Bait, Tackle, Ice, Advice and Beer Blog » Jeff Brainard

Connecting Your Mission to Business Practices

Jeff Brainard — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:42:00 +0000

One of the things we talk about at Catch Your Limit is living your brand. If you say you’re something you better actually be it. You can’t claim to be innovative if in fact you’re only committed to what works in the past. In today’s transparent environment saying what you are and being it must equal the same thing.

The past two weeks I experienced two very different interactions with two reputable brands. One company understood living it’s brand promise and delivered beyond expectations. The other company, it seems, has policies drastically out of sync with what it claims to represent. One experience was very positive, the other frustrating and negative.

I’ll start with the good news. The first involved a major component (logic board?) of my Macbook Pro laptop. The wireless card stopped working and after a look by tech repair it was due to a logic board malfunction. The price tag for repair was $1100 as it was out of warranty and I didn’t pay for Applecare extended protection. After a short conversation with customer service Apple agreed to do the repair at no cost simply as a gesture of standing behind their product.

The second experience was with Nikon. I received a Nikon digital camera a few months back as a gift. One day it broke in my pocket as the lens popped out. I knew the product was out of warranty but sent it to the repair department with the intention of paying to have the product repaired. Rather than repair it Nikon simply returned the broken camera without explanation.

After several attempts I finally reached a customer service manager who could provide an explanation. I copied her response below:

“”Gray market” Nikon products are those that were not imported and distributed by Nikon USA but were purchased by the end consumer in the USA. Nikon USA will not service gray market products under any circumstances, even for a fee.

A Nikon product purchased by a customer from an authorized Nikon dealer in another country will be serviced by Nikon USA as long as the customer provides the Nikon Worldwide Warranty that was supplied with the product and the sales receipt from the overseas dealer. This documentation must be presented for warranty and non-warranty service.

Any product sent to Nikon USA for non-warranty service is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If there is a question about the origin of a product, our factory service centers require the customer to provide documentation (such as a Nikon Inc. warranty or a sales receipt from an authorized Nikon dealer outside the USA) before any service will be performed. A non-USA sales receipt is mandatory to obtain service for a non-USA model.

Sincerely,
Melanie Champlin
Supervisor, Service Relations
Nikon Inc. USA”

The product was a gift, I do not have the receipt nor even the packing from where it was purchased. The fact is it is a Nikon product. Their brand. Their name and their promise. They refuse to service the product even though I’d be willing to pay simply because it was a product that wasn’t imported through the channels they’ve deemed appropriate.

As a consumer it is not my responsibility to manage the chain in which products reach the end user (me), it is their responsibility. In a global economy where products are made, shipped and purchased electronically what difference should it make as to which website I ordered the product? It seems to me that their policy is both outdated and punishes the customer unfairly. My only expectation as a consumer is that a brand stand behind it’s product. I do not expect a free ride as Apple provided. I simply expect not to be punished for using the Internet to purchase goods.

Nikon’s website describes their organization:
“Nikon is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance. The unique strength of the Nikon brand is attributable to the company’s unwavering commitment to quality, performance, technology and innovation.”

The unwavering commitment to quality is not seen in their customer service and repair policies. Nikon is NOT living their brand!

><(("> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> friend of Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Treat Your Team Like Your Lover

Jeff Brainard — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Relationship gurus, the ones that respond to Dear…. letters in the newspaper and the ones that write books on the topic say, “don’t go to bed angry.” The idea being don’t go to bed without resolving the issue.

The same advice should be applied to teams. Though they aren’t typically made of physical relationships, they are still relationships, of sorts nonetheless. The idea is don’t leave the meeting, don’t move to the next topic without engaging in enough conflict to get an issue resolved. Patrick Lencioni, author of 5 Dysfunctions of a Team says teams that don’t have positive conflict:

Have boring meetings

Create environments where back-channel politics and personal attacks thrive

Ignore controversial topics that are critical to team success

Fail to tap into all the opinions and perspectives of team members

Waste time and energy with posturing and interpersonal risk management

Be willing to be courageous at work. Be the one person in the room willing to disagree, willing to challenge an idea even if it’s the boss’. It’s the only way to a great culture.

><(("> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> friend of Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Need to Be a Better Planner?

Jeff Brainard — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:17:00 +0000

The first step in getting better is getting an understanding of where you are currently as to measure progress against. Our planning survey will allow you to get a snapshot of where you are.

