Emotional Intelligence

I ask this to myself every month and it's not always the easiest answer.  I've  struggled to grasp the politics in every day professional work places.  You see, you can't truly be yourself in every work situation.  In the non work world, You might say an expletive or 2 to someone you dislike.

At work, it's not possible.  Not every response I give will satisfy the many different personalities I deal with at work.  It's really interesting to see how each person on my team approaches a problem or situation.

Some are brute and honest




Some are non-confrontational and passive-aggressive



 I tend to lean toward brute and honest but even that can be a bit much for the workplace.  You also factor that I am 6'6 260 pounds- I can't be as demonstrative or else I become the tall ANGRY black guy.


For fear of job career suicide, I was taught emotional intelligence by one of my favorite managers.  Multiple reports label it as the ability to recognize one's own and other people's emotions to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately.  This ability contributes to success and becoming a better leader yet it still sedates a persons true opinion.  I guess that's a good thing because not every disagreement needs to be a war.   In the professional world, I can't use what my mom taught me because I can't run from conflict or problems in a board room.

"if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

This just doesn't work in a boardroom.  Non verbal language is huge for checking attitudes.  "Dead" eyes are not going to win you friends in the office.  Because of my size and stature, it makes me have to work that much harder at emotional intelligence.  The challenge isn't myself, it's others.  Being in tune with peoples emotions and actions is really tough.  Big data analytic's can't teach you how to respond to people in certain situations.   This game of the office is quite complex and every calculated move leads me somewhere for my future.  One wrong move and I lose out on any potential promotion or consideration for positions.

I used to think I was emotionally intelligent until I came across these challenges that made me realize, I'm not quite there yet.

Dr. Seuss: My first professor in marketing

Long before I had great professors like Dr. Raska for market research and Dr. McDermott for marketing operations, I had Dr. Seuss.  The man( Theodor Seuss Geisel) was a true visionary for marketing and finding ways to solve what he felt, was a problem. According to his biography,  He started out writing advertising propaganda during WWII before focusing primarily on children's books.  The ironic thing is, he hated "dumbing" down the youth and wasn't the biggest fan of children.  He still taught me (and others) marketing and sales principles.  You can see a marketing lesson in every single one of his books.  I want to highlight some of his books that I caught with lessons to learn.


The Cat in the Hat



The cat in the hat is about two kids stuck in a house alone with a single parent that's away from the home. (Swear I did not try to make that rhyme.)

Soon after, a cat in a hat comes through the door and brings mischief and mystery to their house.  the voice of reason in the house is a fish that has very strong traditional morale.  The cat in the hat opens up both children's minds and lets them know conformity is not a requirement, but an option.  The bizarre part in the book is "thing 1" and "thing 2."

In marketing, we learn to cause disruptions and create a demand for needs that aren't always well defined.  The cat to me is the symbol of "disruption" in changing for the children what is considered right or wrong.  It's about encouraging an open mind and not feeling ashamed about what you enjoy.  As marketers, there are some controversial products out there being marketed to help support inner interests.  The cat is the voice to encourage trying new experiences.  Dr. Seuss was introducing concepts like this in the 1950's where social norms were much more tame and discussing them was taboo.

The Sneetches



Who can forget the story about two  different creatures  that were separated from their green star or without a green star. There is a sense of jealousy among-st the creatures that do not have a green star. The  Analysts that study Dr. Seuss will say that his interpretation had more to do with race and dividing lines in society.

From a marketing perspective, this could be tied to social class.  Everyone without a green star sees  the creatures with the green star on their belly as desirable.  A salesmen in the book named Sylvester McMonkey Mcbean sells a machine that can either add or remove the green star. The creatures begin to confuse each other as the only thing that separated them were the ones that had a green star.


Green Eggs and Ham



Everyone remembers this classic.  This is one of his most popular books that has marketing all over it. Martha Stewart even has a recipe based off the children's book.  The story was so simple  and when you look at it from an adult point of view, you think to yourself:

"Is this poking fun at salesmen and perseverance."

I imagine it to be about Sam I am being a persistent, but respective salesmen who believes in his product.  The man he attempts to sell green eggs and ham to is not comfortable trying something new and rejects his attempts.  Sam I am, constantly looks for situations where it might be desirable to eat green eggs and ham.  Sam I am finally wins the man over and the man loves Green eggs and ham.

Sure, it's physically impossible that Dr. Seuss could be my marketing teacher.  After all, he did die September 24, 1991 when I was just 6 years old.  Green eggs and ham was a Dr. Seuss classic and one of my favorite childhood books.  Dr. Seuss was masterful at taking a message and subliminally placing it within a positive and fun way.  Marketing has so much psychology in delivering a message that will reach a target market.

Is big data everything?

I know you must be thinking I'm trying some form of reverse psychology.  You're wrong.

