No Box Book Blog

Be Cool

2010-01-05T14:20:00.004-05:00

Steven Jobs was recently identified by HBR as the best performing CEO in the world. Since he returned to Apple in 1997, Apple’s market value has increased by $150 billion. You can read about some of the other metrics that earned him this notable accomplishment.

When people think about Apple, a number of descriptions may come to mind, but for me one of them has to be “cool.” They produce cool stuff. Their stores are cool. A lot of their “Apps” are cool. Who knows, maybe people themselves feel a bit more cool, just by doing business with the company. All of this has contributed to Apple’s sustained growth and financial performance.

I have always believed that cool sells. Of course there has to be value, but all things equal, cool products out sell comparable ones which are seen as plain or simply functional. And today there are a lot of cool products in the world – from eye and ear popping home theater systems to elegant and easy to use cork screws.

But can all products in some fashion be cool? Let’s see, have you ever heard of a cool CD offered by a bank? How about a cool homeowner’s insurance policy? Maybe there are. However, whether it is a box of staples or a financial instrument, it will be very difficult for some products to ever make it on the cool train.

So here is the question you might find interesting to kick around a bit. Regardless of product, what can you do to raise your cool factor? (Don’t immediately start justifying why being cool is not appropriate for you or your business – just go with it.) What might Mr. Jobs or those quirky people from Apple do if they were in your business? And never forget that just because a product may never be cool, service and relationships certainly can be. And those two areas might be the most fertile opportunities for your pursuit of coolness. Don’t let your definition of cool be limited to magical technology or slick packaging. Cool can be a lot of different things.

In 2010, we challenge you to liberate your brains with some no box thinking about cool possibilities. The world economy could use a boost from creative and innovative ideas, and doing something cool is always personally rewarding as well. And who knows, one day even a trip to the dentist office, the bank, a big-box discounter or yes, even the department of motor vehicles might turn into a thrilling, hip experience.

Best Wishes,

Steve

Space Tourism Update

2009-12-09T19:42:00.005-05:00

OK, check this out. - from Wired.com/autopia

On a cold and windy night at the Mojave Air and Space Port, the VSS Enterprise was unveiled to the public tonight. Attached to its mother ship, the vehicle better known as SpaceShipTwo is expected to be the first commercial spacecraft when it enters service with Virgin Galactic.

SpaceShipTwo was built by Scaled Composites under the guidance of legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan. Rutan didn’t specify when flight testing for SpaceShipTwo would begin, though it is expected to start early next year.

Sub-orbital passenger flights could start as early as 2011 from Virgin Galactic’s space port in New Mexico which is currently under construction. Tickets for the early adopters are $200,000 for a training program culminating with the ride into space. Both Rutan and Virgin Galactic founder, Sir Richard Branson have repeatedly said they expect the prices to drop rapidly similar to many new technologies, including the early days of air travel.

In our book, we featured the nobox innovator, Burt Rutan, and his bold vision of “Space Tourism.” We have been keeping an eye on his progress and one day this adventure may become common place and affordable for the Gen X’ers and younger. Achieving his feat will not be a cakewalk, but it has clearly moved beyond the realm of far-fetched fantasy into near-term reality.

Amazing what can happen when you cast off the shackles of the box.

Steve

Addressing Underage Drinking

2009-11-09T08:27:00.003-05:00

After writing a book about letting go of tired ways of thinking in order to find or create answers in new and different ways, I have come across a lot of examples. It is very enjoyable to discover these entertaining, even inspiring stories. But what I love most is having my own point of view rattled by novel, perhaps even crazy sounding ideas.

I came upon one of those ideas which I would have laughed off a few weeks ago. Now it has me quite intrigued. It has prompted me to think about an important issue in a very unusual, perhaps even unsettling way. Read on and see what you think.

My 16-year old daughter recently completed a research paper on underage drinking. (When teenagers and drinking are in the same sentence, it is usually not a good thing!) In a nutshell, she wrote about a previously conceived idea supporting a kind of drinking “permit” for those who are 18 – 20. Modeled after driver’s education, the young adults would go through some kind of training program to better understand the responsibilities and risks of drinking. Then perhaps they would be provided some kind of smart ID card, which would have to be scanned in order for them to purchase drinks. There would be restrictions, to ensure they could not abuse the privilege.

She included a number of research findings about the causes and consequences of binge drinking, DUI’s and other problems associated with underage drinking, in order to make a reasonable case. I am not here to review the validity or her research or make the point that you should agree with the position about which she wrote. Because the bottom line is, who knows if it would work? And it is that very question – “who knows” – that IS the point! It is the question which all growth leaders must ultimately confront and answer. And as leaders, they know that finding that answer is never risk free.

