• Nostalgia, Mad Men and Emotions

    Posted on May 14th, 2012 by and currently 0 commenting.


    Yours truly at a Brains on Fire Mad Men Christmas party a few years back.

    I’ve never gotten caught up watching the show, Mad Men. But the other day someone showed me a short clip that got stuck in my heart for many reasons.

    Take a minute and watch it.

    Don’t you love that?

    The definition of nostalgia as a pain of or ache is wonderful. Even happy memories can create that tug.

    Since we’re in the word of mouth marketing business, we think a lot about the role of emotions in igniting conversation. We know that brands and organizations that evoke strong emotions and storytelling are more likely to get talked about.

    I sent this clip to Cordell last week and he came back with this insight:

    “When we are deeply moved to the emotional edges, we are the most human. We are the closest to who we really are, closest to each other. And only when we are there can we see our truth, if only for a moment before the tears and smiles are wiped away and we slip back into our disguises.

    That video reminds me of how true that is.”

    Today, as you go about your day, think about the brands you talk about. And what triggers you to share. I’d love to hear about those stories from you!

    P.S. Check out Geno and John Moore‘s prezo on Wommology if you haven’t seen it. Lots of good stuff about the role of emotions in Word of Mouth Marketing.

  • The things that make us happy. And human.

    Posted on May 3rd, 2012 by and currently 1 commenting.


    Poster available via weareyawn.com

    Hmmmm.

    The things that make us happy are not really “things” at all, are they?

    Today Cordell sent me this brilliant Harvard Business Review article.

    I love the question that Umair Haque asked his social media friends.

    What makes us human? In one word, preferably.

    The most common answers were: empathy, consciousness, compassion, love.

    From the article:

    …few of us go the office, the classroom, the bank, or the clinic to expect, evoke, elicit, or enjoy anything resembling empathy, consciousness, compassion, love. I’d bet the farm, the house, and the Apple shares on the following proposition: Our institutions are failing not merely because they’re bankrupting us financially, but because they’re bankrupting us in human terms — that, having become something like Alcatrazes for the human soul, they fail to ignite within us the searing potential for the towering accomplishments necessary to answer today’s titanic challenges.

    I hope I have inspired you to go read Umair’s words.

    So what do you think? What makes us human and how can an organization be built on love, compassion, consciousness, joy, empathy, or kindness (the things that make us happy)? What would that look like to you?

  • Do you make your customers feel at home?

    Posted on April 19th, 2012 by and currently 5 commenting.


    I’ve always loved the front door of Brains on Fire’s worldwide headquarters. Do you see the face?

    The other day Cordell and I had a little email exchange. I’m not sure how it even began, but somewhere along the way he shared this thought:

    I sometimes wonder if our modern age has created an entire generation of people simply trying to find their way home. What is home? Where do I feel rooted? Where do I feel known and respected?

    Where do I feel like me?

    Perhaps that’s the real opportunity before us in this wonderful, fast moving connected world. We can now connect in a way with our employees and customers that they feel like they are home. A place where they are surrounded by kindred spirits who share their same passions and dreams and hopes.

    Hmmmm.

    Where do you feel like you? Can a brand or organization connect so deep emotionally with you that you feel more you when you sharing, wearing or supporting them?

  • Start Something.

    Posted on April 17th, 2012 by and currently 4 commenting.


    Photo from my friend John Bielenberg‘s iphone. Don’t you just want to know where that road leads?

    I love the start of things.

    Start up companies and organizations fascinate me.

    I love hearing stories of first kisses and first dates.

    And first jobs and first cars.

    I cry at weddings.

    And when babies are born.

    I underline the first sentences of almost all my books as I imagine the author’s moment of quietly deciding:

    This is where I will begin.

    And since we are in the conversation business, I often think of the first conversations in my life.

    How so many things get decided in that very first exchange. Sometimes those first conversations evolve into amazing friendships or wonderful business relationships.

    So my advice for you this Tuesday morning is simple. Become aware of the firsts around you today. See the possibilities in each new conversation. Each new road. Each new meeting or phone call. Keep your heart and your mind wide open.

    Chances are something really amazing and magical will begin today…

  • The Intimacy of Small Groups

    Posted on March 12th, 2012 by and currently 1 commenting.


    Photo from diningforwomen.org.

    About six years ago, my former business partner asked me to have breakfast with a friend of his, Marsha Wallace. I agreed. But as I was getting dressed and while driving to meet with them at a small little breakfast place in Greenville, I promised myself not to add one bit of “favor work for a friend” to our crazy busy lives.

    “Say NO” I kept saying in my heart and my head.

    Half way through breakfast I knew it was too late. I had caught a vision for what could be. Marsha had quietly convinced me that her dream was worth believing in.

    So I went back to work and as a team, in spite of our busy situation, we agreed to help in a very scaled back, limited way with the identity for a small group called Dining for Women. The mark for Dining for Women is still one of my all time favorites. (thanks to our former teammate Blake!)

    I personally continued in a tiny role of encouragement on the board and even spoke at a leadership retreat in California. But here’s the truth — what I’ve learned and continue to learn from Marsha and the Dining for Women community has proved to be priceless.

    Seriously. Priceless.

    It’s funny, that morning when I had breakfast with Marsha if was almost as if I could see a day when they’d be featured on a large scale and the organization would almost double overnight. And it’s happened. Over and over again. With this last exposure being the most significant to their growth to date.

    I am not sure exactly how Marsha painted this picture for me that morning, but I still remember the exact moment when I could see it.

    Yup. Movements have INSPIRATIONAL leadership.

    Then last week the monthly DFW newsletter showed up in my email stream. And Marsha had written these words.

    It’s amazing what can happen in a month! The Making a Difference segment with Brian Williams, which aired on Feb. 8, has generated tremendous response from all over the world.

    I am elated to have confirmation that the DFW vision of “collective giving on an immense scale, while maintaining the intimacy of small groups,” resonates with thousands of people!

    The intimacy of small groups.

    I love the feeling I get from that simple set of words.

    Small CAN create immense scale. If you have a clear picture of why are you doing what you do. And you have faith.

    I believe this to be true in the not-for-profit world and the for profit world:

    We long to be a part of something bigger than our own lives, but we also and perhaps equally important — long for intimate connections.

    It’s hard for me to write this post without a feeling a powerful tug in my heart. Because you know what?

    We can make positive and meaningful change in the world.

    Thank you Marsha for helping me see PROOF of that along the way.

    If you want to start a Dining for Women chapter of your very own, start here.

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