Steve Neiderhauser

Sundae of Meatballs

A meatball sundae. Now that's a strange image, one you'd probably prefer didn't reach your taste buds. Still, Meatball Sundae is the title of Seth Godin's latest marketing book.

Because the title produces such a contrasting image, it helps people talk about the book and even demo the concept. Jackie Huba creates a meatball sundae and explains the main theme of the book.

There are plenty of reviews of the book and a Squidoo page describing the concepts.

I do have a favorite line from the book. Seth is talking about what consumers expect form Internet software companies: blog posts, free samples, pricing that changes on a daily basis. He goes on to provide the following simile for companies that create shrink-wrap software.

"For a shrink-wrapped software company, though, it is as scary as a unicorn in a balloon factory."

Does certification make you a product manager

Over at the Silicon Valley Product Group's blog, Marty Cagan argues that certification for product managers is counterproductive.

He provides five key reasons and a compelling argument why certification hinders progress in the art of product management. Instead of becoming "certified," he offers a list of resources and great minds that will help you see the patterns of product management.

I liken certification (product or project certification) to understanding a religion (you could think of it as the methodology religion). For once you understand the religion, you know when to skip the rituals of pain like a flat rock, and when to sip the high priest's Kool-Aid lightly, or not at all.

Secrets of Storytelling

Scientist are delving into the secrets of storytelling. Their researching is confirming what many of us already know about stories.

Stories are flight simulators for life: Stories help us experience life through a simulation, a marvelous prototyping tool that acts as a personal transformation engine.

Stories are a potent persuasive tool: Stories can be used to produce change within an organization. And advertisers tell stories to sell products.

From Brand X to Brand U

Cheryl Hall writes with humor about her interview with Karyl Innis. Ms. Innis explains how to brand yourself in a way that sets you apart from the crowd.

A lawyer once told Ms. Innis that she was known for bringing the best chocolate chip cookies to parties. She got the hint and started to make sure she was recognized for more than her cookies.

Ms. Innis exposes the myth that hard work or being smart will advance your career. In fact, if you're best known for being a hard worker at your company, you need to rethink how you are branding your career, now. Instead, it's more important to frame yourself as a leader, because that brand will help you climb the ladder of success.

What Color is your Groundhog Day

For the past several months I’ve been fascinated by the movie Groundhog Day and the formula: T + E + R + P = DR.

(The formula and the storymaking concepts I discuss in this post come from Jim Bonnet’s book, Stealing Fire from the Gods.)

What does Jim Bonnet call this formula? The Universal Structure. It’s part of the structure that forms the principal action of a story. What do the symbols stand for? Trial plus Error plus Reflection plus Perseverance equals Desired Result. You take an action (trial), don’t obtain the expected results (error), evaluate the results, devise a new plan (reflection), execute the plan, and keep repeating these steps (perseverance) until you solve the problem (desired result).

These steps are fundamental to the problem-solving process. Thomas Edison repeated this process, perhaps hundreds of times before creating one of his marvelous inventions.

In a great movie there’s always hidden wisdom. And Groundhog Day offers plenty of wisdom, even wisdom that shines light on the career path for students of business. The star of the movie, TV weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is like many business people. He has a project, a task to complete. Go to Punxsutawney, shoot the Groundhog Day event, and bring the film back to the TV station in Pittsburgh. He’s about to complete his project and deliver the film, when his TV van is stopped on the highway by a snowstorm he failed to forecast. He must return to his despised Punxsutawney for the night. The next morning, as Phil goes about his day, he begins to realize that Groundhog Day is repeating itself. It’s the same day, again and again. Phil ponders his predicament, “I met a girl... At sunset, we made love like sea otters. That was a pretty good day. Why couldn’t I get that day over and over and over?”

Phil sets about escaping the enchantment, an enchantment with no rules or guidelines for escape. So what’s the only tool Phil can use to unlock the door of time that has slammed him into a state of bewilderment? Trial + Error + Reflection.

Through reflection, Phil learns how his new world works. There appears to be no consequences for his actions, because the following day it all starts over again, from the beginning. When he’s tossed in jail for reckless driving, the next morning he awakes in his hotel room bed. No police looking for him. No arrest warrants. Free to flit about another Groundhog Day.

Perplexed, Phil kidnaps the groundhog and speeds away in a stolen truck. The police corner him, but Phil sees a way out of his nightmare. He drives the truck off a cliff, plunging to a fiery death. Alas, the next morning Phil wakes up in his hotel room without a scratch. Even death is unable to free Phil from the grip of the Groundhog.

Whatever knowledge or skills Phil learns during a day sticks with him from day to repeating day, allowing him to take advantage of his new knowledge. Of course, since Phil is full of himself, he first uses this observation to seduce women. He collects information about a lady and uses the details to connect with her the following day.

For most of the story, Phil feeds his lower desires, the desire to gorge on food, steal money, and charm the ladies. He falls for his producer, Rita, but his attempts to charm her fail. No matter what he tries, he’s trapped in this one miserable day like a magician’s assistant in a box. Phil gives up on his tricks and starts to develop talents that make you think of him as an artist.

This is the same career advice that Dan Pink provides in his book A Whole New Mind. Move from the left brain to the right. Learn to tell stories and develop your design skills, giving you power to orchestrate memorable customer experiences.

Returning to our story, Phil hears blissful music on the radio and is inspired to learn to play the piano from the local piano teacher. Each new day he returns to take his first piano lesson. So here’s a truth. The skills and talents you develop in life, time travel with you. Think of a talent you developed years ago. If you mastered a musical instrument or the art of storytelling, those skills live with you today.

In the opening act of the movie, Phil proclaims this is the last year he will cover Groundhog Day, because other TV stations are vying for his talent. From his blustery tone, we know he has no prospects. In the final act of the movie, we see Phil on stage, playing piano with a band. The crowd and Rita are enthralled with his performance. His music teacher brags to Rita, “He’s my student.” Throughout the day, by using his knowledge of the events that would take place that day, Phil creates customer experiences that delight people so much, they just have to tell other people -- and Rita -- about Phil’s remarkable talents. Now, Phil could have any job he wants.

Rita is so enamored with Phil’s talent and charisma that she returns to his room for a night of cards and conversation. In the morning, Phil awakes to a new day with Rita by his side. The spell is broken, giving Phil the life and lady he’s always dreamed of.