Being OFF is as Important as Being ON

I had the luxury of spending some time by myself on Saturday, wandering through the packed streets at my own pace and stopping where I pleased. I spent a ridiculous amount of time (and money) in a local bookstore, and then felt inspired to sit down and write in my new little notebook. Passing by one of my favorite cafes in my neighborhood, I decided to stop in and sit there to write, rather than in my familiar apartment.

The first thing I see when I walk in to the café is Robin Williams. And who is he sitting with? Craig Ferguson, one of my favorite comedians. (My apologies to the other guy they were sitting with – I’m sure he’s amazingly funny and fabulous as well, but I didn’t recognize him)

So yes, I just name-dropped. Forgive me – I’m excited because I rarely see celebrities. Honestly, though, it’s a rather lame name-drop, as I didn’t talk with them or take a photo with them or anything. I just happened to be in the same space as them. I don’t think they even looked up at me as I walked by, but I’m sure my face registered some surprise. I had to reign myself in from being an annoying fan. I sat away from them to control myself, but did bend an ear in their direction.

It was a revelation. They are NORMAL PEOPLE. It was just three guys sitting around together, catching up, talking about work. Nothing juicy, no punchline-per-second. If you’ve ever seen an interview with Robin Williams, you would think he had no OFF switch, but he most certainly does. He’s a normal guy talking normally with friends. Conversational, friendly.

There’s a time and a place for being ON. For these comedians, it’s on stage or in front of the camera. But when hanging at a coffee shop with friends, they are themselves. Think of your business writing in the same way. There is a time and a place to lay on the sales pitch, throw in jargon, focus on the product rather than benefits. The place for this is usually not your website.

There are so, so many avenues to express your business. Your website does not have to be the one and only thing that must include it all. Sales sheets, brochures, blogs, taglines, postcards, posters, trade show booths, videos, promotions, etc, etc – all can help you share your message in a more targeted way. They do not have to be expensive or viral, they just have to get to your message to your audience in an authentic way.

Authentic being key. On stage, a comedian is a performer. Sitting in a café, a comedian is a person. He would have no friends if he was performing 24 hours a day. Authenticity is key to making a connection with your audience. Allow your website to peek into your true self. Yes, there is a way to do that while still being professional. And then experiment with other avenues that pique your interest. There’s a lot of creative space out there – use it.

Personality in Business: Southwest Airlines

It seems a lot of companies are afraid of personality. Many company websites, from a small business to a large corporation, read like styrofoam. Dry, stoic, functional but bland. Environmentalists have told you how bad styrofoam is for the earth. Well, content styrofoam is bad for your company environment.

Will content styrofoam bring your company to its knees? No. So it won’t kill you. But how is it helping you?

If your website is pretty bland with standard industry verbiage and long-winded text, it either means you are (a) a bland company or (b) has a website that really doesn’t reflect your company. Option (a) cannot be true, since every company was built from someone’s passion, a fire from deep within, and that’s always exciting. Go with option (b) and you’re selling yourself short.

It’s scary to stand up and announce your personality. It’s very personal and there is the risk of alienating people who don’t mesh with you. But when you do stand by your personality, you work more confidently, knowing you are yourself, and you attract people who respect all that you are. The naysayers who are scared of this honesty can go find another bland company to work with, while you celebrate each day with the people you want to meet.

Businesses tend to confuse personality with unprofessional. That is not the case. You can be both. Personality does not mean bold colors and jokes and all smiles, unless that is your personality. If you are a pretty mellow accountant, personality means relaying that there is a person behind the jargon and answering the fears that most people have in seeing an accountant. Personality is being human, and at the end of the day, in business and in everyday life, all people want is a human connection.

Southwest Airlines shows their personality through bold colors and jokes and all smiles. The flight attendants, as I mentioned yesterday, inject humor into humdrum airline speak. Their commercials are a bit irreverent. They focus on great customer service instead of extra food or charging for baggage. Their coffee cups say a lot about them:


Yes, I took a photo of the coffee cup, I liked it so much. They put time into designing an original cup that shares a glimpse into what Southwest is all about.

1. They put time into developing the thing you get for free.
They have a signature coffee blend, LIFT, as the cup tells me. Spaced along the top are adjectives to tell you more about the blend = “Mountain Grown,” “Freshly Brewed,” “Smooth.” You do not pay extra for great coffee - they just want you to have a great coffee experience. They are squashing the swill-on-airplanes stereotype.

