Failure Coach X

Negative Space

Alan has been thinking a lot about negative space. It started when he got a phone call from Bill Donius, the former Bank CEO who wrote a book called Thought Revolution:Unlock your Inner Genius. Bill was talking to him about the right brain/left brain thing. The two met on a flight back from Cleveland quite by chance. Alan was in Cleveland on a media tour and Bill was in meeting with Changing Lives Press (which happens to be located at 50 Public Square).  

That led Alan to his checking out Drawing on the Right Hand Side of the Brain (writtern by Betty Edwards) from the HQ branch of the West County library. He was struck by her  discussion of negative space using the cartoon image of Bugs Bunny speeding along and running through a door. What you’ll see in the cartoon, she says, is a door with a bunny shaped hole in it. Negative space, is the space around the object, in this case Bugs Bunny.

Negative space is a compositional tool used by artists. It is the space where other things are not present. Leonardo's The Last Supper for example. The negative space between Jesus (in the middle of the painting) and the person immediately to his right is causing a V-shaped negative space. (Some speculate that space is hiding secrets.) M.C. Escher, Bridget Riley, Victor Vasserely and Op artists often use negative space in intriguing ways in which we are left wondering what, exactly, is negative and what is positive. Incidentally, negative space is no "negative" connotation. It's actually a wonderful, if often neglected, design element. Properly used, as with Henry Moore's sculptures, or Zen brush paintings, or even your basic Rorschach test ink blots, it is just as important as what is there.

Aha! Thinks Alan. An aha moment. This negative space concept is a good thing.  A failure orientation, is similarly, about focusing on those things outside of your own control. Donius wants me to buy into the inner genius idea but I need people to see their negative space as the opportunity. Once you understand what surrounds you, you begin to understand what must change. In some ways this is a more painful process since it focuses outwardly instead of so much focus on trying to change oneself. You can’t give 110%. What you can do is change things in your environment. You can get the right people on the bus and make sure they are sitting in the right friggin’ seats if you are working your negative space. That is it! Aha!

Alan Edgewater is feverishly writing notes about the negative space thing on a yellow legal pad. (Even as he wonders for just a moment why lawyers need 14” as he’s never seen a lawyer write anything the full length of such a sheet. That includes his pal Caster.)

Negative space. Get an artist to demonstrate this with sculpture from clay or block of ice or painting. Get examples of good use of negative space. Op artists, M.C. Escher, Victor Vasserely, Zen, Rorschach, Japanese Gardens, Matisse cut outs…  

Alan goes on to fill several pages of stream of consciousness thinking. It’s late and he puts the pad aside with a plan to review it in the morning. He feels good about the direction, even wondering if his next book could be Negative Space.

Would a book about negative space be nontraditional in its design? Ask Bluestone what he thinks. Would the cover be one of those images that tricks your eye into seeing a vase at first glance and facial profiles at another look? Does such a book read left to right? Front to back? Die cuts? Orgami. Cut Paper? Is there anything in Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers that help illustrate this negative space?    

Failure Coach IX

OMG AE IOU #FailureCoach

Failure Fans are alive on the web again. Alan is still astounded by the phenomenon that started with YouTube videos going viral from the Orlando conference showing Alan Edgewater at his very best and most colorful. In hindsight, it was a damn good thing Bluestone thought about this tactic as a member of the enthusiastic audience in Orlando. Failure Fans all over started to pick up on his rants. The clips, especially, became popular attachments on Twitter. They became a sort of shorthand like LMFAO or LOL (instead of or in addition to). Alan was almost afraid the activity was unique to his first book and that successful launch. He could not be certain analytics would show a flurry of the same magnitude but it did look like #110% #epicfail #AEIOU activity was alive and well.

AEIOU became a kind of battle cry for people and organizations that wanted to publicly thank Alan Edgewater (AE) for helping them accept one defeat or another (IOU).

