Friday Lesson – Create

At least once per month I will highlight a business, life or even funny lesson here. My purpose is not to teach nor preach but to share some of the crumbs I’ve gathered from other people’s tables.

At my workplace and business I’ve come to learn that one of the best ways to attract business is to paint as positive a picture of myself, my service/product and my company as I possibly can. What I used to do was tear down my competition as if they were some sort of alien enemy hell bent on my destruction. In fact, what I do today is heap praise on my competitors when their name or brand is brought up by my clients.

Why?

Lesson – You attract what you project. If I project positiveness and goodwill this is what I will attract. Therefore, if I’m negative (towards myself or others) THIS is what I will get in return. If I’m positive, I will reap positive returns.

This is why the following article confused me. Kill Your Competition. I believe if we all want more business we should focus on uncovering our clients or prospects needs and fill that need. Bashing the other guy doesn’t bring anyone any business.

And I think we can say the same thing in regards to our relations with people. Small people talk about other people. Successful (in life) people talk about concepts and ideas.

What are your thoughts? What approach do you take in life/business? Do you spend time tearing down or building up? I’d love to read your thoughts and ideas.

Update

With July just a few days away, I thought I’d let you know what you can expect from this blog over the next few months.

Once a month I’ll highlight and maybe discuss a lesson I’ve learned. It may be a life lesson or just an interesting life observation. I enjoy reading, so maybe I’ll share something from my books.

Twice a month, I’ll introduce you to a specific person who I’ve learned from. Some people prefer to remain anonymous so instead of names you may just get a description of their character and why they have inspired me.

I hope you enjoy this new “series” as much as I enjoy bringing it to you.

To start us off visit my good friend, Sameer Vasta’s, blog at itellstories.org. You’ll find my first take on an inspirational person.

Have fun!

Is there someone who you’d like to highlight here? Maybe someone famous or a good friend of yours? Or maybe a life lesson you’ve just learned? If so, just email me your story at karim_kanji [at] hotmail [dot] com.

Your Call

I enjoy writing about the books that I read. I enjoy telling you about cool and interesting things that I come across.

However, I also understand that it’s also not always about me.

So, I’m going out on a limb here. (It’s a limb because I have not a clue how many people read this blog and would want to comment)

What would you like me to write or talk about? The choice is yours.

There are a few “rules of engagement”: Rational, reasonable and tasteful suggestions please.

Here’s what I will do in return: I will write about the suggestions you provide. If there are any really interesting one’s I may even choose yours as a theme to write about on a regular basis.

What would you like me to write about?

Hockey – The new battleground for social media.

Hockey is top of mind for many people these days. Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins are providing hockey and NHL fans with a great display of technique, passion and skill.

Then there is the “battle” taking place in Arizona. Balsillie versus Bettman.

Whether you or I believe or agree with what Mr. Blackberry is doing with his makeitseven.ca campaign is not the point of this post.

What Jim and his team do understand is that the power of social media tools are helping them to make a concerted effort to bring a hockey team to the Hamilton, ON residents. And it’s not just the makeitseven Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Here is a list (without links because you can find most if not all if you enter makeitseven.ca in your web browser of choice 🙂 ) of the “tools” he is employing:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • makeitseven.ca
  • Email updates to supporters (just sign up and become one!) on each and every legal and non-legal moves and initiatives
  • the makeitseven.ca shop where fans can buy merchandise
  • the HaveAVoice blog and community where fans can interact and share with each other
  • Photo and video galleries
  • Corporate partners (which are listed on the site) have also put out radio and tv commercials (at least in the Toronto area) which ask their customers to support the makeitseven campaign

This may sound like much ado about nothing. Here’s the thing though: Mr. Balsillie is a billionaire who does not have to garner public support in his bid to buy a hockey team. He just has to pay his lawyers enough and buy the team. He has the financial resources.

Why is this campaign a study in social media then? Because of what Mr. Balsillie has learned from running Research in Motion: In short, it is the public – the Audience – who is responsible for either the success or failure of any business, team or campaign.

This story and fight are far from over. I believe this is just the beginning of both this campaign and how future corporate sports battles will be fought.

What are your thoughts? What do you think of the makeitseven initiative?

Social Media – Superhero? (updated 6/1/2009)

Here’s our team picture from yesterday’s events courtesy of http://www.casiestewart.com/:

My brother is Mr.Facebook on the right. Was part of a team of... on Twitpic
(original photo can be found here – http://twitpic.com/6eex3)

I have had the great opportunity to participate with numerous fund-raising events this past year. TwestivalTO, GREENtuity, GetInLine and now the World Partnership Walk with the A Social Movement Team.