Can you imagine how outrageous this idea might seem? Let’s see, drinking education classes. Does that include hands on practice? “Mom, Dad – I am taking this class and for homework, I have to drink 3 beers and a couple of tequila shooters." Boy, this would surely be one of the most popular courses at high school and college, at least for the kids. And you can already envision the tidal wave of protest from parents, barking that people would have to be out of their minds to offer or condone such an idiotic program.

But what if it worked? What if it did greatly reduce binge drinking at college? What if the mystique of drinking was eliminated, so young adults learned early on to drink more responsibly? What if drinking and driving accidents with 18 – 20 year olds dropped substantially? Hmm, perhaps this should give us pause after all.

I personally am glad there are education programs to better equip kids to drive a car. Driving is no laughing matter. People die when things go wrong. The same is true for drinking. Would a drinking education program help? Who knows? But what we do know is that attempting nothing different will absolutely never provide solutions to the known problems.

Although I have to learn more before choosing sides, my eyes are now opened to a new way of looking at the issue. And fresh eyes are a starting point for many great innovations.

Fortunately, I still have a couple of years before my daughter turns 18 and I have to worry about the impact of this idea on her – and me. (How’s that for hiding in the box!)

Steve

The Spin Box

2009-09-25T12:58:00.005-04:00

On my first trip overseas some twenty years ago, I faced a dilemma at the Frankfurt airport. I was connecting from Berlin on the way to the UK, and my luggage did not show up on the carousel. I had to retrieve it from the Berlin flight and then re-check it for the UK leg. What a bad time for my bags to get lost – in a massive airport where a different language was spoken. Needless to say, I was a bit unsettled.

As I walked over to the customer service desk of the German airline on which I had arrived, I was trying to recall how to say “my luggage is lost” in German. I knew the phrase was something like, “mein gepack ist verloren,” but what would happen when the agent started asking me more questions about it “auf Deutsch.”

But something remarkable happened. She took my passport and before I uttered one word, she said to me, “how may I help you” in flawless English. I was comforted and relieved to hear my language spoken.

Although there are many languages around the world, I have learned that there is a single language of leadership – and that language is called the Truth. It is not spin, deception or cloaked truth, it is the pure and simple truth (which I believe Oscar Wilde once said is seldom pure or simple). This language seems to be forgotten more and more these days, and it is causing confusion, uncertainty, even anger.

Here is a recent example. In Ohio, voters will be able to vote on a casino issue in the upcoming election. Like all issues, this has its supporters and opponents. The Cincinnati Enquirer recently published side by side pleas from each side as a means of clarifying the issues. The opponents stated in black and white – passage of this issue will prevent churches from offering Monte Carlo nights or other related fund raisers. They also clearly stated that the casinos would be exempt from paying state income taxes on cash transactions. The supporters, in black and white, said just the opposite.

My questions as a voter – what is the truth? Passage either will or will not make church functions illegal, or will require a tax on all income or not. What is the truth?

Personally, I am sick of all the manipulative, deceiving messages put forth by so called public leaders today. You only need to hear the words health care and you get the point.

There seems to be a communications box today that preaches the only way of influencing others, is to do whatever you can to get your point across in the way you want it heard. So, if you leave important points out, remove meaningful context, or simply spin the message in remarkable, yet deceiving ways, no problem! Well, it is a problem and everyone knows it. Who designed that rulebook? And why do so many people subscribe to it?

So leaders, you must be willing to break free from the spin box and tell the truth. Although Jack Nicholson’s character Colonel Jessep might believe that “you can’t handle the truth,” the best leaders believe you can. And speaking the truth is the only way the real problems can ever be solved in the best way for the common good.

Steve

Getting Drop Outs Back To School

2009-08-14T10:35:00.002-04:00

Just came across a program that had a little of that No Box spirit to it.

What do think it would feel like to be 21 years old and in high school? Sounds like a prescription for some serious ribbing, if not public humiliation. So check this out. The Gateway to Success program is a partnership of Cincinnati’s Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development and other colleges around the Cincinnati area. Here is the premise. There are kids that drop out of high school, and a few years later want to come back and get their diplomas after all. Since it is very difficult for the schools to assimilate the older kids, as well as potentially embarrassing for the returning students, simply re-enrolling in a high school is not a good solution.

So through Gateway to Success, classes are offered at the local college campuses, in the college environment, with other students of comparable ages. So now, if the older kids are asked if they are in school and where they are going, they can say Cincinnati State, or UC (University of Cincinnati) or one of the other partner schools. Kids can complete their high school work in a much more conducive, empowering environment.

There are real hurdles in the decision to go back for a high school diploma. The stress of school itself and ongoing financial challenges for a young adult are just two of them. But that giant emotional barrier – the risk of humiliation – is now eliminated, thus making it easier for drops outs to drop back in, which most would agree is a very good thing.

Bravo to all the organizations involved in this endeavor. And bravo to the kids for taking that big step forward in their lives.

