everything designed

Auto dealership photo from wired.

Revolutionary Change and Brilliance for $1
What if we all pitched in $1 each and hired Seth Godin and Malcom Gladwell to speak at a live stream “tv, radio, internet” event in Chicago reviewing the next 3-5 year strategy and business plan for The Big Three automakers. I say yes. It is time for GM, Chrysler and Ford to hire the best. Or better yet we can “lease” them for a 2-day summit. Leasing is always better, except when it’s not.

Or we can save our money if they will just empower some of the visionary minds and hearts already in their organizations to help them re-invent.  Your thoughts?

Just in case your in for $1

While we are at it. Let’s apply the same concept to the church.

Our staff recently had the pleasure of meeting with Roger Berry, Chief Information Officer of Disney Parks and Resorts and to say the least “we have been inspired”. What an amazing experience. Just to make good use of time I am copying or “stealing” notes from my good friend Aaron Unnasch who seems to be a bit more disciplined at recording his thoughts electronically.

Comments from Roger below: (Thanks Aaron)

• At Disney, technology doesn’t make the “magic” happen, but it does enable it.
• God has given everyone the gift of technology. It is our responsibility to learn how He wants us to use it.
• When things are good, the demand for technology goes up. When things are bad, the demand for technology goes up.
• IT must have a seat alongside Finance, HR, and Marketing at the governance table.
• IT must be a part of the decision making process. If not, it is a formula for disaster.
• His 5 points of focus: 1) Stability & Performance 2) Talent Management 3) Segment Strategy 4) Total Cost of Ownership 5) New Technology & Innovation
• Disney knows everything about their customers. They are a trusted brand and, therefore, people willingly share lots of personal information.
• We are more alike than you think. Disney has Intenders –> Repeaters –> Worldphiles. The church has Seekers –> Members –> Disciples.
• You don’t have the resources that Disney has, but you do have power that Disney doesn’t have.
• I believe technology is given to us by God, but it is also a tool of the devil.
• Does your technology plan align with the mission and vision of your organization?
• Are you continually leveraging new technology?
• Will technology change your brand?
• Iteration is important at Disney. We release then release then release….improving each time.
• When I was at Campbell Soup, consultants told us that bad marketing decisions 15 years ago caused us to miss an entire generation. Don’t be late.

Who have you encountered that fits the bill of a Chief Innovation Officer and are you on the journey to take that next step into leadership? Are you truly earning that title “Innovator”? I am refreshing my vision of where I can make the largest impact and seeking God for guidance in this process. Always fun. Always challenging. Who would have it any other way.

Thanks for the feedback: Comments Welcome

Here it is, for a FREE website/logo/bc design pack all you have to do is tweet:

Post any questions for the contest here! Cya. Looking forward to creating your new site/logo/businesscard design!

READ ARTICLE HERE @time http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1902604,00.html

Still compiling notes from some outstanding talks with amazing leaders this week. To quickly summarize the things that stood out the most are vision, energy, strategy and execution. They all have it, they all live it and they all expect it. If we are going to be effective in the marketplace, ministry or anywhere for that matter – we need to lead. Check out the line-up below, blog posts to come this week.

Part I
Glenn Gienko
Motorola
Executive Human Resources – Retired
Topic: “Leading with Strategy & Integrity” – (Talk plus Q&A – Half Day)

Part II
Bobby Gruenwald, Terry Storch, Craig Groeshel, John Otjen
LifeChurch.tv
Pastors, Digerati & Innovation Team
Topic: “Innovation, Technology, Church Online & More” – (Round table and Tour 2-Days)

Part III
Kerry Shook
WoodlandsChurch.tv
Senior Pastor and Best Selling Author One Month to Live
Topic: “Capturing the wonder of an untamed God.” (Staff Refresh 1-Day)

Stay tuned. Can’t wait. Peace.

“Sethisms” are now posted:

“You are either the best in the world or invisible.”

“When times are good buying is a sport.”

“When times are not so good we buy somethings because things will never be this cheap again.”

Link here: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/
Posted by: Bruce Nussbaum on September 25

They call it “Customer Service”, I called it jacked. I just found out what happens when you let a domain expire. I know, very much old news for those who have already been jacked.

Domain Registrars are offering a really helpful feature called domain recovery. Instead of deleting your domain like in the old days, they hold on to your domain for a period of days as a service and all you have to do is pay the small fee to have it recovered. I had four domains that were set for auto-renewal and somehow the domains were not “auto-renewed”. So “Steve” kindly asked me to take out my wallet and hand it over (he did say please).  $80 x 4 plus regular annual domain registration fees. Sorry, bro but I work for a living. I canceled the domains and purchased some comparable names for the client. We will see if that will fly for now.

After a quick search at Google.com I found that registrar recovery fees compare from $150 and $260 dollars per domain.  What in the world? Is everyone smoking crack out of heavy-duty Tupperware? ICANN has recognized a Redemption Grace Period or RGP probably with good intentions (grace) and registrars took it a ran with it.

“Registrar-level ‘grace’ periods differ from registrar to registrar. It could be 0 (yes, zero) days or up to 45 -1 days (usually 30 – 40 days). Registry-level (ICANN endorsed) RGP (Redemption Grace Periods) last exactly 30 calendar days, during which BOTH the registry AND the registrar are entitled to charge extra ‘recovery fees’.”

Whew-we! That sounds like a solid way to make all kinds of extra cash. Who wants to go in with me a start a Domain Wreckovery Service. I’ll get DWS airbrushed on the new Mac Book Pro and hang some fuzzy dice on the desk lamp and we are in business. It’s all about the money.

So the short version is as soon as we are free from OPEC, ICANN steps in. Ah si, comprendo. Gracias. I  would seriously be interested to hear who has stumbled on to this already and how much did it co$t you?

(ICANN; Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers; www.icann.org)
(OPEX; Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries; www.opec.org)

Check out the request for proposals for creatives. Interesting projects and grants for organizations investing in expanding the creative arts; film, photography, design and more. The site also covers projects for technology, research and development, government, professional; all kinds of cool stuff. I bet Woodlands Church could apply for the $15,000 short film grant for creating educational programs promoting film. Anyway, good stuff, good site.

Check it out here: http://www.rfpdb.com/view/home/category/Creative