leadership lessons from shackleton

An individual I have great respect for, both professionally and as a friend recommended I read Endurance.  He stated: “it’s the best book on leadership you can read." Coming from him, this was all the recommendation I need. 

Last week’s HBR Ideacast  focused on this very topic “Shackleton’s Leadership" reminded me of these lessons.  

I felt inclined to share. 

bigskybrewing: It’s Moustache Growing Season In Montana Big Sky Brewing Company has, once again, fielded a team to raise money and awareness for CANCER. Last year’s battle cry still rings true:  A league of determined gentleman, united by their sh…

bigskybrewing:

It’s Moustache Growing Season In Montana

Big Sky Brewing Company has, once again, fielded a team to raise money and awareness for CANCER. Last year’s battle cry still rings true: 

A league of determined gentleman, united by their shared hatred of CANCER, sworn to fight it, wherever it may hide, using all the hairy power of their upper lips throughout the month of Movember. 

Last year’s team eclipsed the $5,000 mark and we aim to improve on this precedent. You can support this cause and donate to our team HERE. 

Marketing Blueprint Outline

Some questions to consider, as you dive into your next marketing project. 

1. Project Description:

2. Background/Overview: Tell us a little about where you’re coming from and what the current situation looks like.

3. History: Rundown of when/how your company started. What was the original concept and how has it evolved over the years?

4. Status: Describe the current situation of your company/project.

5. Objectives: What is your vision for the future and how will the marketing initiative help to get you there?

6. Challenges: What are they?

7. Failures:  Tell us what you’ve tried from a marketing perspective that you consider a failure?

8. Competition: Who are they? Where are they? What do they do well?

9. Target Audience: Who are your target audiences (primary, secondary, etc.)? What do they care about? What is most important to them? What is the best way to reach them? Do they read trade pubs, blogs? Are they receptive to email? Do they prefer one-on-one discussion, personal contact, etc.?

  • Primary:

Target Market Insights:


  • Secondary:

Target Market Insights:


10. Offerings: What are your service/product offerings? Please list the most compelling at the top. Describe each briefly.

11. Message: What are the 3 most important things to say about your company/product/services overall?

12. Stories:  What are 3 stories you can tell about your your company/product/services?

13. Goal: What is the ultimate goal marketing will help you accomplish?

If I could only choose 1

I’ve always taken great pride in the fact that I could name my favorite song of all time: Paint it, Black. Most people can’t. I recently posed the same question to myself in the world of digital media. The short answers are…

1. If I only read 1 blog, it would be Seth Godin’s.

2. If I only followed 1 twitter account, it would be Maria Popova

3. If I only  followed 1 instagram account, it would be thiswildidea.

5. If I only used 1 source for marketing data, it would be hubspot.

6. If I could only listen to 1 podcast, it would be Duct Tape Marketing.

7.  If I only used 1 twitter app, it would be hootsuite.

8. If I only used 1 “list" app, it would be todoist.

9. If I only used 1 photo app, it would be snapseed.

10. If I only had 1 source of entertainment in the car, it would be Stitcher.

If you could only choose 1, let me know what it would be.

How to fly with 200lbs of beer

I successfully arrived at my 5th consecutive Ironman or 1/2 Ironman world championship event with 200 lbs of custom Linsey Corbin beer courtesy of Big Sky Brewing Company. As a side, I also made a video of her “Picking up BEER," you can view on her site.

The real question everyone wants to know, is:

How do you get this beer to the event?

The biggest challenge is weight, not volume. TSA lets you bring as much under 24% alcohol as you want, but the airlines don’t like to pack all the weight and beer is heavy.

The maximum weight for a checked bag on most airlines is 100 lbs. I usually fly Delta or Alaska. Between the two, I chose Alaska for this mission, because the baggage fees are much cheaper $50 (Alaska) vs. $175 (Delta). I pulled it off for free on Delta yesterday, but got really lucky. Nevertheless, the challenge is to keep each bag under 100 lbs.

Materials:

1. 2 x 24 gallon action packer storage boxes (tough and light

2. Bubble wrap  (lighter than paper)

3. 2 x 9 ft Big Sky Brewing Cam Straps.

4. A plane ticket (Alaska is the cheapest).

Steps:
1. Place beer in action packer.  You can fit 4-5 cases of cans, approximately 80-100lbs in each action packer, depending on how many clothes you bring.
2. Place bubble wrap and clothing on top of cans. Maximum of  20lbs of clothing if you’re bringing 4 cases per action packer.
3.  Strap shut and check, just as you’d check any other suitcase. The action packer can also double as an uninsulated cooler in a pinch.
4. Enjoy.
 