A poster designed by one of Bluestone’s freelancers became popular as a graphic online (more so than the limited distribution of the poster itself. The design was homage to Push Pin Studio’s Milton Glaser Bob Dylan poster from 1967 with a stylized Abe Lincoln profile. The poster includes the words:

Abraham Lincoln suffered a multitude of failure in his life which he did not let get in his way as he finally won the presidency and changed the course of history.  L

Lost job in 1832.
Defeated for state legislature in 1832.
Failed in business in 1833.
Elected to state legislature in 1834.
Sweetheart died in 1835.
Had nervous breakdown in 1836.
Defeated for Speaker in 1838.
Defeated for nomination for Congress in 1843.
Elected to Congress in 1846.
Lost renomination in 1848.
Rejected for land officer in 1849.
Defeated for U.S. Senate in 1854.
Defeated for nomination for Vice President in 1856.
Again defeated for U.S. Senate in 1858.
Elected President in 1860.

AE IOU #FailureCoach

The success of viral video and this graphic energized Daniel Bluestone. The poster was reproduced in the new book as an exhibit. The validation of the value of his efforts triggered a flurry of activity focusing on guerilla and digital tactics for Alan Edgewater. The success was helping him get in the door at InBev Anheuser Busch, Enterprise Rent a Car and Sazerac. Each were hopeful this kind of awareness might be generated for their brands. Daniel too, was getting a bit of attention as he was invited to be a guest lecturer at the University of Missouri – St. Louis and mentor the student ad club AD CORE.

Note: Milton Glaser's Dylan poster (above) was inspired by Marcel Duchamp's 1957 self-portrait. It was included in an album of greatest hits released in 1967.         

Failure Coach VIII

September book release

The quarterly meeting is at the Chamber conference room for old time sake. Lunch is from Russo’s. The caterer is setting up hot soup, salad and a variety of finger sandwiches.  “Wow nice spread, Russo’s is great. I saw the van out front and realized it’s been a while. I used to eat there at least once a month when I had a client near Russo’s Page Road restaurant outlet.” Bob is animated and seems genuinely enthusiastic about the lunch fare. (A decidedly upgraded offering from the usual for a typical AE meeting.)

“Hang on Bob-O, they just got here. Grab a soda, coffee or tea and sit down. We’ll break in about 30 minutes.”

The Chamber office is buzzing. The receptionist, pr coordinator and a couple of volunteers are busy answering questions about a golf outing and already making plans for the fourth quarter holiday event. The added activity of the AE meeting is something they take in stride. Alan is a member and has been generous with his time as speaker. 

Already assembled in the conference room: Laurie is ready with her dashboard spreadsheet of key financial indicators: Jan has an updated status report and Dan is sketching on a pad of layout paper from Art Mart.The meeting business kicks off with Bob’s arrival. Alan sets the stage with an overview and an agenda hand out. 

    

“The 110% book is ready to launch and my publisher seems to think it will do well enough. They sure aren’t acting like it though. There is just about 18 months between releases and I'm not sure the failure fans will stay with us. That first book had a lot going for it. The prelaunch reviews for It’s not easy being anybody got a lot of traction and triggered bulk orders: group and corporate sales. I’m just not going to sweat this. I’ve already raked in incredible notoriety, if not profits over the last year. The royalty checks add up to six figures and that gave me a little room to pursue the marketing stuff for Alan Edgewater Failure Coach LLC.” Alan is in an unusually reflective mood as he addresses his go-to advisers.”I’ve always tried to be transparent with the fab four. I am so grateful for this group.”

And at Mahoney Hall on the campus of the University of Miami, Johnny Appleseed is smoking pot with his roommate Steve. “No shit man, you got a full ride to the U from something called the Alan Edgewater Failure First Scholarship Fund that was started with money your high school football coach won in a lottery. That is so righteous.”

Meanwhile in Red Bud, Illinois, Coach Siena is in his home office looking at some Sazerac regional sales numbers on his desktop computer screen. He can see that things look pretty good in most segments versus a year ago (YAG) when his phone rings. It is a land line with a loud bell ring. It isn’t a rotary dial, but if it was it would not seem out of place on the Coach’s big and cluttered desk. His wife, Irene, is forbidden to touch anything in his office. This is the policy left over from his coaching days. Every scrap is valuable and might have an unstoppable play diagram or scouting nugget that will provide an edge. Now, that same system is part of how he deals with his network of distributors and key account sales people. Every niche is important. The smaller liquor stores are better margins than national accounts like Costco. That is where he has a better opportunity to have an impact anyway so that is where he places his focus. His deal with Fontenot is as an independent contractor anyhow and he has a straight, albeit dotted line to Fontenot.

