Ford Saeks at Prime Concepts and I were discussing all the noise on the internet: the cacophony of emails, social media, blogs, spam, YouTube, et al. The internet has made marketing easier to do and harder to do effectively. What can be done easily isn’t always done well. Legitimate and important ideas can easily get lost in the din or faux information.

Which leads me to suggest that quiet may well be the antidote to all the noise. I don’t mean silence–that’s different. That’s the strategy of the cynic who gives up hope that his or her marketing will do any good.

By quiet, I mean softly spoken. When you try to talk to a large crowd, you have to shout. When you have a conversation with one or two people, you don’t have to yell. Quiet marketing means being specific rather than general; it is “me-marketing” rather than mass marketing.

Quiet also suggests wisdom. Some of the smartest people I know are also the lowest key. You listen carefully to what they have to say because they always seem to have good ideas.

Really good ideas don’t need to be hyped. The great ideas stand out on their own merit. Rather than trying to convince me that your product or service is good by shouting about it, show me through compelling communication and persuasive proof.

Don’t give up trying to be heard. Instead, re-evaluate how you go about doing it. I can’t make an iron-clad guarantee here, but quiet may well be your best marketing weapon in a noisy world.

While reading Charlene Li’s book, Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead, I was struck by the simplicity of an idea. She includes “the openness audit” and one assessment statement is “Employees and executives are free to blog and participate publicly in social media as long as they act responsibly.” Note the last two words: act responsibly.

That may be the best two word policy statement I can think of. You might be aware of Nordstrom’s famous policy statement, known for its simplicity, “use your best judgment at all times.” “Act responsibly” is shorter but just as instructive.

The C-level executives I advise often ask for suggestions about policy around social media. I believe Charlene Li has captured it with the idea of acting responsibly.

Of course that raises the question: how do employees learn to act responsibly? In a perfect world everyone would enter the workforce with that ability. In the real world “acting responsbibly” needs to be taught and modeled. Leaders need to create a culture where employees are clear on their responsibilities to each other, customers and shareholders. Values need to be lived, not just espoused. And critically important, those who lead must exemplify acting responsibly each day.

President Obama is understandably defensive about the criticism he is receiving about the Gulf oil disaster. News clips recently show him explaining that he was in the Gulf making “tough talk” and finding out whose ass needed to be kicked (really).

All leaders feel the heat whether the problems they face were caused by them or someone else. That is the nature of leadership. Bush took the heat for how his administration responded to Hurricane Katrina. Obama is taking the heat for the Gulf.

As much as tough talk is appreciated, people want results. Talking tough, placing blame or even taking responsibility mean little until the problem is solved or the situation is resolved.

The title of a book written by my friend Randy Pennington says it all: “Results Rule.”

There are many lessons for leaders here, but primary is this: don’t let the heat in the kitchen prevent you from cooking the meal. Deal with the heat. Ignore it if you can. If you can’t, address it. Just don’t let it distract you from bringing your compete attention and resources to bear on the goal.

There will be time for dealing with those who caused one of the greatest natural disasters of our time, but right now Americans want results and solutions. Not tough talk and ass kicking.

An effective leader has to get past ass kicking to problem fixing.

You begin each week with many demands on your time, but do you design your week for maximum advantage? In this audio blog you’ll learn the five questions that you should ask at the beginning of each week. Your answers will provide you an agenda that will help you improve your business and your life. Listen here: Five Questions

You might think there are two people less alike than Bret Michaels and Tony Dungy.

Michaels is a long time rocker. Dungy is a former NFL coach.  One is flamboyant and the other unassuming. Michaels starred in the reality show called Rock of Love. Dungy is overt that his life is built on the rock of faith.

What do they have in common?

They’ve both demonstrated there are different paths to extraordinary success; that you can break the supposed mold and win big.