You see as a marketer who loves studying people and why they trust businesses, I've noticed a questionable mix of marketing tactics that are becoming the norm.  In college I learned about the 4 P's just like others and yet, it feels like everyone wants a formula that guarantees them success.  People want to work smarter yet it's not a guarantee data will always give you that. Instant gratification has forced people to truly conform and not go against the grain.  Data analytic's has taken over what truly made the original marketing geniuses stand out from the pack.  SOA Alert for: Intuition.

Marketers! scared of every little risk possible

We have grown to become risk adverse.  I'm not against data analysis, I just feel you can manipulate it to move toward your favor.  If you have ever looked at any Data analysis course, there is always the word "manipulate" within the description.   If you look up the word manipulate in the dictionary, you will see:

ma·nip·u·late

məˈnipyəˌlāt/

verb

1. 1.

   handle or control (a tool, mechanism, etc.), typically in a skillful manner.

   "he manipulated the dials of the set"

   synonyms:

   operate, work; More

   • 
     
   • 
     
2. 2.

   control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously.

   "the masses were deceived and manipulated by a tiny group"

   synonyms:

   control, influence, use/turn to one's advantage, exploit, maneuver,engineer, steer, direct, gerrymander;  twist someone around one's little finger "the government tried to manipulate the situation"        (source)

Data is not bad if diversified for the mix

Data analytic's is not all bad.  I happen to believe using it along with your intuition can create ways to actually find out what people want before they want it.  The conundrum is assumptions make an ass out of you and me;let's lesson our risk and see what works faster.  Steve Jobs at apple to me was a master at this.  He helped create products that people never thought they needed but desired.   We shall see what happens with this "wearable" technology trend. Back on topic-Can we have a healthy mix of our personal abilities and data to support or hypothesis?  Not every company is doing this and they rely solely on data to make a great decision.  

Pretty soon we automate everything and every marketer is without a job.

#Sledgehammer

I reached a crossroads in my life recently.  I want to offer a different perspective to indecision of art.

Every now and then you come across something you created that at the time, was magical.  It was new, it was refreshing and it gave you hope that maybe, "I'm real good at this!"  There's no better high than feeling successful in accomplishments.  Thoughts begin to conjure up other perspectives and you wonder...

"Is what I created going to last?"



It's the toughest question you ask yourself.  Some of the best creations happen when you don't over think and nature takes the course.  A wandering mind is very dangerous.  When it's knocked off course, you lose sight and your focus to maintain your creations.   Even the most beautiful creations can be a disaster.  I feel like a proverbial sledgehammer has destroyed something that I felt was beautiful but no longer can be shown.



It's the same reason copy writers create content only to take that sledgehammer and find a way to be more innovative.  It's tough to assess your work in creating and being your harshest critic.  It's scary to take a sledgehammer to something you felt was great.

Sometimes you have to take that sledgehammer with the hopes that destroying your first creation will help open up your mind and perspective.  I'm not saying you should chase perfection all the time.  Appreciating the good in something now won't always mean it can stand the test of time.  You have to reinvent and not be afraid to use that sledgehammer to start new with a fresh perspective.

Now Playing- Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer"

Monday's the enemy

5/4/2015
6:10 AM- Get up, take a shower and get ready
6:50 AM- Leave the house for my morning Train
7:40 ish AM- Arrive at work.
7:50 AM- Eat my breakfast
8:15 AM- Listen to Tom Petty "The Waiting" and meditate
8:30 AM- Smile and hit the ground running.

As I sit at my work desk looking over folders and "busy" work, I recall some of my previous posts about Monday.  Monday is important because it sets the tone for your week.  I don't know about you, but if I have a bad Monday, it leads to a rough week.  As I've gotten wiser, I've started to see the importance of having a great Monday.  I'm almost to a degree, OCD toward my Monday routine.

Monday doesn't get the love like other days of the week.
Taco Tuesday- I still don't know the origin of calling it that.
Hump Day Wednesday's- The proverbial struggle to get over that hump.
Thirsty Thursdays- Thirsty for the weekend is in sight.
Friday- Self explanatory
There is an excitement for every day of the week...except Monday.

Meanwhile, I get online to see funny Meme's talking about Monday and people looking at Monday as their enemy.  Monday has this negative connotation and I partly agree with everyone.  You see Monday is like the weather man.  You can predict clear blue skies and sunny but it's not always that way.  I've had my Monday routine going for the last two years and I can tell you it certainly hasn't always been "bright and sunny" days.  Monday is the scapegoat and like a weather man giving false weather predictions, it upsets us.



Sidenote: If you ever get a chance, look at "The weather man" with Nicholas Cage; Great movie.

Even though I'm not guaranteed to have a great Monday or week, Why do I psychologically stick to the same routine?  I ask this to myself every time I have a bad Monday.  Surely it's just luck that there are some Mondays that do better than other weeks. I'm not going bore you with a redundant saying of "hard work creates luck" but Monday is the tone setter.  It's the first day of the week to create an attitude you need to accomplish the expectations given to you.  I look at Monday as the "mental" day.  If you can have a rough Monday and still be able to smile and be positive, You are mastering the art of conquering the enemy.

If you can't conquer the enemy without assistance, there's something called coffee that I see a lot of people in the office buy.