Leadership Archive
March 18, 2014 | 1 Comment
Real experts don’t talk about cat videos.
There is a strangely troubling trend I have come across recently that seems to be once again afflicting presentations at business events around the world. It comes down to the ubiquitous cat video – and its closely related cousin, the animated cat GIF. Don’t get me wrong. I like a cute kitten as much as the next guy. But there’s a problem with this feline frenzy.
Cat videos are a backward looking cliche about the insignificance of the web whose time has come and gone – much like the once frequent quip about Twitter being a great place to share what you had for lunch. I think it is safe to say the impact of Twitter is way beyond lunch orders. And the Internet has moved beyond cat videos.
The point, as you probably figured out, isn’t really about cat videos. It IS about all the small missteps in what we say and do that can accidentally minimize our own credibility. It is the errant typo that illustrates a lax attention to detail. Or pronouncing a word incorrectly to illustrate you are a outsider (“Louisville” vs. “Looavull” for example).
Alone, any of these are small mistakes hardly worthy of mentioning or stressing over. But real experts do focus on such things. Real experts know about details and pay attention to them. And real experts are more deliberate about how they use cliché ideas or images.
The late brilliant screenwriter Blake Synder used a powerful image of a cat on the cover of his book Save the Cat as a beautiful analogy for how screenwriters can build empathy for their heroes with a single scene (of the hero saving the cat, for example). Unmarketing author Scott Stratten used a somewhat darker but similarly powerful image of a cat on the cover of his book of tips on avoiding marketing stupidity called QR Codes Kill Kittens.
I’m not saying that the only way to use cats as analogies is to save them or discuss what causes their untimely death, but these are both way better than including cat videos in a presentation for no reason at all. Experts don’t share the same tired examples– they have a point of view on the world.
Being credible as an expert requires you to rise above clichés. You need to focus on details and learn how people respond to images and visuals. You need to avoid using language or phrases that undermine your own expertise. And you definitely need to trust me about the cat videos.
February 20, 2014 | 1 Comment
If you believe the typical trend declarations for 2014 – this is going to be the year of big data, wearable devices, and ubiquitous tablets. These are the facts we have heard over the past two months presented as big insights for the coming year. There are only a few problems with these so called trends, and others like them:…Read More >>
September 26, 2013 | 5 Comments
The greatest collection of human stupidity ever amassed sits on the Internet … and you probably encounter it every day. When you go online today, there is some great content – and a deluge of bad, useless or otherwise idiotic content. It is common knowledge that content creation online is exploding and that much of it is not very good….Read More >>
August 27, 2013 | 5 Comments
This past weekend one of the first ever conferences on consumer psychology and behavior focusing on marketing, sales and business strategy quietly took place in Stamford, Connecticut. Before the September craziness of business events and corporate summits … Behaviorcon was intentionally different. Created by best selling author Ramit Sethi and marketing and branding advisor Michael Fishman – the event brought together a…Read More >>
July 28, 2013 | 3 Comments
Today two of the biggest communications holding companies, Omnicom and Publicis, announced they will be merging to form the world’s largest advertising company. For anyone familiar with the common in-fighting among agencies for limited client budgets, one of the immediate concerns will be the challenges that these new found partners in this “merger of equals” will face in the coming…Read More >>
June 6, 2013 | 2 Comments
Recently I had the chance to sit down with Porter Gale and pick her brain about some smart tips that can help anyone get better at networking. Her new book Your Network Is Your Net Worth features a cover quote from Sir Richard Branson. As if that weren’t impressive enough, she is the former CMO of Virgin America and someone…Read More >>
May 17, 2013 | 4 Comments
Fellow fans of The Office television show are sharing a moment of sadness this morning. Last night was the series finale of the documentary-style comedy show that exposed the silly side of the workplace for nine years. For me, the show coincided almost perfectly with my move from Australia back to America and my own journey of joining an American…Read More >>
May 13, 2013 | 2 Comments
I want to give you a free copy of my new ebook … but I don’t want you to keep it.* Let me tell you why. On June 18, my newest ebook will be released and I am writing it for an audience that may not include you. Unless of course you happen to be in high school or college,…Read More >>
April 30, 2013 | 4 Comments
Today was a big day for the Netherlands. Back in January, the Dutch Queen Beatrix decided to abdicate her throne to pave the way for the next generation of loyalty to take over. Today was her final day as queen, as her son Willem-Alexander became the new King and youngest monarch in Europe. As it turns out, Dutch royalty have…Read More >>
April 24, 2013 | 1 Comment
The “Ballbarrow” was never really a product destined for greatness. Replacing a wheel in a traditional wheelbarrow with a ball hardly qualifies as a groundbreaking technological innovation. But it does solve a problem. Great inventions usually do. And when James Dyson first created and produced his Ballbarrow, it was a hit with gardeners seeking an alternative that wouldn’t leave wheel…Read More >>
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