Steve

Flying From the Box

2009-08-03T19:33:00.004-04:00

Here is another one of those, "you won't believe this" kind of stories. Ever heard of Jessica Cox. Her story has been making the rounds during the past few months. Jessica is a pilot. So are lots of other people. Here is the punch line. How many of those other pilots have no arms?

That's right Jessica, who was born without arms, is the only pilot licensed to fly using only her feet. But what the heck. I guess once you have learned to do things such as put in contact lenses or play the piano with your feet, what’s the big deal about flying? I am sure her flight instructor knew immediately she was up for the task, when she drove herself to her lessons.

There is no need to retell her entire story here. You can Google her or check out a YouTube video about her at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuMHSFPOzpc.

But I think you will agree, she certainly has that No Box mindset and spirit. There is probably an endless number of reasons why her flying achievement would be considered impossible, including my favorites, “no one has ever done that before,” or “it simply cannot be done by someone like her.” But she obviously refused to let anyone or anything box her in, including a couple of missing limbs. And now she is flying high.

So Jessica, you go girl and thank you for being a role model. And for those of you reading this, I encourage you to re-look at some of your favorite excuses as to what is holding you back from something great. Hopefully, her accomplishment will inspire all of us to break free from the box and go for our dreams in dramatic new ways, rather than just trying to conjure up some better excuses!

Steve

So Long GM

2009-06-05T19:13:00.003-04:00

Why is there a need for innovative, no box thinking? One answer is June 1, 2009. That was the day that the "Heartbeat of America" passed on and our government got into the auto business. GM has been close to the brink of bankruptcy before, and finally caved in amidst the current economic struggles strangling the world.

Have you set back and deeply thought about this or did you simply shrug your shoulders and say, Oh well!" In today's world, the company could not stay the course, so they learned the consequences of continuing poor performance. We are not here to debate why this happened. It did.

But I wonder how many people could not in the wildest dreams ever really believe that GM would end up as new department of the government. I wonder how many GM people believed this, especially in the top levels of the organization. I wonder how many courageous decisions that needed to be made at the company were never made. All their talk about how competitive they were and how equal their cars were, was not enough, was it?

So here is the question Assuming they were unfairly disadvantaged as they claimed with their costs for pensions, health care, and supplements for laid off or idle workers, blah, blah, blah, what did they do that was dramatically different to address them - besides ongoing harping and endless confrontations with the unions. Did they make marked improvements with labor, so they all were committed to success, or did they approach the relationships in virtually the same ways. Did they try truly innovative approaches to selling new cars, beyond new features and deep discounts. I truly hope so, but fear they worst. Clearly, strategies such as On-Star and employee comparable discounts for everyone were nowhere near bold enough.

If you think you can stay pretty much the same and survive today, take some cash and buy your corporate tomb stone right now. You will not make it. And you should not. My guess is that an unfair playing field or other external forces are not the biggest problem for companies such as GM or perhaps yours. It is too many people, including those in senior management positions, who are permanently parked in the box of yesterday's world (whether they believe it or not). That is the real issue that must be resolved.

Think about it.

Steve

No Box Recruiting

2009-04-06T09:58:00.010-04:00

Recruiting for many organizations is often times a real crap shoot. Think about what it must be like to find and keep talent in a call center, where high turnover is a fact of life.

So check out Zappos. Their approach is by no means typical, but sounds as if it is proving to be very effective.

The fast-growing company, which works hard to recruit people to join, says to its newest employees: "If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you've worked, plus we will offer you a $1,000 bonus." Zappos actually bribes its new employees to quit!

Why? Because if you're willing to take the company up on The Offer, you obviously don't have the sense of commitment they are looking for. It's hard to describe the level of energy in the Zappos culture--which means, by definition, it's not for everybody. Zappos wants to learn if there's a bad fit between what makes the organization tick and what makes individual employees tick--and it's willing to pay to learn sooner rather than later. (About ten percent of new call-center employees take the money and run.)

Bribing people to quit. Hmmm, doubt if that is in the handbook of "how recruiting should be done." Maybe you should consider how you might ignore the way recruiting in your organization has always been done and find similar breakthroughs.

For more detail:

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/taylor/2008/05/why_zappos_pays_new_employees.html

Steve.

No Box in the 2008 campaign

2009-03-27T16:10:00.004-04:00

The cover headline of the April 2009 issue of Fast Company reads “The Kid Who Made Obama President.” The teaser continues with, “How Facebook Co-founder Chris Hughes Unleashed Barack’s Base – and Changed Politics and Marketing Forever."

