Thinking today...Imagine that...Purple Cows... (Say What?)

When I travel, I almost always forget to pack a book in my purse to read on the airplane. Most of the time, this is not a bad thing. I can catch up on much needed sleep. I do often wonder if I snore, since my husband tells me I am quite the snorer at home. On my recent trip to Indiana and Michigan, I decided to visit the book store in the airport at Atlanta on my departing flight and the book store at Detroit on my return flight. I bought Purple Cow: Transform your business by being remarkable by Seth Godin on the first flight; and I bought Shut up, Stop whining, and Get a life by Larry Winget on the returning flight. Both were entertaining to say the least.

I think for today I will talk about Purple Cow... As I perused through the books in the little book shop, this book caught my eye. On the front cover there is a picture of a purple Jersey or Holstein (I can't ever tell the difference.) and the book is purple and white (like the cows). Yes, it caught my eye...Great marketing strategy on Godin's part. The book is all about marketing your products and services such that people will notice and buy. The whole jist of the book is to make what you have to offer REMARKABLE (a.k.a the Purple Cow!). I haven't finished the book yet. (I forgot to tell you how ADHD I can be. I am the world's worst person to start something, then lay it down to move on to something else.) However, from the first 100 pages (currently on page 101), I think I understand. I need a Purple Cow! (I certainly hope my husband does not read this and think it is approval for him to try to go buy one. He loves to buy cows, and while a Purple Cow is what I need, it is not what HE NEEDS. He will not understand the metaphor!)

As Chief Academic Officer (CAO) for STIAchievement Services, it is my responsibility to make sure our little division has a Purple Cow. What can make us unique? Where is our niche? What do we have to offer that is remarkable? These are the questions that began to bombard my mind as I tried to read through the Purple Cow. I find my mind very distracting when I am trying to read. It won't "Shut Up!" The thoughts just keep on coming. It even has a bad habit of doing this when people try to talk to me. It is really rude. However, these thoughts just kept coming concerning STIAS. Here are some of the analogies I came up with as I compared Godin's thoughts to my thoughts. (Yes it is a little scary!)

"Tastes like Chicken" isn't a compliment!! (Godin) Wow! what a cool quote... So, if our Achievement Services just "tastes" like the other meats out there (consulting and coaching entities) then we really haven't done anything worthy of notation. Hmmm... something to think about and "chew on" (keeping with the cow analogy here.) Godin talks about Ideaviruses and Sneezers in his book. STIAS needs a lot of ideaviruses and then sneezers to spread them. So, as CAO, I got to thinking about our ideaviruses...what do we have to "spread" through the sneezers? Whatever our ideaviruses are, they have to be...REMARKABLE! I know what I think our ideaviruses are, but the truth will come to light when I see how well they are "sneezed".

CHEATING (Godin) All the big guys are doing it...(i.e. JetBlue, Starbucks, Vanguard, Amazon.com, Google, Wendy's, HBO) They are not "playing by the rules" (Godin), so what about Achievement Services... I like the old cliche' "all's fair in love and war", and I'd like to add "all's fair in love, war, and business!" I never really saw myself as a business woman before until now. I was always in public education, and as all public educators know, we work freely without thought of profitability. Not so in the business world... However, now that I have seen the "other" side, I will have to say it is not always as rosy as it seems, and there are a lot of people "cheating" (a term we educators hate). So, now for the first time in my life, I am considering the concept! (OK, maybe not the first time.) I am considering "throwing out the rule books" and finding our "purple cow".

The problem with the Purple Cow is FEAR... (Godin) I love the cliche' "I ain't skeered!", and Oh, yes we are... We are always afraid of what others will think. We question ourselves all the time. What if I do this? or What will they think of me if I do that? To quote my mentor Patsy Sheffield, "Sometimes you just have to put on your big girl panties and do it." Be fearless! Courageous! If they aren't noticing you now, what will be the problem if they don't notice your purple cow, or if they do notice it and talk about you. At least they will be talking. According to Godin, negative criticism can prove to be equally as motivating and important as positive criticism. A virus is a virus... And it spreads... So, stop the "Fear Factor" and put yourself out there. Build (or birth) your Purple Cow!

Safe is Risky (Godin) Since the inception of AS, we have been following the leaders...Staying in formation like a bunch of Canadian Geese flying south (Godin), but it is time to be Risky! We need to break formation and develop our own ... say it out loud...say it with emphasis...PURPLE COW! So what if no one else is doing it. As much as I love research... it is always OLD... By the time you actually read research, the moment has past and something new and vibrant is needed. BE THE RESEARCH! When I left tenure from Mobile County as a science teacher to become a school improvement specialist in Choctaw County, I was practicing RISKY BEHAVIOR... But it was one of the most rewarding adventures I have ever done. I have lifetime friendships because of that particular move. When I left the public educational system and retirement for the private sector with no promise of tenure or security, it was RISKY BEHAVIOR, but I love it. (Not sayin' I have absolutely no regrets, just sayin' I love my new risky behavior!) I made a promise to myself that this year (the 41st year of my life) I am going to push myself to go beyond the normal for me. I have officially entered the mid-life crisis era of my life, and I WANT CHALLENGE! I want to live! I want a thrilling life full of RISKY BEHAVIOR. And my job has taken me up on my challenge! For AS, we need to take risks in order to be successful. If we only do the status quo, we always will be faced with others who have more resources and who can do it better. So, forget the status quo! Let's go WHITE WATER RAFTING! (I know this is not a cow analogy, but it is risky!)

Well, I have talked enough about my dream for a Purple Cow today. I need to actually start working on it. I welcome your thoughts and comments!


S.B. Odom