Sounding the Call

Posted on by Scott

mountains-2535733_640In 2016, Swedish blogger/photographer Jonna Jinton posted a video of herself to YouTube. In the clip, she practices kulning (pronounced “cool-ning”); an ancient Scandinavian singing technique used to call home herds of cattle that had scattered into the mountains. As the singer’s voice resonates across the countryside, cows begin to appear; their bells clanging ever louder to announce their approach.

The practice of kulning has medieval origins and was developed out of necessity. Without modern technology like GPS to track livestock, or four-wheel capable vehicles to go after them, families needed a way to keep their cattle – literally their livelihood – from wandering off. Left to their own devices, the animals were at risk of theft from competing farmers or slaughter from wolves and other prey.

After seeing Jinton’s video, I looked further into the idea of kulning and I was fascinated by what I saw and heard. In video after video, cows, goats, and even birds are drawn to the voice of the singer (typically a female since kulning relies heavily on high-pitched tones). The sound is haunting. It transports me to a far-off place and time.

It also reminds me that we each have our own siren call; or at least we should. Given the incredible number of choices that customers have at their disposal, and the ease with which they can move their business; it’s essential that we identify our own unique means of connecting with them – of calling them home.

Kulning involves a series of familiar tones. Families would pass down basic sounds specific to their flock. Often these included the names of lead animals or specific combinations that alerted the animals to a specific family’s call. Yet, each member of the family would incorporate these common themes into their own song, improvising and adding their own elements. In this way, individual expression turned the root expressions into unique compositions. Likewise, we must identify core elements that customers can identify with us. Elements that can then be incorporated into the individual delivery styles of our team members.

The high notes prevalent in kulning are used because they are strong and carry over long distances. Studies have shown that these tones can be heard up to six times farther than other types of calls, making them perfect for penetrating deep into the mountain forests of Sweden and Norway where some families still practice kulning. In the same way, our brand must be a strong one. Our competitive advantage is of little value unless we deliver it in such a way that the message carries farther than we can see. It has to reach its intended audience, no matter where they are.

Even those who aren’t specifically the target of a kulokk (the term for a particular song), the melody is attractive. Rather than simply announcing the presence of the caller, kulning resonates deep within your soul. It creates a draw that’s almost irresistible. Like the kulokk, our own message has to not just grab the listener’s attention, but penetrate their heart. We have to communicate in such a way that those we are trying to reach feel compelled to respond.

Just like great service, kulning is a dying practice. Only a handful are even aware of its power and even fewer get it right. Perhaps that’s why, once you encounter someone who’s mastered the art of it, you can’t help but answer the call.

Somebody’s Knockin’

Posted on by Scott

door-3296644_640Opportunity is defined as “a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.” The word first came into use during the 14th century, and was derived from the Latin phrase “ob portum veniens,” or “coming toward a port.” The implied imagery is of a ship taking advantage of favorable winds to approach and enter the harbor.

Today, we tend to think of opportunities as chances to favorable advance some aspect of our lives or business. Astute leaders will take advantage of opportunities to learn, grow, and improve. This thought came to mind Friday night as I opened up a fortune cookie to find this phrase printed on the slip of paper inside: “When opportunity knocks, it’s up to you to answer it.”

I think it’s safe to say, we’re all looking for opportunities to expand the reach of our business. We seek out opportunities for new customers and expanded relationships with existing ones. We welcome opportunities to partner with other people and organizations who share the same goals and values that we do. However, when opportunity knocks, we don’t always answer.

Too often we miss out on opportunities because we aren’t able or willing to answer the door when that knock comes. These missed opportunities represent chances to impact lives, discover new territories, and secure new business. And I believe there are three key reasons why we let these opportunities pass us by.

Many times, we miss out because we aren’t open to a particular opportunity. We spend our time looking for just the right circumstances – looking so intently that other good opportunities are ignored. We want the stars to align perfectly before we move forward. We want the market to be the most profitable, the product to be one we like, and the work involved to be minimal. We forget that opportunity usually involves hard work. We have to act when conditions are favorable, not necessarily perfect. If we’re not open to those opportunities when they come around, we’ll miss the chance to answer.

We can also let opportunity pass by because we aren’t prepared to answer the call when it comes. Even if conditions are perfect, we may lose out because we aren’t in a position to capitalize on the opportunity. If the team isn’t on top of day-to-day business or lacks basic skills needed to be successful, then we can be forced to great opportunities go. It’s important to take care of the basics and coach the team so that when the wind blows in our favor, we can quickly shift to take advantage of it.