Think about this for a moment. Could a 25 year old really do anything substantial enough to impact an election – or to change politics and marketing forever? Please, enough with the hyperbole, right? Regardless of your political persuasion, I suggest you read the article, as this is not another story simply heaping praise and adulation on the new President. Rather, it is a story about how Hughes used his knowledge and imagination about social networking on the internet to produce some astonishing results, much to the delight of Obama and his supporters. As is reported in the story, volunteers had used My.BarackObama.com to: “create more than 2 million profiles, plan 200,000 real-world events, form 35,000 volunteer groups, register 1 million voters, post 400,000 blogs and raise $30 million on 70,000 people’s own fund-raising pages.” Real people in every part of the country, who somehow wanted to get involved in electing their candidate, suddenly had a very organized and synergistic way to do so.

Couple of key points here. First, these kind of results would have been seen as surreal, not just impossible before the election. Ignoring the box can often produce the unproducible. Next, you may disregard this creative use of the web as interesting but irrelevant to the outcome. Maybe so, but think about it this way. During the next election would you rather your candidate or the other candidate have this kind of means to rally and capitalize on volunteer support? Finally, never underestimate what a young person (or middle-aged or elderly person for that matter) can accomplish when passion kicks into gear.

Denying the Public School Box

2008-11-18T15:16:00.005-05:00

Ever heard of Michelle Rhee? In the summer of 2007, she became the first chancellor of the Washington DC public school system, considered one of the worst public school systems in the country. In a profile of her in the November 2008 edition of The Atlantic, author Clay Risen wrote:

“Since her arrival, Rhee, just 38 years old, has become the most controversial figure in American public education and the standard bearer for a new type of schools leader nationwide."

He went on to say:

“She and her cohort often seek to bypass the traditional forces of education schools and unions, instead embracing nontraditional reform mechanisms like charter schools, vouchers and the No Child Left Behind Act."

Rhee has received a great deal of praise for her progress. People have flocked from across the country to work for her and foundations and businesses have flooded her with offers to help, including providing cash. Everything must be roses, right? Not so. The article goes on to describe the political hornet’s nest she has found herself in. Check out this comment:

“Washington, in other words, is a battlefield and national testing ground where upstart young reformers are pitted against an establishment unwilling to give ground to what it sees as reckless social experiments.”

No one ever said ignoring the box would be smooth sailing. My interpretation of the remainder of the article was how Rhee is willing to toss out almost everything that has not worked, in order to make the DC school system a showcase, which could impact public education across the nation. And she is confronting a number of opponents – unions, politicians, and activists - who are trying to clip her wings, push her back inside the box, and keep things pretty much the same as they are now.

When politics are involved, there seems to be an endless onslaught of barriers designed to prevent any kind of change in the way things get done. Rhee will have her hands full, just like everyone else who decides to take on the status quo in a big way. What history tells us is the school system in DC or anyplace else will not dramatically improve without dramatic change. It will be interesting to see to what extent she can overcome the crushing pressure of the current system and make her dream a reality.

Steve

Blame is not a Strategy

2008-09-30T20:39:00.006-04:00

I am terribly disappointed. It seems the box is alive and well in Washington. As a nation we are facing one of our most trying moments in recent history with the financial crisis. The market is like a death-defying roller coaster, and the resulting credit crunch is going to cause some ongoing and very difficult problems for many. So what is the response from our elected statespeople - point the finger - at anyone.

If I hear one more time, the cause of the crisis as failed Bush administration policies, I believe I will lose my mind. Even if there are some failed policies, does Congress not share some responsibility for not acting on the ongoing White House warnings about the inevitable problems, which have been presented since the early 2000's? Do our so-called leaders believe a lame-duck President is really the sole cause, or more importantly, do they think the average American believes this crisis is solely the fault of one person. Please! Also do they believe that the blame game is helping to achieve a solution?

It appears out political process is stuck in a box, and not a good box at that. Putting forth and tackling politically risky issues before they fully occur is not smart when the goal is re-election. And hopefully I have missed this, but why are the brilliant economists and experienced business people being left out? It seems the last minute solutions are being concocted by a number of life-long, but non-financial expert politicians, without the advice and counsel of innovative and experienced thinkers in complicated financial manners. Why is this expertise being ignored? Are the politicians afraid that the solutions which may evolve may have a negative impact on their re-electability? Or do they just think they are so smart, they do not need the help? Scary, isn't it.

Self and party preservation seems to be the rules of the box, and now we are facing a crisis where those rules are going to cause a catastrophe. I am hopeful that at least of few of our elected officials will choose to let go of the politics box, and create some real and innovative solutions to the dilemma we now face. Solutions to big, tough problems are never found in a box and our officials need to accept that.

So, if it helps, I have an offer for all those self-centered, terrified and finger pointing people in Congress. They can blame me for everything. It will do as much good as blaming anyone else. Then maybe they can get it out of their systems, let go of the blaming box and start resolving the problem.

