Coaching: Understanding Perfect “i...

I was thinking about Pat Head Summit, the ladies basketball coach for University of Tennessee, this afternoon and how her goal of the team is perfect execution of the plays. And you’re welcome for stating the obvious, but this really sank in today in a very different way than ever before. I view coaches as motivators, recruiters, promoters, but I have never really thought of them as visionaries of perfect execution. In this sense, the coach may think “if only…player A runs down the left side of the court and player B dribbles to the defender and player C...

Consultants, Freelancers, Lend Me Your E...

Do you ever read something that seems to haunt you? I woke up in the middle of the night in cold sweats thinking about this one. I read a Seth Godin post over the weekend, and, as usual, his words struck a chord. This time, however, I could not just post a tweet and go on about my business. I was struck by this one line: Employees and freelancers that produce more than they cost are worth hiring. Too often, it seems, that we can hide behind rationalizations for what we do. We paint these pictures with huge self-congratulation, but at the end of the day, are we producing...

Get the Tip...

Why do we tip 15% and not 10%? 20% instead of 15%? Sure, it is some sort of ransom “to insure prompt service,” but really we tip based upon our expectations. If we expect lousy service and they exceed the expectations, we generously tip. If we expect Class A service but are delivered a Waffle House experience, we stroke some appalling number on the credit card slip as to make sure they “get the message.” At lunch yesterday, the poor waiters were terribly short-staffed. Two tuckered table jockeys were tirelessly running full pace to underwhelm the...

Announcing Our Social Networking Marketi...

Today Carly Harrington wrote a nice piece about Shawn Van Dyke and I in the Knoxville News Sentinel. Shawn and I have been throwing around ideas about the web as a series of spokes around a central web hub for a few months. Think a hub and spokes concept, with the hub being the Web site and spokes being the various online tools now available. In addition to offering consulting services, we are working on several sites including Coupon...

How Does Twitter Work in Business?...

I have been talking about the use of Twitter in business lately. Being a lazy ass twitter user for a few years, I know there is power in the ridiculously short conversation system, but I just don’t know what it is. One of the best uses that I have seen is with Twinkle (an iPhone app). I am able to see tweets of those that are within a 50 mile radius. Duct tape marketing offers this whitepaper for newbie business twitter users, which is totally worth the read. And tonight, I ran across David Armano’s post on brand guidelines for Twitter, and I really like his...

Watch This…...

A friend told me today that he thinks God says, from time to time, in the best Jeff Foxworthy voice, “Watch this…”  Then someone’s life is totally uprooted and changed around. That is what is happening right now.  This summer I found out that we are expecting number three, and this week I found out that I am probably starting my own internet / seo / marketing / real estate business. . . Watch this. FYI – I am looking for a good company name. If you know one, comment...