Are You Going Back To School, Too?

My kids went back to school today. They were so excited about it that they hardly slept last night. They're excited to see their friends again. They're excited to get to know their new teachers. They're excited about pizza day every Thursday in the cafeteria.

They're also excited about learning. Weird, I know.

In our house, we treat summer vacation like summer vacation. I'm a little old-fashioned, but I don't think kids have to participate in learnin' all summer long. They play, they explore, they swim, they jump on the trampoline. They do read a little so their brains don't completely wither away, but that's mostly their doing, not mine.

By August, they're ready to start absorbing knowledge again. Actually, eager might be a better word than ready. Sadly, adults aren't usually quite so eager to seek out and learn new things. We tend to take our "knowledge vacations" a little (way) too long. Maybe it's because we see the overwhelming amount of knowledge that could be learned. There are millions of books you could read. There are thousands of classes, workshops, and seminars you could attend. Like I said, overwhelming. Please don't let that stop you.

Need a little help re-sparking your quest for knowledge this fall? Here are a few pointers to help you light your fire.

1. Pay attention to your curiosity, or aspects of your life that frustrate you, or skills and talents that you admire in others. This is life's way of letting you know what you'd enjoy - or benefit from - learning more about.

2. Read one book at a time. I hear lots of people say they're reading several books at once. I rarely hear anyone say they FINISHED reading several books at once. That's because reading several books at once is a sure-fire way to turn your brain into a "cottage-cheese-like mush," as Alec Baldwin says in the Hulu.com commercials. I'm no brain-surgeon, but I'm pretty sure cottage-cheese-like mush doesn't absorb knowledge very well.

Oh, and never force yourself to trudge through a book that you hate (unless you're being graded on it). Remember, there are millions of books out there. Find ones that engage you, challenge your thinking, and give you enjoyment and satisfaction. Life's too short to read crappy books written by crappy authors. Reading one like that right now? Dump it. It's OK. Really.

3. Carve out time to learn. If you know the characters' names on Mad Men, what's happening with Jon & Kate & their busload of kids, or who got kicked out of Hell's Kitchen this week, you've got time to pick up a book. If you read 30 minutes a day, you'll read 10-12 books this year. That's awesome. You can DVR American Idol, you know.

4. Books are great. I love books. I read a lot of 'em. I also love workshops and seminars, particular ones that are interactive. There's something incredibly fulfilling about sitting in a "live studio audience," learning first-hand from an expert. Find one that gets you excited. Don't judge a class or workshop by the dollar amount. Judge it by the content and the teacher. Some of the best workshops I've ever attended have been free. Some of the worst I've paid good money for.

It's a great time of year to think about going back to "school." It's a whole lot easier when you figure out how to get excited about it. If you need any more motivation, make every Thursday pizza day. Hey, it works for my kids.

A Workshop to Set Your Service on Fire!

Just announced a rare PUBLIC Five Sparks of Super Service workshop for only $75 (an amazing price). http://bit.ly/BRKD7

We have limited seats, this a truly rare offering, and it's an amazing price. We'll sell out quickly, so hop on it ASAP if you'd like to create world-class service in your organization.

Ok, If You Need Flowers...

How cool is this? After publishing our newletter & blog article about buying people flowers, the team at FRESH Flowers & Events in Columbus contacted us to extend this very cool special offer!

applauds sparkspace’s mission to spark new thinking with flowers!

We’d love to help make “4000 people have a big, stupid smile on their face because somebody gives them flowers.”

Stop in or call to order flowers from FRESH Flowers & Events to help deliver joy and make the world a better place.

sparkspace Reader Special Offer

$5 off any $25 or more order though 8/31/09.

Just mention the sparkspace – Buy Flowers newsletter.

Spark emotions – give flowers.

FRESH Flowers & Events

1629 W. First Avenue

Grandview Heights, OH 43212

614-487-9619

Buy Some Flowers

Ok, this isn't really an article. More of a suggestion.And it just might make the world a better place for a few days.

Actually, I suspect that this suggestion could alter the fabric of time, space, success, and happiness as we know it.

