Sunday. April 21. Nashville
My excitement for this week was the perfect antidote to my fear of flying. 

Safely landed in the Music City. A community dreading the potential playoff elimination of their Predators, yet teeming with excitement for the arrival of the NFL Draft. 

Team sponsorshipX is on the ground and ready to roll.  

In 2005 I hatched this baby. The idea that a conference could be an event and an event could be a conference. A forum where competitors could collaborate, properties could participate, and sponsors could celebrate. I know for a fact that we have produced one marriage, several hires, and multiple new business partnerships over that time.
This week marks the first step in our international expansion. In five weeks we will have been to three countries and already for 2020 we have a fourth signed up.

But this week is all about Nashville. All about the NFL Draft. Country Music. BBQ. But its actually not about any of that. It’s about the people. That’s what sponsorshipX is about. 

The hospitality we have been provided by Nashville in planning this event has been otherworldly. Matched only by the excitement of the people joining us to participate.

It all starts Tuesday night at the Holston House.  Where the delegates, the speakers, the partners and a surprise musical artist will all step onto the stage. 

Just because your coach didn’t make you a starter, doesn’t make them a bad coach.

Just because your employee didn’t say what you wanted to hear, doesn’t make them a bad employee.

Just because the company you pitched didn’t pick your bid, doesn’t make them a bad client.

I think in many aspects of our lives today, we make bad judgements based on popularity as opposed to process and performance. The popular boss promoted you. The good boss focused on your performance and had a fair process to determine if you were ready for that promotion.

Making judgements and decisions based on output is so much more difficult than basing them on likeability. I like chocolate bars. I love Aero bars. I could eat one or two a day. Wash them down with a butter tart and then achieve a fully balanced diet by scarfing several oatmeal raisin cookies. Those foods are very popular with my stomach.

But while popular, the nutrition of those foods is not what I need. Nor do I suspect you need. You need performance. Your body does. Your mind does. Your heart does. Most importantly, your soul does.

In fact, you need performance in all aspects of your life. You need friends who will do their best to support you. You need mentors who will guide you. You need leaders who will light the path for you. You need customers who will be candid with you. You need colleagues who will row the boat with you.

Popularity has gotten us into trouble. Popularity is allowing us to elect leaders without ethics. Popularity is allowing companies to chase sales over safety. Popularity is allowing social media to replace real media.

It is time for us to put more emphasis on process, which will in turn provide more emphasis on performance.

Process is being purposeful. It is about being intentional. It requires us to examine the steps we are going to take and ensure they are ethical, respectful, and economical. Process requires an overemphasis on communication. Communication requires an overemphasis on listening. If you are not purposeful when you set out on any mission, you will wander aimlessly. Being aimless will easily result in your choosing the easy, shiniest, and most popular path.

The 100 metre dash is the most simple all of competitions.
One person says go.
Another person runs.
And another.
And another.
And another.
The first of those persons to cover the distance is the winner.
They get promoted. They get the raise. They get the trophy. They get the fame. They get the money.
The performance outcome is clear.

Unfortunately, much of life is not as simple as the 100 metre. Teams are picked based on judgement. Roles are assigned based on perception. Partners are selected based on fit.

However, if we look at those choices through the lens of the 100 metres, we all may make better decisions. We also may be able to deal with being the subject of those decisions better.

The desired outcome of all 100 metre runners is to go faster. The choice mechanism of all decision makers is to pick the fastest. But, what if we combine process inputs to help us make those decisions?

If we look at the process, we will be able to understand a lot about the runner. Are they a cheat? Are they a hard worker? Are they a good listener? Are they motivated? Are they improving? Are they willing to sacrifice?

Now we have a more robust picture of this person. Yes, the fastest is still important to us, but what if they cheated to get there? What if they have no potential to ever go faster? What if you discover they are unmotivated, and could actually be running faster?

Then who would you choose?

If you’re frustrated with the situation you are in, there is no value in blaming the decision maker. Or suggesting they don’t like you. You have a simple solve. First, you need to look at the performance metrics used in that decision. Then you need to look at the process for the decision.

