A tribute to Billy B...

I heard a song on the radio the other day and I was instantly reminded of Billy B*, as well as a time that was so professionally and personally fun. A while back, when business was flush with opportunity, daring, well run and not so burdened by the administrative and operating mechanisms that are prevalent in much of today's business frame work (a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away** it could be said), there was Billy B who was a part of this fabric; in sales administration and a jack of trades, he was indispensable to a small sales organization and I worked closely with him to deploy marketing initiatives through the sales channel. This is how I got to know him.

This story begins in a hospitality suite*** which, if you are familiar with them, is an oasis at the end of a long day... more often than not offering adult refreshments. It is here that one night Billy B stands up and starts to sing one of the most classic rock & roll songs ever written**** with great gusto, talent and engagement; so much so that his small audience is mesmerized. The next day saw us back to our world of sales and marketing.

Our next sales meeting inevitably led to the hospitality suite, where there were a few more people and of course memories of the previous meeting. This in turn led to Billy B serenading the group with song and great fun; it was here that someone suggested they would bring a guitar for next time (i). The next couple of years passed growing the business, the sales team and the hospitality suite - It was Billy B, two guitarists and someone on percussion using a table and every person who was attending the meeting (ii).

And then it happened, word came down that our next meeting would be a North American event and the hospitality suite would go international. This meeting was bigger and after all the activities there was the comfort of the hospitality suite, Billy B, the music and a slightly bigger crowd than in the past. The word of Billy B had started to spread. 

With the business growing rapidly there came a couple of watershed moments; the hospitality suite closed its doors to make way for a larger, more formal Sales Banquet and the band playing one time let Billy B and a couple of his "musicians" take the stage (it was at the end of the night and they didn't seem to have any issues). With most of the room empty by that time, Billy B started to sing, cheered on by his die-hard supporters (iii). Over the next four or five years the crowds got bigger at the end of the banquets, the participation greater and always, I mean always, Billy B would grace the stage engaging the crowd with his signature song. By the end, Billy B (in full costume with a full back up band) had 400 people dancing and singing along with him (iv). 

Change, that only true constant, found the business needs move in a new direction, as is the way with a sizeable merger and acquisition. With this, Billy B never had the opportunity to sing again... deep down though, he was all right with it as I can remember him saying "it's time for someone else to take the reins". No one ever did...we had moved past those times into new ones (v).

There is great nostalgia with writing this but it also struck me this is a wonderful illustration of a product life cycle, and if you want to get philosophical, how life works. Before anyone gets disheartened here, do remember that maturity can be extended through line extenders or continued refinement to stay relevant. More importantly, and never forget this... you can always just redevelop yourself and start the curve all over again. That is where the real fun and excitement is.

Billy B is retired now and I hope he is still singing.

gpe

Footnotes

• (i) Product development, viability and understanding market need.
• (ii) Product introduction, engagement with early adopters and an opportunity do optimize marketing message.
• (iii) Product growth and a time of great excitement.
• (iv) Product maturity and the height of opportunity.
• (v) Product decline due to changing markets, competition and substitutes. 

* I have changed Billy B's name a little but anyone who was there will know whom I am referring to and I expect they are smiling. 

** I am very excited about the next instalment of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

*** The hospitality suite is where the sales force would gather after the day's activities to meet, network, have drinks and bond - More often than not a hotel suite.

**** The song is Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones. As I look back at this, there is know doubt it was the perfect anthem for the sales force. See lyrics below

Satisfaction Lyrics

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm driving in my car
And the man comes on the radio
He's tellin' me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to drive my imagination

I can't get no, oh no, no, no
A hey, hey, hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm watchin' my TV
And a man comes on and tells me
How white my shirts can be
But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me

I can't get no, oh no, no, no
A hey, hey, hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no girl reaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm ridin' round the world
And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that
And I'm tryin' to make some girl
Who tells me baby better come back maybe next week
'Cause you see I'm on losing streak

I can't get no, oh no, no, no
A hey, hey, hey, that's what I say

I can't get no, I can't get no
I can't get no satisfaction, no satisfaction
No satisfaction, no satisfaction
I can't get no

Songwriters
Keith Richards;Mick Jagger

Along came "awareness"...

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here

About mid way through this prose you will ask "where the hell is he going with this?"... you will have to be patient but we will get there*.

Ok, anyone who knows a German Scientist please raise your hand? Well I do... she is quite brilliant, lovely and is everything that you would expect that comes with having a PhD in geophysics - Intelligent, exact, disciplined, intellectually challenging... wait, did I say exact?

A number of blogs ago, I offered some thoughts as to how the smart phone had done away with the value of having "knowledge for knowledge's sake" (A Samurai and his Smartphone). To this post she offered some comments and I shall quote in part, "...being a smartassy scientist, I have to state here that one should never (really never!) confuse knowledge with information. And in my opinion you are talking here rather about information than about knowledge. It's the access to an almost boundless amount of information that characterizes todays life..."(sic).  She was of course correct and I very much appreciate her thoughts!

In my defence, as lame as it was, I told her that it was "artistic license" on my part, as the root of knowledge is "know" and therefore if you know something it is by extension knowledge - Deep down though, I said to myself, "damn I should have used the word information". I will be the first to say I feel that I learn from my mistakes, so I have done some "smartphone research" and the definitions of information and knowledge are as follows:

• Information is that which informs, i.e. that from which knowledge and data can be derived 
• Knowledge is an understanding of someone or something.

So technically speaking, I should have said the SmartPhone did away with the importance of having information, facts and figures in your head... it's all about knowledge. 

