A lot of people go to work for a large company with the idea that their work will be seen by millions.  They'll get a chance to truly make a difference through the enormous reach the company provides.

A lot of people go to work for a small company with the idea that they can actually make a real difference.  They'll get a chance to assume greater responsibility and have their voice heard.

I can see both arguments but I'm biased toward the latter.  What do you think?

Can you make more of a difference with a large company or a small one?

One person has always been able to make a difference.  Madonna did it, Michael Jackson did it, Mother Teresa did it, George Lucas did it.

The difference now is that the path to making a difference is more accessible.  Not easier, but rather more accessible.

You don't need to wait years to build an army of helpers.  You don't need to fly to Europe to connect with someone who will take you all the way.  You don't need to rely on regular old mail to get your message out there.

You can now just do it.  The path will still be rocky, the path will still be long.  But there's no gates anymore.  You can just start walking and work toward affecting.

Are you ready to start walking?

Leadership is important.  With the right leader leading, a lot of cool things can get done.

The problem with leadership occurs when people depend on it, rather than benefit from it.  People put so much stock and power into the leader that they strip themselves of any creativity and ability to do anything.

When there is no leader, there's a chance for you to become the leader.  Rather than depend on the leader and insist there's nothing you can do without one, benefit from the leader.  When you have leadership, get things done.  Learn from it, empower yourself from it, strengthen it.

But don't use it as your crutch.  When you don't have leadership, get things done.

Do you use leadership as your crutch?

My wife wants a laminator.  She's a teacher and laminates lots of things.  She saw one at Michaels today and remembered seeing 50% off coupons somewhere before.  She thought she'd find one of those coupons and get the laminator at Michaels.

After checking out, she noticed a 40% off coupon at the end of her receipt.  At first she was excited.  But when she read the list of excluded items, she realized the laminator wasn't included in the discount.  Nor was almost any other item in the store.  In fact, there were few items that were actually included in the discount.

Some would argue Michaels is truly trying to give people a reason to come back to their stores.  Others would argue that with all the restrictions on the coupon, they're not encouraging anybody to come back.

What do you think?

We've all been guilty of blaming our clients.  Time after time, we insist they're idiots, they don't understand our jobs, they have no idea what they want.  They don't understand anything.

You ever think they're saying the same thing about us?

There's two ways to look at any situation.  Either blame the other party or think about how both parties can learn from it all.  The former doesn't help anyone.  The latter helps everyone.

How often do you blame somebody else?

You don't expect a glass from the dollar store to last sixteen years.  A week after you buy it, it breaks.  So you buy another one from the dollar store.  A week later that one breaks, and so on.  Eventually, you decide to buy a higher quality glass from a different store.

Only now you've paid the price of the higher quality glass plus the price of all the dollar store glasses.

If only you'd bought the higher quality glass to begin with, right?  The thing about cheap is it's cheap.

Are you trying to save so much you're actually spending more?

It's ok to have an opinion.  Having an opinion means you have personality.  C-3PO had personality.  He was a droid but still lovable.

So many companies are afraid of having opinions, of alienating people, of becoming too specific.  Rather than thinking of all the people that might share that opinion, they think about all the people that will scorn them for that opinion.

They prefer to be stormtroopers.  No personality.  You see one stormtrooper, you've seen'em all.

Are you a stormtrooper or are you C-3PO?

Most people aren't impressed by the car you drive, the town you live in, or the price tag on your clothes.  If you're a jerk, none of that matters.  People don't want to be around you.

The same goes for your business.  People will gravitate toward companies who care about a true customer experience and doing business honestly.  Showing off your trillion square foot store and super fancy sign out front is pointless if the guy at the counter is an ass.

Are you worried about being genuine or showing off?

If you're not actually doing the work, nothing is going to happen.  The snake oil salesman who's telling you this was bitten by a lot of snakes and as a result can't think straight.

Every overnight success you hear about was preceded by many overnights of work and dedication.  Except for the snake oil salesman of course.  He hasn't had any success yet.

Are you working for it or just waiting?

Think about your favorite TV show or your favorite book or your favorite movie or your favorite play.  You probably love the characters.  After all, a TV show with a great story but horrible characters isn't worth watching, is it?

Your company is the same way.  Your cast of characters matters just as much (probably more) than your story and plot.  And if it's a rockstar cast, show them off.  Create a people page on your company site that showcases every employee in the company.  

Likeable characters are your greatest asset.  Nineteen other companies are doing exactly what you are.  But they don't have your cast of characters.

Do you have likeable characters?

When I spread out the pile of business cards sitting on my desk, Sarah Evans' card is immediately visible.

Because in a sea of white business cards, her card is bright pink.

I haven't been able to find my sunglasses since Saturday.  They're a cheap, simple brown pair with a missing nose pad and scratched lenses from five or six years of heavy use.

They should have been replaced a year ago.  They weren't more than $10 and I'm surprised I've kept them this long.

But they're comfy.  I've loved'em ever since I bought them in San Francisco five or six years ago.  They just fit and feel right.

I think now it's time to move on.  Are you grasping on to your five year old sunglasses?

There will always be naysayers.  Not everyone will believe in your project or your business or your idea.

It's not a matter of whether or not you should listen to the naysayers.  It's a matter of how you're listening to them.  If you're taking offense at every word they throw at you, you're not helping yourself.  If you're learning from their perspective and using it as things to think about improving on, you're helping yourself.  How you act on and learn from their criticism is up to you.

How are you listening to the naysayers?

The easier you make it for a customer to reach someone at your company for support, the more you appear to like your customer.

The harder you make it, the more you appear like you wish to avoid customer contact at all costs.

You may have valid reasons for both ways, but the key is presenting what you actually want to.

Do you like your customers or wish to avoid them?

If you don't like a Fleetwood Mac song on the radio, don't request it.
If you don't like a McDonald's billboard on the side of the expressway, don't look at it.
If you love Starbucks lattes, buy them.
If you like the Bears, watch them.
If you don't like Adam Sandler movies, don't go see them.

It's up to you, right?