The Freak Factory - David Rendall

Heroes and Freaks

"Bullying is what happens when an individual with power exercises that power against people who don't fit in. By threatening to expose or harm or degrade the outlier,the bully reinforces the status quo in a way that increases his power." - Seth Godin

A freak is someone who is weird, strange and unusual. Freaks are exceptional. They stand out. They're not normal. They're odd.

Heroes are freaks. They are freaks because they do things that most people would not do and they refuse to do things that most people do. They stick out. They stand out from the crowd. They don't fit in, especially when fitting in means attacking another person or watching silently while someone is attacked.

Heroes also allow others to be freaks. They don't push people to fit in. They don't enforce conformity to a certain standard. They accept others for who they are.

And heroes encourage others to be freaks. They don't just allow people to be weird. They aren't passive and quiet about their own weirdness or their acceptance of the weirdness of others. They encourage strangeness, uniqueness and difference. They celebrate deviance. They promote it.

"When there isn't a race to fit in, bullying those that don't fit in loses much of its power. This is incredibly brave and risky for those in charge. It involves trusting people to become something wonderful, as opposed to insisting that they fit in at all costs." - Seth Godin

Robert Quinn, in his book Deep Change, argues that "excellence is a form of deviance." Greatness is strangeness. Heroes are freaks.

But it is difficult to be a hero. Because it is difficult to be a freak. It is risky to be different. It is scary to stand out. It makes you vulnerable and exposed.

Quinn warns that "deviance will always generate external pressures to conform. When you perform beyond the norms, the systems will adjust and try to make you normal." Greatness is dangerous. Heroes and freaks encounter resistance.

"I will punish you because you don't fit in, and I will continue to punish you until you do." - Seth Godin

Parents, teachers, friends, co-workers, managers, and many others often directly, and indirectly, block our attempts to be heroes. This is because they value conformity, being normal and fitting in. They are skeptical of deviance, abnormality and sticking out. By thinking this way, and acting on those beliefs, people in positions of power and influence unintentionally reinforce the very problems, like bullying, they are trying to solve.

You might think I'm exaggerating. Certainly, no one would block someone's efforts to be heroic. We encourage people to be heroes, don't we? It turns out that we don't.

For example, 13-year-old Briar MacLean is a 7th grader at Sir John A. MacDonald school in Calgary. He saw a student threatening another student with a knife and he got involved. MacLean explained, “He pulled out his flip knife so I came in and pushed him into the wall. It was just to help the other kid so he wouldn’t get hurt.” Briar's intervention was enough to knock the knife out of the boys hand and effectively ended the incident.

After the incident, the school called Briar's parents. It seems obvious that they would call to praise Briar's actions and inform his parents that he is a hero, someone to be admired and emulated. Maybe he should even get an award or a medal.

But that is not what happened. Instead, the school notified MacLean's parents that their son's actions were inappropriate! The vice principal explained that the school "does not condone heroics." Briar had broken the rules when he helped the boy who was being attacked. He wasn't a hero. He was out of line. He wasn't right. He was wrong. And he was punished with detention. His parents were brought in and, along with Briar, were told that his behavior was unacceptable.

Before moving on, let's take a moment to consider what the school's vice principal said. The school does not "condone heroics." Condone means to accept or allow. It is not the same as supporting or encouraging heroic actions, which is what schools should be doing. But MacLean's school won't even allow heroic actions, much less promote them. As Michael Platt of the Calgary Sun writes, "MacLean has been left to believe he’s done something wrong. . . To condemn a student who likely saved another from serious injury or even death is a terrible lesson."

A terrible lesson indeed. Any child who witnessed the official response to Briar's heroism, or read about it, would be forced to conclude that, if they ever see someone in trouble, they shouldn't get involved. Better to play it safe, follow the rules and mind their own business. The school's focus on safety, rules and liability is at odds with the heroic values of sacrifice, morality and responsibility.

It would be easy to dismiss what happened to MacLean as an isolated incident, but it isn't. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. was stabbed at a book signing, hit by a brick during a march, jailed by the police and, ultimately, killed because of his efforts to promote civil rights. It is important to note that he was attacked by both individuals and institutions because of his heroic actions.

We live in a world that is desperate for heroes. But that same world is also desperately trying to enforce normality and conformity. The two cannot coexist.

As Seth Godin explains, "Bullying persists when bureaucracies and hierarchies permit it to continue." If we want to stop bullying, we need to create heroes. If we want more heroes, then we need to promote weirdness, instead of conformity. We need to foster freaks, instead of forcing people to fit in. We need to do more than just condone heroic behavior, we need to support and model it.

Are you trying to fit in or fighting the status quo?

Are you conforming or freaking out?

Are you forcing others to conform or allowing and encouraging them to be freaks?

Are you ready to be a hero and a freak?

If you want to learn more about being a hero and encouraging others to be heroes, join me at the Hero Roundtable on November 9-10 in Swartz Creek, Michigan.

Freaks of the Week - Kim and Jason Kotecki - Fighting Adulthood Since 2000 - Kim's Side of the Story

Former kindergarten teacher uses her uncanny ability to shift gears to stay focused and get the business of their business completed.

 Part two of Kim and Jason….

Jason feels fortunate to have Kim as a business partner ......"Kim is well-suited for details and repetition and systems. And she shines on the phone. Her warm, inviting, and bubbly personality serves her -- and our company -- well as she sells our speaking programs and manages customer relationships. I've often joked that she's the perfect salesperson, because who can say no to a kindergarten teacher?”

Kim remembers her training ground. “Before my full-time commitment to our company six years ago, I spent 5 years as a kindergarten teacher. Being detail-oriented and organized, I've shifted from preparing down to the minute details of my day with 25 five and six years olds, to preparing down to the minute details of Jason's travel and speaking schedule. People could argue that at times the level of detail I put into these projects can be a bit obsessive with hints of perfectionism and I would assure you that it better! Publicity, travel, invoicing, proposals and marketing - it all requires an attention to detail that I am able to provide and enjoy doing it.

My attention span can be a bit scattered and short at times. When I was teaching, I was very accustomed to changing activities every 5 minutes, to keep the interest of the kiddos. Some would say that this is not effective in a business because I'm "easily distracted" and lack focus. This trait actually works in my favor within my role in our company because I am constantly being interrupted by client requests and potential client inquiries. I try to respond to our client requests promptly, so it's not uncommon for me to interrupt a project I'm working on in order to meet their needs and return to my original task. Our clients love the personal attention and I am still able to complete everything by the end of the day (well, most days, that is). 

Jason and I are self-starters. We value our time and guard how we choose to spend it, which can sometimes be interpreted as selfish.”

This dynamic duo’s success is due to their creative thinking and collaboration of their freakish talents to create a strong business to support their chosen lifestyle.  

You can learn more about Kim and Jason and their comic strip at:

http://www.kimandjason.com

Freaks of the Week - Kim and Jason Kotecki - Fighting Adulthood Since 2000

Artist, Author, Speaker, Life Lover is it possible to be successful at all four?

Jason has not only mastered his “freak” he compliments it by using his talents as an artist, author, professional speaker and a life lover to create a business and lifestyle that is fun and fulfilling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I created and produced a comic strip about childhood called "Kim & Jason" for seven years.” He and his wife, Kim (a former kindergarten teacher), have made it their mission in life to fight “Adultitis” and help people use strategies from childhood to design lives with less stress and more fun.

Both claim to be stubborn and on occasion have been accused of being selfish. “Our shared stubbornness has been vital to our persistence. We worked on our business for five years before it could support us, and even then it was shaky for a few years after that.” While making sacrifices and forgoing the normal comforts of existence,” there were times when we questioned our sanity…”, stubbornness and persistence prevailed and allowed them to build their chosen lifestyle.

Jason and Kim share the art of selfishness, “Our "selfishness" has been a big part of creating that lifestyle. We speak and write on the topic of life balance. They key to a healthy, happy, well-balanced life is saying “no” to lots and lots of things; including good things. The people who haven't figured that out are harried from maintaining hectic schedules and burned out from the busy-ness that comes from saying "yes" too often. Of course, the people and organizations you say no to might label you selfish, but you have to be ok with that, because no one will say no for you.

We both tend to be pretty silly and playful, which I imagine strikes some people as immature. But I see us as permission granters. Most people are yearning for a little silliness in their lives, but have abandoned their childlike ways by the time they get out in the "real world." When people see our example, it gives them permission to let their hair down and add a little bit more fun and adventure into their own lives.”

Jason and Kim have learned after seven years that the creation  books, blog posts and business models requires a deployment of their freakish qualities of Stubbornness, Silliness, Selfishness and Persistence is both challenging and freeing as well.

 “When I was younger I was criticized for being too much of a daydreamer. But I have come to see what a strength that really is. The ideas and innovations I've come up with are the primary engine that has driven our business to where it is today. Of course, not every idea works -- most don't -- but visioning and innovation take time. Sometimes the time spent yields very little result and you can feel like you're wasting your time. Kim has been a big champion of me taking time to "daydream," because she knows the good that can come from it.

Although I am much more organized than most stereotypical artists -- bordering on anal at times -- I am much better at dealing with big picture things than the details . . . and I hate doing repetitive tasks. And the phone -- I hate the phone! Fortunately, Kim ......As always, there are two sides to every story so look for next week’s blog and read on to learn about Kim….the other side of this Freakish Dynamic Duo.

You can learn more about Kim and Jason and their comic strip and their pledge to fight adulthood at:  http://www.kimandjason.com

Freak of the Week: Nate St. Pierre

 According to Nate, he has one goal in life: to help people change the world. He believes in it so much that he writes it on his palm every day to keep focused on the vision. The Wisconsin native has worked for years focusing on micro-giving as a way to connect business and philanthropy at all levels of human ability and need.

He uses the technology of the online world for convenience but without losing the personal touch that is so important with each of his projects.

Because Nate is a innate nurturer, his goals have driven him to follow his core values and his heart. He has helped countless unsuspecting friends and strangers who have found themselves in a time of need.

For Nate, the biggest surprise he found while pursuing his passion was his ability to take advantage of  what he considers his biggest weakness, introversion.

 "I'm a huge introvert. It's hard for me to be around a lot of people at once for any extended period of time (more than an hour), especially when it's people that I don't know.

Since I'm the leader of a few large groups of people (numbering in the thousands), I'm often in situations where I need to be physically present in a big group.

Nowhere does this unnerve me more than when I'm asked to speak at a big conference. It combines some of my worst fears: large crowds, new people, all attention on me, and my fear of public speaking.”

Nate embodies the core message of what it is to be a true freak.  He has discovered peace and success by freaking out.

“I didn't expect this, and I certainly didn't prepare for it, but the fact that I'm afraid of public speaking has actually turned into something of a strength.

When I speak about [my projects], it's not because I'm trying to sell something - it's truly coming from the heart.

And because I'm so uncomfortable with the emotions I have to deal with when I engage in public speaking, I do it very rarely - only when asked, and only when I feel I can provide something of great value to the audience.

