Comments for Brian Wynne Williams http://www.wynnewilliams.com thoughts, observations, and commentary from an entrepreneur / CEO / husband / dad / consumer / producer / fan / advisor / participant Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:12:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 Comment on Your Own Standards by Fernando Arámburu http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1641 Fernando Arámburu Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:05:38 +0000 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1641 Great post Brian. I must say that i'm a NBA fan, and a great Michael Jordan fan. It's amazing how small is the world as I used a similar idea from great Michael Jordan to achieve better standards in my small company in Argentina and to motivate the team and take their standards up and to show them they can do whatever they propose to do... The story is that during the conference after Chicago Bulls title #6 at Utah (where Jordan hit a win shooter ball after stealing the ball from Karl Malone hands). When asked how he could consistently hit big shots when everyone from the opposing team and the whole world itself knew he was going to take it, MJ looked as if he didn't understand the question as say: "Do you mean did I worry about missing the shot?" and then he say: "Why would I worry about missing a shot I hadn't taken yet?" ... As you said in the post, that's the difference between normal people, best ones and all time best ones... Great post Brian. I must say that i’m a NBA fan, and a great Michael Jordan fan. It’s amazing how small is the world as I used a similar idea from great Michael Jordan to achieve better standards in my small company in Argentina and to motivate the team and take their standards up and to show them they can do whatever they propose to do…
The story is that during the conference after Chicago Bulls title #6 at Utah (where Jordan hit a win shooter ball after stealing the ball from Karl Malone hands). When asked how he could consistently hit big shots when everyone from the opposing team and the whole world itself knew he was going to take it, MJ looked as if he didn’t understand the question as say: “Do you mean did I worry about missing the shot?” and then he say: “Why would I worry about missing a shot I hadn’t taken yet?”
… As you said in the post, that’s the difference between normal people, best ones and all time best ones…

]]> Comment on My Summer Trip To Colorado by Jared Goralnick http://www.wynnewilliams.com/my-summer-trip-to-colorado/#comment-1639 Jared Goralnick Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:47:21 +0000 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/my-summer-trip-to-colorado/#comment-1639 Have a really fun trip, Brian. I'm quite jealous...especially in this weather! Have a really fun trip, Brian. I’m quite jealous…especially in this weather!

]]> Comment on Your Own Standards by DJ Waldow http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1637 DJ Waldow Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:28:41 +0000 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1637 Brian - Great stuff. I can relate on many levels. I'm a big believer that true leaders tend to have very high standards and expect (more than) the best best from those around them. Thanks for sharing... dj at bronto twitter.com/djwaldow Brian -

Great stuff. I can relate on many levels. I’m a big believer that true leaders tend to have very high standards and expect (more than) the best best from those around them.
Thanks for sharing…

dj at bronto
twitter.com/djwaldow

]]> Comment on Your Own Standards by Nick Campbell http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1634 Nick Campbell Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:27:09 +0000 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1634 Great post. I started to bypass this post on your front page and I'm glad I didn't. It seems to me that the overwhelming majority of players do it as a job and while that handful of "greats" are trying to perfect their craft. I think this relates back to what Jeff Atwood discusses about with the 20%/80% at http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001002.html. Great post. I started to bypass this post on your front page and I’m glad I didn’t. It seems to me that the overwhelming majority of players do it as a job and while that handful of “greats” are trying to perfect their craft. I think this relates back to what Jeff Atwood discusses about with the 20%/80% at http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001002.html.

]]> Comment on Your Own Standards by Brian Wynne Williams http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1583 Brian Wynne Williams Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:31:47 +0000 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1583 @Jared -- thanks! I think it's good that our standards keep rising as we get older (... and older ... and older ...). Hopefully we're getting better at our craft, and without raised standards we'd stagnate. You're right, though, you'll always have setbacks and mini-failures if you're pushing yourself the right way, and you have to keep moving. @Justin -- great point. @Jared — thanks! I think it’s good that our standards keep rising as we get older (… and older … and older …). Hopefully we’re getting better at our craft, and without raised standards we’d stagnate. You’re right, though, you’ll always have setbacks and mini-failures if you’re pushing yourself the right way, and you have to keep moving.

@Justin — great point.