Steve

No Box Summer Camp

2008-07-29T13:04:00.015-04:00

I'll bet you don't see a photo like this around your place of work much. This is what ignoring the box looks like.

During the week of July 21, the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) held their summer youth camp at the Joy Outdoor Education Center, just north of Cincinnati. The campers were kids aged 10 – 16, who have been missing limbs since birth or because of cancer, accidents, or even gunshot wounds.

Besides the traditional camping activities, they had the opportunity to participate in a ropes course, a series of challenging activities, connected together by wires and ropes, A typical activity might be inching across a balance beam, or walking a shaky tightrope with a very loose rope as the only handhold. As tame as these may sound, they suddenly become much more challenging, if not terrifying, when they are 25 or so feet in the air. We have worked with countless adult groups who have to muster up some real courage to participate.

So here we have kids, some who are frightened by height and all who are missing a limb or two, doing the high ropes course.

Now wait a darn minute. A high ropes
course is hard enough for people with arms and hands and legs. This can’t be done by kids with amputations! But it can. And it was. Try this one on for size. One 13 year old got about half way through an activity, when – gasp – his artificial leg fell off, landing 30 feet below. With a No Box spirit, he matter-of-factly responded, "I’ll finish without the leg."

Adults who are stuck in a box can produce some truly whiny excuses to avoid a challenge like this. I don’t have enough upper body strength, my legs are too short, I am too overweight, blah, blah, blah. Think about the excuses some of these kids could have come up with. "Uh, I am wearing a leg prosthesis” or “I am missing a couple of arms.” But they didn’t.

Hooray for everyone, especially these kids, who prove that limits imposed by the box of conventional thinking can indeed be ignored. Don't let the box keep you from being great.

Learn more about ACA www.amputee-coalition.org or Camp Joy www.joec.org

To enjoy some video: http://www.local12.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=31120@video.wkrc.com

Steve

Unusual Interview

2008-07-01T11:17:00.004-04:00

I recently came across this lead-in from an article on The Ledger.com.

When Andrew Morton interviewed to work at Comtrend, a high-tech equipment manufacturer, he didn't bring a resume. He brought a business plan.

The article went on to explain quite a bit about Morton, Comtrend and the direction they are headed (yes, he got the job). But it was the statement above that caught my eye.

Doesn’t conventional wisdom specify that you have a resume handy for an interview? But ignoring the box, Morton brought a business plan instead. Do you think that might have made him at least a bit more distinctive, from other candidates who might have been seeking the same position? Even if Morton was not exactly correct in his plan, what message did it send to Comtrend about his interest, willingness to prepare, and ability to apply some real thinking toward important business issues?

This reminds me of one of the problems in many organizations today. Too many managers at virtually every level, spend too much time preparing status or activity reports, and little or no time doing some real thinking about the direction or strategies the business should take. The status report is like the resume – “here is what I have already done.” Reviewing current status is important, but so is deep thinking about the future. So with all the focus on current activity, who is doing the strategic thinking work?

If you want to make yourself distinctive, try viewing your piece of the business as if you are the owner. Learn about it, think deeply about it, and do the hard work of figuring out how to best differentiate your organization’s value and capabilities in the external marketplace. Don’t settle for simply reviewing yesterday’s work. Develop and willingly offer your "business plan" of growth possibilities and strategies. It will benefit your business, and clearly shine the light internally on your own value and capabilities as well.

Square Watermelons

2008-06-09T14:48:00.008-04:00

Many of you by now have heard about or seen the wonderful new no box innovation out of Japan - square watermelons! Think about all the benefits. They are easier and less costly to ship, stack better and take up much less room on the grocery shelves. Apparently, they taste the same. But don't they look strange?

Time will tell if people refuse them because of their new shape, or will openly accept them. For many, it may take some getting used to. And there will likely be some who will never accept anything but an oblong watermelon, because, that is the way a watermelon is supposed to be. The ironclad mindset is one reason it is so hard for some to venture very far away from the box. Just remember, because something is different, does not mean it is wrong.

Are you attempting to grow any "square watermelons" in your organization? Or are your metaphorical watermelons (be they processes, products, packaging or whatever) always going to be oblong and bulky, because they have always been that way. Give that some serious thought. Who knows - your customers might be longing for you to provide unique and exciting value to them by "squaring up" a few things.

Steve

No Box at Disney

2008-04-27T16:06:00.002-04:00

Looks like we are in good company. The online site, leadershiphub, provided a review of How To Be Like Walt, a book detailing key lessons from Walt Disney, by Pat Williams with Jim Denney. They labeled one of the key points from the book as THERE IS NO BOX.

"Today you hear people talk about 'thinking outside the box'. But Walt would say, 'No! Don't think outside the box! Once you say that, you've established that there is a box.' Walt would refuse to accept the existence of the box."