Buy some flowers for somebody today.

Really, Mark. You've lost it. Buy some flowers. Really? I thought this newsletter was supposed to contain useful information to help me improve my service, teamwork, and effectiveness.

Yep.

Buy some flowers for somebody. Oh, and do it with absolutely no strings attached. Doesn't have to be romantic. In fact, I encourage you to buy non-romantic flowers. (i.e., no roses for your boss, unless, of course, you're married to her.)

Think you don't have anybody to buy flowers for? Think again!

Are you an admin? Buy flowers for your boss.

Are you a boss? Buy flowers for your admin.

Are you an employee? Buy flowers for a co-worker.

Are you a friend? Buy flowers for a friend.

Are you a husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend? Buy flowers for your significant other.

Are you a business? Buy flowers for a customer.

Are you a customer? Buy flowers for your favorite business.

Are you a complete recluse with no friends? Buy flowers for a complete stranger.

Nervous about giving flowers to somebody? Give them anonymously if the thought makes your palms sweat.

Want to crank it up a notch? Look for the person in your life who you think is least likely to receive flowers from anybody. Buy them an extra nice bunch.

Every grocery store in the world carries flowers, and most carry some for less than $5. You are not excused from this game due to the recession.

I could go into a big long explanation of why this will make the world a better place, but I'm pretty sure this requires no supporting argument.

When the surprised recipient asks why you gave them flowers, simply respond: "Everybody deserves flowers once in awhile." Or the easiest answer of all, "Just because."

And in case you're wondering if men like to receive flowers, the answer is yes. Most would never admit it in a million years, but everyone - EVERYONE - feels special when they get flowers.

We have around 4000 people who read these articles each week (would love that to be 40,000, so if you'd forward it to everybody you know, I'd appreciate it). Imagine if by this time tomorrow, 4000 people had a big, stupid smile on their face because somebody gave them flowers.

Tell me the world wouldn't be better.

Create Your Own Value & Become An "I'll Take Care Of It" Person

by Greg Ubert, CEO, Crimson Cup Coffee

There are many misconceptions about entrepreneurs, and one of them is that they desire the power of making decisions, and this idea could not be further from the truth.

Most entrepreneurs want decisions to be made by their team because practically any other scenario leads to bottle necks, indecision, and lack of progress for ALL company stakeholders. Make no mistake, an entrepreneur needs to make the tough, hard-to-call and extremely important decisions. However, this leaves more than 95% of decision-making to others.

So what does that mean to you? . . . Opportunity!

Entrepreneurs and managers CRAVE people who say, "I'll take care of it." There is nothing sweeter to my ear than to hear an employee or stakeholder take control of an issue and see it to a conclusion. Do you really want to become a valuable contributor and a trusted team member? If so, here are three simple ways to become an "I'll take care of it" person" and increase your value:

1. Say, "Yes, I'll take care of it!" It takes a lot of guts to stand-up and say, "I'll take care of it." Why? Because opportunities involve challenges in which one may not know 'the answer'. Guess what? Most of the time nobody in the company knows 'the answer' either. The difference, a person of true value figures out the answer.

2. Present Solutions - not problems or ideas. Ideas are a "dime a dozen". Presenting more ideas for someone else to implement DOES NOT help. Moreover, it shows that little thought went into the idea. Guess what? Owners and managers LOVE to be presented with a well-thought idea and, more specifically, how the idea helps achieve the company's goals. If ideas are a dime a dozen, then problems are their ugly cousins. Stay focused on solutions and present challenges only if they are accompanied by possible solutions to overcome challenges.

3. Be Accountable. Once a verbal or written commitment is given, do it. Often times, other teammates can assist in the task so that the total "burden" does not fall on the 'I'll take care of it' person.

Entrepreneurs tell me all the time that they are looking for team members who can "get the job done" and "solve problems" without "tons of hand holding". The demand is there for you to fulfill and for you to be well rewarded for your efforts.