Michaels was named the winner of Celebrity Apprentice on last night’s final episode. He beat worthy opponent Holly Robinson Peete. Peete was the confident, accomplished business woman/actress who might reasonably have been considered the favorite to win. Michaels was the creative rocker who liked to sleep in but he proved to be more than a musical celebrity. His leadership abilities coupled with his creativity, sense of humor and big heart helped him capture the title.

I’m sure there are naysayers who thought he had, ironically, an unfair advantage from his recent life-threatening illness. I choose to believe that difficult circumstances just revealed what a true warrior he really is. 

I interviewed Tony Dungy recently and his route to fame and success is as unusual as Bret Michaels’. In an environment where big egos, yelling and hysterics on the sideline are not uncommon, Dungy is a soft-spoken and humble man. He was an accomplished player and a savvy coach, but his demeanor is radically different from a typical star athlete or Super Bowl-winning coach. He seems less driven than dedicated, and his is a quiet ambition that focuses more on others than on himself.

Both Dungy and Michaels defy the myth of the singular path to success. They defy the popular formulas. They both prove that personality and passion express themselves differently in different people and that Frank Sinatra was on to something when he sang about doing it ”my way.”

And they demonstrate that who culture considers an underdog might in reality be an alpha dog.

An extraordinary performance has the potential to positively influence others to be more remarkable in their work. Learn how you can have remarkable influence in this audio lesson remarkableinfluence

When you receive negative feedback or experience a disappointment and failure, what can you do to make the most of it? Listen to this audio blog to learn what you can do. 4Ds for dealing with negative feedback or experiences

In this audio blog I share insights from famed educator Marva Collins, founder of Westside Preparatroy: marvacollins

I’m puzzled by an expert’s claim about the voracious intake of books he consumes and the lack of fresh intellectual output he exhibits. I’ve seen no evidence that his intake has affected his output. Instead, I see the same ideas (and granted they are good ideas) expressed differently. Maybe all the new ideas got stuck in his brain.

It makes me wonder why his reading hasn’t, seemingly, informed his writing.

I’m an avid reader and always have been. In recent years I’ve become a much more selective reader. Some things I read for entertainment, but most things I read for education (sometimes I get lucky and the same book provides both).

There is a purpose to my educational reading. I want to expose myself to ideas that will stimulate my thinking. My goal is to be a better leader, speaker and writer as a result of what I read.

The test for me and for my readers is whether I’m saying anything new as a result of the new things I’ve read. And I don’t mean regurgitating the same ideas using different words; my hope is that my ideas will be positively informed, influenced and shaped by my reading. Think of it as intellectual hybrid vigor.

I observe  (and am aware of when I read and write) that quantity of input does not necessarily affect the quality of output.

Maybe it is time to challenge the prevailing “wisdom” that we should be reading lots and lots of different things, and the more the better. Certainly reading outside of category introduces one to new ideas, but you still have to evaluate the usefulness of those ideas. The good news is that you can save some time by accepting that you can’t read everything so why try?

The test–for quality and quantity of reading–is always in the results: is there evidence that you’re better at what you do and who you are because of what you’ve read?

If you want to read a great deal, do so. Unless you’re reading muck, it won’t hurt you. But if you’re in the business of creating content or just trying to become better at your craft, make sure your reading input informs the quality of your intellectual output.

This past weekend the NHRA held the inaugural 4-Wide Nationals in Concord, North Carolina. Historically drag racing has been a competition between two drivers. The noise and visuals of this kind of racing is sensory nirvana for drag racing fans.

What could be more exciting?

Double your racers, double your fun. 4-wide racing ratchets up the excitement dramatically. Imagine the spectacle of four 2,000 horsepower machines thundering side by side in a race to the 1,000 foot finish and you’ll get the idea.

Drivers approach the race differently when facing two extra competitors. Technique and strategy change and the biggest beneficiary is the fan. NHRA has given fans a new huge reason to keep attending it’s events.

What are you doing to refresh and revive your business model? What have you done lately to engage your customers in new and dramatic ways? What have you done to change the game for your competitors?

It is time to go 4-wide.