- Disney historian Jim Korkis

Perhaps this helps explain why Walt Disney was such a great visionary and created so much magic. Are you willing to be more like Walt and refuse to accept the box?

The Birthday Box

2008-04-14T12:48:00.008-04:00

For some reason the box becomes more a part of our lives as we grow older. A kid can build a spaceship out of a piece of cardboard, but all an adult can do is talk about why you cannot build a spaceship out of a piece of cardboard.

Five year-old Drew Friend of Cincinnati is a no box kind of guy. As his birthday approached, his mom asked him what he wanted. Think about how he may have answered. By now there is probably a version of really slick iPhone or at least an iPod for a 5 year old, or an X-box or some other cool gadget. How about a hot new bike or an official major league baseball glove? For a kid his age, the list could go on and on. But Drew had a most unusual answer. He told his mom that he wanted nothing! He said he was happy with the toys he already had and maybe some other kids needed the gifts more than he did.

Rather than take him to the hospital for a brain scan to detect his abnormal behavior, Drew's mother Shannon shared his comments with the congregation at their church. The church found a family and the rest is history. As you might expect, as word got out, Drew received a boatload of presents from family, friends and other generous contributors. And he gave them all away. In fact 5 families benefited from Drew's selfless display of generosity and caring. And they received more than games and toys. Clothes, towels, money, even bunk beds were all types of gifts that Drew passed on.

There is a box that says kids deserve to be spoiled on their birthdays with wonderful gifts. For some, there is even a box that says make sure you get your kid something cooler than all the other kids. (Oh, the crazy ways we sometimes choose to compete!) But little Drew has not yet become trapped in the box, so he asked for something that, as he said, "would make a good feeling in my heart."

I would not be surprised to see Drew's example become the cornerstone of a new and different avenue for helping people in need. Others, kids and adults, will choose to follow in his footsteps of giving. Like a growth leader, he has challenged conventional wisdom and created something new, which will no doubt benefit many. One never knows what will result by saying no to the box, even the birthday box.

Drew did receive something special, in case you are wondering. He got to help deliver all of the presents to the families. Oh yes, and the lead delivery vehicle just happened to be a fire truck from the local fire department, with Drew riding shotgun. Imagine that as a 5 year-old!

Ironic isn't it, that if Drew would have originally asked to ride on a fire truck, he would have likely gotten a polite response about the impossibility of that request, or at best, a trip down to the firehouse to climb on the back of a truck.

It is a wide-open world when you are not confined in the box. Way to go, Drew.

Steve

An Antidote for Cost Cutting

2008-03-30T20:07:00.007-04:00

It is March 31 and the first quarter is in the books. How was it for you? If you are like many, it had its share of challenges - and by the looks of things there are more in store. Are you planning anything different going forward. Or are you stuck in the box with little or no new options?

I am not surprised what I hear around businesses these days, but am saddened by what I do not hear. The main strategy I continue to hear and read about is deeper costs cuts. Organizations are going back to the table with another missed forecast and plans to reduce budget by another 5 - 10%. Many are either on the cusp, or have already begun to let a few people go. That is the way cost cutting goes.

Sadly, there seems to be little or no words about growth. I am hopeful that I am just missing those conversations and actions, but if they are occurring, they are not very visible. If they are in fact not happening, I suppose struggling companies are relying on the overall marketplace to improve and hope they can ride along. We all hope that happens, but what if it does not?

Cost cutting is a management activity. Costs, especially excessive ones, are relatively easy to pinpoint, and the impact on the income statement can be seem pretty clearly. But still, it is painful to make many of those decisions, and be aware there can be severe consequences further down the road. Cut the roots too deeply and the plant withers and never recovers.

So here is an important question for you. If you are in an organization whose only survival strategy seems to be one more round of cuts, how much passion do you see in your people about their work? My guess is very little and I'll bet even your top financial officers are becoming weary. Unless you want to be totally dependent on the external economic conditions, you are going to need to get people re-energized on a future with the promise of growth. Find some growth opportunities right now that you and your colleagues can get really passionate about. When their fires get re-lit, you will indeed uncover some exciting new avenues of revenue and income. And cost management will find its proper place as important work, not the only work.

Passion is not just a "nice" concept, it may be the key to your future success. Make it a goal starting April 1 to bring it to life again. Rekindling the passion to grow is an option completely within your control, but you have to climb out of the box to do it.

Steve

No Cage For Tiger

2008-03-12T21:23:00.001-04:00

No one person in the world today is so dominant in his field than Tiger Woods. At least, this is what the media is constantly telling us. And this is OK with us because people really genuinely like Tiger. Why? It is very simple - for this Tiger, there is “No Cage.” He knows no constraints because of the confidence he possesses in his skills and abilities. He walks to the first tee, looks his competitor in the eyes and says "come on, let's play." Tiger is in his element - playing the game he loves in a competitive situation. The perfect storm - skills, competitive fervor and confidence - rolls over the adversary. To all, it is a joyful situation. And it happens because Tiger has No (Cage) Box.