It's very clear when I get up there that I'm not a pitch man for anything. I'm not smooth and polished, I'm not flamboyant or exciting, but I am sincere.

More people than I expect have turned out to be open to the idea that it's possible for every one of us to change the world through micro-giving. So here's to a fear of public speaking!”

Nate has several inspiring organizations; listed below is one for you to explore.

Love Drop (1,000 members in a dozen countries)
Spend a dollar, change a life

Love Drop is a micro-giving network of people who unite as a community to help one person or family a month. By subscribing to the team for as low as $1, we make it easy for our members to change lives in a fun and tangible way. Each month Love Drop delivers a unique combination of
unexpected financial gifts, personal encouragement and the support of local and online communities.

http://LoveDrop.us

Photo Source: Nate St Pierre LinkedIn Profile

The Freak Factor for Fathers

Do you want your kids to be weird or normal? Do you want them to be unbalanced or balanced? Are you helping them to become uniquely skilled or well-rounded?
 
Our teachers, parents and bosses have taught us that being normal, balanced and well-rounded are the keys to success. Because of this, we pass these same lessons along to our children. We want them to succeed, so we continue to promote this time-tested formula.
 
But what if they are wrong? What if happiness and success actually come from being unique, unbalanced and unusual? How would that change the way we act as fathers? How would that change the way we raise our children?
 
Maybe our kids don't have to get good grades in all their subjects. Maybe it's possible to do poorly in biology, but still do well in life. Maybe learning cursive isn't that important.
 
Maybe our kids don't need to be above-average physically, socially, academically and athletically. Maybe they don't need to go to college or get a job. Maybe they don't need to get along with their classmates.
 
Maybe everything we've been taught to do as fathers is wrong.
 
I think we need to teach our kids to be weak, instead of strong. We need to help them embrace and amplify their weaknesses, instead of fixing them. We need to help them lean, instead of getting them to straighten up. We need to help them freak out, instead of fitting in.
 
When I was young, I couldn't sit still, be quiet or do what I was told. My teachers and parents told me that I was obnoxious, irresponsible, immature, undisciplined and rebellious. They said that if I didn't change, I'd end up homeless and living in a van down by the river.
 
I took their advice and I tried to change. I tried to be who they wanted me to be. I tried to be quiet. I tried to settle down. I tried to let them be in charge. But it couldn't do it, and, even when I tried, it didn't lead to success.
 
And then I had a revelation. I was motivated and had a lot of initiative. I didn't need other people to tell me what to do. I was good at running my own life. Now I'm an entrepreneur. I'm my own boss.
 
I was good at talking and being active. People listened to what I had to say. I was entertaining. My energy and enthusiasm were contagious. Now I'm a speaker and professor. I stand up and talk for a living.
 
In other words, my apparent weaknesses were actually clues to my biggest strengths. I succeeded, not by fixing them, but by amplifying them. I succeeded because of my weaknesses, not in spite of them.
 
And I'm not the only one. The same thing is true for disorganized scientists, endurance addicts, dyslexic billionaires and autistic software testers.
 
This revelation, which I call The Freak Factor, has changed the way that I raise my three daughters and I want to share what I've learned with other fathers.

If you're looking for an unconventional way to become an extraordinary father, get your copy of The Freak Factor today.

Freak of the Week: Leah Shapiro

I met Leah Shapiro via Twitter and have been a guest on her Defy the Box radio show twice in the last year. We have a very similar perspective on the value of amplifying your unique qualities and she is a great example of someone who flaunts their freak factor. Her story is below . . .

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I’ve always been a non-conformist and I’ve never been good at obeying rules or being told what to do. From a very young age it was pretty clear that I knew my own mind and had my own way of doing things. I questioned the rules and the reasons “WHY” I was supposed to do things. This made me a nightmare for my parents. I was told I was selfish, rude and too opinionated. I was grounded for most of my high school years for talking back and not doing as I was told.

I need constant stimulation and I change my mind all the time. I’m always diving deep into something new. Learning what I can and then ditching it for the next bright shiny thing. Some people say that I can’t commit. I say this allows me to experience many different things and ways of living. I know what to keep and what to leave behind as I move on into the next thing.

I’m self-centered and opportunistic. I spend a lot of time focused on my inner process. I am very self aware and know exactly what I need to feel good. I’m not afraid to set things up to serve me and to make my life better. I know that I can have anything that I desire and I’m not afraid to go after it. I pretty much do what I want, when I want, and my life feels very kick-ass!

Creating Defy the Box and being a Kick-Ass Life Coach allows these weaknesses to become my biggest assets.  I help powerful, non-conforming souls discover their own path to a meaningful and deeply satisfying life. I teach my clients how to focus inward and identify exactly what they need to thrive and then to custom design their lives to fit them perfectly. Who better to do this than a self-centered opportunistic person? This comes naturally to me, and I’ve spent so much time doing this I’m the perfect one to show you how to do it too. My constant questioning of everything and asking “WHY” is very powerful because it makes my clients examine their motivations and what is behind what they are doing.

This allows them to break free of the expectations and pre-packaged beliefs that are holding them back and keeping them small. I empower my clients to settle for nothing less than a Kick-Ass Life where they are being 100% themselves all the time and fully embracing their unique gifts. It is deeply satisfying to me to witness the growth and expansion that my clients go through.

If you want to learn more about Leah, check out her blog.

If you want to learn more about finding your freak factor, check out the new book.

Gain Without Pain: The Myth of Hard Work

Matthew Peters asked me an interesting question during our radio interview last week. He asked me if I was teaching people that they could be successful without working hard. More specifically, can people really succeed if they avoid all activities that are difficult?

The simple answer is "yes." I think you can succeed by only doing activities that are easy and enjoyable.

For example, I earned a doctorate, but it wasn't hard and it wasn't painful. I'm a nerd. I like to read. In school, I got credit for my reading and a certificate that I read and understood a lot of books. My educational success was easy and enjoyable.

I'm competing in a half-ironman triathlon on Saturday. Some people say that the race will be hard and training for it must be painful. But I'm hyperactive. I love to run and bike and swim. I love to challenge my body and my mind. Endurance races aren't hard, at least not for me. It would be harder for me to sit in a chair all day.

I'm going to Australia next week to do a series of keynote presentations and training sessions. I'll be working and earning money and traveling with my wife and celebrating our anniversary. I'll be working, but it won't be hard. I'm succeeding, but it isn't painful.

It is important to note that these activities might be painful or unenjoyable for some people. For example, many people don't want to be a public speaker. Because of this we think of the activity itself as hard, instead of acknowledging that some people like it and some people don't. Just like some people like certain foods and others don't.

Additionally, the things that I do find difficult, don't have a lot of potential to create either success or fulfillment. At least not for me. I don't like writing reports, organizing, routine tasks, listening, sitting still or following the rules.

All of these things can be safely avoided or delegated or outsourced. In fact, I'm probably more effective because I don't spend my time doing some of these tasks.

So what do you find difficult? Could you achieve greater success by avoiding those activities instead of struggling to complete them?

I think the answer is "yes!"

If you want to learn more about the importance of avoiding the activities that you don't enjoy, check out the final chapter in my new Freak Factor book.

Seven minutes that could change your life

This week I had a chance to present The Freak Factor at Pecha Kucha Night in Milwaukee. (Pecha Kucha presentations include 20 slides with 20 seconds per slide for a total time of 6:40)

There were some other great presentations. You can see them on 800-CEO-Read's YouTube page. My favorites were:

• Changing the World in 15 Minutes a Week by Nate St. Pierre 
• The First Day of School by Mark Fairbanks

If you've got more than seven minutes, you can now get The Freak Factor book on Amazon.

Not sure if you're ready to buy yet? Check out these reviews.

Basketball was invented as a diversion for giants

Yesterday I explained how tall people were seen as freaks before basketball was popular. Today I found this hilarious video explaining how Naismith invented basketball to give giants something to do. 

Onion SportsDome

Before there was basketball

It's time for March Madness. And that got me thinking. . .

When someone's child is very tall it seems like a good thing. We think that they'll be good at basketball, or at least better than smaller kids. Tall people have an advantage on the court.

But it hasn't always been that way. Tall people used to be seen as freaks, oddities and weirdos. They stuck out. They didn't fit in.

Parents and doctors saw extreme height as a curse, not a blessing. They even gave children (especially girls) medication to stunt their growth.

(For a fascinating look at the pros and cons of being tall, and to learn about how we mistreat people who are unusual, check out The Tall Book by Arianne Cohen).

Being extraordinarily tall was perceived as a weakness, instead of a strength because there was no place for the person to use that height. It didn't give them an advantage; it was a disadvantage.

But all of that changed with the growth of basketball. Outrageously tall men and women are now valued much more than they were before. Their characteristic didn't change; the situation did.  

We can all learn a lesson from this. Just like height, there are many characteristics that we can't change. And we don't need to.

We just need to find our basketball or volleyball or swimming. We need to find the sport, job, hobby or situation that matches our unique characteristics.

I call this alignment. We need to find, or create, the right fit.

Do you want to learn more about how you can find the right fit?

Check out Chapter 5 of The Freak Factor. Now available in Paperback or on the Kindle.

You can also become a fan of The Freak Factor on Facebook.

Praise for The Freak Factor book

Are you thinking about getting a copy of The Freak Factor book? Check out these reviews from people who've already read it.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Our strength grows out of our weaknesses,” and that strikes at the heart of the book Dave wrote. His message reinforces the work that Gallup has done over the last decade: Leverage your strengths while appreciating and embracing your weaknesses. Or as Kinko’s founder Paul Orfalea says, “Like yourself, not despite your flaws and so-called deficits, but because of them.” The book is heavy on people, with pictures and profiles, who live this philosophy. This book is 178 pages of permission to be the person you have always wanted to be.

- Todd Sattersten, founder of BizBookLab and co-author of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time

Dave Rendall has a radical prescription for chronic dissatisfaction:  Stop working on your weaknesses and start amplifying them instead. The Freak Factor flips the cult of self-improvement on its head with stories of real people who have soared to success by embracing their uniqueness.

- Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

David Rendall reclaims the term “freak” for what it is – a powerful, game-changing competitive advantage in life and business. This book will change the way you think about being different, and show you how it’s the secret to turning around your career.

- Pam Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation

The Freak Factor is an important idea, and David Rendall’s is a voice to be reckoned with. We should all look to our lives to see how we can accommodate rather than eliminate the freaks!

- Nick Morgan, author of Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma

Everything you’ve read about weakness is wrong.... until now. This book will help you stop trying to be well-rounded and start excelling at what you always knew you were best at. Raise your freak flag and wave it with pride!

- Chris Guillebeau, author of The Art of Non-Conformity

Are you a freak? Yes, you are, if you want to be extraordinary. In this provocative book, David Rendall shows why being outstanding comes from first standing out.