I also believe opportunities slip away because we are afraid of failure. I’m all for minimizing risk, but there comes a time when you simply have to jump in. Some leaders try to cover every contingency before acting, and the longer they wait, the more circumstances have a tendency to change. A mentor once told me to think in terms of “Ready, Fire, Aim.” That is, be ready to act when the opportunity comes, but be comfortable with making adjustments as you move forward.

In 1911, businesses began using the term “opportunity cost” as a way to quantify the value of missed opportunities. By not acting when conditions are favorable, we risk missing out. And we never know when, or even if, opportunity will ever knock again.

A Day in the Life

Posted on by Scott

circus-2885542_640Howard Tibbals began playing with dioramas around the time he turned seven, back in 1943. You’re familiar with dioramas, right? They’re three dimensional models depicting a scene, often used in grade school classes to help kids learn about history or nature. At some point, each of my three children came home declaring their need for a shoebox so they could build a diorama of the coral reef, or the old west.

Tibbals dioramas weren’t the result of a school assignment, but rather his fascination with the circus. He began by recreating a single scene and then added to it. He kept adding to it for over 30 years, finishing the majority of it in 1974. By this time, it was huge – around 3,800 square feet. It made its public premiere at the 1982 World Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. (I remember going to that fair, though I don’t recall seeing the giant circus diorama.)

The Howard Bros. Circus (so labeled because management of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus refused his request to use their name) is built ¾ inch to one foot and includes over 42,000 individual pieces. There are eight tents including behind-the-scenes depictions of 1,500 workers and over 500 animals. Every item included with his depiction of the circus can be loaded into the 55 scale train cars included. The attention to detail is meticulous. Looking at the display is like seeing the operation suddenly frozen in time.

What if someone created a diorama of your average work day? Imagine that, at any given moment, time froze and whatever you and your coworkers were engaged in was captured in realistic detail for future generations to see. What would you be doing? What would you be saying? What would your diorama depict?

Would you be serving customers or neglecting them?

Would you be assisting coworkers or avoiding them?

Would you be coaching those you lead or demanding something from them?

Would you be contributing or complaining?

Life is made up of moments; any one of which can define us to someone else. They say that first impressions are formed in a matter of seconds. So are second and third impressions. Our perception of the world, and the people, around us changes constantly. So how we choose to spend the minutes and hours of our day can have long-lasting implications.

We live in a world where attention is fleeting and loyalties change on a whim. We cannot afford to sit idly by and assume that things will work out. We can’t hope that the numbers will swing in our favor or that circumstances will bring success our way. It’s our own actions, moment by moment, that determine whether we succeed or fail. Periodically, take a mental snapshot of yourself – envision yourself in a diorama – and see if you’re happy with the image.

Howard Tibbals spent a large portion of his life faithfully crafting the world he wanted to convey. His final creation was the result of numerous moments in time, stitched together in a fascinating scene for others to see. Today, the entire exhibit is part of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida.

Tales From the Volcano

Posted on by Scott
U.S. Geological Survey/photo by R.D. Miller

Rising above the flat grassland plains of Northeastern New Mexico, stands Capulin Volcano. This formation is relatively young at somewhere between 58,000 and 62,000 years old. It sports a well-defined crater about 400 feet deep and an irregular rim. It’s a rare example of a nearly perfectly shaped cinder cone, rising 1,000 feet above the surrounding flatlands.

When you think about volcanos, you likely picture one in the midst of eruption. Video of lava flows and molten magma are indeed fascinating to watch. However, extinct volcanos still have a lot to teach us. Scientists continue to expand their knowledge of our planet and its ecosystems by studying these long dormant structures. I believe volcanos, especially ones like Capulin, can teach us a lot about success.

 

You can stand out without being the biggest. At 8,182 feet, Capulin is by no means the largest volcano. Rising over 1,200 feet above the surrounding plains, it’s not even the tallest mountain in New Mexico. Yet, Capulin stands alone. It rises proudly from the flatlands rather than blending in with the peaks of the distant Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Because of its nearly perfectly shaped cone, and the lack of competing formations nearby, Capulin is a striking site to behold.

