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256 pages
ISBN 9780399536106 Published Sept. 2010
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Posted Dec. 9, 2010 8:03 a.m. by jon
In - 800 CEO Read Blog
It's been a whirlwind couple of days so far this week, but the 2010 Author Pow Wow wrapped up yesterday. My one sentence review? It's amazing how much people can help each other when they come together.
Filled with authors, speakers, publishers, publicists, editors, media, consultants, social media experts, and more, the Pow Wow is a focused concentration on all the issues one faces when they consider connecting their idea with the world. As you can imagine, it's a lot to take in.
The first day started off with Steve Shapiro's Personality Poker, which was a perfect way to get everyone to understand their best skills, other people's skills, and how to work with people you like the least. It was also the closest a business conference can get to a back alley poker game...
Panels on social media, publishing, sales, and speaking turned into lively full-room discussions, questions, experience-sharing, and group insight that equated simply to pure magic.
Each day was capped with talks by individuals who have some incredible ideas about business, people, and how we can and do work together. Knowledge was shared. Lives were changed.
Here's me introducing the first one, Chris Guillebeau. Chris talked about how he never took a traditional career path, worked in Africa, started a blog, developed digital products, wrote a book, and went on a 63 city book tour. And he described it all in the most straightforward, simple, yet smart way you could imagine. As one attendee mentioned out loud at the end of his talk, "he's the real deal."
And then there was Sally Hogshead, who helped everyone identify their fascination triggers. If that sounds light, imagine how I felt when I discovered my boss' triggers were "Power / Lust." Similar to Steve's opening session, Sally helped the group recognize their personality qualities in order to help them create stronger personal brands. By the end of the day, groups of people began discussing new strategies for their social media presence based on this newly acquired knowledge. She also got Jack Covert to drink a shot of Jaegermeister...
Thanks again to everyone involved. It was a truly exciting and educational week. For those of you that missed out, we'll be doing it again soon. Stay tuned!
8cr Pow Wow Adds Chris Guillebeau and Sally Hogshead
Posted Sept. 29, 2010 6:11 a.m. by jon
In - 800 CEO Read Blog
The 800-CEO-READ Pow Wow is really incredible. I continue to hear stories about people who met at the first one in 2005, and are still working on projects together. Also, their work is better based on the things they learned by coming to the Pow Wow over the years.
It's about authors on one hand, but on a deeper level, it's about people with ideas who want to help other people with their work and lives. Publishing plays a role in that, and so does branding, speaking, credibility, time management, media, networking, and many other things. It's great to have a big idea, but in order to have it do its good work, there's a lot to know (and people to know), and the Pow Wow has continuously provided that.
This year, we're adding a bit more to the mix. The insightful panels featuring experts in publishing, marketing, publicity, and speaking will be rounded out with individual presentations by two people who we think have captured the essence of idea spreading:
We're excited to have them involved. It's hard to imagine the Pow Wow becoming even better, but I think this will do the trick. Check out the full details here, and hopefully you can attend. Our special hotel discount ends in a matter of weeks, so take advantage of that by registering soon.
See you December!
The Art of Non-Conformity
Posted Sept. 20, 2010 4:03 a.m. by jon
In - 800 CEO Read Blog
I first read Chris Guillebeau's blog after Seth Godin mentioned him a couple years ago, and have been fascinated ever since. Not only have I followed his blog, I bought one of his Art and Money guides, and was recently excited to see he had a book out, called, The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World.
Yes, that's a pretty bold title, but Chris is the kind of person who can post it in confidence. His own story is exactly as his message: Don't play by the rules, play by your own, and succeed in living the life you want. From volunteering in Africa, to attempting to travel to 192 countries, to not having a 9-5 gig, one can't help but wonder how he does it, and this book tells the story.
The good thing is, that story isn't so fantastic. In fact, it's quite applicable. Don't believe me? Here's a quick Q&A I did with Chris while he's on his 50 state book tour that sheds some light on what the book's all about:
Your book (and blog) have great insight about traditional jobs, yet you haven't had one for some time. Where does this fundamental knowledge come from?