32 lessons learned in 32 years

1 more year, 1 more lesson.

Today is my 31st  32nd birthday. Yep, I’m on my way  2 years into a new decade and I think it is going to be a good one.  I wanted to take the time to reflect on the lessons I’ve learned in the last 31 32 years of my life. In no particular order of importance…

1. It’s your life.  No two people are the same. Embrace the gifts, challenges, and opportunities given to you.

2. Nothing is ever as good or bad as it seems.  The bottom is not that low and the top is not that high.

3. Family matters. At least to me. Good, bad, and ugly, I know my family loves me and this gives me strength. Find strength in your family.

4. Find your passion. Branding, fly fishing, water ….  Passions make life worth living and people with passions make the world go round.

5. Do what you love. This is generally the easiest thing for you to do. What you think about when you go to bed and what you think about when you get up? Do that.

6. Fill wasted time.  Road trip or long commute? Fill your Ipod with audio material you don’t have time to read.

7. Carpe Diem. I’ve heard for years: “you’re young.” Don’t wait for the perfect time, because it will never come.

8. Use your words. The brain is a powerful engine and words drive this motor. What you think and say is what you will become.

9. Stay on your feet. Run simple and stand up.

10. Make lists. Simple “to do” lists have become my greatest productivity tool. Email, call, errands, projects, media, etc., all have their own weekly “to do” lists.

11. Buy tickets not toys. I have no shortage of toys, but reflecting back, it’s the trips I remember most, not the “things” I purchased.

12. Nobody is watching you. I’ve always thought people were watching me. What will they think if…? Don’t make decisions based on what other people will think, make decisions for your best interest.  (The  18-40-60 Rule)

13. Do your best. Win or lose you did your best, what more can you ask for? You gave your best.

14. You grow in the valleys not in the mountains.  Times get tough, that is inevitable. As bad as they may be, these experiences craft our character and build our strength.

15. Continuously learn. Read, listen, watch, write.  Never stop learning.

16. Everything is relative. Everything. A 15-inch trout is a great catch, until you land one that is 20 inches.

17. Riches have nothing to do with money.  For example, I recently took a fishing trip with my dad.  At moments, it was impossible to be richer than us.

18. Set Goals. I set about 50 goals a year each divided into six priorities in my  life:  family, faith, fitness, finances, focus, freelance.

19. Tell someone the goals you set. This will increase accountability and likelihood of achievement.

20. Buy a dog. Health and happiness will follow. For sake of credibility, I didn’t make this up.

21. Eat right and sleep well. I used to think both were a waste of time and resources; I now realize they are two of the greatest inputs to energy and performance.

22. Be spiritual. Not offensive, wacky, sign-holding spiritual, spirituality that gives you peace and purpose. Spirituality that allows you to embrace your blessings.

23. Live where you want.   If fly fishing, running, riding, recreation, craft beer, and community are important to you, live there. If they’re not, live somewhere else.

24.  Love. Marriage is my most prized possession.

25. Don’t be a critic.  It’s easier to be a critic than correct; respect the man in the arena.

26. Find your happy place. Go there when you need to calm the inner beast.

27. Cheer for something. I always assumed I’d quit caring about sport when I hung up my high school cleats. I now relish the opportunity to cheer for my wife and cheer for the HOGS–Woo Pig Sooie!

28.  Keep a few friends. You don’t need a thousand friends, just a few really good ones.

29. You lose 100% of the races you don’t start. If you try, you’ll know. The “what-ifs” will haunt you, so you might as well try.

30. Measure. If you don’t determine metrics and measure, its impossible to gauge progress.

31. Have integrity. Without it, what do your really have?

32. Experiment.  “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

As a kid, I never understood the point in living past the age of 28. It appeared to me all the good stuff occurred before this age. Now that I’ve successfully surpassed this this mark by 3  4 years, I realize I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. So, take this post for what it’s worth. Regardless, I’m looking forward to the road ahead and would like to thank anyone reading this that has made my life, well, my life.

CHEERS!

I recently stated: “If I broke my leg and my iPhone, I’d get my iPhone fixed first." I was obviously joking, but not as much as  you might think depending on the severity of the break.  I can’t take pictures and make videos with my leg. 

The following is a Linsey Corbin “race day" video in a series of real-time marketing video experiments for 2012. So far, so good.