Once you understand that, you can recalibrate your processes and approaches to achieve a stronger performance. A performance that will be validated by your efforts and enthusiasm. A performance that will be more important than popularity.

The 100 metres is a short, fast race. But it is the result of a life’s worth of effort. Better known as The Long Run.

I am not sure if it is good or bad form to apologize when you haven’t posted for ever. So if you want a apology, I have a heartfelt one for you. If you want an excuse, I have a few too many of those.

I do know it is good form to rekindle past relationships by asking about the other person. But that is hard to do in this one-way format. But, I’ll ask anyway and hopefully you will reply.

How are you?
How is your 2019 going?
Can you believe it is 1/6 over?

Yes, how depressing is that?

2019 has been off and roaring for me.

I went to CES in January and hereby want to again proclaim it my favourite business event. If you haven’t planned to go, put the 2020 dates, January 7-10, in your calendar right now. Let’s go together!

I also went to Nashville in January and found a wicked venue for sponsorshipX Nashville, our first stateside forum. This event is going to be a little different than your typical sponsorshipX experience. Smaller than our past events, but with lots of opportunity for engagement. A flag football tournament. Live Music. Influential delegates. Celebrity Appearances. NFL Draft Experience. Mh3 (ha!).

Closer to home I took a trip to Front & Bathurst to see the new venue, Stackt Container Market, that will be our home for sponsorshipX Toronto in May. This will be an amazing conference venue to go along with our inspiring partner – SickKids Foundation. Our theme this year, Every Brand Has a Heart, is really resonating as we have as strong a sponsor registration as I’ve seen. sponsorshipX Toronto will climax with our delegates participating in a new fundraiser – Capture The Flag for SickKids.

I have been asked many times which conference to attend, and the answer I give is this: Networking, inspiration, and learning will be in abundance at sponsorshipX Toronto. While sponsorshipX Nashville will be a chance to connect with powers in sport and entertainment, experience activation in real time, and see the ins and outs of how a growing city can host a big event.

My most recent trip was to Ottawa for the semi-annual AGM of Football Canada. I am a new board member and excited to help build the sport I love. Football gets an unfair rap these days over injuries. Hey, they happen in our sport, but our approach to contact has changed so much in the past few years it has never been safer. I am part of the Marketing Committee and we have bold plans to build the business. A key partner will be the Canadian Football League who unveiled some great new plans to help the sport grow at the meeting.

Closer to home I am also a new board member with Big Sisters Big Brothers Toronto. Every meeting, call, and email I have with this group inspires me. Our city needs mentorship now more than ever. The challenges many of our youth and families face can be overcome with the support of others. I am thrilled it is my time to help out.

I didn’t get to go on it, but some some of my teammates had an amazing trip to India recently shooting content for a new client The client and project are still confidential, but their voyage was a success and I can’t wait to see the work.

Speaking of travel, my first born is now a student at University in Halifax. I am sitting at my desk typing this as he heads back from reading week wondering to myself, wasn’t it just two thousand and zero when he was born?

Time flies. It’s almost March. I won’t let some many weeks pass before I say hello again!

At the heart of who you are as a person, you will find what truly motivates you.

Is it happiness or sadness? Is it good times or bad? Is it success or failure?

Don’t rush to answer this question. You need to be honest with yourself… truly honest. Think hard about what genuinely motivates you to create change.

My suspicion is that your initial response will be that you believe you are motivated by passion, by achievement, and by belonging. That you are an eternal optimist. A glass-almost-full kind of person.

I don’t believe you have dug deep enough if that is your answer. Try again.

When you dig deep, and truly understand yourself, you start to expose the rawness of what truly inspires you. It is an exercise worth doing, andI believe it is a powerful practice for you when developing your next marketing campaign. (Hopefully, I didn’t lose you with that sharp left turn).

Last week I opened the Infopresse RDV Sponsorship and Event conference addressing this topic. My talk, titled From The Edge of Darkness, is my take on how pain, tension, and suffering can be powerful fodder for the best storytelling.

First of all, I believe a marketing story should do three things: it should Entertain, Educate, and Inspire. The Inspiration is crucial, as it will lead to action.

