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8 Exponential Trends That Will Shape Humanity: Century of the City State

Sparks_Honey_slide_deck_cover

LinkedIn gets me. Granted, I’ve taught it’s news aggregating algorithms a thing or two about me over the last ten years. This slide deck really struck me as it was presented in the recommended news on my LinkedIn home page. You didn’t think I got my news from an old media network on TV did you?

I hadn’t heard of Sparks & Honey, the New York advertising, marketing and PR agency that “Helps brands hijack, accelerate and ultimately ignite culture, ”  but I’m following them now on Twitter and Tumblr. They produced the trend report below (that found me).

Cultural change is driving our revolution and evolution and we’re at the very beginning. 3-D printing, the city-state, morphing education systems. We are restructuring how we are spending our time. As most generations have said before me, what an amazing world my children will experience. If you’re as excited about the future as I am, you’ll appreciate this overview of trends with a detail on the “Century of The City State”…

What is driving your path to the future? How is your world changing?

Productivity Process and Tools

This week at C7group we spent a bit of time thinking about how David Allen’s system and principles coordinate with our project management, customer relationship management and document sharing. We mapped our tools to our favorite system for managing incoming information and processing it. Continue Reading…

Consistent Blogging Matters

The word blogging written in ink on a pair of side-by-sirde hands, one word per finger.Should you care to take a look at my blogging history since 2005 you’ll find some irony in the title of this post. Sometimes it takes a proverbial, “whack in the head.” to set me straight. In this case it only took three. Please allow me to explain. Continue Reading…

Celebrate Your Victories

 

Working, business, performance. It can be stressful. In a start-up or small business environment, it can be all consuming.  This is

especially true if you are passionate about your work. If you work with purpose, and you care deeply about the outcome and how it affects your customers and your team, then you probably think about it in the shower.

Continue Reading…

5 Life Lessons Taught By The Muppets

Photo of Kermit the Frog

Leave it to one of my favorite Lifehacking sites, Steepcase Lifehack, to post lessons on life from the Muppets. Great stuff by freelance writer Andrew Kardon.

[featured]I can’t imagine living in a world without The Muppets. Those cuddly, felt critters are like best friends you’ve known your entire life. They’re fun, they’re goofy, and they just fill you up with a warm feeling inside…don’t they?[/featured]

Thanks to Jason Segel and a host of other talented folks, the recentThe Muppets movie was a big success for Disney, and Jim Henson’s fluffy family is back in the limelight. Henson’s creations started out as a fun way to teach children some basic ABCs, as well as important life lessons. But as with The Muppet Show, the craziness was kicked up a few notches.

Just because you’re too old for Sesame Street (and hopefully you already know your ABCs), that doesn’t mean you’re not too old to learn something. The Muppets are more than entertainers — they’re pretty good teachers too.

Here’s a look at 5 life lessons you can learn from The Muppets. Continue Reading…

Letting Go

Let it go

I posted a status update on Facebook yesterday. I suppose it was part of a New Year’s renewal to state that I was,”Letting Go.” You might guess that this evoked some response. I’m grateful to loving friends and family that thought to reach me. I was encouraged by the messages I received.  Some wondered what it was I was letting go of…others were concerned. I considered the context, and, there really wasn’t one. A few friends said, “It’s about time,” or “Of what?” I had a quick education on the obscure post in need of clarification.

Facebook dialogue about letting go

I am letting go of stress, worry and the past. I am also letting go of the need to react or be affected by others, especially if

they are not focused on the present or the future. Did you ever get a dirty look from across the room? Did you feel compelled to say “What’s wrong?” or “What did I do?” Well, my choice is to no longer address an issue until there is one. When confronted with an issue or an objective then address it. When brushed by passive-aggressive (or even aggressive) dissatisfaction or anger, don’t call attention to it! Let it go! Maybe it’s about you, maybe it’s not. Don’t invite the confrontation – it’s not likely to be a healthy one.

Especially in today’s fast paced, mobile, social, inter-webbed world it’s
I am letting go of frustration with myself and my life, letting go of anger and bitterness in an effort to focus on what matters most. My commitment is to choose joy and have a wonderful productive year. I hope you do the same and I’d be grateful for your thoughts!also best to assume that someone’s post or comment isn’t about you and isn’t personal.  If it is, let them choose to say so. Otherwise, don’t sweat it.

Thank you to Lori Deschene, Author of Tiny Buddha, Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions and founder of the Tiny Buddha website.  Her “40 WAYS TO LET GO AND FEEL LESS PAIN,” post in particular encouraged me to make this my mantra for the new year.

C7group Social Media Sandbox: Social Media Legal Risk

Did you miss it? Listen to the blog talk radio broadcast below.

I had a great talk with Labor Law Attorney, Matthew Durket about how businesses can plan and respond to the legal issues surrounding social communication, such as loss of intellectual property, compliance violations, reputation management and HR lawsuits.

Recent market research reveals social networking related exposure incidents for US companies have increased each year — from 11% in 2008 to 17% in 2009 and to 21% in 2010.

24% of companies indicated that they have disciplined an employee for his or her activities on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Listen to internet radio with c7group on Blog Talk Radio
How is your organization addressing the risk of employee social media use? What are you doing to engage online in a responsible way?

 

 

Don’t Wait to Thank Your Mentors and Heroes

Steve Jobs Artwork by David Datuna, Mironova Gallery

Like many, Steve Jobs had an influence on my life.  He taught me a lesson recently.  It was in his passing that I learned not to wait to seek out my heroes.  Steve Jobs did not live that far from me but we didn’t know each other.  He was a distant mentor on a pedestal of brilliance and accomplishment that most of us feel is out of reach. Perhaps you have a hero or someone you feel this way about? Perhaps, like me, there are those that are gone now and you wish that you had expressed how you felt about them. Continue Reading…

SlideShare Infographic: The Quiet Giant of Content Marketing

Slideshare is a great tool and an essential component to most social media and online marketing strategies. It is often overlooked but important to consider.

Meditate, Pray and Visualize

Visualize and Meditate your goals

During this season, with Thanksgiving upon us, I’m especially grateful for the support of good friends. Life these past months has been a flurry of activity. Sometimes that activity has been connected to goals and appropriate vision. Often it has felt like I’ve been bounced or yanked from one thing to the next with the stress of what “I’m not getting to,” or what  ”I’m not doing enough of,” in order to meet the expectations of others (and sometimes my own.) In the midst of a marketing strategy discussion with good friend, Lori Saitz, she could tell that I and our team were stressed. [Lori is a pro at helping business improve customer experience, market strategically and increase client loyalty.  She knows how to get things done efficiently with a sense of humor and fun] Shortly thereafter, I received the following from Lori:

Continue Reading…

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