The exploration of tension or tensions has always fascinated me. In advertising land, I believe it was Ogilvy who first defined or published using ‘cultural tensions’ as a means to uncover creative idea spaces. Finding tension still rings true today for creative prebrief hot spotting. What’s happening, however, is the lean or preference for negative ‘problem solving’ tension (“What problem are we trying to solve”). I think this is 1/2 of the opportunity when looking for fruitful creative territories.

That’s because if we start wider and with overall tension spaces, we uncover both problem tensions (negative) and opportunity tensions (positive). The importance in noting the difference comes into form within defining the “How do we solve it”.

“Problem tensions’ are almost always designed to change perceptions; whereas, ‘opportunity tensions’ are designed to leverage perceptions. It’s shifting perceptions compared to sharing what exists already in the mind of consumers.

Don’t forget about about leveraging existing perceptions when evaluating the situation for good, actionable brief writing.

I stumbled across ‘The Dark Triad’ recently and it introduced me to a third malevolent personality- the Machiavellian. We’ve all heard of narcissism and psychopathy. Have you heard of Machiavellianism? Here’s how Wikipedia defines all three:

• Machiavellianism is characterized by manipulation and exploitation of others, a cynical disregard for morality, and a focus on self-interest and deception.^[11]
• Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and a lack of empathy.^[10]
• Psychopathy is characterized by enduring antisocial behavior, impulsivity, selfishness, callousness, and remorselessness.^[12]

And, here’s more on Machiavellianism:

Machiavellianism is “the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct”.^[1] The word comes from the Italian Renaissance diplomat and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote Il Principe (The Prince), among other works.

In modern psychology, Machiavellianism is characterized by a duplicitous interpersonal style, a cynical disregard for morality and a focus on self-interest and personal gain.^[2]

There’s no ‘solve’ or positive working relationship that can come from sticking it out with these personalities – especially psychopaths and Machiavellians. The best outcomes are those when the individual is able to identify the personality and then swiftly move on. The positive is in the knowledge gained from the experience.

So, you’ve got a big interview, meeting, or conversation and you are nervous. Nerves can be good. Shift the nerves from frazzle to dazzle by…

1. Breathing

First, breathe and with big deep breaths. You are supplying oxygen to the brain which is needed for what you’re physically feeling as the result of an increased heart rate.

2. Defining the nerves

Then, take a minute to define the nerves. I often times find that saying aloud, “This it what it feels like when…” assists to shift nerves that are general nerves to nerves that are positive and performance oriented. It shifts the energy from frazzle to dazzle.

3. Reflect- you’ve done this before

Think about those times where you’ve had to ‘perform’ before and how well you did and how it felt after it was over. Hold your head up, smile, and breathe! You’ve done this before and you’re going to do it again.

Now go and do it!

We’re like Uber for Account Planning drivers. We drive strategic planners and marketers to the strategic planning plowing ground. We do this by tapping into our network of expert clusters- providing ‘just right customized’ solutions for your communication needs. It’s truly the perfect solution for cutting edge marketers and advertisers looking to add expert-level prowess to their arsenal.

Ready to get on board? Reach out via info@alixcompany.com.

Thinking about starting a business? You’re not alone. Every year, thousands of Americans catch the entrepreneurial spirit, launching small businesses to sell their products or services.  In fact, given the new economic reality of our time, more people than ever before have found the “job” they thought was waiting for them doesn’t exist. Others have come to the conclusion that they would rather create work they love, constructed to fit with their own life goals.

Many times entrepreneurs are starting a business based on­ an idea, but lack personal hands-on experience of running a business from all aspects.  The more you know about starting a business, the more power you have to form a business that develops into a lasting source of income and satisfaction.

BiGAUSTIN’s Start Smart program provides all the key essentials for starting and operating a business.

Start Smart provides practical business training, helping students hone the skills they need to create, manage, and grow a small business.  In addition the start smart program connects entrepreneurs with business insights, leadership skills and professional networking connections so you can create new business or expand an existing enterprise.

Start Smart is a 14-session course designed for people who want to start a business and need the skills to test the feasibility of their business concept.  Participants develop a business plan which acts as the blueprint for their start-up venture.

Start Smart Students Benefit from:

• Completing Feasibility Study
• Cultivating a Business Plan
• Insight into Marketing & Market Research
• Understanding Financials
• Knowledge of Legal Considerations
• Access to Expertise
• Working with other aspiring like-minded entrepreneurs

**Get in on early bird pricing by registering before April 24th**

**Join me for Strategic Messaging on Monday, May 18th**

Click here for more information:  http://bigaustin.org/startsmart/

Click here to register:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/start-smart-may-2015-tickets-16501316883?ref=ebtn

I recently learned about the ‘Hack for Health’ initiative and wanted to help spread the word. Please find below a brief description, a flyer for the initiative, and a link to frequently asked questions. Looks to be a great opportunity for sharing marketing, business development, and tech program know-how.

[Below content source:  http://itstimetexas.org/hackforhealth/]

The IT’S TIME TEXAS Hack for Health, presented by Freescale, is an event to bring the most ingenious professionals and students from Texas’ creative, business strategy, and tech communities together to develop innovative solutions that help make healthy easier.

Come up with ground-breaking solutions to Texas’ biggest health concerns including access to healthy family-friendly resources, awareness of free mobile health tools, and sustainable revenue models that allow for continued development of free and low-cost health resources. IT’S TIME for the most innovative minds in TEXAS to team up and Hack for Health.

Link to FAQs:  http://itstimetexas.org/hack-health-faqs/