And at the bar at Tavern on the Park in New Orleans, “In addition to award-winning bourbons, our distilleries produce some of the highest quality rye whiskies. Our Rye Whiskies have garnered numerous awards. Sazerac is proud to offer these unique, award-winning rye whiskies that help spearhead the current revival of Rye Whiskey. Our American blended whiskies are distilled, aged and bottled to create high quality whiskies for value conscious consumers.” Fontenot is polishing his pitch to another out-of-towner who found his favorite bar. Chances are this guy from Cleveland will be a Sazerac convert, especially if he takes the Robert Siena business card and follows up on an opportunity to get a product sample pack sent to his home. “Make sure you tell him you met with Fontenot in N.O. and I know he’ll take care of you. Hey, have you heard of Failure Coach Alan Edgewater? That dude is amazing…”

And at that very moment, at 50 Public Square in Cleveland the first books are making their way to local bookstores in the arcade mall adjacent to the Terminal Tower. A cut-out of Alan Edgewater in a business suit is smiling as he holds a copy of You can’t give 110%! next to pull out quotes from The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Columbus Dispatch and the Detroit Free Press.      

      

Failure Coach VII

Failure First Webinar - August

Johnny Appleseed is in his dorm room at Mahoney Hall at the University of Miami and is looking at a graphic on his laptop computer. Johnny is bored with school and instead of attending his first scheduled class with a couple hundred of his closest friends in the Learning Resource Center he opts to check out the webinar Coach Siena told him might help him sort out some of the issues he has about where he wants his life to go. The Coach is proud of his former student-athlete and touches base with him periodically via e-mail.   

>>> 

Stage One: Resistance. In this stage, one attempt to prevent failure, to hold it together, to cover it over, to pretend that whatever “it” is, “it” didn’t happen. There is embarrassment at this stage and generally a desire to fix “it” before anyone notices.

Stage Two: Acceptance. In this stage, there is surrender to what is and an acceptance of what is unfolding. One might ask for help at this stage. There is vulnerability, connection and relationship.

Stage Three: I’m not sure what to call this stage. Time? Healing? I just know that, especially for really big failures some time needs to pass before one is ready to look at learning. This is the pause, the breath,  the place of being.

Stage Four: Learning. After some time has passed (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot) it’s time for debrief and learning. What didn’t work? Where was I blind? What’s the new information to incorporate?

Stage Five: Transformation. As the new information is integrated, transformation occurs.

>>> 

 “The information is from a blog Karen Kimsey-House who with her husband Henry and Laura Whitworth founded The Coaches Training Institute (CTI) in 1992 with Laura Whitworth and Henry Kimsey-House. I won’t editorialize on anyone else’s approach or advertise CTI life coaches. What I want people to recognize is the value in failure and I like what Karen is presenting here. I know this is an eye-chart. It is included in our seminar materials and also presented in some depth in my book You can’t give 110%”.Karen is an entrepreneur. In addition to CTI, she founded the Learning Annex adult education program in San Francisco in 1986. It grew it into one of the most admired programs under the national Learning Annex brand. Karen received her MFA in Communications and Theater from Temple University in Philadelphia. CTI has trained more than 30,000 life coaches…”

This Alan Edgewater webinar is live and in progress. It allows participants to ask questions in real time, some of which he will address during the session. A recording of the session is also available to those who paid for the webinar. Johnny types in his question.

JA: WELL I GET THAT. I’M A COLLEGE STUDENT. MY QUESTION: HOW DO I AVOID FAILURE? AM  I MISSING SOMETHING?

“Alan” interrupts a woman’s voice at what seems a fair enough point to break into Edgewater’s description of the slide as it remains on the screen. “JA, a college student in Miami wants to know how to avoid failure.”

“Well there is one in every crowd. With all due respect to JA, I’ve sold a lot of books and attracted thousands to seminars and conferences. If I have one clear message it is this: DON’T TRY to AVOID FAILURE. Instead, embrace and celebrate failure. This is really hard for students to grasp especially. Students are taught to focus on goals and get on a path to acquiring the knowledge it takes to achieve those goals. It’s a flawed way of looking at the world. Here’s why: You will fail – maybe not right away but soon enough. How you respond to that failure will do more to define you than anything else…”

The slide graphic changes on the screen. Alan moves on to describe a few of his favorite case studies. Each one has a graphic treatment that looks like a folder with color photo and typewriter font describing the case file. Alan has clearly made a part of his patter. Each is an illustration.