 

You can inspire without making a scene. You wouldn’t think a dormant volcano would have much to offer, yet standing at the top of Capulin Volcano, it’s easy to see why this is a popular tourist stop. Hiking trails along the rim, and even into the crater itself, include stops with information about the formation of volcanos and the history of the area. From the rim, the view stretches for miles in all directions, providing glimpses of wildlife and five states. The experience leaves you wanting to learn more and visit other natural wonders.

 

You can have an impact long after your work is done. Capulin last erupted 56,000 years ago, but it still has lessons to share. The lava flows are still evident, providing volcanologists with valuable data about how volcanos form. The distinct geology made Capulin a base for the training of Apollo 16‘s astronauts. Over 30 species of mammals have been recorded in the region, using the lava fields as a primary habit or foraging ground. And comments from visitors routinely make note of the unexpected thrill of visiting the location, designated a National Monument in 1916.

So much of life, including work, is a matter of perspective. Though I may feel small at times, in many ways I am unique. My work, though it might seem dull and routine to me, may create fascinating opportunities for others. The actions I take today, will ripple through time; impacting people I’ll never know.

Future Presents

Posted on by Scott

wormhole-2514312_640The story goes something like this…

In June of 1951, a number of people in New York City’s Times Square spotted a strange man standing in the middle of the street. About 20 years old, the man was dressed in late 19th century clothes and appeared confused. No one could recall seeing him arrive, and as the horrified masses watched, he was hit and killed by a taxi driving through the intersection.

At the morgue, several odd items were found in his pockets:

  • A beer token, made of copper and worth five cents at a pub no one had ever heard of.
  • An invoice from a livery stable for the card and washing of a horse and carriage.
  • Approximately $70 in old banknotes.
  • A 3rd place medal from a three-legged race.
  • Business cards for Rudolph Fentz, showcasing an address of Fifth Avenue.
  • A letter to Fentz’s address sent from Philadelphia in 1876.

Oddly enough, none of these items showed any signs of aging. It was as if this young man had suddenly been transported from the late 1800’s into 1950’s New York City. Investigation turned up no usable information on the man. The address on the business cards was that of a local business, but no one there had ever heard of Rudolph Fentz. His name was not listed in the telephone directory and fingerprints did not return a match.

There was a Rudolph Fentz, Jr. listed in an archived telephone book from 1939 though, and that turned out to be a legitimate lead. Fentz Jr.’s widow was still alive and living in Florida. She told investigators that her father-in-law had disappeared in 1876. He had gone out for a walk and simply vanished.

Imagine if you could travel 75 years into the future in just an instant. Imagine how strangely different things would appear. Your physical surroundings, the sights and sounds; everything you know suddenly transformed into the stuff of dreams. How frightening, and yet how exciting it would be at the same time.

Now think about the ways in which you might be influencing the future. How will the actions you take today impact the world 75 years from now? Are you building a future that you would be proud of? Is your team working toward a future that is bright and exciting, or will people be underwhelmed to learn of your contribution?

Most of us don’t spend a lot of time thinking so far ahead. We think in terms of today or this week. Perhaps we occasionally dream about what we want to accomplish within the next year, or possibly even the next five. But 75 years from now? That’s just a little too far off for us to consider. Or is it?

What if we approached our work, not with an eye for leaving on time at the end of the day, but for leaving a legacy for future generations? What if we knew our names would be forever attached to the things we are creating today? If we were suddenly transported 75 years into the future, would we be happy with the world we have created, or would we find ourselves standing, dazed and confused, in the middle of an intersection wondering where all that time went?

Pedaling Through It

Posted on by Scott

cycling-655565_640Are you familiar with the Big Red Gravel Run? No? That’s OK, I hadn’t heard of it either until this week. The Run is a 100 kilometer (62.1371 miles) bicycle race held each August in Harrington, Quebec. This race only came to my attention because of the man who won it this year. It was Kyle Messier, a bicycle mechanic from Waterloo.

Here’s what’s so amazing about Messier’s win. He was completely new to bicycle racing. And he won the race after riding his bike from Waterloo to Harrington; a distance of more than 650 kilometers. That journey took him three and a half days. Shortly after finishing the race, he turned around and started the ride back home. Oh, and he did all of this while suffering from an abscessed tooth.

I am constantly amazed by stories of people who overcome incredible odds to achieve great things. They inspire me to move beyond the small obstacles I find in my path; obstacles that could easily cause me to quit, give less than sincere effort, or just decide not to participate in the first place. I’m always particularly interested in learning how people overcome their obstacles. What techniques do they use to succeed that I can apply to my own circumstances?

