Photo of Alexis’ super cool boots (I have boot envy) via The Doddfather

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.”

A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

We all seem to have that instinctive thought, the same feeling as Edward Bear that there has to be a better way. When I’m standing in line at the DMV for 45 minutes, on hold with the phone company with the fourth representative…you bet I’m thinking there has to be a better way. Yet, I still stand in line, stay on hold and in essence keep bump, bump, bumping along.

And as a result, I have been asking myself how we can challenge ourselves (as an industry, society, culture) to walk down the stairs instead of bumping along to avoid the headache that Edward Bear has?

Take the time to explore.

Explore new options to solve problems, explore new problems that need to be solved, JUST EXPLORE. The best part about exploring is that you don’t have an end destination and end up somewhere you never knew existed. Some might define exploring as another way of “getting lost”, but when was the last time you got lost and didn’t learn something new?

Help turn bump, bump, bumping into…upright movement.

Ellen McGrit and Maxim Williams right before they went on stage.

Last week was a great week.

It ended with the best couple of days I’ve had in Greenvegas in a long while. I had the honor of being the “official timer” at the first ever TEDx Greenville. (And for the record, even though it was threatened — I never got officially fired.)

I sat backstage and chatted with some of THE most amazing people on the planet. Seriously, it was truly the best seat in the house. I have this theory that all of us are a bit vunerable right before we go on stage. No matter how much we like or dislike the spotlight. It was so interesting to see that and then see these amazing people take a deep breath, step onstage and watch their passion and stories blossom from their hearts.

I was just in absolute awe of the talent, the greatness in everyone around me that day.

The presenters, the planning committee, the attendees. Each and every person there had a remarkable story to tell.

And it was funny. Surrounded by all that inspiration, it was as if we were all seeing the potential of each other with eyes wide open. It was hard to ignore.

You know, I think we are all guilty of going through the motions of life sometimes, doing just what is expected of us. We need experiences and surprising connections to others that shake us up, and wake us up.

Hard to explain in words really.

I’ll let you know when the videos go up so you can check them out for yourselves. Believe me, there were some ideas worth spreading at this event. And I’ll do a post or two — or ten — about the lessons I learned in that one single day.

Last but not least, I promise to do a post about the experience I had with some of the TEDx presenters and attendees at the BMW Performance Center on Saturday morning. That place is amazing.

So lots to talk about. Just need to organize it all in the coming weeks.

When I finally took a moment of stillness on Saturday afternoon, I came in the office and found this piece of paper.

Funny how things like this just show up in my life.

Anyway after a bit of poking around yesterday, I discovered they were Cordell’s wise words. And I want to share. Enjoy.

“The capacity for greatness is seeded in each of us. The journey to discovering starts with understanding that your greatness is yours alone. For too often we look out at the world and we see others greatness as the greatness we want. In doing so, we limit ourselves and far too often fall way short.

For some greatness is something they feel unworthy of. Maybe even fear the embarrassment of their own unique greatness because it feels out of sync, peculiar or taboo.

For others the enemy of greatness is good. We reach good and we give up on great. Maybe we decide good enough is good enough. Maybe we get scared the chance at greatness isn’t worth that chance of losing what’s good. But whatever barriers exist, exist only in our hearts and mind. The world is always ready for the next thing. All we have to do is own our greatness and let it shine…”

Hmmmm.

Let your greatness show this day. Come on. The world is waiting…

I’m quickly becoming a fan of the NBC show “Undercover Boss.” If your not familiar with the show, each week a CEO goes undercover to work the front lines of their business, in the quest to understand the process of what’s working and what’s not. What they find, is everyday hard working folk that make the touchpoints of their brands to the customer. The CEO’s are surprised and often moved by the stories they find out in the field. Yes, this makes for good television, but also makes for some good business insight.

Brains On Fire has a new client—Capital Communications Federal Credit Union in Albany, NY. Their CEO is Paula Stopera; an insightful, personal leader. The first time I met Paula was at a monthly company-wide breakfast meeting. Paula took the microphone, walking the floor engaging her employees in a session called “Ask the CEO.” Watching “Undercover Boss” made me reflect on Paula, could she go undercover at Capital Communications Credit Union? My guess is No!

So as Heather Hough and I were wrapping up a presentation to the Capital Communications team, I asked her that very question. She laughed and she said “the other morning I came in the door on my way to my office… it took me 26 minutes. I chatted with employees about work, kids, dogs, you name it.” Paula would have liked to get to her desk 23 minutes sooner but that’s part of her day, everyday— because she’s the accessible CEO.

Paula is a lot like our CEO Robbin Phillips, Robbin has an investment in the success of our company but she also has an investment in “us as people.” In my opinion knowing that Robbin will always stop and listen to an idea, a problem, a laugh… makes all the difference in the world.