Mostly I'm interested in thinking about life and work in general, whether it's done for someone else in a job setting or as an entrepreneur. In my case, you're right, I don't have much experience working in a corporate setting. I've been self-employed for most of my adult life, and also served as a volunteer executive for a medical charity in West Africa from 2002-2006. My experience comes mostly from being on the outside of that setting, and also from supervising people over the years in business and non-profit work.
That's my story—but it's also important to mention that the whole Art of Non-Conformity project is continuously made better by the AONC community, which is drawn from people with employment backgrounds of all kinds. Among that group are a number of people who are content to work in an organization that can achieve goals with more scale than they could on their own, and I think that's great.
Some people don't want to change the world, but simply want to be better at what they do. Is this book for them?
I'd say the book is for people who are discontented or dissatisfied in some way. If people are fundamentally satisfied in every area of their lives, then I don't think the book is a good fit for them. Fortunately for me, the market of dissatisfied people, or those who simply want to better themselves as you put it, is a large one. Non-conformity is firstly about making clear choices and genuinely understanding what we want to get out of life. Different people will interpret that in different ways, focusing on travel, self-employment, non-profit work, or something completely unique.
I'd also say the book is pro-change, and change begins from within. Change is a hard thing and almost no one enjoys the process of change—we like the promise of change, just not the actual execution of it. But when we put things into their proper perspective and see what we can gain by learning to embrace the right kind of risk, change becomes a lot easier.
After years of playing by the rules, how does one really understand what life they do want to live?
I tell people to start by thinking about what excites them. Was there something they wanted to do when they were younger, but gave it up in exchange for something that seemed more practical? Is there something else they've always wanted to do, but felt like there was a big obstacle in the way? How can we reclaim those dreams or negate that obstacle?
Then, sit down and start brainstorming a little. Make a list of 30 things you'd like to do “one day”--and over time, begin taking small actions to get closer to those goals. There is a good story in the book about a guy who did just that, starting with what he called “Life Experiments” that were as simple as visiting the art museum on his lunch break to taking up a new hobby of photography. These things didn't involve a lot of risk or sacrifice, but they helped him break out of routine and begin to consider greater alternatives. Later, he temporarily relocated to Paris with his wife and daughters—something he said would never have come about without the Life Experiments.
The book offers good advice on preparation before quitting your job, starting your company, etc. What are the key elements of this step?
If someone wants to start a business, I think it's good to start with what they don't need—they don't need a ton of money, a 65-page business plan, an MBA, or whatever. In some ways, money can be a hindrance. What they need is a basic product or service, and a group of people willing to pay for it. That's it. And they can lay the foundations for that, and maybe even get underway, without leaving their job, which of course is a big scary step that is naturally intimidating.
Yet another benefit of starting on the cheap and the quick is that if you fail, well, that's OK. You can try again without going bankrupt or losing years of work. We always hear these statistics about how many new businesses fail, but what we don't hear is the fact that most entrepreneurs start multiple businesses over the course of their lives. Often a business owner will close down one project to focus on another that is more promising, which is not something I think of as a failure.
How do you see the rise in self-empowerment changing the workforce? The economy?
By far the biggest thing is a change in how we define security. Historically, entrepreneurship was viewed as a risky alternative to participating in the job market. But now, I think more and more people are recognizing that the real risk may be trusting in the economy to magically provide enough jobs to go around. I recently heard a story of 300 applicants competing for an $11-an-hour receptionist job in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. Three-hundred! Just think about that—obviously the answer to success in that situation isn't just “Get up earlier and try harder.” We have to rethink the whole system.
Let's be clear, though, that I don't think everyone should be an entrepreneur. There are plenty of great companies out there (like 800-CEO-READ, for example) where an employee and an employer can be a good match. Instead, I think the change lies in the word self-empowerment you mentioned. More and more people thinking for themselves, choosing to find security in their own competence, and believing in the power of change can only be a good thing.
Or at least, that's the message of The Art of Non-Conformity: You don't have to live your life the way other people expect you to.
---
And that's just the start. I hope you find Chris' work and life as interesting as I have. If so, pick up the book, follow his blog and enjoy the ride.