Messier shared a few thoughts on his accomplishment and his approach reveled three tactics I believe we can use to win, especially when the race is long, difficult, and not particularly pleasant.

  1. He got in the zone. Messier practiced what is known as “active meditation.”  This is when the mind essentially shuts out external distractions and focuses solely on the mechanics of the task at hand. It’s particularly suited for repetitive activities like cycling or running. When you get in the zone, your mind can’t focus on how difficult the task is, or what you’d rather be doing. You live in the moment, giving everything you have to completing the next step.
  2. He set small goals. Just to arrive at the starting line, Messier had to travel over 400 miles on his bike; almost 100 miles per day. But instead of focusing on end of the journey, he created shorter, intermittent milestones. By training himself to work toward smaller goals, he was able to build up momentum. Each little success propelled him into the next and, instead of thinking about how little ground he had covered, he celebrated the wins as they accumulated.
  3. He kept the end-game in mind. Messier trained himself to pursue the positive aspects of achieving his goal, rather than dwelling on the pain he was feeling or the distance he had to cover. He visualized crossing the finish line, receiving his medal, and enjoying a pizza after the race was over. Reminding himself of the positive, kept the negative at bay and allowed him to enjoy the experience.

I don’t see myself competing in anything like the Big Red Gravel Run anytime soon. However, I do have days when my own journey feels long and painful. I have projects where the ends seems too far away to see. And I have days where it feels like circumstances are working against me and success is unlikely. Thankfully though, I also have stories, like that of Kyle Messier, that keep me pedaling on.

While You Wait…

Posted on by Scott

waiting-410328_640According to a Timex survey conducted last year, Americans spend an average of 32 minutes waiting each time they visit the doctor. We spend 28 minutes waiting in security lines at the airport, and almost as long (21 minutes) waiting for our significant other to get ready for an evening out. We spend 13 hours each year on hold waiting for a customer service agent, and 38 hours annually waiting in traffic – that’s actually closer to 50 hours for those of you in big cities.

To wait is to “stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens.” When we wait, we’re standing by, marking the time, and holding back until some circumstance outside of our control is satisfied. It’s this lack of control that makes waiting so infuriating. There’s something we want or need to do, but we’re forced into inactivity because of something or someone else. It’s no wonder that we hate waiting.

What if we didn’t have to wait? What if we could take back control of our time and our future? What if we could do that simply by changing a single word? The next time you find yourself in a holding pattern, mentally change the experience from one of “waiting” to one of “anticipating.”

To anticipate is to “regard as probable, to look forward to, and to take action in order to be prepared.” The state of anticipating is the opposite of waiting. We’re not standing by; we’re moving forward. We’re not marking time; we’re making use of it. We’re not holding back; we’re pouring ourselves into activities so that, when the circumstances we can’t control work themselves out, we leap forward without hesitation.

Think about the days and weeks leading up to a vacation. You’re likely looking up hot spots at the target destination, and researching fun things to do. If it’s a road trip, you’re cleaning out the car and addressing any necessary maintenance issues. You’re going through your closet to make sure the clothes you have are appropriate and desirable for the trip. Hopefully, you’re making sure everything at the office is up-to-date so that you can leave for vacation without leaving any loose ends behind you.

You’re not waiting for the start of your vacation; you’re anticipating it. The calendar is out of your control. There’s simply nothing you can do to make the days go by faster. However your mental focus is on maximizing the things you can control. And by anticipating the coming start of your vacation, you ensure it’s as rewarding as possible.

Contrast that approach to the “waiting” we do at work. There’s so much we depend on other people for: information from customers, resources from coworkers, approvals from supervisors. How do you spend the time that passes while they are in control? How much time do you spend waiting on others vs. anticipating their eventual involvement?

I spend far too much of my time waiting. I get frustrated when other people or departments aren’t moving as fast as I feel they should. Instead, I should be anticipating. I should be moving forward in expectation that my actions are propelling me closer and closer to success. When the parts outside of my control fall into place, I’ll be ready.

Robert Kiyosaki had this to say about waiting. “If you are the kind of person who waiting for the ‘right’ thing to happen, you might wait for a long time. It’s like waiting for all the traffic lights to be green for five miles before starting the trip.”

Let’s adjust our mental focus and engage in more anticipating. What are we waiting for?

