Herb Morreale's Comments

Online Aspect : Hey Josh, what are you doing now?

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 01:15:11 +0000

Hey Josh. It's a journey - truly. There's always a new destination, but the path to it is where the real adventure is. Good luck.

Bill Flagg : Know Your Customer

Mon, 7 Jun 2010 15:33:21 +0000

Bill, You're exactly right. It's way to easy to get internally focused. Aside from talking to clients/customers to make sure I know their needs (get them to buy, make adjustments, etc), when I talk to them it sparks new ideas on how to make the product/company better. Then I can bring those ideas to my team and they can execute (assuming my idea is practical - some aren't). I've come to believe that getting out of the office is the #1 most valuable thing I can do for my business.

Feld Thoughts : Kaguya Spacecraft Crashes into the Moon

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 16:54:12 +0000

did you see the little person waving at the spacecraft as it went by?

Domino Theory : New Thought about Domino Movement

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 14:39:35 +0000

Jay, Great idea. If you were reminded/nudged to keep a domino moving you would certainly be more motivated if you knew that it really can (and has) made a difference. We will definitely add that to our plans. Keep the great ideas coming, it's much appreciated.

Feld Thoughts : Deep Calm

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:15:48 +0000

Trent and I did similar things at XOR and think it made huge difference. Good advice. And making a really commitment to it is the key. Too often it's the kind of thing that can easily be justified off the todo list. Calming the mind is REALLY important. I truly believe that it's hard to have breakthrough thoughts regarding business or life when the mind is racing. A stream, meditation, music, whatever it takes. The mind is the most important asset of an entrepreneur, and too often we let it race out of control and in turn our effectiveness declines. It's much harder than it sounds because driving in the slow lane often feels especially constraining (think about driving through a school zone when you are in a hurry). But, we know we shouldn't speed through a school zone. We also shouldn't speed through being a leader - it's dangerous to the business, the people around us, and ourselves. Thanks for the post on this topic Brad.

Domino Theory : Some activity at Topplers.org

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:10:11 +0000

Hey Jay, Thanks for checking out Topplers. Basically how it works is this: you get a domino from someone, you register it as now being yours, tell the story of how you got it, then pass it on. We have a new website in the works which will hopefully make all of this more clear, and allow people to order dominos if they want to start their own branch in the topple. We have lots of fun ideas in the works. Please continue to track our progress and provide feedback. It's always greatly appreciated!

Domino Theory : Topple Video

Wed, 13 May 2009 02:18:04 +0000

Yes, Terry, it is too bad you lost those dominos. I'm glad you're willing to help make some new ones. I think the giant dominos will be very popular with educators and maybe they'll be willing to purchase some to help support Topplers. Then, you can donate your time to Topplers making dominos and we can sell them. Sounds great huh? But seriously, I agree, those big dominos were great and we should make another set soon!

Thanks for the post to the blog.

Domino Theory : Thinking - Dreaming

Tue, 3 Feb 2009 16:11:24 +0000

Michael, That seems like the perfect dream for you. Thanks for sharing. I wonder, are there no other dreams out there? I don't have a huge readership, but I would think others would jump into the conversation. I think I'm going to try to spark up a similar conversation on Facebook.

Domino Theory : Brenden's Topple

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:42:03 +0000

Totally agree. So many times a simple idea never seems like enough, so we think “bigger” and it ends up not working. Either the problem gets so big it’s hard to have the courage/energy/something to start, or you try to get others involved in the topple and they say “hold on, that sounds hard.”

I really haven’t writing much about the KISS principle much. Thanks for bringing it up.

Domino Theory : Update: Domino Day 2008

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:56:32 +0000

Sadly, they never got back to me. I had the feeling I was getting blackholed. I can only guess why. However, you would think that someone offering to pay their own way, stay out of the way, and use the information to build awareness of Domino Theory would be a easy thing to agree to. Maybe they thought it was too good to be true and didn’t trust me. Oh well, I’ll try again in the future.

Domino Theory : A Topple for You To Join: Be a Patriot

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:36:45 +0000

I receive an email comment to the effect, "Hey, some blacks are voting for him just because of his skin color." Yes, very true, and very broken. So, when looking for dominoes to tip in this topple, realize they come in all colors.

Feld Thoughts : Minor Behavior Modifications

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:35:08 +0000

I'm also a huge Outlook tasks person. Like you, it's what kept me from getting an iPhone for a long time. The one thing I do with Outlook that some people don't is drag my email onto my todo list. Anyway, I have also found that the iPhone Notes app and emailing to me works just fine. I was surprised! I always have a note called "ToDo" and that's where I capture things when I'm mobile, then I email to myself, and convert it into tasks. Sounds clumsy, but there's actually some value in that extra step.

