Meet Jayme Martin, our latest Nike Americas Vice President.

He rocks.

Yes, you rock Mr. Martin (in case you read my blog, which I doubt, but just in case.)

And let me explain why.

Many VP’s passed on my last twelve years at Nike. Since I am a small time manager, most of them never even knew I existed. Some did however, and I met a few. All were incredibly smart, efficient, productive people. All had great academic degrees. All had excellent professional success and years of experience to back-it up.

But none of them rocked…

Why?
I guess it was the way they stood in the corner, surrounded by their directors, untouchables to most of us. Maybe it was the way they acted cold and remote, as if unreachable. It was their serious faces, their focus on the business, yet literally empty of human feelings. They were all excellent people, and contributed enormously to the company. But again, none rocked.

But you do rock sir.

Maybe it was the way you talked to the crowd. Maybe it is the way you cut through bureaucracy or your pragmatic approach to the business. You make me feel that we are back in 1996, when the strategy did not take 99% of our time and we actually had space to execute campaigns and talk to our customers. Maybe it’s the way you chat with everyone, no matter what their title or position, or the way you act and speak with excitement. Or the way you challenge common wisdom and leave everyone wondering what’s next.

How much difference does that make?

A ton.

To people like me, it makes a ton of a difference. I promised you I would work 12-14 hours a day after your speech. And I stand by my word. I haven’t stopped working ever since. I have been in Panama, and Colombia, and I haven’t taken a break. Next three weeks I will be in Panama, Colombia and Venezuela, and I am not even complaining, I love it. Think about it, you get double productivity and a burst of company loyalty just by changing the status quo.

Many manager don’t realize how easy it is to get the troops moving. No need for fancy consultants or complicated HR programs. You can get it done by speaking face to face with employees and breaking the ice. I hated the mood before, sort of like working for some aristocratic European bank… I like it now much more I know we are again a family. It used to be Nike’s greatest strength: our company culture.

Thanks a lot Mr. Martin for being so cool. And thanks a lot for making me feel part of the company once more. You have no idea how much it matters to me and my team.

written by Administrator

I always had a certain admiration and sense of wonder for Obsidian. Not only is he a very talented graphic designer and illustrator, but to me he is the cornerstone of the Extra Life Radio podcast. Scott Johnson and Brian Dunnway also contribute a lot, but Obsidian is the star; he is the disruptor, he is the joke, the sarcastic comment and the witty punchline. Above all, he is a Latino inside an otherwise very American tilted show, and that makes it all the more incredible.

So in one of those few opportunities my job allows I was able to lure Obsidian into one of our product launches, and thus meet him in his native Medellin city, in Colombia.

For those who don’t know, Medellin has a bad reputation, but it’s probably one of the five most beautiful cities in the world to me. I love going there, I love the people and the dedication the new government is putting into making it even a nicer place to visit.

There are so many qualities to like from Obsidian that I would not know where to start. Probably what most impressed me is his extreme discipline. Obsidian draws and publishes a comic everyday, no matter what day, and hasn’t missed a date since the last three years! When I think I update my blog once a month, I feel ashamed. Not only does he pencil, scan, color and edits the comic, he even writes a nice blog on it, every day…

Obsidian updates his site with new content and makes a living through commissioned artwork from readers and fans. He has decided not to settle for a job, and works diligently to ensure his freedom. I usually tell my friends how much I hate my job and how much I hate hating what I do. Obsidian came as an inspiration of someone not willing to settle for mediocre, and willing to pay the price with enormous amounts of work to back up the claim.

Another trait which I found very interesting is Obsidian’s approach to education. As a graphic design professor at a local college, O seems a rather strict tutor! His philosophy revolves around work, lots of assignments and homework, and hours of refining artwork.

Obsidian seems happy ti sleep four hours a day, and uses a great deal of time (2 or 3 hours daily) to exercise, ride his bike and practice Kung Fu. He lives alone with his two cats in an apartment he calls himself Spartan. His schedule is built around his obligations, and wakes up at 6 a.m. to start his drawings and commissioned work.

Obsidian made me rethink my whole schedule. I travel a lot, and thus I find multiple excuses not to exercise, eat healthy, write my blog, etc. But ever since knowing him personally, I have been striving to catch-up with my favorite activities, by following a very disciplined approach to maximize usage of time and stop not focusing.

Please, take a minute and visit www.commissionedcomic.com for Obsidians impressive work.

written by Administrator

I get the feeling big companies are not the ones I would prefer to work for. My job is a perfect example. I am a supposedly “big marketing director” for a “big name shoe company”. But instead of doing real marketing, I spend most of my day creating PowerPoint slides on strategy. By the time we really get to work on the campaign, we output mediocre stuff - no matter how strategic - and I end my day wishing I could work on a smaller, more creative company.

That’s what I loved about nPost.

nPost is a company dedicated to promoting startups, with startup jobs at software and internet companies, startup interviews, and tech networking events.

The nPost site allows you to search for jobs, and has now launched a Widget much like Google AdSense. I have Google AdSense on my own blog, and I will spend the rest of the day comparing why nPost got it right (and Google got it way too square…)

First, let’s talk about design, since this is after all a blog about marketing Zen. Google has a format blue and flat, with a typical PHP look… I know, they don’t use PHP but Javascript, but it does have that square 1998 Internet look. As opposed, nPost gave me a modern, classy, web 2.0 design that really goes well with my own website. It looks way too cool compared to AdSense. I feel more compelled to click on nPost than Google, even if it’s only the first impression (and as you know, there is no second chance to make a first impression!)

Second, the way you set-up ads in nPost is way too simple. Just make your ad with a few mouse clicks (step 1), get a password (step 2), and fill your information (step 3), and done! The application takes you right to your ads where you can see the code for each ad you create and a little menu bar on top gives you editing, deletion, and your earnings up-to-date.

And this is really smart. It took me a long time to set-up my AdSense widgets, compared to less than 10 minutes it took to install the nPost widgets in my blog and index page in my website. That includes playing with the design. When I installed AdSense, I never got ads until some half an hour later, but nPost delivered them in seconds. That makes me feel good!

I took sometime this evening and looked through the nPost website, and I loved what I saw. Looking for jobs was a pleasure, as everything is well kept and organized in a way you never get lost. Some of the ads looked incredibly tempting, but all the job openings I saw were USA related (no thanks, I am one of those proud Latinos who would rather relocate within Latin America!)

Do I have any caveats? Well, a minor one. I wish ad formats could adapt a little more to my particular CSS design. I have a left column, which is 250 pixels wide, and the two available choices for the widget were a too thin for my taste. I am not sure if there is a way around this, but if there is, nPost will probably solve it before AdSense.

To set-up your own nPost widget, just click here and you will be done in no time. Or if you prefer, visit the website at http://www.npost.com.

Check out nPost, and if you are looking for a job, don’t think twice and send your resume to some of the great start-up and technology companies advertised there. Because making the next marketing break-through beats making PPT slides all day!

written by Administrator