To create a great story you need many components. You need a heroine faced with a significant challenge. You need stories about how that heroine battled adversity. You need a triumphant moment when they succeed or fail. Then, you need to wrap it all up in a neat and tidy package.

But how do you communicate that great story? I believe that in order to tell a powerful story, you must first know and understand your own. Next, you need to understand the pain and challenges of the person who you are telling that story on behalf of. Lastly, you need to understand what is troubling your audience.

This requires a new approach to briefing, creating, and producing.

Your brief needs to talk about the true pain your audience faces. Why do you care how old they are or how much they make? Wouldn’t you rather know what it is they fear?

Once you know that, it is time to talk about the tensions between your audience and the brand. The first step is to take some time to understand the pain of your coauthors, both personally and professionally. Adding self-discovery to the process will spark new thinking. With the pot now stirred, mine the tension that exists between all the parties – You. The brand. The audience. The brand owner. The agencies and partners. The consumers. The distribution channels.

Finally, it is time to write your story. It should be a movie script. Full stop. Writing a movie script, and sticking to that principle, will ensure you tell a great story. Not just an ad with a nice twist.

Consumers today want brands and companies to operate with a purpose in everything they do. Marketers today claim to be responding to this demand. I have my doubts.

Marketers today claim to be creating authentic content. The words that comprise that sentence disprove this claim.

Marketers today claim to be in touch with what consumers needs. Yet they shy away from things that truly matter.

“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. Just Do It.”

I don’t have to show you the NIKE Colin Kaepernick creative to secure your agreement that this was a story truly written from the Edge of Darkness.

There is nothing more powerful than a story well told.

I borrowed this quote from USC football coach Clay Helton as the title for my blog this week.

Today it has multiple meanings for me. It applies so well to many aspects of my life: To my volunteer football coaching. To my role as an entrepreneur. To my role as an investor in a startup. To my new role as a not-for-profit board member. To my role as a boss conducting performance reviews.

Coaching. Managing. Leading. They are roles that are so subject to criticism these days, it’s become an epidemic. I am puzzled as to why.

People need to be held accountable to standards. However, they like to complain if they perceive being micromanaged. They like to complain if they feel their boss is too hard on them. They like to complain if their boss changes their mind.

Why all the complaints?

Perhaps the boss is micromanaging as a result of your demonstration that you’re not yet ready to lead. Perhaps business circumstances have changed, meaning that direction and strategy need to follow suit. Perhaps your boss isn’t being hard on you, but merely raising expectations because they believe you have the talent to do more.

While people like to complain about being managed, lead, or coached, they are also quick to seek out “mentorship”. Everyone wants a mentor these days. An older advisor. A soul mate. A pal.

Mentorship today has become a cop out. It’s a place where people can seek feedback that they can pick and choose from, based on what suits their liking. Sure, the best coaching, managing, or leading includes mentorship. Being a good mentor is as simple as being a good listener. Equally as vital for a good boss. A bad mentor, and a bad boss, doesn’t listen or hear your point of view.

But make no mistake, being a good listener doesn’t mean your boss is always going to agree with you. They usually have information, experience, or insights that you don’t. So let’s stop being so offended when they set a direction or a course of action. Very few bosses are picking a course of action to be intentionally stupid or mean, as you no doubt have accused them of behind their back.

Today I borrow Coach Helton’s words to reframe the discussion. Instead of finding a reason to complain, you should be grateful that your boss, coach, leader, manager is taking the time to provide you direction. To me, nothing could be worse than being ignored.

Love,

Mh3

Hello.

I am not sure how many of you know what today is?

It’s our birthday! Yep, the T1 Agency is twenty-four years old today! Let me say that in Canadian, we are Two-Four.

On May 16th, 1994 I had hair, a beagle named Buddy, an office in my home, a bad suit, a Macintosh Duo computer, a car phone, a CompuServe email address with an empty address book, a business card with an embossed Trojan head as a logo, a green BMW, a large mortgage, a staff phone directory of one, and a blank client list.