“Maybe JA and others with similar questions will understand The Alan Edgewater Failure Coach philosophy better when they see what the approach has done for:

A. Sally Smith-Jones works a Wal-Mart cash register in a suburb of Chicago. Her kids resent her. She is finally at peace. She’s stopped beating herself up about those things that just didn’t go right with her kids and ex-husband.

B. Jill Beane is a school teacher in Cleveland. She lost her job after she allegedly left some student unsupervised on a field trip to the zoo. The kids thought it would be funny to spray paint polar bears.  

C. Sherman Ringling in Tampa is an actor and a wanna-be stand up comedian. To make ends meet he’s working the pro-shop at golf course at McDill Air Force base.

The point, while maybe not chrystal clear is that each of these people were deeply depressed because they were not even close to living the lives of which they had once dreamed. They are among the thousands of folks providing feedback to Alan Edgewater Failure Coach LLC”.

Johnny Appleseed types in his next comment. JA: THESE PEOPLE ARE NOTHING LIKE ME.

This time the note is left in the queue without response and Alan Edgewater continues with a sort of commercial for his first two books and a mention of the Alan Edgewater Failure Coach website. The webinar ends with the familiar line: “It’s not easy being you…but no-one is better at being you.” 

Failure Coach VI

Cheers! - April

“Sazerac Brands are unique. You guys have been around this business long enough to know the threats we face. Our approach is going to be one of fundamentals. We want sell-in but more importantly we want the product to sell through. That’s why marketing is going to play a bigger part in the coming year. We have challenger brands. We are, in most cases, the David with a sling shot aiming to defeat the giant. Hey, we aren’t running scared. What we are gonna do is leverage social media, promotions, point of sale, sampling, word-of-mouth and guerilla tactics to win. Our sales organization needs to work smarter, not harder. Now I ain’t gonna ask you to give 110% on every play. That’s not realistic. What I am gonna do is ask you to listen carefully to Alan Edgewater. He will tell you how failure is something from which to learn. He’s not going to give you a rah rah pitch about being the best….”

Joseph Fontenot is proud of his ability to motivate sales guys. He absolutely loved the Alan Edgewater Failure Coach approach when he picked up the best seller It not easy being anybody and anticipates the Fall release of You can’t give 110%. The battlefield is changing rapidly. Fontenot knows this, especially in his current role. He wants to leverage this rhetoric because it is fresh. It is a wakeup call to all those underdogs... The big guys are getting bigger. The channels are getting tougher to crack but….but ….but if you can be motivated by disappointment and make adjustments you will be stunned at what can happen. That is what Bluestone found out about Fontenot during the previous conference at the Marriott downtown in New Orleans. The two became fast friends. They hit the casino black jack tables. By chance they ran into Coach Siena who was happy to join them for a cocktail. By the time the seminar launched at the Marriott, Fontenot was able to turn the entire event into a promotion. The attendees didn’t know what hit them when Coach Siena told the audience that everyone in the room would get a coupon good for a free Sazerac drink redeemable right there in the Ballroom (at any of the four bar stations which had been stocked with Sazerac product).        

“Did you know Fontenot is a name that has a French orientation and it means fountain? I’m a damn fountain of knowledge.” Says Joseph Fontenot as he sits at the bar now with Coach Siena and Daniel Bluestone in New Orleans again, only this time they are together at the Tavern on the Park where Fontenot it treated like royalty. He has been over-served a bit but he is still gracious. The trio are celebrating a successful sales meeting a safe distance from the Marriot. Fontenot was so impressed with the venue and hotel staff at the Alan Edgewater Failure Coach program in January, they were back with their sales meeting in April in the same ballroom with the same classroom seating and four bar setups. Coach Siena was now a regional manager in the Midwest because Fontenot liked him. Siena didn’t need the job but found the trappings of running a small distributor operation allowed him room to explore a business life that has eluded him as a high school teacher and coach. Fontenot liked his ahhh shucks candor and was confident that he was honest enough. The Sazerac position was good copy too. Alan Edgewater could count on Coach Siena to say something in such a way as to guarantee an illustration of failing your way to good fortune. “You know the people at Sazerac are like a family. Fontenot is a fountain of knowledge and always supports our sales network of direct and broker personnel. Shucks. And I owe everything to Alan Edgewater. A.E.I.O.U.!”