- Sally Hogshead, author of Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation

David Rendall boldly asserts and clearly articulates that the things that make us "different" are not problems we need to solve or disadvantages we need to eliminate. Rather he suggests that those things that make us "different" from others will often be the raw material of our lives that can provide us with our greatest sources of potential, advantage, effectiveness and joy.

David has certainly taken the raw uniqueness of his life and transformed into a sophisticated ability to communicate an important message in an interesting and entertaining manner. This book will make a significant contribution to the Strengths Movement as it helps individuals move from self-awareness and self-acceptance to personal amplification and more frequent opportunities for affiliation.

- Curt Liesveld, author of Living Your Strengths

Get The Freak Factor book today!

Still not sure? I'll be posting a free chapter soon.

You can also follow The Freak Factor page on Facebook for updates.

We came here to groove

Joe Heuer, the Rock and Roll Guru, was featured on my blog last year as the Freak of the Week and his story is in the new Freak Factor book.

He recently appeared in a Mutual of Omaha commercial as part of their Aha Moment campaign.

My favorite part is . . . "We came here to groove, not to endure. We're supposed to have fun and do what brings us juice and gives us passion. Do whatever makes your heart sing."

(Unfortunately, no one brings me juice. But I do bring juice to my kids, usually apple juice).

If at first you don't succeed . . . you should probably quit

Failure might be the result of poor preparation, bad execution or incorrect beliefs. In these situations, we should change our approach and try again.

But failure might be due to the fact that we are trying to do something that doesn't match our unique skills, interests and personality. In these cases, trying again is the wrong approach. We don't need to persevere, we need to quit.

Quitting can be difficult and few people will tell you to give up. (It just doesn't seem very encouraging) Most people will tell you to "try try again." But this is bad advice.

So next time you fail, take a minute to identify why you failed. Maybe you need to persevere, but, as Seth Godin explains, you also might need to declare bankruptcy.

To learn more about the value of becoming a quitter, check out the chapter on avoidance in my new Freak Factor book.

Choose Your Discount

I want to offer a discount on The Freak Factor book to everyone who reads the blog and anyone that you want to share it with. The list price is currently $19.99.

I'll decrease the price by 2 cents for each person that likes the Facebook Page for The Freak Factor in the next 24 hours or until the price reaches $14.99 (a discount of $5.00), whichever comes first. For example, if 100 people like the page, the discount would be $2.00.  

If you're a fan of The Freak Factor, this is a great way to share it with your friends and save money at the same time.

I'll provide the discount code tomorrow night on the blog and on Facebook. It will be valid for 24 hours after I post it.

And the winners are . . .

Thank you to everyone who posted a comment. It was great to hear from so many of you.

The five winners were chosen based on a complex algorithm developed using my children's ages and my wife's year of birth. Congratulations to . . .

• Matt Langdon
• Amanda Bush
• Norris Krueger
• Melissa Gillmore
• Sheila Zeller

If you didn't win, stay tuned for a special discount code you can use to get your copy of the book.

 

 

 

Get a Free Copy of The Freak Factor

The Freak Factor book is now available on Amazon and Createspace!

You can become eligible to get a free copy by posting a comment to this message by 11pm (EST) on Tuesday, 2/15.

I'll select five winners randomly and mail them a signed copy of the book. Make sure to include your email address when you comment.

Why do I like {cupcakes} more than I like {people}?

My friend, Susan Barbee, just sent me this link to an article by Martha Beck called 20 Questions That Could Change Your Life. Question four is the title of this blog post and I've included that section below.

"Feel free to switch out the words in brackets:

You may like TV more than exercise, or bad boys more than nice guys, or burglary more than reading. Whatever the particulars, every woman has something she likes more than the somethings she's supposed to like.

But forcing 'virtues' -- trying to like people more than cupcakes -- drives us to vices that offer false freedom from oppression.

Stop trying to like the things you don't like and many vices will disappear on their own."

That last line is powerful. I think that many of our problems are just the symptoms of failing to be ourselves.

Freak of the Week: Clemens Rettich

This was a last minute edition to The Freak Factor book, which I'm about to submit for publication. It should be available in early March.

Some people worry that focusing on their strengths will make them one-dimensional. If you've ever had that fear, then you need to read about Clemens Rettich. His experience shows that you can be strong, while still moving in many directions. In fact, your strength might be that you are moving in so many different directions.
 
“It started in second grade. My teacher, Mrs. Hannah, once turned to me in exasperation, saying ‘You don’t have to be such a know-it-all.’ I had probably answered a question of hers with something half-baked that I had gleaned from a book somewhere.
 
It was 1967. My family had just moved down from northern British Columbia the year prior, not long after we had emigrated from Germany for a second time. At the age of eight, I read voraciously. Books, comics, cereal boxes. Anything. Text was a drug.
 
Somewhere in there, I began my journey of almost getting everywhere. Therein lays the weakness I have struggled with for years: I find everything interesting; every avenue has intersections and branches to follow. I get bored and struggle to see anything through to the end. I know just enough about almost anything to be dangerous.
 
I pick up so many things and then put them down. Family and friends always wondered if I would ever focus. Degrees, businesses, places I lived, events and activities, always completely committed (for a day, or a month, or a year). I learned like a sponge but always got bored and moved on before ever getting to Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour mark of real expertise.
 
Languages came easily if I tried: music, French, Latin, poetry, computer languages and management. But I never mastered any of them. By the time I hit my 40’s I was starting to wonder. So were a lot of people around me. I wasn’t alone in feeling that my inability to focus and to commit for the long haul was serious weaknesses.
 
I trained in improvisational theatre for 2 years with the Vancouver Theatre Sports League. I did two years of performing arts at Simon Fraser University, working collaboratively with artists, dancers and musicians. More languages. I worked for five years in a letterpress shop as a typesetter and printer. That’s a language where you learn to read and design upside down and backwards. Then I moved away from the big city.
 
On the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) for 15 years, I taught and did community development work, directed a music festival, produced a CD, raised two kids and managed staff. I traveled every year for more training and to lead workshops in improvisation, team building, and leadership around British Columbia. I focused on the language of Positive Behaviour Support. As a high school principal I worked with the Haida First Nation to develop a multi-agency intervention team for aboriginal youth. Then I got a business degree, an MBA in executive management from Royal Roads. I spent three years marketing educational programs in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, Spain, and Brazil.
 
But early on, even in the constant shifting, I was already conscious of something. I was comfortable everywhere and could make almost anyone else comfortable too: physics majors who played cello, loggers who played hard, teenagers who trusted no one, chefs, mathematicians, politicians, athletes, gay punkers, and bankers. It didn’t matter whom I sat down with, I knew just enough about their world that I could find a place to connect and start a conversation. And I knew how to listen.
 
Now I have a career as a coach that has, at its heart, the ability to connect dots and think outside the box. I am old enough to have learned to bring complete focus to someone for two hours without blinking. Listening has become a contact sport for me and I play hard.
 
I think the key to making a difference is learning how to listen. Most of my clients’ major breakthroughs were not the result of anything I said, in any language; they were the result of what they said in a place where they actually got to hear themselves think… and I just listened.
 
My strength also lies in my layers of experience and education. I make connections others don’t make. I see patterns and trends and possibilities. I don’t believe in rigid plans but believe passionately in having a focused, crystal clear vision of the future. After years as a business owner, manager, and team leader, I know that leadership and management are a craft and an art more than a science. And I understand what that actually means. Where other people talk about creativity, and thinking outside the box, I have lived outside the box my whole life.
 
Now everything I went through makes sense: the endless indiscriminate reading, the meandering journey through music, the sciences, performance, business, education, sports, management, art, writing, and the fascination with what everyone else does. Just like then, I ask questions to allow others to connect the dots that I see hanging in the air. I create safe spaces to have conversations outside the box, because I have always been comfortable there.
 
Sometimes I Iook back and regret how long it took me to get here. Wouldn’t it be cool to have an extra decade to really enjoy this? But, as a number of friends and supporters have said, I wouldn’t have been ready. I couldn’t be who I am without my past. I couldn’t do what I do now as well as I do, if my so-called weaknesses had not shaped me and my journey.”

Surfing Freak

Clay Marzo has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, and he is a great surfer. For example, he's the youngest surfer to ever score a perfect 10 in competition. But as the video explains, he's "not a great surfer in spite of his medical condition, but rather, because of it." I love the way the other surfers describe him as "freaky."

I also think it's great that his mom gave up on having him tested for disorders and decided that "Clay is Clay." Unfortunately, other people weren't as accepting. When he wouldn't conform, people tried to make him fit in. One sponsor even dropped him because of his unusual behavior.

Notice how people use negative terms to describe someone who is different. Clay has been called "rude, lazy, dumb and shy." He might be uncomfortable interacting with people, but "in the water, there are no limits." He's found the right fit.

Sneak Peek at the New Freak Factor Book

I've been blogging about the freak factor for more than three years. During that time, I've also written The Freak Factor manifesto, spoken to audiences all over the world and created a freak factor DVD, CD and quiz. 

Additionally, I have worked with two different agents and was contacted directly by an editor at John Wiley & Sons. Unfortunately, the book was rejected by all of the major, and most of the minor, publishers in the US.

Actually, they didn't reject the book; they rejected me. They loved the book idea but said that I didn't have enough of a "platform," which means that no one really knows who I am.

Despite these rejections, I decided that the book still needed to be written. So I'll be self-publishing it through CreateSpace. I don't have an exact release date yet, but I'm hoping it will be available by March 1st.

Because you've been reading my blog, you've read portions of the book already. But I wanted to give you the first look at the table of contents.

0. overview - finding your freak factor

your job is killing you . . . deforming beliefs . . . recovering from our education . . . negative psychology . . . self-destruction books . . . the problem with most people . . . 7 reasons to be different . . . 7 ways to find your freak factor

1. awareness - what's your problem?

unique . . . positive . . . obsession . . . natural . . . strength . . . weakness . . . 20 questions to help you discover your strengths and weaknesses

2. acceptance - apparent weaknesses are strengths in disguise

negativity bias . . . fundamental attribution error . . . a love (and hate) story . . . reframing . . . the kmart fallacy . . . the myth of self-control . . . preserving the tilt

3. appreciation - we succeed because of our weaknesses, not in spite of them

disorganization . . . dyslexia . . . addiction . . . mental illness . . . amputation . . . executives and inmates . . . limitations are liberating . . . freak profile: allan bacon

4. amplification - exaggerate your weaknesses, don't elminate them

the best are unreasonable . . . freak profile: amber osborne . . . freak profile: joe heuer . . . too much or not enough? . . . the best are the worst . . . the best are obsessed . . . freak profile: nance rosen . . . outrageous rewards . . . rejects . . . hate mail . . . dead leaders . . . freak profile: roxy allen

5. alignment - don't try to fit in; find the right fit

the elephant man . . . a sundial in the shade . . . the rudolph principle . . . 4 elements of fit . . . 7 ways to find the right work . . . career ideas for freaks

6. avoidance - move out of situations that highlight your weaknesses

permanent procrastination . . . be lazy . . . do less . . . the stop-doing list . . . pruning . . . saying no . . . be a quitter

7. affiliation - find people who are strong where you are weak

don't do it yourself . . . outsourcing . . . dirty jobs . . . symbiosis . . . imperfect people . . . choose your audience . . . freak profile: jennifer schuchmann

I'll keep you posted on the status of the book. Right now I'm working on the final edits, deciding on the cover design and formatting the interior of the book. Once I send it to CreateSpace, they will create a proof copy and mail it to me. After I approve the proof, the book will be available on Amazon and CreateSpace and at my live seminars.