As we continue to focus on planning we’re trying to get a better understanding of how people and organizations plan and people’s attitudes on the subject. Please take a few minutes to give us an understanding of your organization’s approach to planning and planning strategy, take this quick survey and you’ll receive your “score” and some additional resources on planning. TAKE SURVEY

><(("> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> friend of Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Cirque du Fish

Jeff Brainard — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Catch Your Limit performed last week at the Circus-Themed, TSAE Education Day & Tradeshow. Melissa Laughon spoke on The Future of Social Media, Tom Laughon and the ><((“> Team spoke on Creating a Creative Workforce and the Catch Your Limit Tradeshow Booth even won Best in Show. Check out our performances…

><(("> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> friend of Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Why Do You Go to Work?

Jeff Brainard — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:52:00 +0000

When you’ve done a task repetitively the human brain creates synapses, little connective wires that allow us not to think about the process we’re engaged in. We’re able to do things on autopilot without really thinking about what it is we’re doing. It’s the beauty of our evolution. It’s why practice makes perfect. We don’t think about tying our shoes, we just tie them, driving to work we turn on the autopilot and suddenly we’re there.

While this aspect in which our minds work has allowed for our evolutionary success it also comes with a price. The price is that we become robotic in some aspects of our life, tedious and repetitive. It makes it more difficult for us to be impulsive and also to adjust to change because we’re so good at what we’ve already practiced.

I encounter a lot of people who have set their lives to autopilot both professionally and personally. I see them on my lunch break their hearts beating just enough to allow for survival. They drive home sunken into their car seats. They’re waiting to move up into the next position in the corporate ladder. These are the people who say, “well at least I have a job right now.” I say, “crap on that.” Who cares if you have a job if you hate it. Or maybe you don’t even hate it but if you don’t love it, so what?

Yeah, I realize there are bills to pay but do the bills that your robot life allow you to pay provide you with possessions that are more valuable than living a life you’re excited about?

Don’t tell me “sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to.” No you don’t. You’ve just not taken the time to figure out how to stop doing them.

Please people, ask yourself why you go to work? If you don’t have a good answer, get yourself fired and live on unemployment until you find something you’re passionate about. I’m tired of watching you drool on your California Roll.

><(("> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> friend of Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

#1 Key to Success in Business: Hire 9th Graders

Jeff Brainard — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:55:00 +0000

Fire your MBAs.
Eliminate the most qualified people within your organization.

Qualification doesn’t = passion. Yeah, I know, you agree but do you actually implement it?

I was at a high-school volleyball game this evening, the coach of the Junior Varsity team is a friend and it’d been a while (never been to one) since I’d been to a high-school volleyball game, so I decided to stop by and watch.

Half the team was sick. Girls were playing in positions they weren’t accustomed to in order to compensate. You can tell when an athlete wants to win, There is a difference in their energy and it’s visible. As a spectator you could feel the nervous energy as the girls tried to do what they could to save the game. The girls were the word “hustle.”

What motivates an athlete on a JV high-school volleyball team? It isn’t a college scholarship, a big contract in the pros or endorsements. They just want to win. Maybe they don’t even know why. It doesn’t matter.

If I’m building an organization and I ask, “who do I want on my team” the answer would always be the person with the JV Volleyball Player attitude over the person who has the perfect resume.

Most leaders, managers and those in the position to build teams would nod their head in agreement. Still, I don’t think most organizations put this into practice. Why is it that job postings rarely say, “We’re looking for passion.” Instead there is a list of qualifications. Even if it does say it in the posting, does that really apply once the person is sitting across your desk in the interview?

Skills can be taught, passion cannot.

><(("> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> friend of Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Imagination and Planning

Jeff Brainard — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:04:00 +0000

Many people think of planning as a boring process. (HINT: I am one of them.) Truth is, it usually is boring. But that isn’t planning’s fault. It’s our fault. Once we get older we believe planning is boring and so we plan in very boring ways. And yet if you watch kids plan they do it with incredible imagination and have a blast as well. Have you ever seen a small girl have a tea party with her stuffed animals? Very meticulous planning goes into these parties, who is going to sit where, who is invited, what they’ll be serving, etc. It’s play and the kid has a great time doing it.

The reason kids know how to make planning fun is because they’ve kept something most adults forget to use and especially forget to use at work, their imagination. If you know how to use your imagination planning is fun because anything can happen.

