The idea of “living longer than yourself” was introduced to me by the book National Parks: America’s Best Idea by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns and has since popped up a few more times this past month or so. Many people try to create things and ideas that will outlive them, but it must be done for the right reasons.

At California Lutheran University’s Corporate Leaders Breakfast on January 21, 2010, Donald E. Petersen, former CEO and Chairman of Ford Motor Company, announced that one of the predominant problems in the American car industry is that CEOs continue to try to make their mark on companies without any regard to the long-term success of the company. In other words, they push their respective companies to make drastic changes without considering if those changes will create a stronger company or even if those new items will last. Sometimes companies don’t need big, sexy new products, they just need basic alterations on their already successful products and practices to succeed. (I’ve known numerous executives who have done this when they want a product named after themselves, even when it is clear that the product will fail.)

2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus also pushes the idea of living longer than yourself, but he does it (and encourages others to do it) through social business.  When he spoke on February 26, 2010, at an event for California State University – Channel Islands, he encouraged the students in the university’s new social business program to choose a problem they want to solve, and instead of just improving the state of that issue, actually try to solve that problem, 100%. It is his mission to end poverty by 2030. It is a mission that he holds himself accountable for. He says that if it is possible to cut poverty in half, it must also be possible to eliminate it entirely.

Mike Veny, professional drummer and owner of Funky Music Store, uses his online store to raise funds for The Fender Music Foundation as well as promote general support for music education. He has given about four times more often than any other foundation supporter. And, these funds will go on to get instruments into music education programs, strengthening the leaders and communities of the future. Because he is choosing to support an organization like The Fender Music Foundation, he is making a far larger impact than if he had created his own charity and tried to reinvent the wheel. Sure, it’s less glory, but it’s far more efficient in addressing the difference he is trying to make in the world.

All three of these people have looked outside themselves, in space AND time. Only by acknowledging their infinitesimal presence in this world can they create something that they deserve to be remembered for.

From Goodjoe’s website:

Goodjoe is dedicated to inspiring change through creative design and in the process giving back to the community around us. We really believe that people do great things when they’re inspired. A small change can and will create a big impact. Everyone really does care to make their surrounding world better. That’s why we created the goodjoe site, where hopefully, all kinds of creative and inspiring ideas are made visible and will be seen passing through the streets in many different forms.

Goodjoe will hold an ongoing T-shirt design contest. Everyone is welcome to participate by submitting inspiring T-shirt designs, rating designs, and giving artists positive feedback.

Here is how the process works:
1. Artists submit T-shirt designs with an inspiring message into the contest.
2. Each week, goodjoe selects inspirational designs from the contest to print.
3. Printed tees are sold and everyone involved (artists, schools, and other organizations) shares in the proceeds.

Goodjoe contacted me at The Fender Music Foundation last fall and proposed a t-shirt design contest in its honor. During the contest, we received 138 design submissions, and the winning design was much more stylish than what I would have designed on my own.

Goodjoe’s t-shirt design contests are a great way for nonprofits to engage potential supporters online. The company was established with the intention to make a difference, which they not only accomplish with their t-shirt design contests but also with how they treat their charities, celebrities and partners.

What a world this would be if every company were run like Goodjoe.

When my friend asked me to watch The Secret a few years ago, she told me that I probably already knew the secret – that successful people know how to get what they wanted from the universe. She acted like it was a magical process that took skill, but in all honesty, there is no magic to success.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=san61qTwWsU&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
 Despite what Rhonda Byrne and her slew of “scientists” may tell you,

1. The process to achieve success is not done with thought; it is done through action.
2. Money is a means to an end – not the end. Money is just one of the many tools you may need to accomplish your real goals.
3. It is not always one’s fault if they don’t get what they want. There are many outside factors that affect us, over which we have no control.
4. We will not get everything we want even if want with all of our hearts.

My secret to success (which I guess is no longer a secret) is as follows:

1. Learn – Learn about yourself, about how other people think, about all of the careers, companies and products that exist today and what people will need in the future.  Meet people and talk to them; learn from them.
2. Always work toward being the best– No matter what you do, try to be the best at it. Find something that fits you and inspires you and dive in. It’s okay for you to change careers or industries, but work toward being the best as soon as you make the switch.
3. Learn – Being the best never lasts for long, so always learn how to improve yourself and/or your business, and make those changes quickly.

It’s a big scary world out there with chaos and cruelty. It’s easy sometimes to fall into these things that make you think you have control over it, but you don’t need that, do you? Just make the best decisions you can, working not only toward your own success but toward a greater good.