Freak of the Week: Mary Sailors

Mary Sailors contacted me last year after getting a copy of The Freak Factor manifesto from her boss. Mary liked what she read so much that she decided to quit her job. That’s probably not the response her boss was hoping for.

Mary now works as a personal trainer and specialty fitness instructor in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is also a healthy lifestyle blogger, writing at www.fitthisgirl.com. When she’s not training clients, she volunteers with Bolder Options, a youth mentorship program in Minneapolis. She just ran her first marathon in Honolulu. You can find her on Twitter @FitThisGirl

Her story, below, is probably the best example of how applying the freak factor can transform your life. Get ready to be inspired!

“I have always colored outside the lines. As a child, I struggled with the confines of a classroom, with doing work and with having to fit into any kind of mold, except for the one I made myself.

But when I graduated from college, I fell into a job, at an office, in a cubicle. I felt important, adult, professional, like I was doing what I should do.

Years passed and I moved from one office to the next, from one set of gray walls to the next. I made slight advances, as much as an literature major in Corporate America can. I kept changing titles, but
always kept ‘assistant’ on the end, like a tag line.

I was excelling at being mediocre. I was barely getting by, lacking in joy and feeling inadequate. The problem wasn’t just the jobs I was working, but also my performance in them.

What was wrong with me? I was a smart, passionate and vibrant free-thinker and I could screw up an office supply order with the best of them.

Then I found something that I really could do well—working a front desk, greeting people, and being the face of a company! I excelled. I was given more responsibility and started to struggle with the expectations. I started to examine the things I fell short on, the projects that I procrastinated on, the tasks that I downright screwed up.

Did I have ADD? ADHD? Did I have a bad attitude?

But the woman I worked for saw my full potential. One time, when talking about a certain project, she asked me, ‘Who told you that you weren’t capable?’ Then she handed me a copy of The Freak Factor manifesto. What I read changed the way that I looked at myself and my work.

If you are anything like me then you probably have an idea of what your weakness are. As much as I wish I had fewer weaknesses, I don’t really intend to go through life sweeping them under the rug or making excuses for them like I had been up to that point. I learned to look at my weakness a little differently after reading the Freak Factor.

I needed to shift my focus. Weaknesses are not always bad thing. Instead of focusing on overcoming our weaknesses, we can harness the corresponding strength to achieve our potential in our life, work and relationships.

Most people focus on their weaknesses and work hard on turning them into strengths. I was working hard trying to improve where I fell short, trying to find fixes and shortcuts and ways to work better. For a while, it worked. Things got a little better, but I was hammering my weakness into submission only to end up with a slightly dented version of the original product.

The main key to succeeding by finding the strengths hiding inside your weaknesses is to seek out situations where you can use your strengths and excel there. If you are constantly in situations where you are required to use your weaknesses, you will not feel like you are succeeding. When you feel that, examine the situation and ask ‘why don’t I feel successful here?’ You will be able to pinpoint corresponding strengths more easily when you see your weaknesses for what they are.

I learned to choose situations that fit my natural strengths. That meant a career change. I researched becoming a personal trainer, did the work and leaped out into a world of the unknown. I moved from a well paying corporate job, which I was mediocre at, into unpaid internships and a world where I was able to tap into my strengths and step into situations where I could use my natural skills to excel.

I have been working as a personal trainer for only eight months and have already been praised by my boss as being a “professional highlight.’ I’ve been encouraged to never lose my natural love and enthusiasm for people and training. I’ve also received countless positive comments. I don’t say this to say ‘look at me and what I have done!’ What I’m trying to say is that when you are working from your true strengths, it will be apparent.”

I was so excited about Mary’s transformation that I wanted to learn more. Below are her answers to a few of my follow-up questions.

Tell me more about particular weaknesses and how you discovered the strengths that corresponded with them.

"I was never built to sit still. As a receptionist I was always confined to a front desk and copy room. I felt restless and agitated and that made me feel unproductive. I actually was unproductive too. I would start projects, get bored and leave them half done. It wasn't that I was bored with the project itself, I was bored with my inability to move around in my position and bored with the confinement of my job. I would have multiple projects half completed and no motivation to finish any of them.

Weaknesses that I discovered on that job were only weakness within that environment. In a different setting they could easily be strengths. For instance, when someone would request a project or special order from me, I would just dive right in and have to back pedal later. In hindsight, I can see the value in asking all the important questions up front, but my enthusiastic drive was never tapped in the way it is in some of my current ventures."

What weaknesses did you struggle with on the job? Were you disorganized, unfocused, hyperactive, etc?

"I had to work extra hard to be organized in the way that the rest of the team required. There was little room for individual style in my work. As a personal trainer, I still have to do paperwork, like tracking client progress, planning sessions, follow-up and notes. The difference is that I am free to do it on my own time and in my own way. It's a much more creative environment."

Did you find any of your weaknesses on the strength/weakness chart? YES!

-          Positive-Unrealistic:            My head is always in the clouds.
-          Passionate-Impatient:         Oh how I want things right now!
-          Creative-Unorganized
-          Dedicated-Stubborn
-          Enthusiastic-Obnoxious

What is it about being a trainer that matches your unique strengths?

"One of my strengths is that I have a heart for serving and helping people. I’m also good at showing people how to do things the best way. I’m a natural leader and planner, but due to some situations in life, I adopted more of a follower approach.

Sitting behind a desk as a receptionist or in a cube kept me from being able to lead. I may have been the face of the organization, but I didn’t have the opportunity to lead or use the true power that I knew I had. My strength was never in administrative duties. I excelled much more in the personal and social aspects. Now, as a trainer, I have the opportunity to lead and direct individuals and groups."

The Mistakes Will Continue

If you are hesitant about flaunting your weaknesses, this example might be helpful.

John Grisham is one of the most successful authors of the last twenty years. Starting with The Firm, his legal thrillers have been read by millions and then seen by millions more after being made into feature films.

If effectiveness requires us to be well-rounded and balanced, then you'd expect to find those characteristics in the lives of exceptional people. But you don't.

Grisham has obvious weaknesses. But he's not trying to fix them. He just admits them and refuses to change. He flaunts his flaws.

In the Author's Note section of Grisham's most recent book, The Confession, he writes:

"Some overly observant readers may stumble across a fact or two that might appear to be in error.

They may consider writing letters to point out my shortcomings. They should conserve paper.

 There are mistakes in this book, as always, and as long as I continue to loathe research,

while at the same time remaining perfectly content to occassionally dress up the facts,

I'm afraid the mistakes will continue.

My hope is that the errors are insignificant in nature."

What can we learn from Grisham's example?

1. Grisham isn't listening to the criticism. (conserve paper)
2. He admits the flaws. (there are mistakes)
3. He explains that he is the source of the flaws. (loathing research, content to dress up facts)
4. He refuses to change, to fix the flaws. (mistakes will continue)
5. He reminds us that the flaws don't matter. (the errors are insignificant)

Freak of the Week - Matthew Peters

I met Matthew Peters, author of Don't Own, Don't Rent, Live Well, a couple months ago. He's got a great freak factor story and I asked him if he'd be willing to share it with all of you.

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Since I was just a kid, I knew I was different. As my classmates excelled, I lagged way behind because I would sit in school ‘daydreaming;’ drawing pictures, inventing contraptions or figuring out how I could buy candy bars for a quarter and sell them at school for fifty-cents.

It all started when I was seven years old and my parents explained to me how I could go out to our corn field and pick sweet corn and sell it out of my dad’s pickup truck by the highway. The traffic was good and everyone that stopped, bought from me. I had to learn to market by putting up signs, I had to educate the customer about my product and use math to count and make change for their large bills. Thankfully, the product sold itself and my costs were $0.

On the farm I did chores for a couple dollars a week, but selling sweet corn was different.  I realized that I could make in one day what my brother and sister and I were making in a couple weeks of chores.

Back in the church basement classroom, my mind reeled as to how I could make even more money. To set the scene for you, we worked at our own pace in our little desks with dividers on either side while facing a tan concrete block wall for six-plus hours a day. Not the best learning environment for a kid with big dreams and an active imagination.

I wasn’t interested in studying spelling, math or following the rules in general. I just wanted to come up with more ideas of how I could make more money using pure ingenuity.

My enterprises were frowned upon by my church-school administration. I was shut down multiple times because of my selling candy, soda, stickers and iron-ons on school property. I didn’t understand why my parents promoted it and the school took disciplinary action because of it. It didn’t stop me.

I cared so little about school that I should have failed second and third grades, but thanks to Mrs. Hansen, I passed since she believed me to be a ‘good kid.’

Today, I’m one of those ‘jobless’ statistics you’ve read and heard about so much. I was a great employee because whatever I do, I give my best, but I haven’t actually held a job since quitting my cushy university position in 2002.  

A while back, I decided to follow my weaknesses and now happily create interactive, video-based educational materials. I design and build websites, produce digital and tangible products and teach people how to beat the system (or at least challenge conventional thought). My main focus lately is teaching people how to escape the binary trap of owning a home or renting one.

Though I still consider myself a poor speller, I have written a book about how my wife and I have taken the idea of paying nothing for our housing for over 9 years and developed it into a system of freedom, flexibility and opportunity that only a rare few have achieved.

Community Executive Academy teaches people how to get out of debt, put more of their hard-earned money toward their future and live life on their own terms instead of that of others by helping them recoup all of the money they were spending on their housing.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my parents who all along encouraged me to follow my ‘weaknesses.’  

The problem with most people: A case for non-conformity

I'm reading Chris Guillebeau's new book, The Art of Non-Conformity. His main point is that "you don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to. You can do good things for yourself and make the world a better place at the same time."

Thinking about non-conformity reminded me that most of us adjust our behavior based on what most people do. This seems to be human nature and psychologists refer to it as social proof. We figure that if most people are doing something, then it must be a good idea. Unfortunately, this isn't true.

• Most people are employees
• Most people don't like their work
• Most people only have a high school education
• Most people are in debt
• Most people make less than $50,000
• Most people don't exercise regularly
• Most people think they'll succeed by fixing their weaknesses

 

• A select few start their own businesses
• A select few do what they love
• A select few graduate from college
• A select few are debt free
• A select few earn a six-figure income
• A select few exercise regularly
• A select few flaunt their weaknesses, instead of trying to fix them

I'm not arguing that starting a business, having a college degree or earning a lot of money are the most important things in life. My point is that you probably don't want what most people have. You probably want what most people don't have. But if you do what most people do, if you follow the crowd, you probably won't have the life that you want.

