Eric Ungs

A new year brings new goals.

Most likely those who set goals won’t achieve them. I’ll admit it, I fall into this category at times. This doesn’t mean there isn’t work taking place, it’s just that most times the goals set are unobtainable.

88 percent of new years resolutions fail.

According to a national survey by the MorningStar Farms brand 88% of resolutions fail – granite the survey concentrated on health related resolutions, the concept is the same.

This year will hope to be a prosperous year through implementing goals and action plans I can reach.

Bring on 2011…

1. Always do whatever it takes.
Each year and every day, there aren’t any excuses. The ‘excuses’ that pop up is the lizard brain wanting to resist anything from producing art; from achieving. Be persistent in pushing through the lizard brain.

2. Read a book a month.
Reading books is a great way to gain industry knowledge and also allows the creativity to surface. Ideas automatically ignite from what lies within the covers. The kicker: I have to alternate each month with a business related book to a non business related book. This allows me to give myself a rest on industry related issues while gaining various perspectives from the book in hand and thinking outside of the marketing realm.

3. Disconnect to increase productivity.
This year I really want to make an effort in setting aside chunks of time disconnecting from the web to enhance my productivity. Not saying I am not capable of doing both, but the productivity levels skyrocket when it’s just you and your thoughts. This means disconnecting from people, email, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Reader, etc.

4. Freelance push.
I want to be able to set aside time to contribute to my freelance services and making a conscious effort in lightly communicating those services.

5. Increased blogging efforts.
If you haven’t noticed, my last blog post was on July 30, 2010. Again, there are no excuses. You can expect one post per week with an additional “e’s week in review” post every Sunday evening. Feel free to call me out when you notice a skipped post.

6. Stamping Education as a  major contributor for AAF CR-IC.
As I enter my second year with the American Advertising Federation I have a better sense of the expectations, by both the board and the students. Education has an opportunity to put itself on the AAF map.

7. Reigniting 380social
380social was quietly put on the back burner. This year the founding fathers want to regroup and restrategize in keeping this group in tact. The commitment wihtin the 380social community is there. It’s being able to remain consistent and persistent on both ends – but that starts with the founding fathers.

8. Implementing the social space into the financial services business model.
This year will be the year, with my current employer Transamerica, that training and implementation of the social media channels will have a common section in the agency’s business model and marketing initiatives.

So that’s it – these are the goals that I will strive to achieve day-in and day-out.

So what about you…  What are your goals or new years resolutions for 2011?

Photo courtesy: Mooi - Flickr

Posted by Eric Ungs

Artists are indispensable linchpins.

When I first started reading Linchpin by Seth Godin, I went to work the next morning angry. I was angry I had to work on someone else’s terms, angry I had to abide by authority, and angry I had to be there in the first place. I honestly had a bad day and I couldn’t stop thinking about what Seth was saying. Later that evening I picked up where I left off and continued reading, and realized I was angry for the wrong reasons.

I don’t wake up to do my job, I now consume my work with my art.

I finally realized the 9 to 5 gig isn’t the underlying issue. The problem is allowing the resistance to continue doing your job. Instead you need to ignore your lizard brain (the voice that encourages you to give in to resistance, to feel content, play it safe) and do the work. Part of the valued art, that everyone has within, is emotional labor. Most people go to their job and tackle their daily tasks. The tasks someone of authority told them to do, the processes to follow, and the lyrics to read. When emotional labor is involved, it brings humanity into your job. It brings the things that make up you into your work. When you can bring your humanity into your workplace you will find passion for your work you never knew you had.

It’s easier said than done… But it’s just as easy to do it too, you just have to do it.

It’s already within just express it. Seth describes it like this: “If you reserve your emotional labor for when you are off duty, but you work all the time, you are deprived of the joy you get when you do this labor. Now, you’re not giving gifts on duty, but you’re not off duty much at all. Spend eight to ten hours a day at work, and there’s not a lot of time left for the very human acts that make you who you are and who you want to be. So bring that gift to work.” This creates value, and when value is created, you’ve gained respect, and most importantly you’ve become irreplaceable. You’ve become someone who is making a difference, a game changer. Indispensable.

It’s as simple as being your authentic self and not being afraid to stand out.

This book isn’t solely about enriching your professional career, it also implies to your personal developement. Quit going through the motions the system told you to do. Instead, do things off the beaten path. The paved path is safe and you feel pretty content, when you veer off into the tall grass, this is where innovation occurs, this is where you make a difference, and this is where you give your gift. You’ve become valuable.

This is truly a must read. There is so much value between the covers you will be in awe. I was constantly writing notes and bookmarking. Whether you’re looking for a personal pick me up or need to find some drive for your work, this book will get you to do both.

Vocabulary you’ll find throughout the book: Lizard brain. Cog. Linchpin. Art. Work. Emotional labor. Resistance. Thrashing. Indispensable. Gifts.

Posted by Eric Ungs

Every other week I will share with you the interesting things I came across through my “e’s Weeks in Review” post. It could be anything; blog posts, tech products, new apps., quotes, etc. If you have found any interesting tidbits or news, please share in the comments below, I’d love to hear about them.

Optimism is the most important human trait, because it allows us to evolve our ideas, to improve our situation, and to hope for a better tomorrow. Seth Godin, “Linchpin”
 

 1.) Google Listen: Currently in Google Labs, this Android app acts as an audio magazine. You can also organize to your liking on your desktop through Google Reader. Great for catching up on podcast’s during workouts.

2.) Social Media 101: Excited to learn Chris Brogan just release his new Social Media crash course book. Also was informed that he and Julien Smith are working on a third together. WebWorkerDaily goes further into detail.

Posted by Eric Ungs

As I am reading Linchpin by Seth Godin, he discusses emotional labor versus physical labor. Briefly; physical labor is the type that causes fatigue, it’s work, hard work that someone of authority has told you to do. Emotional labor is something that is not generally on your day-to-day checklist. It’s a type of personal uniqueness that makes it hard to replicate; your smile, generosity, passion, caring, sincerity, etc.

The top of your company’s totem pole consists of the owners, executives, and managers. These are the folks innovating, implementing, creating, enforcing policy, and ultimately setting your daily agenda of things do to. At the top of the totem pole you are able to see far and wide of the beautiful scenery, but as you start to slide down, its breathtaking view starts to become non-existent, so does your humanity, your voice.

Why is it that at the bottom of the corporate ladder you have NO voice?

It’s assumed that the less you make the quieter the voice. In most cases, this assumption is true, but why? Isn’t the bottom of the totem pole generally the first thing to come in sight considering it’s at eye level? The same holds true for most organizations. The bottom of the ladder being the first, last, and most times, the only contact with the customer. But yet organizations have them abiding by a set of rules on how you should say this and when. Let them create their own voice. Let them use their emotional labor that they share outside of the workplace that has them being liked and loved by so many people. Let them showcase what defines them as a human. This type of interaction is contagious and soon the customer, manager, and your colleagues will catch it. It’s called creating a human relationship. Humanize the workplace instead of always having to read off of a transcript that the consumer has heard a million times before.

Does your organization allow those in contact with the customer have their own voice?