Our Top 5 Posts of 2013

Motivation, innovation, self-actualization top the list along with grappling with angry customers and stress reduction.

Based on comments and feedback from you, it would seem that getting an early start on New Year’s resolutions was our most popular rant of 2013. It was up there, but it didn’t make the Top Five. Sure it’s only January 4^th, but we advise our clients to start their resolutions (i.e. habit-changing exercises) at least a month before the new year so you have time to work the bugs out of your resolutions and re-set your goals to more reasonable aspirations. How are you doing on that?

Contact us here to share your stories of triumph or self-loathing.

That being said, you should never set the bar low and forget about your BHAGS (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). As our analytics confirm, our most popular post of 2013 was about why it’s a great time to be self-motivated. Our other most popular posts came from a wide variety of topics.

HB Publishing/Online Marketing B2Beat Top 5 Posts of 2013

1. A great time to be self-motivated. Are you up for it?
2. IOC grappling with irate customer, membership base
3. Don’t fall victim to things that stifle innovation
4. Bye-Bye Blackberry?
5. Real-world tactics for reducing stress

For instance, the sports world was shocked last winter by the International Olympic Committee’s rash decision to drop wrestling from the Olympic program. That’s like banning hot dogs from the ball park and as many of you know, the great sport of grappling was recently reinstated thanks to a massive worldwide outcry of support. A couple of important lessons really seemed to resonate with you: (a) Never take your status as a “must have” for granted no longer how long you’ve been in business; (b) Never give up fighting for what you believe in; (c) Don’t underestimate the power of social and mobile media to galvanize a worldwide community and (d) You’ve got to address your angry clients/customers ASAP or heaven help you if you ignore them. Here’s the post if you missed it.

We were also pleased to learn that most of you are not satisfied with the status quo and you Don’t fall victim to things that stifle innovation (our No.3 post). You also learn to adapt as many of you finally made the switch from Blackberry to IOS or Android smartphones (see Bye-Bye Blackberry) and we noticed more of you than ever checking us out via mobile device. Thank you.

Finally, we all need to do a better job or reducing stress in this always connected, hyper-competitive world. The year 2014 should be a good one overall, but it’s not going to be easier less eventful than 2013. If you haven’t done so already, please check out No.5 on our most popular post list: Real-world tactics for reducing stress.

Conclusion                                                                                

If you can follow the advice of the late Steve Jobs and “stay hungry and foolish” while staying motivated, avoiding innovation stifling traps and keeping your anxiety level in balance, then you’re a step ahead of the rest of the pack and in for a great year and more.


Our blog has more as well as the FREE Resources page of our website.

Tags: Getting motivated, end of Blackberry, reducing stress, Olympic wrestling, don’t stifle innovation

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Our blog has more as well as the FREE Resources page of our website.

Adapting Without Caving in

What B2B marketers can learn from wrestling’s reinstatement to Olympics.

With Syria, 9/11 and the new Apple iPhone introduction dominating headlines this week, you may have missed another important story that’s been stirring international controversy since February. The sport of wrestling—real, unscripted, grappling by remarkably fit men and women—overcame a death sentence by the International Olympic Committee this winter and was reinstated (video). That rarely happens.

This means wrestling, a sport which dates back to the ancient Olympics over 3,000 years ago, is back on the Summer Olympic program, at least through 2024. Even if you don’t know a half-nelson from a headlock, there are some valuable lessons here for any marketer who thinks their brand and products are so entrenched in the marketplace that they will never be challenged or lose relevancy.

Big time wakeup call

In February, wrestling, which has appeared in all the modern Games dating back to Athens in 1896, was axed from the 2020 program after the IOC executive board made an assessment of the performance of all 26 sports in the 2012 London Olympics. Just like that. Cut. After 3,000 years.

Our comment at the time, “IOC Grappling with Irate Customer, Member Base” was the most widely read and circulated post in the six year history of this weekly blog. We’re big sports fans here, but we rarely cover athletics in this forum unless there’s a business angle.

Sucking it up

Rather than throw in the white towel (wrestlers rarely do), or publicly criticize the IOC for its short-sightedness, the world wrestling community sprang into action via social media, traditional media and face-to-face outreach. For once, countries as diverse as the U.S., Russia and Iran found some common ground (some would say common enemy). The global grappling community flooded the IOC website and amassed a list of petitions, signatures and endorsements on its behalf from 35 of the 50 U.S. governors and from leaders from over 100 countries. Outdoor competitions and exhibitions were held in major cities around the globe to showcase the sport to average, everyday citizens.

Rather than defend its legacy status as one of the original Olympic sports, wrestling took its demotion as a “wakeup call.” In short, it was time to modernize the sport and make it easier for the average Olympic viewer to understand, with more offense, less stalling, more female competitors and shorter time periods. All while preserving the sports’ basic integrity.

Even former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld got into the act. Rumsfeld, a former Princeton grappler, wrote an open letter to the IOC and an emotional op-ed piece for the Washington Post and other media outlets. “Wrestling is a universal sport that anyone can participate in regardless of geography, weather, race, gender, or economic background,” Rumsfeld wrote in February. “All that is needed is a flat surface, two competitors and a referee.”

“This crisis gave us the strength to change and we finally found we can change," observed Nenad Lalovic, new head of the international wrestling federation (FILA).

“I would like to offer my congratulations to the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “Wrestling has shown great passion and resilience in the last few months. They have taken a number of steps to modernize and improve their sport, including the addition of more women and athletes in decision-making positions; rule changes to make the sport more exciting and easy to understand; and an increase in the number of women’s competitions.”

Conclusion

Every once in a while a company, group or leader gets knocked from atop its long-held pedestal, accepts its new reality without making excuses, and finds ways to change and adapt to a new environment without sacrificing its core values. As a sports entertainment product, Olympic-style wrestling—real, unscripted, grappling—is not perfect and still has a lot of work to do. But the discipline, focus and resilience that so many of the sport’s leaders learned as young athletes, will help them find the path of least resistance through the new environment of TV- and mobile-friendly Olympic competition/entertainment. Don’t be afraid to change, or assume you’ll never have to. But when you do make changes, explore all viable options carefully and never stray from your core values.

More tips can be found on the FREE Resources page of our website.

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Tags: Olympic wrestling, Jaques Rogge, IOC, FILA, Donald Rumsfeld, Nenad Lalovic, US Iran Russia agree