Non-conformity is important because you probably want to be like a select few, instead of ending up like most people. Are you ready to be a freak?

Do you have anything to add? What else do most people do?

 

Why do we kill great leaders?

When I ask audiences to identify the greatest leaders in the history of the world, a few names always make the list.

• Gandhi
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Abraham Lincoln
• Jesus Christ

After hearing these responses repeated over the years, I suddenly realized something. These leaders had one thing in common. None of them died natural deaths. They were all killed.

The audio file below is a recording of my keynote presentation to the Jobs Australia Conference in Hobart, Tasmania. The speech explores four powerful principles that we can learn from the lives and violent deaths of these great leaders.

I've also included the PPT slides. Download Dead Leaders 

Dead Leaders

Never trust a skinny chef

I was looking for something to watch on TV last night and I couldn't help but notice a show on the Food Network called, Two Fat Ladies. What a great name!

And the show was exactly what you would expect. . . two fat ladies helping you make food that would make you fat.

One critic described the women as "overweight, badly dressed, and incapable of political correctness, they loaded up dishes with bacon, lard, and fat." This description reminded me of Paula Deen, the famous and full-figured purveyor of southern-fried delicacies. When people criticize her because she uses such unhealthy ingredients, she has a standard response. "I'm your cook, not your doctor." I love it!

It also reminded me of a proverb that says, "never trust a skinny chef." In other words, if their food was really that good, they'd be eating more of it and it would show.

I think there are three lessons that we can learn from these fat ladies.

1. Flaunt it. Obesity is seen by many as an "epidemic," but these ladies are proud of their size.
2. Find your role. Flaws can be strengths when you are in the right spot. We like fat chefs.
3. Find your people. You can't make everyone happy but there's an audience for everyone.

What are your apparent weaknesses? Are you apologizing for them? Are you ashamed of them? Or are you naming your TV show after them?

Are you crazy?

I just saw this great one-minute commercial at the RCSA Conference in Hobart, Tasmania where I delivered a keynote presentation on The Freak Factory. The theme of the conference was different conversations and the video is from Apple's Think Different campaign. I've included the transcript as well.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward.

And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.

Think Different.

Responding to the interview question about your biggest weakness

How should you respond when an interviewer asks you about your biggest weakness?

I've discussed this question before in InterviewFreak and a post on Side Effects.

But now you have a chance to learn from a true expert as Michael Scott reminds us that our weaknesses are our strengths in this clip from The Office.

* Special thanks to my friend, Joel Rodell, for finding and editing the video

It's not my thing

Our daughters start school next week and this led to a discussion of extracurricular activities the other day. My middle daughter, who is six, plans to play soccer again because she really enjoyed it last year. She is 40 pounds of muscle and is a bundle of energy. Sports is definitely her thing.

Then I asked my oldest, who is eight, if she wanted to sign up for any sports and she said, "No, because sports isn't my thing."

How would you have responded?

Many parents want well-rounded kids and push them to be involved in a variety of activities, even when their children lack any interest and/or ability in those areas.

For example, a lot of folks believe that it is "good" for kids to learn a musical instrument. So they force their child to practice, despite the fact that he/she dislikes music.

When children are gifted academically, we worry that they are missing out on more active pursuits and encourage them to get more involved in athletics, even when they plead with us for a note excusing them from having to participate in gym class.

On the other hand, when our children are competitive and successful in sports, we complain about their academic performance and encourage them to focus more on their studies, even when it is clear that they were born to move, to run, to jump and to play and that being stuck at their desk all day is like a prison sentence.

So what should we do when one of our children says that an activity "isn't their thing?"

I won't presume to tell you what to do with your children, but I can tell you what I did. I told my daughter that we respected her decision and wouldn't push her to do sports. Instead, we would continue to help her identify what her "thing" is and give her opportunities to spend more time and energy in those areas. For example, she enjoys art and music. Her favorite part of the summer was a week at pottery camp.

She doesn't enjoy sports because she doesn't like activities that are loud and involve a lot of people. She prefers activities that are quiet and that she can do alone or with a few other people.

She's independent and not much of a team player. She articulated this one day when she asked to be home schooled. When I asked her why, she said "because then I wouldn't have to deal with all those other kids wasting my time."

But we're not pushing her to be a team player or an athlete. We're too busy helping her to become more of who she is, instead of trying to make her something that she's not. Making her more balanced just "isn't our thing."

Drill sergeants make bad therapists

This 30-second Geico commercial demonstrates that success in one career doesn't always translate into effectiveness in another field. This is because the same strengths that make you successful in one career are often weaknesses that cause you to fail in another job.

I have a graduate degree in psychology but I've never done any counseling because I'm bad at sitting and listening. I've always imagined that if I ever counseled anyone, this is what it would look like.

Are you in the wrong spot? Is it possible that some of your apparent weaknesses would be seen as strengths if you moved to a different line of work?

One-Question Freak Factor Poll

If you want to achieve greater success and fulfillment... » ProProfs Poll Maker
Tags : career strengths success effectiveness freak factor

Are you getting enough hate mail?

I've written before about the futility of trying to please everyone in A Sure Thing and Making People Unhappy. However, it's one thing to write about it and another thing entirely to experience it personally.

Last year I got my first piece of hate mail, or at least nasty mail. Most people like my seminars and classes, and most of my work is based on referrals from happy participants and meeting planners. I've always known that everyone doesn't appreciate my style and I've seen some scattered negative evaluations over the years. But it was a challenge to respond positively, both internally and externally, when someone attacked me directly in an email.

I have to admit that it bothered me a lot in the beginning. I wanted to challenge their arguments. I wanted to address each issue and show them that they were wrong. But that would have been a waste of time.

Just as we don't need to fix our weaknesses, we don't need to try to please all of our critics. Just as we should build on our strengths, we are probably better off building deeper relationships with our existing fans than trying to convert our enemies.

So I didn't reply. I didn't respond. I took my own advice and reframed the attack as evidence that I'm on the right track. I still don't like it and I'm not looking forward to the next piece of hate mail. But maybe I should.

Maybe I should measure my success by how many people I please AND how many people I offend. Maybe if everyone seems happy, then I'm doing something wrong.

How about you? Are you getting enough hate mail?

I've included the original email below without editing (including spelling errors). Enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dave:
 
I attended one of your seminars and I felt uncomfortable with how much of your talk was regurgitation of other people's ideas.
 
You arrogantly stated, "and now I get paid to talk".... well, never forget that it is a privelege to talk to people, no one stays awake at night in anticipation of hearing you and no one stays awake at nigt after hearing you either I promise.  Just to give you a reality check because I think you need one.
  
You claim that you have "associates"------????? mmmmmhmmmm.
 
You claim that you have refreshing solutions-------?????? (revive dead ideas of others is more accurate)
  
authentic and humble???  apparently this is only for others to practice.
 
I just think it is important to get a sense of perspective that your message and style does not really sit well with everyone and I think it is great that you have selected the "best comments" to put on your website to impress others with; but I hope you do some deep introspection about your true level of rigor and originality...
 
Good luck mr leadership
 
LP

An Imperfect Combination of Personalities

Last year I downloaded the new Pearl Jam album, Backspacer, via iTunes and it included a short video about the band. The following quote caught my attention. . .

"We sort of have our own thing and its raw and it's an imperfect combination of personalities and we put a lot of faith in Ed (Eddie Vedder) as the artistic director to take bits and pieces from everybody and, in the end, he ties us together."

Too many of us believe that success requires a perfect combination of personalities but the enduring success of Pearl Jam demonstrates that our imperfections can be combined to create something incredible.

That is our challenge as leaders and managers. We need to acknowledge and accept people's imperfections and then tie them all together in a unique way.

Are you ready to accept your role as artistic director?

Don't Get Blindsided! Ten Trends that are Changing the Future

Last year I got hit by a truck while I was training for a marathon. My left elbow was torn to pieces and required surgery and six months of therapy to heal. I'll never have full use of that arm again.

I got blindsided . . . hit from behind. I wasn't looking. I didn't see the driver of the truck and he didn't see me.

We run the same risks in our lives, careers and businesses. If we aren't looking for changes, then we won't see them and they will run us over. We might recover, but we'll never be the same.

The good news is that we can anticipate changes. We can learn from the past, understand the present and predict the future. If we do this, we can capitalize on trends, instead of being destroyed by them.

I recently presented EXPLORE: Ten Trends that are Changing the Future to a group of HR Managers. You can listen to the seminar by clicking on the audio player at the end of this post. You can also get the PPT slides here. Download EXPLORE! 2010

As you listen to the presentation, ask yourself three questions:

1. How will this trend affect my life, career, family, company and/or clients?
2. How can I respond to this trend in a productive way?
3. How can I improve my ability to anticipate trends in the future?

 The ten trends are:

1. Greening - Al Gore is making a living off of this trend. Can you?
2. Graying - A person who is 60 years old today has a 3% chance of living to 120.
3. Blending - Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the US.
4. Connecting - 1 out of 8 couples who got married last year met online.
5. Informing - There are more than 3,000 books published each day.
6. Globalizing - Doctors' jobs are being outsourced to "nighthawks" in other countries.
7. Open Sourcing - Wikipedia is operated by a worldwide network of volunteers.
8. Automating - You don't need a lawyer. Get a divorce at www.completecase.com
9. Growing - The world's population is exploding, but not in the US or Europe.
10. Accelerating - These trends are multiplying and moving faster than ever before.

Explore - Ten Trends That Are Changing The Future

Freak of the Week: Chris Ferdinandi

I found Chris Ferdinandi's blog, Renegade HR, while doing research for my Freak Factory book. Chris is a human resource and social media professional at EMC in Boston. He's a beach bum, weekend warrior, musician and clean hippie, which means that he loves recycling AND taking showers.

I'm glad he took a break from writing his new book to share his freak factor story, which mirrors many of my own experiences.

1. Do you have any apparent weaknesses that are actually strengths?

I'm really energetic. If I was a kid today, I'd probably be diagnosed with ADHD. In school, it was a bit of a problem, because you're expected to sit still, pay attention, and think inside the box. Memorize and recite. Do it just like you were taught to.

My brain doesn't work that way. I need to question and push boundaries and take things apart. I can be a bit easily distracted when dealing with rote, repetitive types of tasks. But if I'm working on a unique and complex problem, I have laser focus on it. My boss recently told me that when I throw myself at a problem, there's no stopping me.

I think strength and weakness are really two sides of one coin. In order to be great at some things, you have to suck at others.

2. How have you capitalized on your weaknesses to succeed in your life and career?

When you first hit the business world, most of the jobs involve a lot of rote and repetitive work - the kind of stuff a trained monkey could do. You kind of have to suck it up and deal for a while.