Where does his confidence emanate? It come from hard work and preparation. In a recent USA Today article, Woods said his sustained brilliance the past year is the best stretch of his career, the fruits of hours of labor on the range tinkering with his swing. "One of the reasons I made the changes I made is I knew I could attain another level," Woods said. "I'm hitting shots I never could hit before, I'm still getting better." He has the passion to become a better golfer everyday. Improve your game. Gain the competitive edge by working hard. This is how Tiger develops confidence. He knows that his extra effort has allowed him to build a huge gap between himself and the field. Instead of going to the bar after playing 18 holes, Tiger walks to the practice range and hits more golf balls. Sacrifice builds skills and great skills yield confidence. Tiger understands this. His success is incomparable.

Where does your confidence emanate from? Is your confidence related to your experience? How hard are you working at your skills to developed 'deserved confidence?"

Tom H.

The Value of Competence

2008-02-19T08:14:00.005-05:00

There is nothing like a downturn in business to highlight potential weak spots in the level of competence within an organization. It is not that people suddenly wake up stupid one morning and business suddenly drops. What it usually indicates is something is radically different in the marketplace, and people are ill-prepared to do much about it. Sometimes there is a change in expectations, where companies are expecting times to be tough, so they naturally cut back on expenses. And often those companies cutting back are your customers – and the expenses they are cutting are for products and services they have been buying from you.

So what do you do? Do you keep attempting to operate in the same way as before, and hope that business turns for the better? Or do you break free of the box and attempt some very non status quo options. Remember this: when companies are curtailing costs and buying less from you, they are communicating that the old value proposition you have been offering them is no longer valid. To keep or even grow the business, you must find new ways to add value besides simply reducing your prices.

So here is the tough question. Are people in your organization competent enough to think up and deliver entirely new and mutually profitable avenues of value? Are your salespeople basically order takers, or do they have the ability to be innovative problem solvers? Do your customer care people have the skills to recognize a golden opportunity for new business when dealing with a customer, or are they basically a traditional complaint handling or fulfillment center? Does the senior team have the experience to lead a top-line, growth-focused turnabout, or are they only schooled in scrutinizing budgets line by line, or looking for assets to sell off or write off?

You cannot solve a competency deficiency overnight, but you can take two immediate actions. First, take the shackles off those you know are competent, and aid and support them in proposing and implementing new value-added ideas. Let go of the box-ingrained notion that these are always high cost ideas. Many if not most are not. Finally, start right now raising your own capabilities. Make a conscious and deliberate effort to improve on something important, be it skills in customer relationships, strategic thinking, leadership, collaborating, value chain analysis or whatever. There is no box that prevents you from being able to increase your own or your organization’s levels of competence, even in tough times.

No Box at BMW

2008-02-04T09:48:00.000-05:00

One of the case studies in our book features Chris Bangle, former chief designer of BMW, and the earthshaking changes he led in the design of BMW automobiles. In their latest ad campaign, BMW's theme is about something unexpected - the word “No.” For example, they say

No, we will not compromise ideas.
No, we will not do it the way everyone else does it.
No, we will not give in to mass market vanillaism.

Today in the spirit of Bangle, BMW goes on to proclaim, that their ideas are uncompromised by bureaucracy or focus groups. By giving their designers complete freedom and autonomy, BMW can foster an environment that protects fresh thinking. They also cite that one of the greatest rewards of this autonomy is the ability to say No to the status quo. Sounds like No Box thinking.

BMW has recognized that old, traditional concepts for car design will not propel them to the future they want. They have chosen to say No to those traditions, and have committed to growth in new, perhaps less tried ways.

About what processes, procedures, mindsets or whatever, must you be saying No, in order for your organization to grow in new, fresh ways? Think about that. Then ask yourself, if you have what it takes, (those important internal characteristics described in There is No Box), to do something about them?

Steve

No Box at FX Network

2008-01-21T14:12:00.001-05:00

Check this out from USA Today (online, 12/11/07)

NEW YORK — Playing against its formulaic TV rivals, the FX network is claiming "no box" can confine its programs' creativity.

The heart of the cable network's branding push — its first ever — is the tagline "There is No Box." The campaign will be introduced in spots aired during Nip/Tuck next Tuesday, according to FX President John Landgraf.

The goal is to build awareness of FX as the home for "a certain kind of cliche-busting quality," Landgraf told reporters during a preview of several of the two dozen spots Tuesday.
They will be seen not only on FX, but across multiple media platforms of owner News Corp. A 60-second spot will air during Fox's Super Bowl broadcast in February.
View the ad.
No need for much in-depth analysis on this. It is just hard to grow in this unbelievably competitive industry by remaining too conventional. Is the same true for yours?