I recently invited Rod Skidmore, VP of US Bank and member of the Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise, to speak at one of my Rotaract meetings on the topic of effective professional communication. Not only was he a dynamic and passionate speaker, his advice showcases what it truly means to be a Rotarian. As follows is my summary of his presentation:

• Tell the truth. Be an honest person. Don’t lie, even when you are told to.
• Look things up when you aren’t sure. Be resourceful.
• Share your happiness with others. Smile when you speak on the phone.
• Ask questions and be generally inquisitive. Don’t think you know everything.
• Admit your mistakes and be humble.
• Consider where other people are coming from. Don’t make assumptions.
• Listen to others, both their verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Admit when you don’t know the answer and be open to feedback.
• Be genuinely appreciative of anyone and everyone who does something for you. Don’t make people regret being nice to you.
• Move things forward. Ask for the sale/next meeting/etc. Be interested in and focused on the task at hand.
• Do the right thing.
• Be someone people like and check to make sure it’s working.
• It’s not about you. It’s about everyone else around you.

The points Rod made aren’t about just being an effective communicator in business or life. This is about who to BE, and the internal conversations you have with yourself. Once you ARE the person who is honest, grateful and has compassion, others will respond well to you.

Thinking of starting a social media platform to steal a piece of the pie from Facebook and Twitter? Not so fast. Consider the following before you do:

1. Don’t force it.  A one-sided conversation can be forced, but a real conversation will only happen organically.
2. Consider why people will participate in your particular niche. Not all topics deserve conversation.
3. People will conduct online conversations where it makes the most sense to them. Some of the most popular platforms don’t even advertise; they are promoted only through word-of-mouth (and I don’t mean radio ads).
4. Consider why the potential users of your social media platform will use your social media platform instead of one that already exists.
5. Be creative when you open the platform up to the public. Only so many people will initiate conversations to empty space.

Who benefits from well-planned social media platforms?

• The platform – strategic companies earn much more revenue when they really understand the value of their product.
• The users – people appreciate the value of interacting with others, learning from those who know more than them and teaching others about something in which they have expertise.
• Related companies – companies love to sell directly to their target audience.

A video on social enterprise:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u-HMmlkaAE]

Many people have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place. They have stood up for those without a voice, and they strengthen our communities. However, few of them treat their charitable dreams as businesses, and instead trust that they will make a difference because, “who wouldn’t support this cause?” But there’s more to a charity than the cause.

It is the charities that are set up as social enterprises (businesses that do good), however, that I see making the most difference. And, as long as they keep up with their competitors and with current trends and technology, I believe that they will continue to be effective. Edelman even did a study on this and found that consumers are much more likely to purchase products associated with causes — even if they cost more.

Sometimes, a charity can even last for a while without a strong business model behind it, but when an economic downturn comes along, these organizations seem to drop like flies. Over the past year or so, I have witnessed this. Social enterprises that are saving lives but have weak marketing are failing. Organizations that are saving the environment but have let their overhead get out of control are filing for bankruptcy. Charities that were cutting their communities’ crime in half have cut back until they are no longer effective. In other words, when these social enterprises fail, we all lose.

One of the most unfortunate examples of this right now is the newspaper industry. If journalists aren’t a significant force in this country, I fear what those who are wealthy, powerful and selfish will get away with. I also fear that if they are not supervised and protected by a large newspaper that either they will either also become wealthy, powerful and selfish or will be eliminated. And where will we be then?

The solution?

Social Entrepreneurs/Nonprofit Founders: Do your research before you start a company/charity. The way you do business is at least as important as the cause you choose.

Corporations: It will benefit you to give back. (There is too much to say about this to insert it here.) But, give back strategically. Choose a cause or charity that is in line with your mission statement. Either start a foundation to address that cause or select a few charities. Either the company or the corporate foundation must give to those who will really make an impact on that cause.

The Public: Support at least one charity. Find a charity that will make the biggest difference on your cause with what you have to offer as a donation (money, goods or time). Not all charities will fail. Just do a little research so your contribution won’t be for naught. 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFxPbG_CQUQ]

A few years ago, my mom was offered the opportunity to sign up for a credit card, which advertised that it planted a tree for each credit card it issued. At first, this sounds like a great idea. What could possibly be wrong with planting trees? Well, yesterday, Earth Day, she told me that a year or two ago, she read an article that shocked her.

I scoured the Internet for more information and found a 2007 article about it on CNN’s Money.com. As follows is a summary of the story:

About 15 years ago, farmers in Uganda were evicted by the government from their homes and farms so that the government could create space for The FACE Foundation, an organization that facilitates the planting of trees around the world. And it was this credit card company, among many other contributors, that funded the planting of many trees on this land. According to my research, many of these trees were not taken care of and died. And, in 2006, the farmers who had been fighting to get their land back finally succeeded and cleared the land once again so that they could farm, in the process chopping down about 500,000 trees.