But I always made it a point to seek out work - in addition to my day job - that played to my strengths. I identified problems, offered solutions, and then played a key role in implementing them. It's opened up a lot of doors for me professionally, and allowed me to meet a lot of great people I wouldn't have otherwise.

3. Have  you ever had a manager that allowed you to flaunt your weaknesses?

I had a boss who really understood what I rocked at. He made it a point to seek out opportunities for me to do things I was naturally good at. It made grinding through the stuff I wasn't as good at - but was just part of the job - a lot easier.

4. Are you secretly the twin of actor Chris O'Donnell?

That's hilarious! I just did a comparison. You're right!

The Ten Unbreakable Rules of Blogging (and the reasons you can break them)

There's a lot of good advice out there on how to write a successful blog. However, you can probably ignore most of it, if it doesn't work for you.

A blog is a place where you can be yourself and not worry about doing it "right." And nobody really knows what it means to do it right.

1. Blog Every Day

Seth Godin blogs every day. You can count on it. He's consistent. He never skips a post. He's the most well-known business blogger in the world. Maybe you should follow his example.

But maybe you don't need to. Pam Slim, best-selling author of Escape from Cubicle Nation, blogs sporadically. She usually writes something a couple times a week but has sometimes gone almost a month without writing anything. However, her blog subscribers are tremendously loyal and she has built a powerful community.

2. Keep It Short

Seth Godin's posts rarely go over 200 words. Some are as short as 95 words and a longer post is only 400 words.

In contrast, Jonathan Fields, author of Career Renegade, and small business expert, Naomi Dunford, write posts that go on for more than 2000 words, longer than many magazine articles.

If you are concise, then focus on brevity. If you like to ramble on and on, don't worry about it.

3. Don't Sell Out

There are no advertisements on Seth's blog, no Google adwords, no banner ads, popups or affiliate links. He only includes links to his own books and he gives the click-through revenue to charity.

However, Chris Brogan, author of Trust Agents, is a sales machine. He promotes all kinds of products and services, from camcorders to blog platforms to books. If he believes in it, he'll tell you about it, list it, link to it, and profit from your click or purchase.

If you are hesitant to turn your blog into a checkout register, then keep it pure. If you want your blog to become a passive income fire hose, then give it a try.

4. Stick with Text

Blogging is writing. If you want to be successful, you need to be a good writer. Until recently, Seth's blog was exclusively text. He just started including videos related to his new book, Linchpin.

On the other hand, text is boring. Cutting edge bloggers use video and audio to keep it fresh and interesting. Chris Brogan, Gary Vaynerchuck, author of Crush It!, and many others use video liberally and some bloggers use audio exclusively.

My personal preference is for text. I like to read blogs. I subscribe to them via email and read them on my phone. I'll rarely listen to an audio file or take the time to watch a video. But that is just me.

If you are uncomfortable with technology or just prefer to write, that is fine. If you don't like to write or just enjoy learning and using new technology, then you might want to incorporate more video or audio on your blog.

5. Be Professional

After reading Seth's blog for years and reading every one of his books, I didn't know anything about his personal life. Was he married? Did he have kids? Where did he live? He never said. I found out that he was married and had a couple kids when I met his editor at a conference.

On the other hand, after reading Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist blog for a few months, I learned that she had been sexually abused as a child, was divorced, recently moved to Madison, Wisconsin, had a couple kids and was currently having sex with a farmer.

If you are a private person, you can maintain your privacy while blogging. If you want to bare your soul, that can work as well.

6. Keep It Clean

Seth doesn't swear. He doesn't use innuendo. He doesn't make off-color remarks. His blog is rated G, or at the very worst, PG.

Naomi Dunford curses like a sailor. In a recent post she used the f-word more than five times and also liberally employed a cornucopia of lesser profanities and obscenities. Her blog is rated R.

If you are formal and proper in your communication, that can be very effective. If you are a potty mouth, that can work too.

7. Interact with Your Readers

Jonathan Fields responds personally to almost every comment on his blog.

Seth doesn't even allow comments.

If you want to create a conversation, blogging is an excellent platform. If you prefer one-way communication, then blogging is good for that as well.

8. Use Keywords for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

You need to sprinkle certain keywords liberally throughout your blog posts to increase your Google juice (the potential that your blog will be found by the world's most powerful search engine). You can hire experts to help you with this or to do it for you.

Or you can write whatever you want and trust that people will find you. I know that Seth didn't reach the pinnacle of blogging fame by tweaking his posts to include better keywords.

I may be naive or idealistic but SEO optimization seems slimy to me. I just write stuff and maybe that's why I'm not one of the world's most famous bloggers. You have to decide which approach will work for you.

9. Headlines Are Everything

Some bloggers argue that the headline is the most important part of your post and that you should spend more time on crafting the right headline than on the content of the message.

Others believe that content is king and that you don't need flashy or potentially misleading headlines to attract people to your blog. Focus on substance and your blog will flourish.

If you are great at marketing, use those skills to attract readers. If you excel at writing, then just keep producing great content.

10. Use Lists

People love lists. Blog readers are looking for simple, well-organized content in list form. Top 10 blogs, Best 5 books, 3 Questions, 7 tips, etc. Use lists liberally.

But Seth never uses lists, or at least he doesn't use them very often. In fact, most of the blogs that I read regularly don't create many lists.

I have to admit that I sometimes feel pressure to follow this rule, and this post is a list. But I don't prefer to write lists. However, some of my most popular posts are lists. Again, either approach can be effective.

So there you go. Ten rules for effective blogging and ten examples of how the exact opposite approach can also work.

Don't feel pressure to use strategies that don't fit your skills, interests or preferences. Blogging is a tool that allows you to be yourself and also rewards you for it.

Walk This Way: Three Paths to Success in Your Career and Business

A few weeks ago I was in Houston for a consulting engagement. My flight back to North Carolina didn't arrive back until almost midnight. It had been a long day and I was very tired. As I walked to the parking garage, I was trying to remember where my car was and where I put my keys . . . and then I almost fell flat on my back.

I'd accidentally stepped onto a moving walkway, but it was moving in the wrong direction.

So what did I do? Did I move back and get on the correct walkway? Nope. I just kept going.

I'm not sure why. There was no one around. I wasn't trying to impress anyone. I just kept going. It took twice as long and it was much more difficult, but I kept going.

This experience got me thinking. . .

We have three options in life:

1. When we build on our natural strengths, it is like riding the walkway that's moving in the direction we are trying to go. This makes life a lot easier. We move forward without much effort. If we choose to walk or run, it further accelerates our progress. Any effort we exert is multiplied.

2. When we focus on areas of mediocrity, it is like walking next to the moving walkway. It doesn't move us forward or slow us down. There's no advantage or disadvantage. Our results are directly connected to the effort we exert.

3. When we try to fix our weaknesses, it is like riding the walkway that's moving in the wrong direction. This makes life very difficult. If we stand still, we lose ground and it takes a lot of energy just to keep from moving backward. We have to run in order to creep forward.

Which would you choose?

Before you decide, consider this. Imagine that you're on the walkway that is going backward and trying to keep up with someone who's right next to you on the walkway that is going forward.

How hard would you have to work in order to keep up? If you started to catch up, how easy would it be for them to pull ahead again?

We are all competing for attention, for jobs, for customers, for opportunities. Even if you work hard, you'll never beat your competitors by fixing your weaknesses. You'll win by capitalizing on your natural strengths, by multiplying your efforts in the areas in which you already have a head start.

When I stepped onto the wrong walkway, I just kept going. Don't make the same mistake.

If you want to get on the right walkway, check out this post with 20 Questions to Help You Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses.  

Become the Best by Being the Worst

Last week I wrote a guest post for Untemplater: Work Where You Want, Live How You Want, Be Who You Want To Be. I was really impressed with the thoughtful and insightful comments. Below is an excerpt. You can read the full post here.

Shaquille O’Neal is more than seven-feet tall, weighs 300 pounds and has missed more free throws than any other player in the history of the NBA. Because of this weakness, he has spent endless hours working with coaches to improve his skills. And he is still terrible.

He’s so bad at free throws that other teams have developed a strategy for capitalizing on his weakness. They call it Hack-A-Shaq. They foul him before he has the opportunity to shoot so that he will have to score his points from the free throw line.

Since other teams implemented this strategy, O’Neal has led two different teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat, to four NBA championships and has been an All-Star in each year of his career. In other words, Shaquille is one of the best basketball players of all-time, even though he is the worst free-throw shooter of all time. Actually, another player holds the record for the lowest free-throw percentage. His name is Wilt Chamberlain and he’s widely considered to be the greatest player in NBA history. . .

Read on to find out how Brett Favre and Michael Jordan demonstrate that excellence requires you to amplify your strengths and allow your weaknesses to get even worse.

How are your strengths related to your weaknesses? Are you the best in one area because you are the worst in another?

If you've been reading this blog but haven't ever posted a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

Freak of the Week: Lance Haun

I met Lance Haun, author of the Rehaul blog, through Twitter last year and I recently featured him in my post about the Top 7  Human Resources Blogs. We started a conversation and he was kind enough to share his own freak factor story, which reminds me of a slogan from Outward Bound. "If you can't get out of it, get into it."

"I get very little sleep which sparks creativity during the weirdest times and places. I've become much better at capturing it than my peers because I've had so many nights where I've stayed up with an idea and I figured it out. I've had some that I've completely lost in the more insomniac phases of my life but, generally speaking, my smartphone, laptop and notebook keep me plugged in with my ideas.

 

For my blog, Rehaul.com, most of my best work comes from an idea driven to paper after midnight. As you can imagine, sleeping infrequently requires coffee which forces me (as a person who works primarily from home) to interact with people. I've got my coffee shop people and my sandwich shop people that I can socialize with on a daily basis.

At MeritBuilder, our organization was built around people flaunting their weaknesses. Manic episodes of coding, writing and creative work followed by downtime of administrivia suited everyone and gained more productivity. I believe that embracing weaknesses is at the crux of smart talent management. It is overlooked consistently in the face of strengths but can be just (if not more) powerful."

Next time you have trouble sleeping, don't take an Ambien. Remeber Lance's story and ask yourself how you could take advantage of the late night hours while everyone else is wasting their time on sleep.  

Top 7 Human Resources Blogs

The Freak Factory is now listed on Alltop, a site that categorizes the best blogs on the internet. My blog is featured in the HR category. It's easy to find because it's the last one on the page.

I like Alltop because it helps me to find blogs that match my specific interests. MyAlltop also allows me to create a page of my own favorite blogs. It's like a blog reader except everyone can see it.

Below is my list of the Top 7 Human Resources blogs.

1. Renegade HR by Chris Ferdinandi - Check out How to Turn Average Performers into Rockstars.

Chris argues that many potential high performers appear to be below average or mediocre because "they're either in the wrong position that isn’t well aligned with their passions and strengths or poorly managed, and thus demotivated. . .

But a big part of me believes that if you treat all of your employees like they’re rockstars until they prove that they’re not (instead of the other way around), you’d start seeing a lot more rockstars in your organization."