As I worked through this situation of loose language and artistic licence, it got me to thinking that "Knowledge for knowledge's sake" might as well be brought into question. What about that old saying, "You don't know what you don't know" - How do you know that you don't have knowledge? How can you gather information to build the knowledge that you may not be aware of in the first place?

And so along comes awareness - 

• Awareness is knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists

The magic word for me in the definition of awareness is the word "exists". It is the understanding that something exists that leads to gathering the information that "knowledge" can be developed from.  Awareness, knowledge and information... the triad is complete and the world is now a better place. With "awareness" thrown into the semantical mix I feel a little obliged to discuss it somewhat. (I know... it's just getting better isn't it?)

When looking at these three words I think it's fair to say that the importance of information, although the building blocks of knowledge, has been minimized with the advent of the internet and that the focus really lies with knowledge and awareness. So what's more important to have? The ideal answer is to say both, but in the real world it is of course, "it depends". Like almost everything, it depends on context; awareness may be more important in one situation and knowledge in another... and remember knowledge can be acquired from awareness given enough time. In a practical sense you want knowledge when you need to "do something" and awareness when you want to "determine what to do". Awareness leads to better understanding of a situation, as well as solution and opportunity development whereas Knowledge leads to better execution of plans and ideas. 

Ultimately knowledge is a specialized form of awareness and in a simplistic sense it all starts with being aware. It is here where I smile to myself as the next obvious question is, "where does awareness come from?"  Oh that's easy - Curiosity, And that leads to everything. Curiosity leads to awareness which in turn leads to knowledge. The more of one, leads to the more of another**. 

So be curious***. Be it yourself or within your teams; it leads to broader awareness and ultimately knowledge. Search out the curious, particularly if you need to look at your situation and the world differently. 

I bet you didn't see that coming.

gpe

* I will be very surprised if you could have ever guessed we would end up at curiosity.

** I have no data to support the ratios of "curiosity to awareness to knowledge" or aspects of diminishing returns but on a day to day basis it's safe to say if you are curious about something and have a smart phone you almost instantaneously have a working understanding and knowledge.

*** this will be a topic for much further discussion

Reflections

The timing of this may suggest that I want to spend some time reflecting on the year that was 2014 or even on a larger scale looking back on one's life... nothing so grand. I wanted to spend some time just reflecting on an evening with three of my oldest friends. Will any of this be particularly profound, have any insight into life, business or satisfaction? Maybe, maybe not... but I did have a wonderful evening.

Let me offer a quick back story for context - Like all of us, I have a group of close friends and I suspect, like all of us, there are logistical cartwheels you must entertain to try and co-ordinate getting together. To solve this, as well as the frustration of trying to herd the OCD kittens, a buddy and I decide when we want to have a drink and then I send out one e-mail (just one), letting everyone know when and where. A few nights ago four of us got together with invitations in hand to meet at The Libertine. For the sake of anonymity, let's name the three that joined me as Huey, Dewey and The Duke.

Reflections:

We are all grown up here, so look after our own calendars. (i) 

Adapting to a change in circumstance leads to untold surprises including a seedy pool hall where they only speak Portuguese. (ii)

 "Life is too short to be buying beer from a bottle." (iii)

If you are going to have a shot of bourbon, do not put ice in it. (iv)

Pay attention to your bill or it will be $33 and not $25. (v)

Imagine the good time you would have missed because it was more convenient at the to go home rather than walk up the street. (vi)

"You would think the Fortune teller would know she was going to be sick and tell us in advance". (vii)

Even though you have a law degree, maybe it's better to be in a band and in love. (viii)

"The Lisgar" is a confusing drink but I am glad I had it. (ix)

"You need to live outside of your comfort zone" (x)

With some friends, what you have in common is a lifetime. (xi)

So there you have it, the reflections from one night out. We all have them. Night after night, year after year, until a lifetime has been forged. Here is to a Happy and Healthy 2015 and I hope your reflections are grand. 

gpe

PS: Huey asked me if I was going to blog about the night and now he has the answer.

Footnotes (as interpreted by the author)

i) In your world you may have admins to manage your calendar, but in my world I'm not your admin, so figure it out yourself. Stay independent.

ii) The Libertine is changing and even though the internet says it is open at 7:00 and/or 8:00, it really opens at 10:00. Change can lead to very cool, unexpected things - Plus The Libertine did eventually open.

iii) Huey said this about the beer he drinks; it is profound... why would you have something generic and stale, when you can easily find fresh and real.

iv)  If you are going to have a shot, have a shot - Don't pretend by diluting it down and sipping it.

v) Things can cost you if you don't pay attention...through no one's fault  but your own.

vi) After dinner, Dewey wanted to go home instead of walk up the street to see if The Libertine was open (as it was out of the way for him if it wasn't open). Remember, sometimes, more often than not, you do it for the journey and the camaraderie.

vii) The Libertine has a Fortune teller on site. She was sick and the bartender said this - I thought it was funny.

viii) An example of "what you can be" versus "what you want to be". I think the bartender is doing the right thing, but that could be me. 

ix) a combination of Johnny Walker Red, Campari, Sweet Vermouth and hot sauce. It was a party of taste confusion in the mouth.

x) Dewey kept saying this - In 2014, he travelled to Argentina to see the Red Hot Chilly Peppers, scuba dived 15 times (including a tunnel dive), rode his motorcycle everywhere (deciding to collect them) and walked up the street to The Libertine. I think he's doing just fine with respect to stepping out of his comfort zone.

xi) It has been an honour to have Huey, Dewy and the Duke as friends - I have cherished our lifetime camaraderie, as I am better for it.