2. They care about the environment.
True, an overplayed hot button of the time, but an important one nonetheless. The cup is 12% post consumer recycled fiber, as it says on the cup. This has nothing to do with your coffee experience but it is a nice added bonus. No styrofoam here! Why not tell others about the nice things you are doing?

3. They are community-minded.
They proudly donate to the Guatemala Light Project. Not enough room to detail what this is, they leave you with the sentiment: “Drink our coffee and LIFT others!”

4. They are proud to give you such a nice coffee experience.
The LIFT blend has its own logo. They did not just slap their normal Southwest logo on the cup and call it a day. This is special - you should feel special.

For a small spot of real estate, they explained a lot about themselves without gimmicks. Never before in my life have I taken a photo of an airline coffee cup. The personality of this cup made it stand out, made it memorable and obviously, even made me write about it. And that’s a coffee cup. Think of what you can do in your business to showcase your personality and seem more like a human. Make a real connection. Be styrofoam-free.

The Disappointing Tagline - a group brainstorm

I don’t watch much TV, but this past season of Shear Genius hooked me in. This is the reality competition show for hair stylists. I love seeing how each contestant interprets a challenge, and creates something amazing.

Like any show of this kind, Shear Genius is filled with drama, color, and celebrity. It is always entertaining. But there was one thing that bothered me. At the end of each show, the host would sign off by saying, “And remember, hair is important.”

Hair IS important, no arguments there. But I thought the line sounded like a weak afterthought. For a show that showcases such creativity and highlights personality, the tagline was lackluster. It needs something with more action and more finesse. C’mon, we can do better. Let’s brainstorm…

A great style is hairapy for the soul

Care for the hair and it will care for you

Give it your all

Between hair and heaven, I’d choose hair

Hair makes the difference

Care for the hair, smile for the client

Between hair and hell stands a great stylist

Locks are loaded – aim carefully

Care for the hair that lands in your chair

Hair that makes the grade will get you paid


This is brainstorming, so anything goes. I would not use half of these but maybe they will inspire you to create something great. Let’s hear what you came up with - storm away in the comments!


PS – for anyone who did watch Shear Genius this season, you know that Brig Van Osten won. She owns a salon in Simi Valley, CA, and has a really unique personal style. She has yellow hair and wears big bows. She also has a great blog, where she talks about hair and style. Check it out at www.brigknowsbest.com.

Clichés, or How to be Uncreative

This is an actual phone conversation I overheard:

“Hi, Bob, this is Lisa. I'm doing well. How are you? Oh, that's good. Well, I was calling to pick your brain about the company event coming up next month. We’re adding some teambuilding activities to promote the theme of ‘Working as One,’ and we’d like to have some staff members lead the activities. We’re looking for individuals who are outgoing, who embody the corporate initiatives, who get along with their peers. Off the top of your head, do you have any staff that fit the bill? Oh really? That would be great. Would you mind asking her if she would lend a hand with this? We’re getting close to the zero hour so we’d need a decision ASAP. You’re a lifesaver. And please keep it in the back of your mind, as we’ll need a few more people. Ha, ha. Right? Easier said than done. Thanks again, Bob. Talk with you soon.”

I kid you not. That was the conversation. Every office cliché was used in the span of two minutes. It made me sad, and even a little angry.

Clichés are leeches. They seem harmless but they suck the life out of your conversation. They show a lack of creativity, and really, you're smarter than that. Think of clichés as saying “um” over and over again between real thoughts. They add no value.

You cannot convince me otherwise. Please do not argue that clichés are useful because people automatically know what you mean. Baloney. There are a lot of concise, basic words between clichés and Roget’s that are common enough to use in every day language. So use them. The goal is not to recreate Shakespeare with every phrase - the goal is to get your message across in the simplest way.

It’s easy to confuse simple with easy. Let’s think about it in terms of shopping. The simple way is to focus on your favorite clothing stores, looking for your size and buying things in your price range. Done, and you look fabulous. The easy way is grabbing clothes off the nearest rack and immediately buying them without checking the size or choosing the color. This would lead to a wardrobe of stuff you would never wear because nothing fits well and does not present you at your best. Same goes for your words.

It will take time and will take some effort. The best thing you can do is read more. It's true – reading any kind of medium will introduce fresh phrasing and words. Also pay attention to word patterns used by interesting speakers. Most of all, remember that just because certain phrases are used in the workplace does not mean they are good. Corporate offices are ripe with jargon and limp communication – don't buy into it. The English language is so rich, holds so many possibilities, that you're really cheating yourself if you don't express your thoughts in your own words.