I was fortunate to be asked to write a chapter for a book by my hero by Jay Conrad Levinson who was the founder of Guerrilla Marketing. I have long been a fan of his work and when he passed away in 2013 I thought that would be the end of his voice but luckily he left essays behind and his wife Jeannie Levinson took up the cause.
Jay Conrad and Jeannie Levinson, were the creators of the term Guerrilla Entrepreneur. They described them as men and women who think outside-the-box. In their words: He’s embraced new ways of thinking, new ways of working, new ways of living. He well knows that he’s left behind an age characterized by a worship of profits, a surfeit of working hours, and a neglect of family and self.
I am thrilled that the book is out and my essay is included. Here is the link to grab a copy for yourself:
All day long I will tell anyone who is listening that Seth Godin is a hero of mine and a total genius. Why? Because he is passionate, real and is a truth teller. I love his style of ‘tell it like it is’ and he’s not too big to share the love. Every time I reach out to him he replies immediately. His blog post today (reposted below) is about saying yes. I totally agree with him and it reminded me that I should share how important it is to say NO! and why.
I am great at the no. I say this as a recovering work-a-holic. I used to say yes to everything, constantly distracted by the next opportunity, possibility and shiny squirrel. I have recovered from that and now am very comfortable saying no. Here is the thing I learned. By saying no I honor myself, my time and the person on the other side of the ask because I don’t over book and let them down. On the flip side when I do say yes the person asking feels extra good because they know it is meaningful and it matters. To get my yes is a privilege and those who receive it don’t take it lightly or for granted. That is a respectful win win to all.
The other day, a friend asked me for a favor. I gave him an instant yes.
The instant yes is precious. It’s earned, it doesn’t last forever, it’s easily abused.
Not the yes of, “I’ll look it over and if it makes sense or fits in my calendar or is profitable then of course, I’ll do it,” but the yes of, “yes.”
Do you want to try our daily special, it’s really good? Do you want to see my new project proposal? Will you come to this event I’m holding? Will you contribute to this discussion? Can I borrow $500?
How many people will give you an instant yes if you ask them? How many times has your organization (or you) earned the privilege of the benefit of the doubt?
Higher education is a critical social enterprise facing crisis and opportunity. The roots of both seemingly stem from complex interactions between elements of policies, organizations and individuals. Institutional design thinking in higher education accommodates perspectives that account for all these elements. In examining the frontiers of institutional design in higher education, this summit brings together thought leaders from government, business, industry, higher education and academia.
The IDF Summit was produced by Laboratory 5 Inc. and took place April 8th-April 10th 2015 at the Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
President of Arizona State University, Michael Crow, Kaplan University President, Wade Dyke and Scholar Barry Bozeman discuss issues in higher education.
At the entrance of the summit, a colorful show using video projection mapping by Fransisco Flores lit up one of the resorts indoor waterfalls.
The event featured a presentation by Lee Gutkind, who is considered “the Godfather creative nonfiction” according to Vanity Fair Magazine.
Attendees participated in an infographic workshop with designer Sarah Spencer and where they learned how to transition their scholarly information into in a visual graphics.
The participants had an opportunity to discuss their academic works in an interview which was then recorded and made available for publication. The summit directors were featured in the Boston Globe.
Written by Amy DeCaussin – Director of Projects & Social Media
Laboratory5 Inc. is a small business based in Tempe, Arizona
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