Don't miss the most important thing.

I’ve been been on the road with a band the past week-and-a-half. And that means lots of coffee. And lots of coffee means lots of local coffee shops.

We stopped at a really neat shop in Ypsilanti, Michigan called the “Ugly Mug.” Yes, they serve cups of coffee in an assortment of hideous, garage-sale style mugs. When I went up to the counter to get my fix, I noticed something that caught my attention and made me smile.

They had this little sign on the register that said: “Get off your phone! Thank you!”

On first glance it seemed like all of the other notes taped on registers by employees that are annoyed with phone-distracted customers not ordering and slowing traffic down in the morning caffeine rush.

Or maybe it was getting at something deeper. Either way, it made me think.

You see, the Ugly Mug takes a lot of pride in their coffee, but they take even more pride in their baristas. I had a chance to meet one of them - he knew incredible amounts about coffee, matching tastes, roasting, tasting, testing and crafting incredible beverages. They don’t just pour coffee and make lattes - they’re experts. And they want to do everything they can to match a drink to your palette that will blow you away.

I think sometimes we get so busy staying connected to other people we know through the electronic devices that have become necessary in our lives that oftentimes we miss the people right in front of us. In fact, we don’t only miss them - we miss out on them. Bad customer service aside, face-to-face interactions are one of the most powerful things we can experience - personally or when we’re interacting with a brand. If I had been calling, texting, emailing, tweeting, etc. while I was ordering coffee, I might have missed out on one of the coolest baristas I’ve met - and consequently his guidance to one of the best espressos that I’ve ever had.

I think my goal this week will be to keep my phone in my pocket whenever I’m about to interact with someone face-to-face. There are lots of things worth missing out on, people aren’t one of them.

Today’s post is from Liza Jones, one of the founders of Full Circle PR. Liza and Kim Banks are part of Brains on Fire’s extended tribe. In fact they share space and a cafe with us at Brains on Fire’s World Wide Corporate Headquarters. See, I promised you some new voices…so here’s Liza:

Liza on the left & her partner Kim on the right. In the background;one of my favorite paintings at Brains on Fire. Don’t you love it?

Trust is a funny thing.  It’s sort of like your GPA in school.  It can take a long time to build it up, but one bad grade can drag you way down.

When Kim and I started Full Circle PR last year, lots of people advised us not to go into our business together as 50/50 partner.  We all probably know that many a business partnership has failed because two people couldn’t come to an agreement on a decision.

And yet, as we wrote up our operating agreement (or, our “prenuptial agreement,” as we like to call it), we couldn’t think of working together any other way.  We liken our relationship to a marriage, and we trust each other implicitly to contribute equal blood, sweat and tears (and laughter, too) into our business to help it grow and thrive.  (As a side note, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve written into our operating agreement if a disagreement should ever arise, we’re to each write our decision on a piece of paper and draw one out of a hat as the deciding factor.  We’re still waiting on an opportunity to “Take It To The Hat”).

Our clients trust us to take their message out to their audiences and speak on their behalf.  Our employees trust us to provide them with an energetic, inspiring place to work every day.  Our vendor partners trust us to work within our deadlines and within budget to create measurable results for our clients. 

Trust is a valuable thing.

We’re so fortunate to work within the same building at Brains on Fire.  When we were looking for office space last year, Robbin said to us, “I know you’re going to do amazing things, and I want to be here to watch you do it.”  That level of confidence and trust she has in our business is incredibly motivating and inspiring. 

We treat it like spun gold.

We work hard to keep the trust level high between everyone we work with – and for.  The public relations industry often gets a bad wrap for being perceived as untrustworthy or full of people who skew the truth for their own personal gain.  And while there are always some bad apples in every group, the reputable PR practitioners I know adhere to the PRSA’s Code of Ethics, as well as general good business ethics, to serve as valued partners for their clients.

Toyota is experiencing a moment of truth right now as the company recalls thousands of its vehicles due to faulty gas pedals.  The verdict is still out on whether or not people agree with how Toyota is handling this situation with its customers.  But many customer testimonials are now showing up with folks saying they still trust the company to produce quality cars.  Because of their forthcoming nature in communicating the recall process, as well working with dealers to facilitate as many recalled vehicles as possible, it appears as if most consumers are still going to trust themselves to drive their Toyotas (I actually own a Toyota). 

So as we carry out all our duties in our personal and professional lives – with our business partners, our spouses and even our favorite brands – we have begun to see the underlying factor of success is trust.

Trust is all around us, and we are grateful for this.  How has trust led you be more confident in your own life and business?  We’d love to hear from you.