“Ladies and Gentleman, my next guest had become a fixture in our seminar series and is an inspiration that exemplifies our approach. Bob Siena understands the fundamentals of failing forward. DO NOT let failure discourage you. Remember always that it is the most probable outcome of a lifetime of goal setting. In the nearly immortal words of 1983 North Carolina State national championship coach Jimmy Valvano, ‘Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.’ Having the heart of a champion is not about expecting victory as much as it is about working against insurmountable odds. Siena used part of his lottery winnings to fund an undersized high school football player with average ability to a full ride at the University of Miami and the kid is already in his second semester as an undeclared major. Stay tuned. Maybe that kid will be a case study in my next book after the release of You can’t give 110%...    

Failure Coach V

The Big Easy - January

Coach Siena and Alan Edgewater are each smoking a cigar at the Port of New Orleans. A riverboat floats by in the distance. “I’m going to head over to the French Quarter,” says the Coach “You are welcome to join me if you want... Probably not that busy mid afternoon but I still want to check it out. This is my first trip to New Orleans.” 

No thanks Coach, I have to do a phone interview with a local radio station Jan hooked me up with. And after that, I’m going to head back to the room and look over my slides for tomorrow. Remember this is going to be a smaller crowd than you saw in Orlando. It will be a classroom style seating. Insurance sales, HVAC folks, teachers, nurses, cats and dogs. Be real. I think you will connect with this group.”

“I’ll tell you what. I’m glad you convinced me to come on down to the Big Easy. The Marriott has sure been taking care of me since I checked in. Ya know, since I won all that money I just have to get out of town more. Everyone wants a piece of me. I got friends I never knew I had coming out of the woodwork. I don’t want to sound ungrateful. I’m blessed, I really am.” He looks at the end of his cigar and rolls it a bit between his thumb, index and middle fingers.

The room is already set. Alan was able to supervise because nothing was scheduled in that room after yesterday. He is hoping this group dynamic will generate a good vibe. His publisher was much more active in filling the room at Orlando. They saw it as a reasonable way to generate book sales, but here in New Orleans, less than a year later, it’s all on Abbeshire and Bluestone as directed by the Failure Coach himself. He’s confident that his lottery winning featured side-show will deliver. Since he cashed his winning check in a lump sum he never misses an opportunity to show the world his unique ability to use poor judgment. Nevertheless he has a heart of gold, thinks Alan. He is a real every man. I’ll tell you what - the folks at this here Marriott have sure taken care of me. Duh. We are guaranteeing 150 rooms and will drop fifty large on this place at least. I hope coach Siena can stay out of trouble between now and showtime. Maybe I should have stayed with him as he wanders the French Quarter. I hope he stays out of the casino. What-ever!

“I’ll tell you what. New Orleans is a friendly kind of place. Everywhere I goes… Can you pour me one of them Hurricane drinks. I’m a tourist to be certain, but I can see why people like to come here. You got history, charm and people are just to dag gum friendly.” The coach has an audience with the bartender and a handful of patrons (probably regulars) in a tavern he found just off of Bourbon Street.

Meanwhile Alan is kicking back in his Junior Suite. The TV is on ESPN but the sound is turned down and he is checking e-mails, Twitter and his website blogs to see if any new comments have appeared. He told Coach Siena he was going to look over his slides but approach-avoidance cognitive dissonance sets in and he figures he will be able to pick up where he left off in Orlando.

“Knock Knock” Alan hears a couple of gentle raps but isn’t aware someone is at his door.

“Knock Knock”

“Who is it?”

“Housekeeping. Housekeeping. Housekeeping”

He opens the door to Daniel Bluestone in the hallway laughing at his little joke.

“Wow. I didn’t expect to see you here?”