The one thing they all have in common – besides helping to raise funds for worthy charities – is their use of online social media tools to raise awareness, a following and funds.

I could go into a discussion about the relevant merits of these tools. Do they work? Does joining an online cause really translate to much needed awareness, co-operation and funds? Why do they work/not work?

The one thing they absolutely do is engage more people that were never involved before. There is a generation of people who love to engage in social causes that used to be marginalized. No matter the reason they were. Today, however, more charities and other causes are embracing the “wired generation”. So much so that these same techie folks are now leading the way.

The more people we have helping out the more people that end of being helped. And that’s a good thing!


So, I am inviting all of you to this Sunday’s World Partnership Walk in Toronto (If you live in another city please click HERE.). Look out for this year’s Super Hero’s and thousand of other Torontonians as they walk towards smart solutions to solve global poverty.

Are you walking?

The Choice

I’m finally getting back to my proper reading habit/schedule. I’m trying to read 24 books for 2009.

I tried another John Maxwell book. Even Psycho-Cybernetics started out with a promise. Yet I seemed to have gotten myself in a lull after speeding through 4 books early on this year.

So I decided to go to a classic. Someone whom I’ve always enjoyed reading. Og Mandino. He has a way of combining words together on paper that makes me want to continue reading well into the night. Only Malcolm Gladwell, recently, has done this for me.

So I turned to his classic, The Choice.


The Choice is a timely book. During these days of economic uncertainty and the pressures of choosing between financial survival (as we add a third job to our already hectic schedules) and family stability ring true for many people today. This is not the theme of The Choice.

In this book, we find a very successful breadwinner having to choose between the principles he believes in and teaches or succumbing to a life-altering decision.

With Father’s Day right around the corner, I highly recommend that father’s pick this book up today and start reading.

What book did you just finish reading? I would love to hear your thoughts on what you’re reading and if you’ve read The Choice, did you enjoy it?

To Do Lists

I’ve always believed that if I wanted to get something done, it would have to be on my “to do” list.

This is Victoria Day long weekend in Canada. Only self-employed types and restaurant servers will be working on Monday. Which brings me to the point of this post.

What do you have on your to-do list this weekend?

I’m planning to get some barbecueing done; enjoy Toronto with my wife and son; maybe stop off at the Ontario Science Center (we have a family pass till July); do a little spring cleaning and do some business building.

Business building? Why? Because it’s all about time. A good friend of mine does not get to enjoy long weekends like the rest of us normal people do. Why not? Because many years ago he worked during long weekends. Now he has a successful business and is enjoying the fruits of his labour. His business provides him with the income he needs to enjoy a very nice lifestyle without him needing to work more than a few hours per week. So, he always has long weekends.


So this weekend, I’ll be doing some business. Oh, I’ll also enjoy the weather and friends and family.

What are you doing this long weekend?

Anemometer and Digital Democracy

Don’t know what an anemometer is? That’s not the important thing. Okay. Go and google it.

The important thing is that today I just witnessed democracy in action via Twitter.

The players:

Michal Hay and John Laforet.

The issue:

Whether we should investigate having wind turbines in Lake Ontario 2 miles off the Scarborough Bluffs.

The link to the conversation between the two is below:

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=michalhay+laforet

Sometimes I feel that the techno elites are the only one’s making headway in business, public policy, and social change. However, following the conversation today on Twitter and actually engaging with the both of them has given me a glimer of hope. If we want to make changes, a difference, an impact or even a suggestion, the advent and use of technology tools like Twitter and Facebook are levelling the playing field.

Want to participate in your democracy? Jump in.

Just doing it

Why do we do what we do?

Have we ever asked ourselves this question?

How would you define what it is that you do? If someone were to ask you that question, what would your answer be? Would it be related to what you do for money (ie your career, job, business)? Or would the answer be related to something you are passionate about (ie dog lover, mother)

Curious question.

Here are two answers I received yesterday to the question “Why do you do what you do?”:

@J_Lab from Twitter said: I do what I do because it seems to be the path of least resistance.

Anonymous said: “sadly, to pay off debts, pad the resume, and cause my wife won’t let me max out cards to start my own thing – ask again in 2010.”

I’m not here to judge any of these comments. I can actually relate to both of them.

So, I’ll ask all of you:

Why do YOU do what YOU do?