Ground Hog Day Again

Hope you enjoy last year's visit to Ground Hog Phil's turf! In keeping with the movie Ground Hog Day I just figured I would repeat!

Happy Ground Hog Day!!!

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This day comes only once a year and I have to tell you the excitement and anticipation we as Americans feel for Groundhog Day can only be closely compared to that of Arbor Day or the more deeply entrenched Hang Nail Day. But alas, today is Groundhog's Day and we stand loud and proud as we celebrate this day of infamous honor and deep furry history.

We all have our unique rituals and our own "special" way of celebrating this glorious day. My day will be filled with going door to door wishing my neighbors a Happy Ground Hog day and then it will be off to the annual Groundhog Day Parade (which I hope is better attended than last year) followed by the neighborhood BBQ. Of course no Groundhog Day would be complete without of course proudly wearing my official Groundhog fuzzy undergarments! I live for this day!

I have often wondered why Punxsutawney Phil gets all of the attention on this day that was obviously meant to celebrate all Groundhogs throughout the world. I sent my crack team of investigative reports out to gain some perspective from Phil's "neck of the woods." Here are some of the comments from Phil's furry brethren.

Chip Hog- "I have to be honest with you, Phil and I no longer speak. Once he got a website I swear the guy just got too big for his paws. And when he started getting those Chicklets whitened, that was it for me."

Miller Hog - "Phil is funnier than a bucket of walnuts. I am happy he gets to represent us on such a glorious day. I just wish they would actually let him speak and you my friend would hear some of the funniest stuff you have heard in a long time."

Sweaty Hog - "Phil and I used to be friends. Good friends. We used to go up on Brokeback Mountain and do a little camping. But something came over Phil when he was up there. He turned into an animal and when this thing came over us, well, we just couldn't let that get out as the other 'hogs wouldn't understand ya know. I do miss him and I think about him everyday."

Kelly Hog - "Phil and I used to live together. But fame got to his head and he took up with Britney Spearhog down near the trailer park and I just couldn't take it anymore. He thinks he is all that but she will realize he ain't the hog she thinks he is."

Don Hog - "We all laugh at Phil. Seriously! 364 days out of the year that guy comes busting out of his hole expecting to see all this hoopla and what does he find? Nothing! It is classic. We all gather near the briar tree every morning to watch and giggle. The guy is all ego."

Emeril Hog - "We love all the attention the area gets this time of year. I mean I love waking up to fireworks in the morning BAM! Talk about getting the old ticker going. I just wish people wouldn't bring their kids to these events. Someone is gonna stick their finger in the wrong hole ya know and get it taken off. I mean this looks like a great area but we have some rift raft that has moved in over the past couple of years and some kid is gonna get hurt."

Richard Hog - "Phil is a close friend I am happy to say. But six months ago, Phil was going through some things and was eating a lot. Heck he could barely get through his door it was so bad. We had to get him on a steady diet of greens and of course I worked his hairy little butt off to my "Sweatin to the Mole" and he dropped 4 ounces. He looks like a whole new Groundhog today."

Hillary Hog - "You know I voted for Phil but now I am campaigning to be his replacement. I mean Phil needs to go. Look at me, I am furrier than he is, I have bigger teeth and I have my husband backing me, when he isn't at the local strip bar. Yep I believe the country is ready for a female hog and let me tell you I am the right hog to represent this country. So I am in to win."

Bush Hog - "I like Phil. He is an upstanding American and represents this magical holiday and all is granuure spertacularily. He is also a great asset to our war on taarrreer. He has his ear to the ground a lot and we thank him for his loyalty to our country. I know his fellow groundhogs appreciate what he has done for us." (Yes we spelled it like he spoke it!)

Anna Hog - "I refuse to answer any more questions on Phil. I mean I like the guy but he is not the father of my hog."

Well opinions vary on old Phil but no matter how you slice it, enjoy this celebrated day. I know I sure will. Though my thighs are starting to chafe.

Go create some Groundhog inspired Ripples!!!!

Ripple On!

Steve

Favorite Super Bowl Ad From Last Year

As we get ready for the big game and of course this year's batch of commercials, I figured I would share one of my favorites from last year. Hope this puts a smile on your face and gets your Friday headed in the right direction.

Go Cowboys! Oh yeah.....I forgot. They aren't playing Sunday. Dang it!

The Tipping Point Debate

My good friend Maura Thomas sent this article to me from Fast Company I suspect in part because she knew I would really dig the article because of the Tipping Point discussion and also because she knows I am literally 6 months behind on my periodical reading. At any rate, I read Malcolm Gladwell's book The Tipping Point and have ever since, become fascinated with how products and ideas literally become huge overnight. Something I am still waiting for my book to do by the way.

At any rate, this article by contributing write Clive Thompson delves into the debate by presenting some very interesting points of view from a variety sides on the role influencers, and connectors, have on the whether something takes off. Its an interesting article that is very much worth the time to read.

You can find the article by clicking here.

The article stirs up a number of thoughts and ideas for me. But I am interested in hearing what you think. What do you think it takes to get a product, a service, a concept or an idea adopted by the masses? I invite you to email me or post your comments here. Who knows...the ideas you share may just be what I personally need to hear in order to take my Ripple Concept to the masses!

Ripple On!!!

Engagement Helps Makes Your Company Recession Proof

Baton the hatches and sound the alarm! Every news channel, newspaper or business periodical is predicting an impending recession. Business owners are already scratching their heads as they grapple with whom amongst their staff they will have to let go when the economic vise begins to tighten. Companies are evaluating promotional offers, considering lowering prices and are becoming less focused on customer service.

