Solve a real problem – digital trendspotting for the rest of us

/ Susan Hendrich / Leave a comment

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How many new digital trends and tools have you heard about in recent years?

QR codes. Virtual Reality. Google Glass. Geotagging. Alexa. OneNote. SnapChat. GoPro. Instagram. Twitter. Periscope. Home drones. Storyline. PhotoMyne. The mix of new innovations can be dizzying.

So many possibilites bubble up in the cauldron of innovative possibilities…how are we to know which innovations to follow, and which ones to let drift on by?

Here’s an example of a tech trend question we’ve all asked ourselves:

“Should I sign up for ________ (insert popular trend of the day, like Periscope, Twitter, Facebook Messenger), or should I stay with ________ (insert your current way of living)?”

In the latest Harvard Business Review technology post, “How to Know Which Digital Trends Are Worth Chasing,” Robert Haslehurst, Chris Randall, Jon Weber, and Charlie Sullivan break down 3 simple ways recognize a true digital differentiator when you see it.  You can read more in the full article about how a real innovation is one that:

  1. Eliminates customer pain points
  2. Elevates customer service
  3. Creates a differentiated, personalized customer experience

All three of these methods are about solving a real problem for other people. So, as you prepare to check out the article, I challenge to you think about a problem that you experienced. It could be a minor annoyance like an extra step in a bureaucratic process or a major pain point in your daily life.

Now, imagine what would it be like if someone came up with a solution for your problem?  It would feel like magic, right?

That’s the power of innovation – the welcomed relief or joy that comes when someone removes a barrier to your living a peaceful, prosperous and happy life.

Now, go check out the HBR article so you can be a real trendspotter and help bring the next great eWidget to the rest of us.

Source: How to Know Which Digital Trends Are Worth Chasing

 

A Call to Action: Once! Now!

/ Susan Hendrich / Leave a comment

Susan Hendrich's avatarSusan E. Hendrich

Bestselling author (and personal superhero) Kevin Kruse laid down some serious wisdom today. I am highlighting Kevin’s message here for two reasons:

  1. By sharing Kevin’s time management notion of “Touch it once” in this post, I’m doing just that – taking a cool idea that can be executed in less than five minutes and acting on it now, rather than adding the idea to an endless pile of “I oughtas.”
  2. By sharing this creative cadence with you, perhaps we can collectively amplify the drum beat of chaos-free productivity.

Here’s Kevin’s “Touch It Once” Cadence Call…

January 24, 2012 0 Comments

10:00am. My hour of power for health is complete, and I’ve finished an hour of focused writing time. Time to open my email accounts…deep breath.

The Google alert on my own name shows that my previously scheduled blog post went live this morning. I hop over to kevinkruse.com to make…

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Rebuilding after you crumble

/ Susan Hendrich / 1 Comment

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE.

So you blew it. You missed the deadline at work. You forgot your anniversary at home. You skipped the networking opportunity to meet your hero. You didn’t start that novel. You said words you now regret. It feels awful.

NeverTooLateNow what?

It is easy to fall into self-pity and retreat from being your best self after a defeat. After all, you just showed that you’re not perfect. You’re exposed.

That self-pitying retreat can spiral into a self-fulfilling cycle where you start to believe you can’t perform, then you reinforce that belief with further mistakes. More missed opportunities.

But you’re reading this article now for a reason. Maybe something about the word “Rebuilding” in the title triggered a resilience button in your brain. You’re here! And that means you’ve already started thinking about putting the pieces back together. Go, You!

But how?

You’ve made your mistake, and you’ve acknowledged it to yourself. That’s a great start. Now, go do something about it. Something constructive. Something positive. Something restorative. Anything that makes an incremental step toward rebuilding your confidence. Your relationship. Your reputation.

It may sound obvious, but the only way to regain positive momentum is to move forward. And moving forward requires a letting go of the past. Letting go, no matter how painful, how embarrassing, how derailing your blunder was.

You can REBUILD

Here are mental re-sets to help you make an incremental step toward rebuilding:

  1. Reinvent: Think about people you know who have reinvented themselves. Doesn’t everybody love a good comeback? Be the comeback kid in your own story.
  2. Evoke past resilience: Think about a time when you’ve bounced back from a failure. How did you do it? Well, then you can do it again? Even if this time was big-time.
  3. Bring help: No winner ever won by being completely alone. Find someone you trust and talk to them about your experience. I’ll bet they’ll share their own foibles and make you smile.
  4. Underdog yourself: Think about yourself as an underdog. Become your own champion. Champion of the underdog you’ve become. Who doesn’t like to see the underdog get the win?
  5. Imagine your next win: Think about what it will feel like to get your next win. Remember that even the best baseball players strike out more than 50% of the time. Every whiff is one swing closer to your next hit.
  6. Let it go: Use your favorite relaxation technique to release the uncomfortable feelings associated with your mistake.
  7. Do something different: Engage your brain, body and soul in a new activity as a way of demonstrating that you are not limited to your past behavior. Choose a positive action to counter the disappointment you feel.

As long as you are still standing (which I know you are, since you’re still with me here,) you have an opportunity to rebuild.

Let’s get to it!

Your Turn…

Leave a comment to make your statement about rebuilding.

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About Dr. Hendrich

During two decades of leading teams toward extraordinary results in health care, pharmaceutical, arts & cultural, university and military organizations, Susan Hendrich has always been inspired by the stories of people achieving uncommon results through perseverance, positivity and prying opportunity from challenge. Susan’s mantra is “ganbatte kudasai,“ which means, “Always try your best.”