Grab the Age of Conversation

I am proud to be part of the blogging community that has contributed to a new book - The Age of Conversation. This is a fantastic venture, and hope that you will help Drew and Gavin raise loads of money for a very worthwhile cause. My contribution looks at employee engagement and how to achieve a happy marriage between employer and employee.

A fellow contributor C.B Whittmore at the wonderful Flooring the Customer blog has just posted about the project and as I could not say it any better, I thought I would share the post with you - collaboration is the name of the game on this venture! Here is the post...

"Even Ad Age has caught on with THE AGE OF CONVERSATION -- Edited by Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton - When Is a Blog Not a Blog? When It's a Book. by Matt Kinsey on 07.13.07.

A project that has been in the works for several months is seeing the light of day. As of today -- Monday, July 16, 2007 -- you can purchase your very own copy - in any one of 3 formats - of a one-of-a-kind worldwide collaboration between marketing professionals all passionate about the topic of The Age of Conversation. Simply go to this Age Of Conversation order link.

[To underscore how global a project this is, check out Matt Dickman's google map (it's included in the book) that lists all of the authors' locations.]

Imagine that: over 100 bloggers from 24 states and 10 nations, each contributing a chapter. The end result is a book that will provide you with perspective and insight on a phenomenon that - whether involved in the blogosphere or not - affects us increasingly: how citizen marketers are changing the landscape. Each author has taken a different approach to discussing what The Age of Conversation means. I talk about my contribution in Conversation Age - Enabled.

Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton conceived of the project -- see Background -- identified a terrific cause - Variety, the Children's Charity - and an inspiring Dedication, and then rallied the following bloggers:

Gavin Heaton, Drew McLellan, CK, Valeria Maltoni, Emily Reed, Katie Chatfield, Greg Verdino, Lewis Green, Sacrum, Ann Handley, Mike Sansone, Paul McEnany, Roger von Oech, Anna Farmery, David Armano, Bob Glaza, Mark Goren, Matt Dickman, Scott Monty, Richard Huntington, Cam Beck, David Reich, Luc Debaisieux, Sean Howard, Tim Jackson, Patrick Schaber, Roberta Rosenberg, Uwe Hook, Tony D. Clark, Todd Andrlik, Toby Bloomberg, Steve Woodruff, Steve Bannister, Steve Roesler, Stanley Johnson, Spike Jones, Nathan Snell, Simon Payn, Ryan Rasmussen, Ron Shevlin, Roger Anderson, Robert Hruzek, Rishi Desai, Phil Gerbyshak, Peter Corbett, Pete Deutschman, Nick Rice, Nick Wright, Michael Morton, Mark Earls, Mark Blair, Mario Vellandi, Lori Magno, Kristin Gorski, Kris Hoet, G.Kofi Annan, Kimberly Dawn Wells, Karl Long, Julie Fleischer, Jordan Behan, John La Grou, Joe Raasch, Jim Kukral, Jessica Hagy, Janet Green, Jamey Shiel, s, Dr. Graham Hill, Gia Facchini, Geert Desager, Gaurav Mishra, Gary Schoeniger, Gareth Kay, Faris Yakob, Emily Clasper, Ed Cotton, Dustin Jacobsen, Tom Clifford, David Polinchock, David Koopmans, David Brazeal, David Berkowitz, Carolyn Manning, Craig Wilson, Cord Silverstein, Connie Reece, Colin McKay, Chris Newlan, Chris Corrigan, Cedric Giorgi, Brian Reich, Becky Carroll, Arun Rajagopal, Amy Jussel, AJ James, Kim Klaver, Sandy Renshaw, Susan Bird, Ryan Barrett, Troy Worman, S. Neil Vineberg, C.B. Whittemore, Mack Collier, Andy Nulman

Even the brilliant cover design - created by David Armano - captures the essence of The Age of Conversation!

Per Heaton, "We've been amazed at the variety of approaches that have been taken, and with hardly any duplication or overlap. This book really explores the art of conversation and how that is changing the face of marketing from virtually every angle possible."

I encourage you to purchase this book. It is available in three formats for the following prices:
+ Hardbacks $29.99 [$8.55 goes to charity]
+ Paperbacks $16.95 [$8.10 goes to charity]
+ E-book $9.99 [$7.99 goes to charity]

Thank you for your enthusiastic support of this amazing project that will forever affect your appreciation of our world in The Age of Conversation."

Note: No author is being compensated in any way for this project. Learn more at Age Of Conversation

What will make the Disney Difference?

Disney are a wonderful example of how to create competitive advantage within your market place. Disney recognise that their parks need to be clean but that the sweepers - or cast members as they are called - are more than that, they are customer service people. Visitors to the park approach the sweepers for all kind of advice from where to buy something, to which rides have the longest queues. Disney recognise that after a certain point cleanliness of the park cannot be a differentiating factor - so they invest in customer service training for the sweepers. If they are to create "The happiest place in the world" then the sweepers have a key role to play.

Do you know how each person can contribute to your company vision? Do you know what will make the difference to the customer experience?
Do you measure the receptionist purely on calls taken or the service they give the customer?
Do you measure a credit controller purely on cash collection or how quickly they resolve customer queries or problems?

Memory is not intelligence

...if it was then computers would rule the world.

To get the best out of teams remember that a stressed mind becomes narrow in focus and a relaxed mind becomes wide.

If you want people to be creative, if you want people to think freely then concentrate on encouraging an environment that allows people to

• Think...openly, without fear and without feeling guilty that it is "not working"
• Have a life/work balance - relaxation breeds success
• Socialise so that fulfill their need for human interaction
  

Failing is not failure it is learning

When you make a mistake or something does not turn out as you expect - remember this WD40 was named after the 40 attempts to get it right.

Unsuccessful attempts are only failures when you don't use the learning to create success in the future.

3 Reasons to Persevere

We all make mistake, we all often suffer knock backs for our ideas. So here are 3 reasons why perseverance can be a great quality to have

1. Art critics in France said of the Eiffel Tower - "that tragic lamppost springing up from its bowels....is like a beacon of disaster and despair"
2. Ken Olson of Digital Equipment Corporation said in 1977 - " There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home"
3. Google Founders Larry Page and Sergey showcased their new page rank system and were turned down by Altavista and Yahoo.

......sometimes you are nearer to the solution than you think. Quotes from The Myths of Innovation by Scott Berkun