Posts Tagged ‘Books’

Jeffrey Hayzlett on His New Book, The Mirror Test

Out of all the presenters I saw at BMA Engage this year, Jeffrey Hayzlett wins first prize.  Hands down. Not that it was necessarily a competition, but this guy is uber-sharp and seriously entertaining to watch.  He dominates the stage with a natural presence that is truly larger than life. Hayzlett is the now former CMO of Eastman Kodak, resigning in good grace after a four-year tenure to launch his new book, The Mirror Test.  If you’re familiar with the CMO game, that length of stay is about twice the national average of big company CMOs. Want Credentials? Hayzlett was one of the driving forces behind the strategic rebirth for the Eastman Kodak global brand marketing initiatives.  This corporate giant had built an entire business model on the production and sale of film.  Enter the digital camera and aside from photography enthusiasts, the market for film has all but died.  Imagine how that challenge must have felt. Hayzlett has been credited with leading Kodak into the development of new and innovative products, and with it, year-over-year record business growth.  He was heavily involved in the product development behind the Kodak Zi8, one of my absolute favorite video products on the market today. I also think it’s interesting that the Zi8′s key feature – it’s external microphone port – actually came from a suggestion Hayzlett received in a tweet from a consumer.  He acted quickly, turning the idea into a product innovation that has positioned the Zi8 as one of the market leaders in HD pocket video devices (against the once-dominant Flip brand). (And just for the record, both videos you are about to watch were shot with the Zi8.) Here’s my interview with Jeff on his new best-selling book, The Mirror Test: Two of the key points I’ve taken from [...]

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Never Let the Lizard Send Email

If you’re not reading Seth Godin’s Linchpin, the title of this post (which is actually a quote from the book) probably won’t make a lick of sense to you…yet. Yesterday, this quote helped me learn something about myself. “Never let the Lizard send email.” Pretty abstract, huh.  I’ve learned that the Lizard (my Lizard Brain anyway) is largely driven by a terrible, terrible four letter word.  Fear. The Lizard Brain, as Seth describes, is literally a portion of our brain that sits near our brain stem and controls fight or flight reactions.  It’s an old and primal part of the brain with enough power to overtake the newer portions of the brain that control creativity, new ideas and all the functions that lead us to passion, self actualization and to doing the work (or art) we enjoy and have the ability to produce. If you want to learn more about the Lizard Brain and The Resistance, buy the book (non-affiliate link up top, folks).  Seth does a fine job explaining his own concepts, and if you pay attention, they might just change your paradigm. My Lizard Brain I remember once being in a debate with a client of mine.  During a conference call, I became afraid of scope creep as the result of a decision the team had to make and some obvious differences in opinion.  There was tension, and before the air was cleared, we had to end the call due to time. The follow-up email from me should have never been sent.  I was freaking out and, as a result, my normal style of written communication changed.  I wrote as if I was writing a legal document.  I wrote as if I was trying to protect myself from a poor outcome.  It wasn’t nasty, per se, but it [...]

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