Failing Forward

Posted on by Scott

mistake-876597_640It was 1903 and French scientist Edouard Benedictus, reaching across his desk, accidentally knocked over a flask. It was empty, but the glass bottle fell to the floor shattered. Rather than breaking into thousands of jagged pieces though, this flask kept its form. It was broken, but retained its shape. Upon further investigation, Benedictus discovered that the bottle had previously contained plastic cellulose nitrate. The substance had dried and coated the inside, forming a film that held the broken pieces together. Thanks to the Frenchman’s clumsiness, the world was introduced to safety glass.

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Like the rest of us, Alexander Fleming was anxious to start his vacation. The scientist was so anxious in fact, that he left work early and headed out of town for Labor Day weekend in 1928. Behind him, Fleming left a pile of dirty equipment, including several petri dishes containing bacteria he had been studying. When he returned and started cleaning up the mess, he noticed something strange about one of the dishes.  Like the other samples he’d left, the staphylococcus bacteria had grown unchecked in his absence. However, this particular dish had a spot of mold; and around the mold, the dish was clear – as if the mold had prevented the bacteria from propagating. Testing revealed that the mold also blocked other kinds of bacteria from growing as well. Thanks to his carelessness, Fleming had discovered penicillin.

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In 1968, 3M employee Spencer Silver was working on a new formula for the adhesive company. He had been tasked with developing a super strong industrial glue. Silver’s most famous effort resulted in a glue that coagulated in to tiny spheres which, as desired, wouldn’t dissolve or melt and were very sticky. Unfortunately, the spheres didn’t provide much surface are for contact and the glue pulled away easily. A colleague saw potential in Silver’s failure though as a “temporarily permanent” adhesive. As a result, 3M’s Post-it Notes became a must-have in every office across America.

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Accidents, oversights, and missteps aren’t something most of us look forward to. We’ve missed the mark and see it as failure. However, as these and countless others have discovered through the years, our failures often lead to our biggest triumphs. That is, if we know how to approach them. Mistakes aren’t so bad if we approach them the right way. The next time you goof up, try working through these steps.

  1. Accept it. Don’t try to deny the mistake, cover it up, or shift blame for it. Instead, acknowledge that mistakes will happen and treat them as a natural part of the success journey.

    How is this mistake helpful? What is the opportunity here?

  2. Study it. Take time to analyze the circumstances surrounding the error. Every attempt is useful so long as we expand our knowledge base and/or skill set.

    What events led up to this point? What can I learn from this?

  3. Act on it. Instead of retreating from mistakes and using them as reasons to give up, keep moving forward. Take the lessons learned from the attempt and either renew your efforts or modify tactics to zero in on the desired goal.

    What must I do differently? How can I reset and start again?

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When asked about his repeated failures in inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison famously said “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Edison was constantly experimenting and developed many conveniences we still benefit from today. Eventually he held over 1,000 patents on his work, including the phonograph – which was invented by accident while trying to solve another problem. Aren’t you glad he messed up?

In It to Win It

Posted on by Scott

The 2018 Tour de France concluded yesterday. The multi-stage race, first held in 1903, always promises tons of drama and this year’s event didn’t disappoint. From tear-gassing by police to fisticuffs between riders, there were enough headlines to interest even non-race fans. But in the midst of so much news, there’s one story you might have missed. It involved cyclist Lawson Craddock.

No, he wasn’t the winner of this year’s Tour. That was Geraint Thomas. The first Welshman to win the tour, Thomas has typically been a support player – holding off competitors so a teammate could build up a lead. After Saturday’s individual time trial, he’d managed to pull almost two minutes ahead of the pack and essentially cruised to victory on Sunday.

And no, Craddock wasn’t the rider at the center of this year’s doping scandal. That was Thomas’ teammate Chris Froome. Cleared by officials just prior to the start of the tour, Froome was jeered (and even assaulted) throughout the duration of his run. He was aiming for a fourth straight win, but crashed early on and lost too much time.

Craddock was the last cyclist to cross the finish line. The American’s 145th place finish came four and a half hours after Geraint Thomas. In fact, he finished dead last in all but one of the Tour’s 21 stages. Lawson was never expected to win – his job was to support his team’s leader – but finishing at all became his unexpected mission.