Steps to activate your imagination:

1) Leave the office or board room, these places are horribly unimaginative.
2) Visit Uncyclopedia, it is an encyclopedia full of misinformation and utter lies.
3) Think about how and when you used to use your imagination.

Here is an example of how I used to plan as a child:

When I was a kid, (2nd to 5th grade-ish), most of my planning was dedicated to fort building. My best friend PJ and I loved to build forts in the woods behind my house. Some kids I knew had parents that built them forts that were really elaborate. One kid I remember, Brandon Stil, had the best fort. It even had electricity and running water. We hated Brandon and his electric.

Our fort on the other hand was very basic. It consisted of a piece of wood, not even good wood, and particle board which absorbed water, turned moldy and bent downward from our weight. The board had nails anchoring it into a camphor tree that split off into three directions as it rose from the ground. But because the particle board got so wet and soft the wood would always break off from where it was nailed to the tree and would have to be reattached.

There were a few two by fours we nailed to the tree that would take you to the next level of the fort. Two branches that went outward and then split like a wishbone parallel to the ground, had a few mismatched pieces of wood nailed to it that formed the second level of the fort.

From here we could survey the area to watch for intruders. Our thinking was that the fort could be invaded at any minute. Why do kids love to pretend people are after them? We’d often spend time with binoculars looking from the our second level perch waiting to sound the warning alarm, which was really just a smoke detector we mounted inside a box. We’d equipped the fort with a zip tie that would take us to safety if we needed to perform an emergency evacuation. Some afternoons we just practiced our emergency evacuation routines.

In addition to keeping look out for would be assassins we spent much of our time building booby traps to stop them. Our booby traps included holes with palm fronds over them with upward pointing pitch forks at the bottom. We equipped the trail to the fort with fishing line tied from one tree across the the path.

><(("> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> friend of Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

The Ability to Change is Necessary to Survival: Bill Bryson

Jeff Brainard — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:15:00 +0000

I was going through some of our old blogs and thought this one deserved to be re-posted. For one reason, because I am the author, but also because I think it applies to all the silly putty we’ve been talking about. As we begin to focus on planning for the end of the year and guide the future of our organizations I believe it’s critical to keep this in mind…

I’m in the midst of reading A Short History of Nearly Everything, by the well humored Bill Bryson. During the introduction I stumbled upon a line that I love, it rings true not just for the survival of species but the survival of everything: companies, celebrities and products. Bill says,
“The average species on Earth lasts for only about four million years (organizations life spans are much shorter than organisms), so if you wish to be around for billions of years, you must be as fickle as the atoms that made you. You must be prepared to change everything about yourself — shape, size, color, species affiliation, everything — and to do so repeatedly.”

When you conduct your next strategic planning session, team meeting or brainstorming session try to keep that big idea in mind. Be willing to change everything.

Earlier in the week, or was it last week, I’m not quite sure, the point is Melissa was marveling at Madonna as a great example of celebrities who’ve reinvented themselves. Madonna is a great example, for one thing she’s made drastic changes in her persona, her music and what she stands for. Plus most everybody knows her. Madonna has survival down. Can you imagine if she said, “No. I’m absolutely not willing to give up the cone bras and the 80′s pop beat.”? We’d only be seeing her on VH1 Remember the 80′s.

Consider what it takes to be willing to change everything about yourself. It doesn’t allow for nostalgia or best practices. It means you’re willing to give up everything that got you where you are in order to protect your future survival.

Perhaps a good exercise is to take inventory of your own or your organization’s “shape, size, color, species affiliation” and make a note of what you hold most dear. Then next time you’re creating personal goals or in a team planning session be conscience of it and be willing to throw it out the window.

><(("> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> friend of Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Dear Business Owners, Get a Life!

Jeff Brainard — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:58:00 +0000

Are you too busy to take a day off?
How about vacation? When was your last one?
As in the last time you didn’t answer calls from the office?
Too busy to shut your phone off?
Too busy to watch the funny Youtube video your friend sent you?
Too busy to read through all your emails?
Too busy for fun? To laugh? To do the hobbies you love doing?
How many weekends a year do you work?
How many weeks do you work more than 40 hours?

If you have trouble answering these questions I have a problem with you. And by trouble I mean, these questions irritate you, upset you, make you mad at yourself or simply make you think, “this young man just doesn’t understand, I’m running a business here.”

Why did you start all this? Why did you work so hard to get in the position you’re in? Maybe you loved what you were doing. Hopefully you still do but there are probably other things in your life that you love too, art, family, fun, the outdoors, sports, adventure and travel.

