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Scott McKain

Social…as in allied with friends…media

3 comments January 14, 2011

According to the desktop dictionary I use, the origin of the word, “social,” springs from late Middle English, with its roots in the Latin word “socialis” — meaning “allied” — and “socius” — meaning “friend.” “Media,” it is defined here, is the plural of “medium” and is “a means of doing something, or a means [...]

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YOU go first…

5 comments January 7, 2011

My awesome sister, Shelley, has a terrific blog of insights and pictures from a small rural town. Check it out — it’s http://WhatIfItDid.com And, while I am obviously “brother-proud” of the pictures she shoots and the insights she shares, there was a quote from a recent post that really struck me: “Treat everyone with politeness, [...]

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R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-I-L-T-Y

3 comments January 5, 2011

For some strange reason, I STILL remember the story. It was in our Reading class — probably now it would be called “Literature” — in the latter years of elementary school. It was about a young boy growing up on a farm, which was hit by a blizzard while his father was stranded in town. [...]

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“Thou shalt not…”

5 comments December 19, 2010

In terms of directness and clarity, it is a statement that is hard to surpass. It needs no explanation, nor clarification. It is Commandment Nine of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” The directive is not limited to those of the faith in which I was raised. The Quran [...]

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“Time in a Bottle…”

2 comments December 16, 2010

Back in my old FFA days as our Indiana State Officer team would travel around our state and speak to high school students, our State FFA Treasurer, Jerry Vaughn, would relate a powerful story. He would ask a group to remember a song by Jim Croce (which, back then, was a current hit) called “Time [...]

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Are you SURE that makes you stand out?

3 comments December 15, 2010

One of the controversial points I keep hearing about from readers of “Collapse of Distinction” is where I suggest saying that you have “great customer service” does absolutely NOTHING to make you distinct in the marketplace. Here’s why: EVERY customer wants “customer service” — therefore, EVERY business is saying they provide it! Naturally, that means [...]

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How did your organization live its values TODAY?

3 comments December 14, 2010

I was in the middle of writing this post, when my friend @MikeCane Tweeted a blog post that hit me between the eyes. The Hole in the Soul of our Culture: part 1 from Tara Hunt is filled with great observations and challenging insights. Here’s the fundamental point I was writing, and which she expresses [...]

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“If it was good enough for…”

5 comments December 13, 2010

In the beginning of my speaking/seminar/consulting company in the early 1980′s, I pretty much worked exclusively in the industry of agriculture. Farm implement manufacturers, seed companies, ag chemical distributors, and the like were almost 100% of my business. A fundamental problem that dealers in the various lines of agribusiness would express to me was that [...]

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Winning and losing…

5 comments December 10, 2010

It’s the last day of a phenomenal trip. I have not been home in almost a month…first off for the National Speakers Association Board of Directors meetings in Phoenix…then to Bangkok for our Business Transformation Seminar…to Kuala Lumpur for three great programs…Bahrain for two fantastic events…and, finally, here in Barcelona for a cutting-edge global conference [...]

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It was thirty years ago today…

3 comments December 7, 2010

Monday night was always laundry night. I was a radio personality at 1010 WCSI radio in Columbus, Indiana. On Mondays, I always washed my clothes, put up the ironing board in front of the television, popped some popcorn, and spent the evening doing chores while watching Monday Night Football on ABC. It was all a [...]

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