There's no doubt about it....times are looking pretty bleak. In fact for some, the distant future is looking downright scary. Many companies will be hurt by a downturn in the economy; some as you might suspect won't survive. People will unfortunately lose their jobs as organizations tighten the belt in an effort to survive. Customers will be inevitably affected as both quality and service of some products and services will undoubtedly begin to suffer.

Bleak times for sure. It reminds me of late 1999 when the Dot.Bomb explosion happened. Our economy which had been buoyed somewhat by the dawning of a brick and mortar-less model of doing business through the Internet began to see the same economic fears bubbling to the surface. People were scared. People were worried that we were headed right smack into a recession at that time too.

I remember sitting at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon sometime in late 1999 and listening to other business executives and owners complain about the economy. Their fears were not unfounded, much like the concerns of today, as discussions of how many businesses would not survive the tough economic times ahead. I remember sitting quietly and just listening and taking it all in. A man whom I had known for quite some time said to me, "Aren't you worried Steve. You just started a new venture and you have mouths to feed. Doesn't all of this scare you?"

I will admit I was a bit concerned on the inside; hard not to be when you live in the world of 24 Hour news channels. But my reply to him is the same as it would be today. "No."

The times ahead are survivable for smart executives and business owners. The single reason I was able to grow my company in a time when people were facing decisions much like they are today was I had prepared. I had engaged my customers and prospects and gave compelling and economically sound reasons to buy from me and to continue buying from me. I had created a strong bond with my prospects by understanding how I helped ease some of the economic pressures they might be facing and how my products and solutions could actually help them do more with less. I engaged them and learned from them. I did not sell them. I did not attempt to wow them with desperate discounts. I invested in them so they would feel comfortable investing with me.

These economic times are survivable my friends and I believe your ability to engage your prospects, customers, vendors and your employees is an essential strategy. So how engaged are you with them? Remember when people are thinking about which bills to pay they often factor into who they like and enjoy doing business with the most before deciding who should get paid now and who should wait. Employees who might be susceptible to greener pasture opportunities are less likely to leave the company if they have a strong relationship with their boss or management team. Customers are less likely to abandon ship for a lower discounted offer when they feel valued by the companies they do business with.

So again I ask you, how engaged are you?

There are too many ways to leverage the power of engagement to go into here. If you're interested I would suggest picking up my book to learn more about how I leveraged the power of engagement and connection to not only survive and grow my business but in the end find the path I was truly destined to be on. Click here for information on purchase my book.

Just remember, engagement is a key factor to surviving the troubled waters ahead. You don't have to lose those customers. You don't have to quit selling the products and services you need to sell at the price you need to get. You don't need to worry about losing your key staff to more lucrative and secure offers. You do need to start engaging on every conceivable level and you need to start today!

Good luck. Good Rippling. And for God's sake...turn off those negative news channels and put down those bad news newspapers. Go prove these pundits wrong. You can do it. I believe in you!

Ripple On!!!

Ripple Connection Question Of The Week

Ripple Connection Questions are a unique way to engage people in conversation. Whether with a complete stranger or someone you already know, but want to know better, using Ripple Connection Questions (RCQ) accelerate the dialogue and deepen the connection. The questions are by design, fun to ask and fun to answer, and can take your connection to an entirely new level. Come on, break out of that shell of yours and start Rippling.

So with no further adieu....this week's Ripple Connection Question is:

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR MOST
FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES?

This time of year as the Super Bowl approaches, it would be easy to say football for me. I fancied myself a backyard (or actually front yard) football hero. I had this old Nerf football that I would use and I would, for hours, self-hike the ball to myself and toss it on my parents house and wait for it to come down for a completion. Passes that were thrown on the first story were good for a single completion; I needed two for a first down. Passes that were thrown on the second story would come down much faster and much more unpredictable which made them so much more fun to catch. They of course were good for an automatic first down so I went for them a lot! Hey no guts, no glory right?

I would sit out there for hours and pretend I was leading my beloved Dallas Cowboys down the field for that Super Bowl win. I especially loved this time of year as a snow game added to the flare and excitement of a Steve Harper, Dallas' overlooked and yet undiscovered future franchise quarterback, led win.

I didn't win all of them as to make it fair, I had to play both teams; Dallas and whoever they might be up against that week. And in the battle field of the Harper front yard stadium, there were many tough opponents and very few easy wins. But the wins that I did have will be forever etched in my mind and the memories will forever make me smile.

So what about you? What's your answer to this week's Ripple Connection Question? Use this question with the people who cross you path in life and I guarantee you will open up a plethora of great material from which a deeper more meaningful relationship can be built.

Ripple On!!!

Fever Brings Clarity

I am sick. I hate being sick. I don't often get sick and have managed to not be very sick in quite a long while so I guess I was due.

It all started with Zach coming home last Wednesday with flu like symptoms. Kathy and Josh already had been feeling puny and by Thursday it was clear they all had the same nasty bug. Like a defiant child, I publicly claimed I would not be sick. It worked too...for one full day. So much for intention and manifestation. Germs don't seem to care about those things.

But honestly I don't mind getting sick when it does happen. Don't get me wrong, I hate feeling cruddy. But amidst all of the sneezing, coughing, aching and fever, something usually happens to me. I gain some clarity. I think it may be due to the fever more than anything else but it always happens to me. I think it happens because your body forces you to slow down to a sudden crawl, a pace most of us are not used to. More things, more thoughts, more creativity, more stuff is allowed to process in our minds and hearts and if you pay just enough attention, certain things become more clear.

So today I plan to take it easy and see what comes of it. I have some good books and my journal nearby just in case the fever brings a bouquet of unfiltered and focused thoughts and ideas.

Ripple On!!!

Steve