I see so many entrepreneurs, CEOs and other people in very important positions who while very ambitious, simply look worn out. They complain about never being able to catch up. About never being able to read all of their emails. About being too busy for this and that. I do not believe there is any excuse for it. It is your responsibility to be a leader and what kind of example are you setting for your employees if you’re overwhelmed, overworked and living an unbalanced life? If I see you doing this as your employee all I can think is “I do not want to be like that!” As a gen y it is especially unappealing. So if you think you’re grooming us to be leaders at your organization, if you have plans for us to take over your position one day, think again. We don’t want it.

Do whatever it is you need to do to stop. Delegate, eliminate certain tasks regardless of how important you think they are. Just stop doing them. Make plans for other people to do them. Create an action plan to get yourself out of doing them. You need to spend your time thinking big, thinking about strategy, something that can be done without being in the office 60 hours a week.

Otherwise you’ll soon be dead and you’ll have worked your life away. You can’t enjoy the fruits of your labor if you’re dead. Nobody on their deathbed says, “Damn, sure wish I worked more.”

><(("> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> friend of Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Knee Problem. What Problem? Make A New Plan Stan

Jeff Brainard — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:48:00 +0000

Last Tuesday morning I woke up at 4:45 am and ran 5 miles no problem, it felt great. I went to bed that evening, gym bag packed, ready to start my day early with a 2700 meter swim. I never made it to the pool. Instead I woke up around 4:00 am, my nails digging into my mattress, my body tense and sweating. It was a sensation I’d felt before but more acute, my left knee was locked at a 90 degree angle. I pushed through the pain like trying to push through a wall as I tried to straighten my leg to get the knee to fall back into place. There was a familiar “popping sound” I was waiting for like times in your life when you’re waiting for what you think is bad news, it’s great to relieve the tension but still, it is bad news. For me the bad news was I never got the bad news which meant I struggled for the next few hours, sweating and then cold, face contorted like a weight lifter, practicing lamaze techniques I’d seen in movies.

By 9:00 I hopped into the waiting room for an orthopaedic physician. After a couple attempts at getting my knee to pop back into place he ordered an MRI. The magic of my atoms allowed the MRI to reveal a significant Bucket Handle Tear of my Lateral Meniscus.

By noon on Friday I was in surgery.

If you’ve been following Emma’s triathlon-blogathon you may know, I have been training with Emma for the the same olympic distance tri in Amelia Island.

The moment my knee slipped out of place in the middle of the night all the preparation, gear buying, training 5-6 days a week, and scheduling my life around training and nutrition went so long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu, there was no way I’d be able to compete in this triathlon in a month.

When I realized all the work I’d put into the race was now irrelevant it was a little disheartening. It was as if I’d spent all this time building a giant lego world for some big lego culminating event when suddenly a wild pack of dogs (my meniscus) came traipsing through my lego world destroying everything I’d created.

And yet I couldn’t have gotten to where I was without Emma and her planning. She’s a master at putting little lego pieces on top of others and finding a way to create something from it. If it wasn’t for all the training I wouldn’t be in the best shape of my life. If it wasn’t for her I might have not found this new and wonderful sport. Additionally, if you don’t like training, triathlons are not for you. But I love training so ultimately this means I get to do more of what I love, training.

I couldn’t help but think about my good friend, silly putty. I thought WWSPD (What would silly putty do?) in a situation like this. Would silly putty pout? Hell no! Silly Putty doesn’t know how to pout, silly putty doesn’t feel sorry for itself, it doesn’t even have feelings. Silly Putty adapts, it sees opportunity and potential where others see obstacles. It helped me realize that I could plan for another triathlon (this wasn’t the world’s only, believe it or not). Additionally, I’ll have to do some rehabbing on my knee which will allow me to focus on my two weaker areas of triathlon: swimming and cycling. This injury is actually going to force me to swim more since I won’t be able to run right away.

Plans never go according to plans, markets change, hurricanes strike and meniscus’ tear. It’s the fun part of life called life. The key is getting a silly putty attitude and being willing to put a new plan back in place and being prepared to shrug it off the next time a laborador runs through and wrecks it all to hell.

Now for the fun of putting my next lego world together. If you have any suggestion on great races to consider or any other challenges that might be fun to look into as I’m reassembling my physical self please send your suggestions to jeff@catchyourlimit.com

><(("> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> friend of Catch Your Limit, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.