Domino Theory : Is Your Kidney a Domino? Part 2

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 09:10:54 +0000

I received this email after making the post: Herb many thanks, I am in process of putting out a more detailed email with a contact coordinator at University Hospital, so a person can contact them direct, vs a family member. The KEY thing to post or offer up is that the person can do a simple blood test, no charge, to determine if they are a god match. There is NO commitment required, they can remain anonymous, and have time to think through, to see if right for them and family. I can tell you that me and the last donor are very healthy today.....no issues. let me know if other questions...thanks MUCH, we really need to spread the word and find the perfect person, they are out there.... Steve

Domino Theory :

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:00:29 +0000

Michael, Absolutely. In the past I've talked about what's required for a domino to go from being "struck" (hearing the message), and then tipping (passing it on). I believe there are three catagories of things that must come together for the tip to happen: Inspiration: the notion that the idea is inspiring enough for the domino/person. Education: it's very clear what how I actually go about tipping - in other words what I do next and how to do it. Incentive: By tipping I get what in return - exactly to your point. With regards to things that are incentives there are lots of options such as: - you'll feel good - you'll look good - you'll have less guilt (this is used too often) - you'll be part of something cool - you'll make a tangible difference you get the point . The big thing with Domino Theory is to understand that each domino in the chain needs to go through a transition from being struck to tipping over. And not all dominos are alike. Some tip easier than others, and some tip for different reasons. Each domino must do what it takes to strike the next with the right "angle" and the topple creator must set things up so that's the case. Thanks, great comment.

Domino Theory :

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:02:39 +0000

Josh,

Thanks. And yes, catching the vision is key. That’s why a powerful purpose is so important.

I’ve recently put together a list of strategies for more effective Toppling. I’ll write more on this later for here they are for now:

Strategies For More Effective Toppling:
•Have A Powerful Purpose
•Set Your Topples Up Carefully
•Look For Dominoes Everywhere
•Tip Into Dominoes Already Set Up
•Encourage & Embrace The Branches
•Help Out When You Need To
•Make Your Topples Fun
•Think Big, Topple Big
•Be Brave, Tip It!

- Herb

terrygold.com : Theresa Beckemeyer success story

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:22:04 +0000

I bought one of Theresa's beautiful paintings for my mom and it's truly one of her most prized possessions! I would suggest that Theresa consider using Flickr. That way she can build a following there with other emerging artists, and there are nice widgets for connecting content from Flickr to blog sites. I'm working on a new blog for etown and right on the front page there will be a gallery of pictures from the latest shows, and it's served to the wordpress site via RSS so as new photos go up on flickr it automagically shows up on the blog. With a good wordpress site she could probably add ecommerce as well, and lots of other cool things.

Domino Theory : When Was Your Last Moment of Inspiration?

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:59:34 +0000

Here's a story I receive via email from a reader about feeling inspired: It was a freezing February day in a suburb of Chicago, below 0 degrees. I was driving past a strip mall and noticed a gerry-rigged sort of tent made out of shopping carts and plastic bags set up in a deserted area of the mall. Although I didn't see anyone, I impulsively pulled into the area and took out $20.00 with the idea that I would just leave it inside the "tent". As I pulled up, a man came out and just stood by his shelter. I walked over and said I hoped this gift would help him feel warmer. He looked surprised, blessed me and went back under the tent. I am not an impulsive type of person, but I am proud that in this instance I just acted on a feeling of wanting to help in some small way. I sent back the following questions: - Do you recall what motivated you that day to act vs. other times when a similar situation presented itself? - What motivated you to get out of your comfort zone that day? It's very interesting to think about the source of motivation that leads to leaving your comfort zone...

Bill Flagg : Picking a Profit or Popularity Model

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 12:12:02 +0000

Bill, +1 on profit model. Few exceptions to that rule in my opinion. I've tried over and over to believe I was just old school on this, but over time I've come to know that the pursuit of profit keeps things real. Nothing like sitting down with a potential investor or acquirer when you have business that generates cash vs. burns it.

Feld Thoughts : Grandma's Marathon - 32th Anniversary Edition

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:54:00 +0000

crap, I hope I never have a finish like that. Ouch!!! But, like I've said before to you, I think it's harder to hang in there and keep going when you're slow then it is to be fast. A lot of people think they "know Brad." Having been there with you at the finish, as a person, not Mr. Cool VS Guy, I saw what you were really made of (set your mind - do it). Yes, 20 miles at an average of 30 sec/mile slower than race pace, plus at least one tempo run of 5-8 miles per week.

Domino Theory : Congratulations & Thank You Topplers!

Wed, 21 May 2008 06:03:44 +0000

FYI: I'm heading out of town for a few days and won't around to catch up on comments until next week. Hope to see a bunch when I return...