No is a perfectly acceptable answer and a complete sentence. In our fear of belonging or losing potential customers or slipping our market share we tend to travel for long periods of time outside the pocket. That is when the 300 pound lineman on the other side of scrimmage will crush us.

This is not to suggest we don't stretch but while we try to do everything, we do nothing well. Say no so you can say yes to what matters.

Please to add yours. Part two tomorrow.

Happy New Year :-)

@knealemann

written by Kneale Mann 27 comments  

tags: 2010, business, care, caring, communications, decade, finances, giving, hierachy of needs, Kneale Mann, lists, marketing, One Mann’s Opinion, opinion, plan, social media, strategy, YouIntegrate

Pick Three

It’s been a tradition forever. As the year ends we all find reasons to make a list.

There’s a list of personal goals, professional benchmarks, habits to break, mind spaces to explore, dreams to realize.

One is the concept of summing up how you want your year to go with three words.

I posed the question today on Twitter.

The question remains, we will follow our three words in 2010?


Here are some responses...

SueVG Learn, Build, Persevere

LindaIreland Challenge. Possibility. Optimism

shiraabel Peace. Love. Prosperity.

prettyh Live life fully!

Robbie_J Get more sleep. Play more golf. talk in person.

AskAroundOttawa Like the idea of 3 words for 2010 much more than resolutions. Shall be giving this some thought.

nlongtin STOP. THE. WARS.

creightonc Health, Sanity, & Fun.

jpblogger What so funny about peace, love and understanding? My three for the ages.

dixbert just be happy.

SuzeMuse perhaps we should all first look at our 2009 three words. Mine were Connect, Difference and Positive. 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

SuzeMuse still working on them. My first inclination was beer, wings and nachoes. But that might not work so well. ;)

RendaInDSM Do Something BIG!

kbleggett Peace, Love & Happiness..(sounds cliche but they work for me).

mikesansone Let's Find Out

ottawasteph Poor get poorer.

artistsandy Compassion, Appreciation and Play

LizScherer believe in yourself

What are your three words for 2010?

@knealemann

written by Kneale Mann 24 comments  

tags: 2010, business, career, communications, dreams, goals, Kneale Mann, marketing, One Mann’s Opinion, plan, resolutions, social media, three words, Twitter, YouIntegrate

How many books do you read?

I read and write every day.

But probably like you, I have become victim of the article mentality which consists of short pieces, websites, business manuals and research all tying up time that could be used to read a good book.

The publishing industry is changing like the music industry before it.


Creativity: More Important Than Ever

The ad agency, marketing and public relations models are distant cousins to those a decade ago and online channels are getting more crowded every minute. These are precisely the reasons why we need to read more books.

We are bombarded with material all day long. How much are we seeing and how much are we digesting? How has social media hindered this process?

How much of this content is worthy of our attention and retention?

When was the last time you read a book about your industry or business? How often do you disappear into a book simply to widen your horizons or expand your imagination and ideas?

Must Reads

I bought a bunch of books before the Holidays – all of which are on my ever growing “I really need to finally buy that one and actually read it” list.

And when I refer to books, those include the audio kind as well.

A stack of books resides on my desk. Each will be read (some will be re-read) and replaced by more from the list.

Read (or listen to) any good books lately?

@knealemann

image credit: flickr

written by Kneale Mann 23 comments  

tags: ad agency, books, business, communications, content, education, Kneale Mann, marketing, music, One Mann’s Opinion, public relations, reading, smartphone, social media, YouIntegrate