Friday Links
Posted Sept. 3, 2010 11:10 a.m. by dylan
In - 800 CEO Read Blog
➻ Chris Guillabeau's The Art of Non-Conformity will be released on Tuesday—a book I hope everyone reading this blog will pick up. On his blog yesterday, he briefly discussed Seth Godin's departure from traditional publishing before laying out the Strategy, Tactics, and the Plan for the Next 97 Days he has devised for entering the publishing arena that Seth is leaving. And his plan is the only plan that has ever succeeded: think big; work hard. Responding to the notion that “The only authors who sell books anymore are those who have popular blogs,” he writes:
Where does a popular blog come from—does the blog fairy descend from the sky with a passionate group of readers, all eager to support a new writer?
It's a valid question, and we are glad this dedicated, unconventional (indeed, dedicatedly unconventional) individual has taken a step into traditional publishing, and we wish him the best on his Unconventional Book Tour.
If you'd like to learn more before picking up a copy of his book for yourself, you can read the interview Callie Oettinger did with him over at Steven Pressfield Online, or dig into some of his online offerings.
➻ Scott Stratten's UnMarketing also comes out next week, and in true social-media guru fashion, he did a 140-character interview on Twitter with new PR pros. Some advice:
@ssiewert: How can young pros/Gen Y apply their years of personal experience online to achieve business objectives?
@unmarketing: You have the advantage, since you’re already online. Be yourself, have an opinion but also be humble. You don’t know everything yet.
➻ The Bullish on Books blog had a great guest post from our dear friend Erika Andersen today, entitled You’ve Been Laid Off – Now What? She used the space to discuss how, once you declare an intention, or "put up your sail to catch the wind you’re looking for—it makes you available to other winds, as well." And Erika knows. She is one of the best advisers in country and the author of two outstanding books, Growing Great Employees and Being Strategic, the latter of which was recently made into a PBS special (Check your local PBS listings for the airtime, or purchase the DVD at shopPBS.org).
➻ The Economist recently took a look inside The innovation machine, reviewing Vijay Govindarajan & Chris Trimble's book recently released on the topic, The Other Side of Innovation. From the article:
Many would-be innovators deal with the trade-off between efficiency and innovation by rejecting traditional management entirely. They repeat mantras about “breaking all the rules” and “asking for forgiveness rather than permission”. They set up skunk works (small, autonomous units with a remit to innovate) and mock the boring corporate types who write their pay-cheques. But again this is counter-productive. Mocking the corporate establishment only encourages it to starve you of resources.
They also touch on Warren Bennis's Still Surprised: A Memoir of a Life in Leadership briefly, and thought it looks like a great book, I think they did so only to have an excuse to introduce the topic of innovation by writing "Today there is no hotter topic in management theory than 'sperm in the air.'"
➻ Bob Sutton, author of the soon-to-be-released Good Boss, Bad-Boss, wants to know... Is Your Boss A Certified Brasshole? And he has devised a test for you to find out.
➻ Mitch Joel, author of Six Pixels of Separation, writes a twice-monthly column for the Montreal Gazette and Vancouver Sun. His most recent post discussed the 10 Best Books For Back To School Business Reading, and his list is very solid:
- Brains on Fire: Igniting Powerful, Sustainable, Word of Mouth Movements by Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church and Spike Jones, John Wiley & Sons
- Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur & Tim Clark, John Wiley & Sons
- Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell, Pantheon
- The Future Arrived Yesterday: The Rise of the Protean Corporation and What it Means for You by Michael Malone, Crown Business
- Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World by Don Tapscott & Anthony D. Williams, Portfolio
- Marketing Lessons From the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn From the Most Iconic Band in History by David Meerman Scott & Brian Halligan, John Wiley & Sons
- MicroMarketing: Get Big Results by Thinking and Acting Small by Greg Verdino, McGraw-Hill
- Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead by Charlene Li, Jossey-Bass
- The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself by John Jantsch, Portfolio
- The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home by Dan Ariely, HarperCollins
I personally think that if you have read all of these books, just go ahead and forgo going back to school and get on out there and start conquering the world.
➻ The 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style went on sale this week, but you can get the original edition (1906) for free. Head on over to Papercuts to figure out how.
➻ "In addition to being a bullfighter and magician, he's a lazy river, a slow moving train, a future hall-of-famer playing through the pain, he's a grizzly bear." And his son is a book reviewer.