Our thoughts about today's guest author, Greg Ubert:
Greg Ubert is CEO of Crimson Cup Coffee. One of the reasons that we originally decided to serve Crimson Cup coffee at sparkspace (and believe me, we're picky about our coffee) was seeing Greg's commitment to build relationships and foster a sense of community. We tell a legendary story in our company about how Greg spent many hours with us -- touring the roastery and visiting sparkspace -- before recommending the blend of coffee we still proudly serve to this day. That was 8 years ago! What's truly amazing is that we're a pretty small customer for them, yet Greg has built a company that makes even the little guys feel important!

Fertilize Your Neighbor's Lawn

I love my front yard. I have really, really good grass. In fact, if you drive by my house there's a good chance you'll see me and my kids walking around barefoot just for the sheer pleasure of feeling the lushness between our toes -- it's that good.

I haven't completely obsessed about my grass, but I have done some things over the years to bring it along to it's current barefoot-worthy state. Really, all it takes is some water every few weeks, a bag of fertilizer a couple times a year, and a good sharp blade on the mower.

Oh, and a secret that I've never shared with anybody until now: I fertilize my neighbor's yard. I don't fertilize the whole thing, but each time I fertilize, I overlap my neighbor's yard by at least a few rows.

Why do I do that?

The house next door is a rental. And before it was a rental, the owner didn't spend much time trying to make the yard anything special. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad yard at all. Our neighbor (who we love) keeps the lawn mowed and it always looks nice. However, if I blindfolded you in my yard, took off your shoes and made you walk into my neighbor's yard, even blindfolded you could probably tell where you crossed the line.

If you don't fertilize your lawn, weeds grow and grass doesn't get thick and healthy. In our neighborhood, dandelions, violets, and clover are like ninja weeds. They sneak in when you're not looking and silently take over the yard. The best way I've discovered to combat these weeds is to not let them in to begin with. Hence my "overlapping" fertilizer into my neighbor's yard, effectively establishing a larger perimeter of protection.

But what also happens is that my fertilizer also makes my neighbor's yard look a little better.

On a recent visit to Costco, I walked by the cell phone kiosk. The employees at the kiosk don't work for Costco, they work for the wireless company. But, as I walked by one of the wireless employees asked me if I needed help finding anything. I asked him if he knew where the batteries were. He proceeded to walk me to the battery aisle. He also told me he didn't actually work for Costco, but he knew the store pretty well and would be happy to help me find anything else.

He was happily fertilizing his neighbor's lawn. I'd like to think that he understands that the more Costco thrives, the more his business is likely to thrive.

We happily recommend our caterers (Spinelli's Deli and Fusion Catering), our coffee provider (Crimson Cup), and our business coach (Mike Paton, an EOS implementor). And they also recommend us to their customers, clients, and friends. We figure that if our partners are healthy and profitable, that automatically makes us stronger as a business, too.

So, who could benefit from a little of your fertilizer (and not the B.S. kind)? Take a minute this week to send some business to your partners, customers, or even your next door neighbors (one of ours is a great web development firm called DynamIT, by the way). Think of one person who could benefit from knowing who you know, then let them know via a quick phone call or email. It's that simple.

Call it what you want: paying it forward, good karma, or fertilizing your neighbor's lawn. No matter what corny analogy you use, it will be good for their business, and for yours!

Sometimes Technology is Just Downright Cool

Shopping at Costco today, my wife had planned to use a handful of coupons from the Costo coupon book we received in the mail. The clerk took one of the coupons and scanned it, then put the whole pile of coupons away without scanning the rest.

My wife gently mentioned that those coupons applied to some of the other products she was buying. The clerk said that she only needed to scan one of the coupons and all the other items that had coupons in that book would automatically be discounted.

Not only was this really neat customer service, the technology is just darn cool.

On our way out, it dawned on me that this was the kind of innovation that probably was ONE PERSON'S idea. Some tech wizard within the Costco organization probably said, "Ya know, since the coupons are tracked to the membership number, we could probably write a few lines of code and have it automatically apply any coupons that COULD HAVE been used."

Most places make ME do the work when it comes to coupons. Heck, some place even make you ASK for the ADVERTISED SPECIAL!

I'm still more of a Sam's Club man, but Costco scored a few points with me today.