Today, thanks to you, I have no hair, a Cavapoo named Prince, a 10,000 square foot office, a trying too hard t-shirt, an iPad, an iPhone X, a LinkedIn account with 10 569 connections, a Trojan-less brand, a black BMW, a real liquidity ratio, a staff directory of dozens, and a blue-chip client list.

But in reality I have much more than that. I have everything I ever dreamed of. I love what I do, who I do it for and who I do it with.

Saying my baby is twenty-four years old, doesn’t make me feel old.
It doesn’t make feel dated.
It doesn’t make me feel finished.
It makes me hungrier than ever.
To be clear I plan to see this enterprise through go at least it’s golden anniversary.
That’s right, twenty-four down, twenty-six to go.

I was once a short, yappy, too cocky, adopted halfbreed from Orillia who brought a pissed off with everyone personality to everything he did.

Today, I am not much different.

Except I have channeled my pissiness into passion, my cockiness into confidence, my yaps into questions, and my shortness into fatness.

For that I have all of you whom I have worked with along the way to thank. You taught me more than I have ever, or will ever, give you credit for!

Mh24

I’ve come under the magical spell of Thailand and its people.

Magic is an overused expression. But I use it today to best describe my recent seven-day business trek to Bangkok. The city, the people, the sights, the sounds, the culture swept me away.

I am not here to write a travel blog. I want to share with you some reflections on a way of life that gave me time to pause. Time to pause and think about my own conduct as a human being.

I loved the way Thai people communicated in the most simple forms. Hello. Good Morning. Thank-you. Please. Handing over your check. I have become addicted to the poetic bow and clasping of hands that accompany the greetings. Men say “sah wah dee khrap” with a short and sharp finish and women say “sah wah dee khaa….” in a drawn-out manner.

This greeting is not said quickly or taken lightly. It’s ceremonial. It’s purposeful. It’s intentional. It makes me embarrassed in the way I mumble hi or grunt good morning. Often to the most important people in my life. For people in Thailand, hello feels like it means much more.

It was hard for me not to feel reflective in Thailand. No, I am not about to become Buddhist, but the public and powerful way that Thai people worship was nothing short of addictive to me. Thai people pray and reflect in gorgeous temples, in parks, at street corners, and shopping malls. Everywhere one turned was a shrine, many of them the size of hot dog stands, others statuesque. Opportunities to light oils and candles, or places flowers or other decorations are a part of their daily life.

I have to admit sitting on a bench outside of one temple and just being overwhelmed. I knew nothing of the prayers being shared by the people on the mats. There was no way for me to interpret the conversation of the monks walking past me. The symbols and emblems did not provide any signals to me. Yet I knew I was somewhere else other than inside my flesh and bones. At least for a moment.

The power of the pause is sometimes foreign to me. To pause and listen to the world around me. Not just the endless voices. Knowing there is something more substantial to hear. Maybe I am dreaming, or have been fooled by none other than myself. But I don’t know. There is something to be said for a spate of reflection.

I know the moment of Thailand I saw, was somewhat illusional. I was a tourist in a land that while it is still reinventing their economy, places an exceptionally high level of importance on tourism. The service levels were amazing. But more importantly, people everywhere seemed in great spirits. The buzz and energy of their street markets, floating markets, and food markets was undeniable. It’s such a unique way of life, that isn’t feasible in cold weather North American markets, but I wish it was. Just walking through the markets in the mornings and watching families walk and feed their children breakfast at the same time was a joy.

I also know the moment of time I was in Thailand was magical. I was there during their New Year’s celebrations, it is now 2561 BE (Buddhist Era) in Thailand. They take New Year’s in Thailand very seriously. Days of partying, water gun fights, and spending time with family are enjoyed. Water gun fights? Yes, the Songkran Festival is a nationwide water fight. For decades, people have been equipping themselves with buckets, water balloons, and massive blasters to douse each other in the happiest organic event you will ever see. It happens all over the country and Bangkok has several massive events, one covering over 5km on a single street!

Songkran 2018

The spraying of water is also symbolic in Thai culture. The water represents respect, blessings, purification and a fresh start. In essence – magic.