I have never worked in a cubicle (I'm not counting my nightmares), but I have worked in quite a few jobs in which I swear the hands on the time clock were engineered to go backwards every few hours. Fortunately, those jobs were stepping stones for me; catalysts that would inspire me to never slip into a career that bored me. So far, so good. If you're stuck in a job that started out as a stepping stone but has morphed into a well-worn rut, you may want to take a long hard look at your life. Seriously, follow those last three links and read up. For those of you perfectly content sticking …
Workplayce
The Importance of Mirth
Several weeks ago I came across a post on the Church of the Customer blog entitled, Products of Mirth. It featured a photo of some interesting shoes, pictured here. First, I had to ask Stinky what "mirth" meant. He told me that it was a noun that meant "gladness and gaiety, especially when expressed by laughter." Got it. (I'm so glad he is a connoisseur of the English language.) Apparently, the high-heeled flippers are not for sale. They're a simple art project. I think they're pretty funny, but I like even more what Ben McConnell had to say about them: …
Get Up Faster
It's been twelve days since the first cardboard box made its way through the door of our new office. The vast majority of the boxes are gone, but we still have no Internet. Or phones. Urgghh. I'll spare you the grisly play-by-play of the false promises, unmet expectations, and flat out ineptitude, but suffice it to say, I have not been this frustrated, angry, or exhausted in a long, long time. Maybe we'll have everything up and running in the next day or two. Maybe. The details to the story really don't matter, because it's a story you've no doubt lived, perhaps many times. Let me put …
Happy Father’s Day, Darth Vader
Just think how the Star Wars saga might have turned out if someone had given Darth Vader the book, "The Art of Parenting Twins?" Mark Anderson noticed Amazon.com having a little fun recently with a Father's Day quiz. They're asking visitors who their favorite dad is (besides their own.) The best part is the product recommendations you get based on your choice. …
What Business Are You In?
I spend a lot of time harping on the difference between being childlike and childish (and of course, anyone with a husband knows the difference.) We here are all about being childlike. (We're all good with arranging a few action figures on your desk; being 40 years-old with no job and still living with your mom so you can spend more time building your Lego town...not so much.) My buddy Scott Ginsberg (see our interview with him in our new magazine) has done a fabulous job of breaking it all down. Besides the great work showing the real-world business benefits of being childlike, here's my …
Endlessly Curious
Yesterday I had a chance to meet up with one of my business heroes, Seth Godin. He was in Chicago for a book tour, and gave a presentation on his latest in a line of bestsellers, The Dip. Ever since reading Unleashing the Ideavirus, I have been a big fan of Seth's blog and books. Yesterday, it finally clicked why I think he's so cool (and successful). He's endlessly curious. …
Why You Should Hire the Three Stooges
It's pretty easy (and profitable) to add a little childlike spirit to any job. I've touched on this before, but the other day Seth Godin offered up another prime example in his post, "How to be a great receptionist." Do all receptionists have to be Adultitis-stricken Roz impersonators, grumpily barking warm greetings like, "Name and ID, please."? Unfortunately, too many are. As Seth spelled out a number of easy ideas that a good receptionist could use to transformation herself (or himself) into a GREAT receptionist, I couldn't help but notice how many had a childlike spin to them. Here …
The Childlike Secret to Productivity
What do kids know about productivity? Aren't children, what with their sleepy heads and easily distractable attention spans, the epitome of UNproductivity? I guess it all depends on what productivity means to you. Kids actually give us a few clues about how to be really, purposefully productive. 1.) Plan. One important step to productivity is planning. If you wanna get stuff done, you gotta know what stuff you wanna get done. Simple, right? If you want to drive to Pittsburgh, but you've never been to Pittsburgh, chances are you're not going to just hop in your car and start driving. …
Tennis Balls and Adultitis
I saw this photo the other day at This Is Broken. It's a walker, with tennis balls on the feet. I had to stop and think, but yep, I'm pretty sure that EVERY SINGLE WALKER I'VE EVER SEEN has had tennis balls on the feet. (Granted, most of them are green, but that's neither here nor there.) I have lots of questions (Why tennis balls? Who decided tennis balls would do the job? How in the world did the idea spread to every single walker user in the universe?), but the most important question is the one that apparently hasn't been asked. …
Promoting Fun and Hot Air Balloons
Vince McMahon. Sam Walton. P.T. Barnum. These three men have something in common, and that connection is the very reason I have been inspired by them. They are all great promoters. But even more than that, their style of promotion always contained within it a spirit of childlike fun. I grew up watching pro wrestling. (My favorites? Bret "The Hitman" Hart, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, and Randy "Macho Man" Savage.) Vince McMahon, the owner of the WWF (now known as the WWE), has always impressed me with his promotional abilities. It's unfortunate that he tends to get some of his ideas straight …