2. Punk Rock HR by Laurie Ruettimann - Get started with Performance Reviews & Assessments. If you've just had a less than positive performance evaluation, Laurie encourages you to not freak out.

Instead, "think about a new job. Think about a new career. Think about living the kind of life where it doesn't matter what your boss or supervisor thinks about you."

3. Jason Seiden - His blog doesn't really have a title but I love the header. "Fail spectacularly. Safety's an illusion. You may as well go for it."

I discovered Jason's blog via Twitter last year. This post, describing an executive who is facing resistance withing a new organization, echoes my freak factory message. "Embrace Excellence, Not Arrogance." What Stupid Advice.

"When you’ve got someone who is good at his job, who knows it, who is willing to use power to move things along, who is not tolerant of convention born from thoughtless routine, and who pushes others to break the mold, that person will be interpreted as both arrogant and excellent."

4. Rehaul by Lance Haun - A good recent post is Words Matter but Actions Matter Most.

"When you fail to live up to the words you’ve crafted, there is no meaning in what you’ve written." This is a good reminder for me as a speaker, professor and writer. I need to continually challenge myself to practice what I preach.

5. Career Hub by Louise Fletcher - This blog includes contributions from many different experts. Today's post, Interview Questions: Illegal and Inappropriate, was perfect for a training session that I'm working on for later this month.

My favorite post so far is from Sital Ruparelia, 3 Ways to Get Passionate About Your Work.

His three suggestions are to, first, "find work you are passionate about. Find work which plays to your natural strengths, work which you enjoy. Work which excites you and doesn't really feel like work. It feels more like play than work."

Second, "take a close look at your existing role and employer - and look to find opportunities to express your talents, to do exciting, interesting work which isn't necessarily part of the day job."

Third, "it's not always possible to find an activity at work which you can get passionate about. If that's the case, then find 'work' away from your paid job that enables you to come alive."

6. HR Bartender by Sharlyn Lauby - Her post today, Healthy Competition, explains that, for many of us, our competitors might actually be potential collaborators.

"I’ve discovered the best way to deal with competition is to point it inward.  When I meet people who really have it together and inspire me, instead of focusing my energies on squashing them, I use that energy to make myself better.  There are two reasons for doing it. First, I get better at something. Second, I can eventually collaborate with that awesome person."

7. Fistful of Talent founded by Kris Dunn - This is another collaborative blog with a variety of contributors including Jason Seiden, who I mentioned above.

In Bright Spots in HR? Huh?, Jessica Lee shares simple advice from the Heath Brothers' new book, Switch: How To Change Things When Change is Hard. Instead of finding problems and trying to fix them, "find bright spots and clone them." This is the freak factory applied to organizations and industries. Start with what is working and expand it.

If you like The Freak Factory, I think you'll like what you find on these blogs. Enjoy.

Your dream job is hiding inside of your biggest weakness

Although many people have found jobs that allow them to flaunt their weaknesses, is is easy to conclude that there is no career that fits your unique flaws. But sometimes the perfect job for you is hiding inside the very words that you use to describe your shortcomings.

- You are a control freak. I've written before about 10 jobs for controlling people, including financial controllers and air traffic controllers. 

- You're too critical. There are many jobs for that . . . food critic, music critic, movie critic, etc. You can get some practice by publishing online reviews, judging at local contests or writing for your city's newspaper.

- You're too analytical. Become an analyst. Wikipedia lists more than 15 different types of analysts in a variety of fields and defines an analyst as an individual whose "primary function is a deep examination of a specific, limited area ."

And even when the job isn't hiding inside the words themselves, your flaws still hold the clues to your ideal workplace.

- You're a neat freak. Become a professional organizer. You'd probably be surprised by the number of specialties in this area, including: closet organizers, Feng Shui, ergonomics, space planning, etc. You can get started by joining the National Association of Professional Organizers. I just visited their site and apparently January is National Organizing Month.

- You're a know-it-all. Try teaching, fact-checking, researching or becoming an advice columnist.

Can you think of an example of a job/career that is hiding inside a weakness? If so, I'd love to hear it.

20 questions to help you discover your strengths and weaknesses

If you like the freak factor concepts but aren't sure about your own strengths and weaknesses, this post is for you. Below are twenty questions to help you:

• increase your self-awareness
• clarify your own freak factor
• find a more fulfilling career.

Strengths

 

1. What is the biggest success that I've ever had?

 

2. What was the happiest day of my life? What was I doing? Who was I with?

 

3. What was my favorite class in school? Which part did I like best?

 

4. What do others consistently praise me for?

 

5. What activities energize me? When do I lose track of time?

 

6. What was my favorite job? What did I like about it?

 

 

Weaknesses

 

7. What is the biggest failure that I've ever experienced?

 

8. What was my least favorite class in school? Which part did I dislike the most?

 

9. What do others consistently criticize me for?

 

10. What activities drain my energy?

 

11. What do I wish I could change about myself?

 

12. Which tasks do I tend to procrastinate?

 

13. What was my worst job? What did I hate about it?

 

 

Freak Factor

 

Once you've identified your strengths and your weaknesses, it's time to put them together.

 

14. How can I build on my strengths?

 

15. How can I flaunt my weaknesses? How can I do more of what people tell me not to do?

 

16. How can I do the opposite of what everyone else is doing?

 

17. Who can I work with that is strong where I am weak?

 

18. What situations spotlight my strengths and make my weaknesses irrelevant?

 

19. How can I stick out instead of trying to fit in?

 

20. How can I stop doing activities that drain me and replace them with those that energize me?

 

The chart below includes a list of strengths and their corresponding weaknesses. Review your answers to the questions above and try to identify your own strengths and weaknesses on the chart. Can you see the connection between some of your positive and negative characteristics?

 

Strength	Weakness
Creative	Unorganized
Organized	Inflexible
Dedicated	Stubborn
Flexible	Inconsistent
Enthusiastic	Obnoxious
Calm	Emotionless
Reflective	Shy
Adventurous	Irresponsible
Responsible	Boring
Positive	Unrealistic
Realistic	Negative
Assertive	Intimidating
Humble	Weak
Self-Confident	Arrogant
Patient	Indecisive
Passionate	Impatient

 

Want more?

 

If you're an employee, take the Freak Factor Quiz or read the free eBook.

 

If you're a manager, take the Freak Factory Quiz or read the free eBook.

 

* Special thanks to Sara Dunnigan at the Greater Richmond Partnership for suggesting this post.

Freak of the Week: Allan Bacon

No, it's not Allyn Bacon, the publisher of  education and social science books.

This is Allan Bacon, author of the Avocationist blog, which is listed as an Alltop Career site. He wants to help you find your passion without leaving your day job. I met him at Pam Slim's Escape from Cubicle Nation event last summer in Charlotte.

In the post below, Allan shares his weaknesses and how he has used these apparent flaws to build a fulfilling life, career and business.

"My first weakness is that I'm too social. When I was on a YMCA soccer team as a child I got the 'Ma Bell Gossip Award' because all I wanted to do was talk to everyone.

My second weakness is that I cannot make myself do something that I think is boring - so instead of just raking the leaves, I spent an afternoon trying to figure out a way to rig up a giant tarp to load up all the leaves on. It didn't work and it took three times as long as just raking the leaves.

My third weakness is that as soon as I figure something out, I get bored - the tarp idea didn't lead to some break-through solution to the leaves, it just made it more painful to get the yard cleaned up - I still had to rake them. Now I just hire someone to do my yard. Ricky loves what he does and my yard looks way better than it ever did when I did it.

When it came time for me to have a career my inability to do boring stuff and my tendency to get bored quickly became real issues for me. The problem was that I got bored every 1-2 years as I figured out each new job. And I lived in a place where there weren't a lot of jobs for a person with a PhD in Physics.

So I got really good at changing careers. I turned my weakness of wanting to figure everything out into the skill of understanding how to change. I used the fact that I am 'too social' as a strength by meeting lots of new people.

After several of these changes I realized that the traditional career approach wouldn’t help me find something that really tapped into all of my passions. Since I had trouble making myself do stuff I didn’t understand, I had to come up with a new way to try out lots of things in a safe way. This led to developing the idea of Life Experiments where I figured out how to do anything I wanted to (new careers, new hobbies, new jobs) without having to take a lot of time or spend a lot of money. One of these was a blog I started as an excuse to meet more people (my outlet for being 'too social').
 
Instead of forcing myself to conform to a normal career path, I started trying lots of other ways to figure out what I love. Even though this was harder, it was the only way I could move forward (since I couldn’t force myself to keep doing things I was bored with).
 
Now I get paid to figure things out, meet people and explain to them how things work. I publish the Avocationist blog, speak, write and coach people on how to live their dream lives without having to put their incomes at risk. 
 
I also consult with entrepreneurs to figure out how they can get more business without having to invest a lot more money. Because it’s my company I get to do lots of different things and add new things whenever I need to move on to something else."

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Do you want to be the Freak of the Week? Spots are filling up fast for 2010. Send an email to dave (at) drendall (dot) com. Tell me how your weaknesses are actually strengths in disguise and explain how you've capitalized on your flaws to succeed in your business or career. You can also nominate someone that you know.

I'm also starting a new Freak Factory feature. Do you work for a company or boss that allows you to flaunt you weaknesses instead of trying to fix them? If so, send me your story. I'd love to hear from you.

More than half of Americans work for failure factories

According to a CNN Money report, job satisfaction in the United States just hit a 22-year low. More than half of American employees are frustrated by their work.

"The Conference Board's survey polled 5,000 households, and found that only 45% were satisfied in their jobs. That's down from 61.1% in 1987, the first year the survey was conducted. Even though one in 10 Americans is out of a job, those who are employed are increasingly dissatisfied.

'Through both economic boom and bust during the past two decades, our job satisfaction numbers have shown a consistent downward trend,' said Lynn Franco, director of the Consumer Research Center of The Conference Board.

'[That] could spell trouble for the overall engagement of U.S. employees and ultimately employee productivity,' she added."

The recent recession, layoffs, pay cuts and outsourcing promise to make this problem even worse in 2010. In this environment, managers and workers need to discover a new approach to performance improvement.

If we want people to get re-engaged, we need to stop trying to find and fix their flaws. This approach didn't work in the past and it won't work in these troubled times.

Instead of perpetuating failure factories with ineffective conventional strategies, we need to create freak factories, organizations that help people to amplify their unique qualities and contribute the best of themselves each day. We need to stop forcing people to fit in and start helping them freak out.

Find out more about how to improve employee engagement, motivation and productivity in my free e-book The Freak Factory: Making Employees Better by Helping Them Get Worse.

8 Irresistible Principles of Fun

If you want to have some fun, learn and laugh, then check out this video by Michael Bungay Stanier, author of Find Your Great Work, at Box of Crayons.