Photo by Pilot International, LTD

According to the Money.com article sited above, this is just one example of the unfortunate events that surround trading voluntary carbon offsets, in which people and companies can plant trees to compensate for the carbon they emit. Similar projects put on by The FACE Foundation have taken place in Ecuador, Brazil and India. Not only is this a very sketchy business, it takes many years for the trees to grow big enough to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.

This is just a summary of what is going on though, and it does not include the gorey details. The innocent commitment to plant trees has killed a significant quantity of wildlife and people, don’t let your noble gestures do the same. Please be cautious of the organizations with which you work, and screen them vigorously.

Article inspired by a March 2, 2009, evening news report by Gordon Tokumatsu on NBC.

According to Bloomberg.com, “a record 19 million homes stood vacant at the end of 2008.” And, vacant homes are not only more difficult to sell, they are sold for less, can be costly to the homeowner and also bring down the value of the neighborhood.

Luckily, companies like Designer Home Tending stepped in and saw an opportunity to turn this into a win-win-win-win situation. They put pre-screened housesitters in the vacant homes, pay for the gardening, utilities, the interior and exterior property maintenance and lawn and pool care for the homeowner.

The housesitters pay a fraction of what they would otherwise pay to lease a similar property and provide all of the home furnishings and keep the place looking neat and clean so that it is always ready for a potential buyer to visit. The housesitter featured in the news report paid $1,100 per month for a property that would normally lease for about $3,000.

With the housesitter there, not only would the home owner pay less for their homeowner’s insurance, the home will also have a car in the driveway and lights on at night, decreasing the chance of a break in, and improving the appeal of the home to potential buyers.

Who benefits?

The homeowner – their house will be sold more quickly at a higher price. It is less likely that it would be vandalized, they will pay less for their homeowner’s insurance, and their home will be kept in good working order. And, all of this at no cost to the homeowner.

The housesitter – they get to live in a home at a fraction of what it would normally cost and get free house cleaning, gardening and utilities.

The neighbors – the vacant house won’t affect their property value or safety.

The company – the company offers a much-needed service and receives the rent paid by the housesitter, and in this economic condition, those housesitters will probably be paying rent to them for quite a while.

Freelance photographer Andrea LaBarge Mills entered a contest online, in which the winner’s dream assignment will be funded with $50,000. Andrea submitted her proposal, and named the Guitar Center Music Foundation as the beneficiary of a component of the project.

Copyright © 2004 Andrea R. LaBarge

Copyright © 2004 Andrea R. LaBarge

Who benefits?

The photographer – She gets to experience her dream photo assignment. Andrea specifically chooses an assignment that she thinks will most affect her life, both personally and for her career. She really looks at how to make the most out of the $50,000. Also, the contest is a vehicle to reach more people and gain a greater following. She would also win a new computer as part of the package.

The charity – The charity will also gain exposure from their involvement in this project. A charity relationship is not a requirement in this contest, so it’s a great vehicle for reaching more potential donors (in that they have little competition in this venue). Because the charity will publicize this on their social networks, they will also gain some exposure on search engines.

The company sponsoring the competition – Microsoft is making a minimal investment for a lot of publicity. All they did was provide the $50,000,  put together a self-sustaining site for submissions and are going to give three computers away to the winner and two runners up. If they had given them away without a competition, there would have been no viral marketing or publicity for it. And, the $50,000 would have probably contributed to their print marketing, which is far less effective.

I occasionally attend the Thousand Oaks Rotary Club luncheons, and the presenter at last week’s luncheon was really inspiring. The presenter was Tom White, the Executive Vice President of RKS, a “strategy, innovation and design firm” based out of Thousand Oaks, CA.

More than anything, I liked their corporate philosophy. RKS not only works hard to design well, with psycho aesthetics (the idea that it’s not how the consumer feels about the design; it’s how the design makes the consumer feel), they go out of their way to help their clients’ sales. Tom gave an example of this in his presentation:

RKS designed a new water bottle for KOR, the KOR ONE hydration vessel, but by the time the design was complete, KOR didn’t have the budget to produce it. So, instead of letting KOR fend for themselves, RKS went viral with the problem. And, in three months, they had more than enough orders to begin production. Now, they are scrambling to keep up with their orders.

KOR ONE by RKS Design

Who benefited when RKS helped KOR?

RKS – KOR will probably choose RKS for future design challenges, giving RKS more business. KOR will probably also help RKS to get more clients because they will share this story with others. RKS also increased their value; clients will probably pay more if they can trust that RKS is really invested in them as well.

KOR – KOR grew their profit exponentially. They not only were able to get enough orders to produce the water bottles, they received a lot of attention from the publicity.

Consumers – Consumers were able to benefit from a great design