Steve

Not There Yet

2008-01-14T19:01:00.002-05:00

Oh how hard it is to let go of the notion of the box. Poking around the internet a few days ago, I came across this on prweb.com. The headline read:

Platinum Funding Group Announces 'Thinking Outside The Box' Networking Series. The networking initiative aims to stimulate out of the box thinking and foster deal-making among leaders of the financial community.

The Platinum Funding Group is a company that deals in the factoring of accounts receivables (financing that turns receivables into cash). It may be the kind of business, that many would say operates squarely in the box. Think about it. "Receivables have to be handled in a certain way because they have always been handled in a certain way. No need for innovation here. Not really a lot you can do with them anyway, right?" Unfortunately, the same rationale, as unproven or simply wrong as it may be, is too often offered for almost every function of a business. The box is very pervasive.

Thinking out of the box for these folks might seem like a giant step, and we heartily applaud them for getting it started. We also want to suggest that their mere "out of the box thinking" acknowledges that there still is a box waiting to seduce them back in. when this networking initiative is finished or runs out of steam.

It is relatively easy to occasionally stretch your brain muscles and think outside the box in the short term. But it takes much more to cast the box aside entirely and refuse to let it ever entrap you again. And that is precisely what you and the Platinum Funding Group must be willing to do, to have a chance of producing real, long term, sustainable growth in the crazy world we all must compete in today.

Steve

What is your "box" for 2008?

2008-01-06T20:02:00.000-05:00

Look back with me to 2007 just briefly. Assess your progress in your career. Are you pleased? Where are you stumbling? What part of the "box" is holding you back from really excelling? Really think about this.

I saw "The Great Debaters" recently. What an outstanding movie demonstrating a "no box" approach to life. The movie told the story about the struggles of a debate team for an African-American college (Wiley College) located in Texas during the 1930's. The coach played by Denzel Washington was driven to build a nationally renowned debate team. He knew that his approach would not only create a winning team but would also develop the personal character of each team member. In one scene, Denzel Washington was urging the team to work harder to become their best. But, the debaters wanted to start preparing their own presentations. The coach didn't believe that they were ready for this important step. Washington countered by saying, "I have the experience." The team understood and accepted his pronouncement. Experience - such an important factor in "the no box" cause.

What about you? Is experience keeping you inside the box? Is the lack of a certain experience affecting your confidence and limiting your opportunity to break-out? Are you willing to sacrifice to gain that experience so you can break outside of the box? Is eliminating "the box" in your life important enough to you that you will consider the sacrifice and struglle ahead to gain the experience? Let us know your thoughts. Join us in the "There is No Box" cause.

Tom H.

Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T09:24:00.000-05:00

Today is December 24th and inside of many homes is a Christmas tree, with gifts of all shapes and sizes piled underneath. That's right, there are boxes and boxes of all shapes and sizes, wrapped in brightly colored paper, adorned with lovely ribbons and bows, and containing some wonderful surprises. And in a couple of days, the boxes will all be gone, flattened and discarded, while the gifts within will remain for people to use, play with, benefit from or just plain enjoy.

We are sure there is a terrific metaphor in there somewhere, about tossing away the box and being better off. But since it is Christmas, we will leave that message for another time. So for now, just enjoy this moment with your family and friends. Have some fun, relax and let go for awhile. The world will very likely keep on spinning, even if you do step away from it for awhile.

From all of us at There is No Box, peace and joy to you and best wishes for a prosperous and rewarding New Year.

Neiman Marcus

2007-12-17T19:37:00.000-05:00

Neiman Marcus, the upscale retail department store, is celebrating its 100 year anniversary this year. One of the things the store is known for is The Christmas Book, a unique and extravagant collection of gifts, from a camel to a mini submarine. I'm not sure how many of the catalog items are sold, but they are sure fun to read about. Let's just say, it is not your typical wish book!

During his life, Stanley Marcus served as both president and chairman of the company. He was known for being able to spot the very best in fashion, a characteristic for which Neiman Marcus has long been admired - and a vital reason for their success. With his great eye for fashion, Stanley once offered the following observation:

Designers have to be free to use new materials, imaginatively, in fresh manners with fresh techniques, without tradition saying you can't do this or you can't do that.

Based on this perspective, it is quite likely that Mr. Marcus did not run his business from inside of any kind of box. The box for him was a convenient container for protecting an elegant gift, not a convenient excuse for restricting novel thinking. Maybe it was his total disregard for the box, that resulted in the company's growth, their fashion savvy, their remarkable brand and yes, even The Christmas Book.

We believe that Stanley's comment about designers applies equally for associates. (In fact, re-read his statement above using the word associates instead of designers.) Perhaps heeding his advice in this light might help your organization accomplish similar successes.