My favorite principles are:

1. Stop hiding who you are. Figure out who you are, then turn up the volume.

3. Stop following the rules. It's no longer about what you can't do, it's about what you can do.

4. Start scaring yourself. Dip your toe into the bold, the outrageous and the unthinkable.

Freak of the Week: Joe Heuer, Rock & Roll Guru

Joe Heuer is the Rock & Roll Guru. As he explains on his Twitter profile, he is an author, speaker, humorist, rocker & nonconformist. Rock & Roll (especially classic rock) is his muse, passion & business.

His alter ego is Daffynitions, where he offers his own quirky definitions of everday words. As a college professor, one of my recent favorites is "Term Paper: an expanded version of the Wikipedia entry."

I asked Joe to share his freak factor and his response is below. If anyone has ever told you that you have to grow up in order to be successful, don't listen to them. Joe's story proves that you can grow older (and wealthier and happier) without growing up.

"My flaws are many, but I'll just share a few highlights. First, I'm psychologically unemployable. Among other things, that means I can't take orders, I come and go as I please and I only do stuff I consider fun. In other words, I do what I want when I want.

My mantra, as well as my business plan, is 'If you always do fun stuff, there will always be plenty of fun stuff to do.' This works incredibly well for me, as I'm allergic to doing stuff that's not fun. Consequently, I have the grooviest career, biz & life I can imagine as the Rock and Roll Guru.

Another significant 'flaw' is my attention span, or lack thereof. The strength here is that I'm working on so much cool stuff that I never get bored. There's always another fun project to which I can turn my attention, however briefly. For example, I'm working on a series of themed Daffynitions books, including Biz, Parenting, Relationships & Self-help. Additionally, I'm writing the Rock & Roll Dictionary, which is based on the Daffynitions model.

I also wrote The Dentist's Rockin' Guide to Patient Loyalty. A flaw related to the dentist's book is that I'm sorta lazy. By putting 'dentist' on the cover, I become the industry 'expert' and I'll send it to the 50 state dental associations to line up a handful of speaking gigs.

Since my maximum attention span is 90 minutes, I can harness my energy to deliver one of my two keynote addresses for that length of time."

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Do you want to be the Freak of the Week? Spots are filling up fast for 2010. Send an email to dave (at) drendall (dot) com. Tell me how your weaknesses are actually strengths in disguise and explain how you've capitalized on your flaws to succeed in your business or career. You can also nominate someone that you know.

I'm also starting a new Freak Factory feature. Do you work for a company or boss that allows you to flaunt you weaknesses instead of trying to fix them? If so, send me your story. I'd love to hear from you.

Freak of the Week: Erika Lyremark

Erika Lyremark is a Professional Ass Kicker, Speaker, Radio Host, Author, and Founder of DailyWhip.com. She has made an art and a science out of ass-kicking, delivering her years of experience and love of pain straight into your tender ears with all the subtlety and tact of a pit-bull in stilettos.

Having spent nine years as an exotic dancer, Erika had finally had enough and kicked her own ass into co-creating a multimillion-dollar commercial real estate investment firm.  With her passion and drive restored, she then realized that she had a deep desire to light a fire under the countless other souls out there toiling in a life not their own.

I recently met Erika via Twitter, @DailyWhip, and was intrigued by her unconventional approach to coaching. She asked me to be a guest on her radio show and you can listen to the interview here.

I asked her if she had a freak factor story and her response is below. I've written before about the benefits of being bossy and Erika's story offers even more proof that flaunting your flaws is more effective than fixing them.

"When I was a young girl I got into trouble for being bossy. 'Erika, stop bossing your friends around. Erika stop bossing your brother and sister around. Erika stop bossing ME around,' my mother would belt out in her thick Swedish accent.

Personally I never saw my bossiness as a problem. It got me a lot of things when I was younger. When my friends came over I got them to do my chores for me. I got the best Barbie doll at playtime. I got the best seat on the school bus. I got to be first in line.

Even though being bossy has gotten me into a lot of trouble and has been the cause of many fights with my friends and family, embracing my bossiness has been a huge advantage in my career. What was just a personality defect is now how I make my living.

Making change in one’s life can be a grueling ugly process that requires hardcore accountability. It’s human nature that when we’re confronted with facing the ugly truth about ourselves and our lives, we want to run as fast as we can back to our comfort zone. This is why my skill of artfully pushing, prodding, and 'whipping' my clients into action is key. Bossing my clients all the way to career success and life fulfillment has not only given me the nickname 'Bossy Boots,' but embracing the FREAK in me has also made me tons of cash along the way!"

The reason to be unreasonable

Seth Godin recently wrote about the danger of doing things within reason.

"Within reason means, 'without bothering the boss, without taking a big risk, without taking the blame if we fail . . . be reasonable!' And so you do it half-heartedly and you fail. And who beats you? The people who did it without reason."

Most people would agree with most of the ideas on this blog, as long as you don't take them too far. It is fine to build on your strengths . . . within reason. It is good to embrace your weaknesses . . . within reason. Go ahead and pursue your passion . . . within reason. Be yourself . . . within reason.

But that is the problem. My point is that you need to go even farther. You need to go farther in the direction that everyone is telling you not to go in.

The freak factor is about being unreasonable, about doing things "without reason." If you can avoid the trap of doing things "within reason," then you dramatically increase your chances for success.

Next time someone encourages you to be reasonable, just realize that they are really asking you to be normal, average, mediocre and unremarkable. In other words, they are being unreasonable.

* If you want to create career success without reason, you can read my free eBook, The Freak Factor: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness.

* If you want to find out how to motivate employees without reason, you can check out my free eBook, The Freak Factory: Making Employeees Better by Helping Them Get Worse.

5 ways to make your job better, even if it will never be perfect

I got some great responses to my post, Are You in the Right Spot? 7 Ways to Find the Right Fit. In particular, Elad Sherf's comment was worth expanding on.

He said, "it is important to ask yourself how many hours per day you do things that you like and that you are good at? Most people don't enjoy 100% of their work. The question is, what is the figure for you?"

He's right. Most people don't enjoy everything about their jobs or even their businesses, if they are  entrepreneurs. Instead of trying to find the perfect job, we should strive to increase the number of hours per day that we can apply our strengths and decrease the number of hours each day that we spend in our areas of weakness.

Here are five suggestions to get you started:

1. Review your workday and approximate the percentage of time that you spend in your areas of strength & weakness. Is it 20% strength and 80% weakness? Is it 50% strength and 50% weakness? A student once told me that her job required her to spend just 10% of her time in areas of strength and 90% in areas of weakness.

2. List the specific activities that allow you to do what you do best and those that put a spotlight on your flaws.

• What tasks do you love to do?
• When do you lose track of time?
• What type of work are you consistently recognized and praised for?
• What tasks do you hate to do?
• When does time seem to stand still?
• What type of work do you consistently struggle with?

3. Schedule more activities that draw on your strengths.

• Do you have the authority to make these decisions?
• Do you need to involve your supervisor?
• Do you need the cooperation of your co-workers?

4. Eliminate tasks that draw on your flaws.

• Is the task essential?
• Can you get help from someone?
• Can you exchange tasks with a co-worker that has complementary strengths?

5. Set a target. If your current state is 20% strength and 80% weakness, then maybe 50/50 is a worthwhile goal. Even a small change in this percentage will pay large dividends in energy, motivation and results. This, in turn, will help you to make it through the parts of your job that are less desirable.

If you want to learn more about how to find the right fit, you can listen to my interviews with Pam Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation, and Jonathan Fields, author of Career Renegade.

Are you in the wrong spot? 7 ways to find the right fit

One of the primary arguments of the freak factor is that our apparent weaknesses are actually strengths. But this is only true if we put ourselves in the right situations.

The most common question that I get after my freak factor seminar is, "do I have to quit my job to find my freak factor?" In other words, people want to flaunt their weaknesses, but they are afraid of how it will affect their career and personal finances.

Below are seven options for finding or creating a better fit between your unique characteristics and your work. They are listed in order of difficulty and the degree to which they will disrupt your life. The easiest options are first and the harder ones follow.

The freak factor isn't an all or nothing proposition. Take a look at the strategies below and start with the one that you are most comfortable with. The point is to start somewhere and start now!

1. Keep your job and pursue your passion through hobbies, volunteering or family involvement. If you can find positive outlets for your unique qualities, your work will seem more bearable. This is the route that Allan Bacon suggests. His Avocationist blog offers tips for pursuing your passion without quitting your job.

2. Keep your job and try to adapt your current work responsibilities to focus more on the activities that you enjoy and do well and less on those you dislike and do poorly. This requires a good relationship with your supervisor. If you have this conversation,  you need to focus on the benefit that the department and company will experience if you are allowed to adjust your role. Marcus Buckingham has a lot of wonderful examples of how this has been done effectively in Go Put Your Strengths to Work.

3. Keep your job and begin to develop a part-time business during your evenings and weekends. You can make a lot of progress on an entrepreneurial venture without ever quitting your job. It can also be helpful and wise to explore the viability of your business concept before giving up your full-time income. Your day job will be much more bearable if you have the hope of someday leaving to pursue your business full-time. Pam Slim's book, Escape from Cubicle Nation, is a helpful guide.

4. Stay at your company but request a transfer to a new job that matches your skills and interests. For example, maybe you're working in accounting but feel that your creativity is being stifled by all the rules and regulations and your innovative ideas are seen as dangerous and unwise. A transfer to the marketing department or to a new program development position might change people's perceptions of the value that you bring to the company and give you a greater sense of fulfillment.

5. If you can't find the right fit at your current employer, quit and find a new full-time job. Identify the kinds of activities that put the spotlight on your strengths and make your weaknesses invisible or irrelevant. Look for jobs that include those activities and start applying. Obviously, this isn't easy but the results will make the process worthwhile. Dan Schawbel's personal branding book and blog have some very useful advice and resources on how you can move your career in a new direction.

6. Quit your full-time job, get a part-time job and start a new business. Some people aren't cut out to be employees. If your freak factor requires you to do your own thing but you are somewhat risk-averse, this strategy can give you a greater sense of security and a modest source of income while you get your business off the ground. You can also get a new full-time job that is more flexible or has less responsibility and will allow you more time and/or energy to focus on your new business. My job as a college professor gives me a tremendous amount of freedom to pursue my business as a speaker, trainer and author.

7. Quit your job and start a business. If your weaknesses include impulsiveness, over-confidence or idealism, then this is the option for you. If you have no fear and you just want to make the leap right now, then go for it. I strongly believe that the best way to find the right fit is to create it. No employer will ever care as much about your future than you will and they won't ever be able to creatively adapt to your unique characteristics as well as you can. Jonathan Fields' book, Career Renegade, has some very practical and exciting examples of how people have turned their passion into a viable business. For example, one husband and father turned his love of video games into a thriving publishing business. 

The point is that you don't have to quit your job, at least not right now. There are a lot of things that you can do today to start embracing your freak factor.

Did I miss a step? If you can think of any options that I left out, please let me know and I'll add them to the list.