I am pleased to be included in the 2009 Good Brands Report published by trends research, innovation, and activation firm PSFK. The best description of the report comes from PSFK’s own description:

The Good Brands Report of 2009 is a celebration of leadership during this challenging year. Those who made it onto the list are businesses from which we should learn.

They are not just the well-known brands of the day, but also companies that lead by example in innovation, environmental consciousness, and social policy. We started our search for the Good Brands of 2009 by looking at the companies we were writing about on PSFK.com throughout this year. Then, we asked a panel of cross-industry global experts from the Purple List to tell us which of 40 common brands on PSFK were considered ‘Good’.

The report includes several global brands including Good Magazine, Amazon, Facebook and Virgin, the latter brand where my quote was used, as follows:

It reads, “When you see the Virgin name on something, you know it will be a pleasant experience.”

Though I have only been exposed to a small number of Virgin brands, namely its record label and music stores, my quote holds true when I think of it. The Virgin Music store in Paris is a must-see – it is huge and has every minutae of genre. Granted, that store will probably morph over time, but the 2 times I went were always a great shopping experience.

You can read the report below, as it is embedded as a Slideshare presentation, or click the link below to download it as a PDF.

Thanks to the folks at PSFK for not only creating the report, but for hosting the Purple List. Also of note, Piers Fawkes, one of the co-founders of PSFK, is also one of the co-founders of likemind!

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Allow me to share some advice I have learned over time – don’t eat at networking events.

Unless the event is specifically a breakfast, lunch or dinner, don’t eat at it. If not a formal meal, eating involves walking around with food while talking with people and probably enjoying some form of a beverage. Add to it business card exchanging, taking notes, and overall focus on the conversation in front of you, unless you are a member of Cirque du Soleil, you will certainly not be able to balance it all perfectly. As the purpose of the event is networking, you are surely not getting the return you could be from the event. Not to mention the cleaning bill from when you flip a chicken skewer onto your shirt.

I am not saying you should not have a drink at an event – alcoholic or not – as they serve a function, especially if you tend to talk a lot (like me) and your mouth is dry. When holding a drink, you still have a free hand to shake someone’s hand, pass a business card, etc. People will also be less likely to notice you without food rather than without a plate of food, as they may assume you already had something. If you spill a drink, it is less likely to show a stain – and to make it less so, wear something dark.

In order to pull this off, eat before you get to the event. Even if you bring with you a granola bar to eat just before the event, it should be enough to carry you through the time. Plus you’ll have the chance to check your teeth for stuck food particles before you go out and meet new people. Somewhere I recall someone, someplace talking about first impressions.

If anything, because you are hungry there’s an opportunity to grab a bite to eat afterwards, and ideally with someone you may want to get to know better from the event. As the event is drawing to a close, you can invite people out for a drink and appetizers. If they ask you why you are hungry, you can simply quote your new networking strategy!

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Regular readers of The Hot Iron know I have written a post or 2 (more like several) on unlocked mobile devices, or mobile phones as some know them as. Where I have tried to explain it, the following video does a great job explaining the benefits of an unlocked device. Watch the video below or view the video directly.

This video showcases the specific US network providers as not all of them offer a SIM card. This differs greatly from pretty much the rest of the world! Devices like the iPhone and many other models stamped with a carrier’s logo are locked to those networks, and there isn’t even the option to use a SIM card. This video is from Nokia, who sells mostly unlocked devices, though recently they have offered models locked to Verizon Wireless.

Of course, unlocked devices cost more. But their value is also greater as you have a better chance of reselling it as the market for it is greater. Some device manufacturers, like Apple, only want you to use them on a specific network, as they have made business deals with the network provider for exclusivity. Where that may work for them, it doesn’t work for the masses who want a particular device. The providers like locked devices as they probably see it a big part of their competitive advantage, which is a lot harder than providing excellent customer service!

This video is a great start to educating people, but it will time. In the meantime, I shy away from the iPhone. But note to Steve Jobs – I would be willing to pay a lot more than the highest price you currently charge for the iPhone to get one unlocked!

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1,069 pages. That’s one-thousand, sixty-nine pages, and no pictures either. The text on the pages was tight to the margins too. Spending an hour may get you through a dozen pages. Thus reading Atlas Shrugged took me almost a year, and finally I have another book takeaway to present.

That being said, I enjoyed reading Ayn Rand’s famous novel. I came by it from mentions in other books and blogs I have read, as well as from reports in the media. The latter has much to do with the free-market theme of the book. Many who call themselves Libertarians consider this book from their inspiration to their manifesto. As a result, Atlas Shrugged is referred to much with regards to today’s political environment, especially in the US, and by “both sides of the aisle” in one form or another. That being said, I am not writing takeaways about politics, as I wish only to look at what I took away from it within the theme of The Hot Iron. Any other dialogue on it can be discussed over adult beverages!

With that setup, here are my takeaways from Atlas Shrugged.

Understand the big picture – Many times decisions are made in business (and life too) that have an impact within a small sphere. Even if the results of these decisions are successful, they could have a negative impact on the bigger picture. Sometimes when an action is taken locally it may have not been needed, as there could have been something globally that could have been tapped into, thus saving time and cost. More often than not, a decision is made without regard it may impact those outside of the sphere, and ultimately does.

The best way I approach this is to step back and say to myself, “what is the ultimate goal?” This type of thinking outside of the box almost always brings creative ideas.

Get the best people for the job – There are 2 ways to do this. One is to simply match the job with the best qualified individual, one who brings experience and integrity to the role. The second way is to hire someone who you believe can do the job and manage them well and give them the time and venue to learn the job. If you don’t give someone the opportunity to thrive, they won’t.

Stick to your principles – Your principles are the one thing you can truly own. When your business runs out of customers, time or money, you will still have your principles. When you compromise them, not only are you changing how you operate but also yourself. You can change aspects of how you execute and still stick to your principles. It may take more effort, but in the end you will still be you.

Know when to quit – Quitting doesn’t mean a finite termination in all cases. It could be pausing what you do or simply doing what you do best in a different venue. Quitting is often considered failure. But if you look at the big picture, you may not see that is necessarily the case.

I enjoyed the journey that was reading Atlas Shrugged and highly recommend it to everyone. I considered it a worthwhile investment of my time. Now back to my other books that stacked up over the last year.

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Book Take-Aways • Business • (5) Comments • Permalink

Thrive. It’s a word I have been thinking about a lot lately. Up until about a year ago it was not a part of my regular vocabulary. With the help of some close advisors, it was put in front of me and really hasn’t left. Nor do I want it to.

Thrive is a powerful word. It is about not just moving forward, but being propelled. It is not a word you see in mainstream media at all, but comes in heavy doses in business and motivational books. Where many are talking mere survival, we should all be thinking about thriving.

To thrive is not a single event, rather it is a journey. Many elements are needed to thrive – some are energy, time, attitude and partners. Some may be able to do it alone, and others may need the help of others… in the later case, hopefully all involved will all thrive.

Thriving takes work, focus and a positive attitude. Outside and inside forces must be continuously overcome to thrive. To some it will be easier than to others.

If you are a regular reader of The Hot Iron you will see me use the word thrive more and more. If you are not a regular reader – subscribe!

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