]]> Comment on Your Own Standards by Justin Thorp http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1578 Justin Thorp Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:38:48 +0000 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1578 Right on Brian! What helps me is being transparent about what my standards and goals are so that my close friends and general community will help to keep me accountable. Right on Brian! What helps me is being transparent about what my standards and goals are so that my close friends and general community will help to keep me accountable.

]]> Comment on Your Own Standards by Jared Goralnick http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1577 Jared Goralnick Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:16:25 +0000 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/your-own-standards/#comment-1577 What an excellent post, Brian. It's good to have high standards, to understand what it is you're aiming towards and recognize when, regardless of the outcome, you know whether you performed at a level you're proud of. Like last night's game--if I were on the Lakers I wouldn't have been proud of the performance, even though they ultimately won. The one caveat is that as we get older it seems that our standards get higher and higher, and we have to recognize when it's simply impractical to expect that perfection. Or, when to recognize that mistakes do happen. That is, when we underperform, we have to, like Magic, move on and play the rest of the game. Thanks for sharing this story--I empathize, and will pass it on. What an excellent post, Brian. It’s good to have high standards, to understand what it is you’re aiming towards and recognize when, regardless of the outcome, you know whether you performed at a level you’re proud of. Like last night’s game–if I were on the Lakers I wouldn’t have been proud of the performance, even though they ultimately won.

The one caveat is that as we get older it seems that our standards get higher and higher, and we have to recognize when it’s simply impractical to expect that perfection. Or, when to recognize that mistakes do happen. That is, when we underperform, we have to, like Magic, move on and play the rest of the game.

Thanks for sharing this story–I empathize, and will pass it on.

]]> Comment on Print Press and Communication Gaps by Ann Arbor Michigan Marketing Events - Social Media Marketing - Digital Marketing - LA2M - Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing » Startup Weekend Ann Arbor, June 20-22 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/print-press-and-communication-gaps/#comment-1516 Ann Arbor Michigan Marketing Events - Social Media Marketing - Digital Marketing - LA2M - Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing » Startup Weekend Ann Arbor, June 20-22 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:18:25 +0000 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/print-press-and-communication-gaps/#comment-1516 [...] 5. When is the last time you had a challenge such as launching a company in 54 hours with 100 or so strangers? When is the last time you saw your company on the front page? [...] […] 5. When is the last time you had a challenge such as launching a company in 54 hours with 100 or so strangers? When is the last time you saw your company on the front page? […]

]]> Comment on Upcoming Talk at Tech Cocktail Conference by Brian Wynne Williams http://www.wynnewilliams.com/upcoming-talk-at-tech-cocktail-conference/#comment-1425 Brian Wynne Williams Mon, 19 May 2008 12:31:37 +0000 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/upcoming-talk-at-tech-cocktail-conference/#comment-1425 @Raven - I agree 100% with you & the 37s guys about charging for your product. As they often present it, it's so obvious that it's comical for people to be discouraged from trying that approach. But there are other models these days that can work -- so that's part of what I hope will be interesting about our talk. Thanks for pointing our Wrike -- looks interesting. @Raven - I agree 100% with you & the 37s guys about charging for your product. As they often present it, it’s so obvious that it’s comical for people to be discouraged from trying that approach. But there are other models these days that can work — so that’s part of what I hope will be interesting about our talk.

Thanks for pointing our Wrike — looks interesting.

]]> Comment on Upcoming Talk at Tech Cocktail Conference by Raven Gray http://www.wynnewilliams.com/upcoming-talk-at-tech-cocktail-conference/#comment-1420 Raven Gray Mon, 19 May 2008 06:54:44 +0000 http://www.wynnewilliams.com/upcoming-talk-at-tech-cocktail-conference/#comment-1420 It would be interesting to know about Squidoo’s model. I actually think that charging users is fare. The guys develop great software and support it, and they need their pay check, right? This is fare. I'm not a Basecamp fan, nothing like this. I actually prefer <a href="http://www.wrike.com" rel="nofollow">Wrike</a>. I like Wrike's feature set and their price is much better ;) It would be interesting to know about Squidoo’s model. I actually think that charging users is fare. The guys develop great software and support it, and they need their pay check, right? This is fare. I’m not a Basecamp fan, nothing like this. I actually prefer Wrike. I like Wrike’s feature set and their price is much better ;)

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