Think | Change | Focus

Today I read a blog post from Seth about having a resume, or the lack thereof. He talks about having about the point of having a resume if there is nothing remarkable on it and that most people who are remarkable do not even have a resume. I certainly agree with him. His discussion really made me think about whether you have your heart in the game and always working to create something remarkable. Sometimes when I’m driving along I think about how unremarkable my day was or the lack of remarkable customer service or talent that I experienced throughout my day. It really motivates me to make a difference and create something that is truly purple. My spring trip took me to a small town in Wyoming (ok, ok they’re all small!) and I met with an eye doctor that is working on making a remarkable difference in his practice. His past experience as a sales person and marketer has helped him to accelerate the practice and gain new clients in a flash. It isn’t so much about his sales and marketing skills as much it is about his presence and experience he creates for his patients. The word of mouth created by each patient is priceless. Each patient leaves having a great experience and feels great rapport for the doctor, which is truly uncommon in his field. He has committed himself to the practice and his heart is in the game. He wants to make a difference and become a purple cow, or in Wyoming a purple buffalo. What should you be doing to build your personal resume and brand to become remarkable?

When a company goes to hire a consultant, I think that there is one major factor that is overlooked prior to engaging outside help. Similarly to my post about hiring within, I believe that organizations should ask employees for their contribution prior to adding the expense of bringing in an outside consultant. From my personal experience and extensive reading, it seems that the solutions to many problems or processes can be developed by simply giving your employees the freedom or autonomy to create and implement a solution. Recently, I’ve been part of an organization that is bringing in outside help to fix a process that the internal team has the talent solve if given the respect, resources and control to complete the change in process.

Aside from giving a group or department the power to create or ideate solutions, it is imperative to give the power and respect to implement their ideas and solutions. Most often you can find the solution to your problems by looking internally (inside yourself or within your organization). Once your employees have the ability to think freely and develop solutions, step back and watch your company grow at pace that it would not have otherwise.