What’s your Hollywood Boulevard

Some may argue, but it was a privilege to walk down Hollywood boulevard one summer night several years ago with my wife and kids, taking in the unusual sights.  I did not count them, but I am told that over 2,600 brass stars make up the Walk of Fame.  Most reflect the name of Hollywood actors, while the rest are occupied by celebrities in Television, Music, and Radio

Oddly, missing from the walk of fame is an English band from the British invasion era, the Kinks.  Known for their storytelling abilities and crowd-pleasing live concerts (many I attended), the Kinks wrote the lyrics in Celluloid Heroes, a story about the Hollywood boulevard.  The song speaks to the costs and consequences of the celebrity’s pursuits, with the words, “For those who are successful, be always on your guard, because success walks hand in hand with failure, along the Hollywood Boulevard”. 

True to the words in the song, the boulevard is a fifteen-block walking story of success and failures of the less than one percent of the country that achieves celebrity status. Stars that rose, while others failed, kicked to the curb.  Against assumptions, the boulevard is not a story of celebrity stars achieving (not all did), but rather a celebration of people who, despite the industry challenges, chose to pursue the very best in their industry.  

In their pursuits, some failed and were kicked to the curb, got up, did it again, and succeeded, while others died or gave up well before their true best was ever seen.

Your Best

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A vision of opportunity will separate the risers and the kicked to the curbs.  It seems like a slim line.  The Hollywood stars were risers (and one-timed kicked to the curb) who viewed opportunity differently than the majority.  Each star chose to work countless hours on their craft when no one was watching, or no one else would.  Those who were kicked to the curb and stayed down chose an easier path replaced by a prettier or smarter version or replaced by artificial intelligence, social media, widgets, and big data. To chase our best is a sometimes-lonely pursuit of excellence, working countless hours away from our job to improve our skills. The Hollywood stars weren’t always successful, but they did adapt, evolve, change, and reach to achieve when an opportunity was presented. 

The Opportunity

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The year 2020 has flattened the playing surface.  Big companies with decades of success are now in the same ring with the hometown small business, their delivery of solutions, and customer chain disrupted.  Agile business's views have reset, their views are aligned with opportunity. 

Their fighting gloves are up, providing solutions in a new way after the corona kick knocked them down in the ring, only to rise on an eight count.  Yesterday’s rules, last month’s objectives, and last year’s plan do not apply. The less agile are resistive, their rules of practice make it hard to see a new space, new world, new industry, needing new solutions.  Caught off guard and unwilling and resistive to change, some will disappear in time. For the less faint at heart still in pursuit of their best, it’s a Hollywood boulevard moment of opportunity waiting for new solutions. The result is a new walk with no rulebook, no map, and no how-to guidelines.  A new boulevard of opportunity.   Here are a few places to start.

Do something new by giving up something old

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You have new rules, read them.  It’s a new path.  Adapt, use agility to change.  The process towards new solutions is a simple thought, becoming a written word, followed by an action, and repeatedly making it a habit.  You thought about a mask, wrote down to wear a mask, wore it one time, and now wear it every time in the supermarket.  Solutions to stay safe. 

Now apply to the new rules of working from home, or working with less, maybe meeting the demands of being a mask maker!

Do the right thing before doing it best

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Let’s face it, you simply cannot be your best with fast industry change.  If it took you 10,000 hours to become the expert you once were, it may take you some time to become really good again.  Start with what is right.  A doctor knows it’s right for her to give timely and relevant care, to give her knowledge, but may not do it best with a telehealth visit.  Yet. 

Don’t hesitate, go out and do it.  A restaurant waiter who interreacted and listened while pouring your water now has to stand 6 feet away to take your order.  A new set of rules, doing the right thing, before being their very best.

Improve through measure

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Shelter in place workouts are a struggle for those used to visiting the gym 5 days a week.  Grocery stores have to find new processes to meet the demands of the door to door grocery delivery.  Like the new workouts, we cannot yet be our best.  Measuring your resting heart rate, standing on a scale, or standing on one leg for 30 seconds are ways to measure effectiveness in your workouts, while grocery stores measure shelf to step delivery times to understand success.

What is your new measure?

Planting seeds now determine your future

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A local hardware store sends out postcards to old customers for a complimentary key or bag of mulch, to be used now (via delivery), or within one year of re-opening.  Planting seeds by reaching out to their current customer base, giving them a reason to visit sometime in the future will reconnect, and give them a reason to talk about your business at their next zoom session.  Stay at home orders turn off front-facing customer interactions, but still offer the opportunity for those willing to adapt and connect with your customers currently binge-watching Netflix and face timing.

Make today your Hollywood boulevard moment

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Like the Hollywood Boulevard stars who were knocked down in pursuit of their best, it is time now to get up to work on being your new best. Your star will rise when new skillsets connect the customer problems to new solutions in the face of chaos.  The challenges of the past will walk hand in hand with future success only when we re-create new habits and do new things before we feel ready.  Our stars will rise when we provide alternative solutions to old problems and measure the effectiveness and give customers of now and the future a reason to connect.  

The thing is, it all happens while no one else is watching.  It’s on you, it’s your time.