On day one, early in the first stage of the tour, Craddock ran over a stray water bottle, crashed, and gashed his forehead. The cut required stitches to close. Along with other scrapes and bruises, he also broke his scapula. That’s the shoulder blade, a bone that’s difficult and very painful to break. Recovery takes around six weeks and requires the shoulder to be immobilized.

But rather than bow out of the race, Craddock got back on his bike and finished stage one. Then he finished stage two, and three, and four. While other racers walked away from the competition having suffered far less serious injuries, Craddock kept going. And he kept finishing; in last place mind you, but he kept finishing.

After his crash, Craddock pledged to donate $100 to the Alkek Velodrome in Houston if he finished the stage. The velodrome is where he started racing and the venue was damaged badly during Hurricane Harvey. He invited fans to match his contribution, adding another $100 for each stage he completed. Craddock’s father set up a GoFundMe page with a target of $1,000 as way for people to show  support for his son’s new mission. As of this morning, the page had surpassed $225,000 in pledges.

I write a lot about success and achieving your goals. After all, that’s why we set goals, right? To reach them. To crush them. We aim for a target and work like crazy to win. In the world of business, as in the world of sports competition, the expectation is to stand on top of the podium. But what happens when that expectation is obliterated? What happens when the dream of finishing first is dashed? What are we to do when the goal is so far out of reach that success” becomes impossible?

I guess we could quit. That’s what most people do, and it’s perfectly understandable. Nurse your wounds, heal, rest up, regroup – watch from the sidelines and wait for the clock to reset so we can (maybe) give it a shot next year.

Or, we can do what Lawson Craddock did. Fight through the pain. Find victory in giving everything we have just to finish the race. We could redefine success and rally those around us to join in the pursuit of a different, more meaningful, goal. And in doing so, discover this is the race we were meant to win all along.

Feature Presentation

Posted on by Scott

film-681993_640For the past several years, I’ve taken a week of vacation in July to attend Boy Scout Troop 157’s Summer Camp in Ardmore Oklahoma. Both of my sons earned the rank of Eagle Scout as part of this troop and I have many friendships that began as a result of my involvement. Over the years I’ve helped out by teaching various merit badges during this camp and am proud to have played a small part in the development of many young men.

As much as I try to share some knowledge with the scouts and help develop their skill sets during this experience, I feel like I am the one who learns the most from our time together. Take this year for instance. For the 5th time, I taught a Movie Making merit badge class. My goal is to teach them the fundamentals of film production through practical application. In other words, we make a movie.

Five boys signed up to take my class and despite the restrictions placed upon them given the context of an outdoor summer camp, they produced an impressive film. Along the way, they taught me a thing or two about achieving your goals.

  • Set a short timeframe. Summer Camp only lasts a week. Each class only lasts an hour. That means we had 5 hours to come up with a concept, gather resources, shoot the video, and edit everything into a final cut. That meant we had to move fast. There was no time for long debates about who would play what role or how each line of dialogue should be written. Once we decided on the basic story, we started moving.
  • Keep things simple. As you can imagine, this production didn’t have a huge budget. Costumes, props, locations, equipment – everything we used had to be readily available and cheap/free. I think we may have spent $20 on some stuff at Walmart. Everything else was found around camp. Our cameras were smart phones. The editing software was a freebie included with Windows on the troop’s computer. Costumes and props were either borrowed from other parts of camp or fabricated as needed.
  • Focus on the finish-line. Knowing we had to debut our movie to parents and friends during the campfire on Friday night meant that every member of the team was invested. These guys gave up their free time to shoot scenes in triple-digit heat. They could have been at the waterfront where it was much cooler and a lot more fun, but they were committed to the end result.
  • Roll with the punches. Things didn’t always go as planned. They botched bits of dialogue. There were wardrobe malfunctions and stunts that were too complicated to pull off. But that didn’t cause anyone to give up. They just found a way through, around, or over every obstacle that presented itself.
  • Enjoy the process. The ability to laugh at themselves played a big part in this group’s resiliency. They truly seemed to enjoy every aspect of the movie making process. While I made sure we had a coherent storyline to follow, they regularly contributed their own ideas – ideas that made the end result better. Had I not given them this flexibility, I doubt we’d have a product anyone would be proud of.

When Friday night rolled around, I was confident the guys had put together a great piece of work. Was it perfect? By no means. I don’t see Showdown at Devil’s Gulch winning any Academy Awards. But it accomplished the objectives that were set out. It was definitely a success. What’s keeping you from achieving your goals?