“Yeah, well I am and you are gonna pay my travel and hotel and then some when you see what I’ve got for you. Don’t worry I flew Southwest and I got your special group room rate. Here’s the deal. I got the national sales manager from Sazerac distribution to come to your seminar and he’s anxious to meet you because he’s got a sales meeting coming up and he thinks you might be just the jump start/kick in the ass his group needs. Have you heard of these guys? Sazerac is a brand of rye whiskey owned by the Sazerac Company and produced by the Buffalo Trace Distillery. It’s a cool brand and this national sales guy called me because he dug the video of your Orlando keynote I posted. You know that edited piece with selects from the convention center… ”

“Outstanding! Any chance we can sample the product? We already have the room set with four cash bars.”

Failure Coach IV

St. Louis - Inside Marketing at Failure Coach LLC 

Alan arrived early to seize the large table in the Starbuck’s location in the Dierberg’s strip mall in Chesterfield (West County St. Louis). Jan agreed to meet before heading downtown since this is routine latte stop for her in the morning. Dan lives in Fenton but doesn’t mind the scheduled power breakfast especially if he can come away with approval to proceed on enhancements to the inbound marketing blog and CRM ideas he hopes Alan will agree to.      

Jan Abbeshire and Dan Bluestone are the marketing advisors for Alan Edgewater Failure Coach programs. Alan hired Jan’s firm when he was in a corporate role as director of global communications about five years ago. He met Bluestone more like 15 years ago when Adamson was one of the largest independent advertising agencies in St. Louis. Bluestone was a creative director there before they merged with an agency in KC. Eventually almost everyone of the 40+ employees became a victim of downsizing in St. Louis. Bluestone thought he was going to get the nod for a spot in KC but didn’t make the cut. All but a handful of people were eliminated.  

The Failure Coach knew integrating the activities of Jan and Dan would be a challenge. They are both talented people but their personalities are polar opposites. Jan is very tactical. Dan thinks of himself as strategic. Outside of an agency context Dan relies on a network of freelancers.

Jan arrives just a few minutes after 7 o’clock in a handsome business suit and already on her cell phone with her office manager. She marches directly to the barista and excuses herself on the phone quickly to get her drink order moving. Only then does she notice that Alan has already staked out the big table. Jan is completely at home with her drink as she takes a seat. She gives a quick glance to her smart phone before turning it off to offer undivided attention.

“The releases look good Jan. We are going to go ahead with the seminar, albeit in a smaller room in New Orleans. The Blaine Kern Ballroom at the Marriott will comfortably accommodate 900 but will still be okay if the number is more like 350. We'll be lucky if we can get that. I’ll have time of course to talk to editors if you can generate any interest. The book isn’t going to release until the Fall, Maybe September so maybe the hook needs to be about the first book and the scholarship thing…”

Jan is a professional and is expert at non-verbal communication. Alan has known her long enough to surmise she will confine activities to those that can be managed by her office manager, project account coordinator and intern from Mizzou. “We have a good list of magazines and editorial contacts. We can see what kind of pick up we can get on your seminar in New Orleans but we need a hook if we’re going to get feature treatment for you. I know you are willing to meet in person or via scheduled phone patch but we really need to agree on key messaging.”

Just then Dan swings his shoulder bag around and hangs his leather jacket on a chair at the table. He makes no apology even as Alan notes on his laptop that it’s already 7:20. Jan smiles. She agrees to send a copy of a revised status report to both Alan and Dan later on today. Jan is polite but clearly wrapping up as she checks her smart phone again.

“Do you need a coffee or anything Dan?”

“Nah, I’m good. Hey great news about the New Orleans event. If we play our cards right we should be able to fill that room. But you’re smart to keep it more intimate this time. Are we keeping the price point where it is?”

“Yeah, I’m really trying to keep the seminars affordable.  I mean with the early bird discounts the average attendee only pays $199 and can use PayPal. Surprisingly, the math on these events works out to break even at best. Food, catering, audio-visual support are the killers. Ya know in Orlando the bills we ended up ringing on travel, hotel, Coach Siena, his posse and our people… We gotta watch expenses. We are getting better...but. The Orlando event was a blast but we really end up losing money if we aren’t careful.”

“Come on man. Don’t talk to me about fiscal responsibility. I’m not the guy who picked up the bill on the open bar and appetizers. I told you that was a mistake. I know I talked you into a lot of collateral things and merch but those are still a part of reinforcing your brand. I hope you don’t have buyer’s remorse on that stuff.”