Toronto, Monday March 30 2009, 9.00am

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It’s been one heck of a month. In March, I spoke to almost 10 000 people in Europe, America, South Africa, UK and Canada. All of them are wrestling with a single critical question: How can I win in these unprecedented times?

Here’s my response: there is no one right way to win. Every action has an unexpected reaction – for better or for worse. In fact, the unexpected consequences of every action will always outnumber the expected. Let me ask you this question: what would your advice be? What are your ways to win in the cataclysm we’re all going through? Quickly, write down the top three tips you would provide someone who’s depending on you to succeed. Then compare your insights with mine. It will make this blog a lot more interesting and relevant to you.

Now that you’ve done the exercise, I’ll offer you my top ten ways to win:

Lipkin’s Tenth Way: Understand, Accept & Embrace The New Reality. These are unprecedented times. Compared to August 2008, we may as well be living in a different universe. Whereas Growth used to be the Number One Priority, now it’s simply survival. Cash flow is the Holy Grail & minimizing decline is the new mission. In my business, meetings have been decimated so coaching, video-conferencing and production of new programs that can be delivered by proxy are the new drivers. I accept that. I even embrace it. Upset, blame, anger or frustration has no place in my emotional repertoire. That’s why I’ve put this blog on video for you to watch and share it as well. What’s your New Reality? Have you accepted it? How are you embracing it?

Lipkin’s Ninth Way: Focus On The Game-Changers That Will Achieve The Wins. In every market, there are the breakthrough-points that are redefining the business and sparking the next revolution. Think Apple – accessibility. Think IKEA – affordability. Think American Idol – Authenticity. Think Face book – connectivity. Think Obama – Change. Each of these “brands” pinpointed the Game-Changer and owned it. In my business, it’s the communication of the “Executionable Idea” that enables people to achieve their desired level of personal success. That’s my single-minded focus – giving you what you need to succeed NOW. What’s yours?

Lipkin’s Eighth Way: Grow Your Reputation As A Success-Generator. Winning generates its own momentum. In fact, it feeds on it. So when you achieve the win, broadcast it as loudly and widely as you can. People want to be associated with winners especially at a time when so many people are losing the game, the money and even themselves. So what have you got to crow about? How can you achieve success for others? How can you publicize your success without boasting or bragging? I’m not asking you to be Donald Trump here. I am asking you to become a “guerilla marketer” where you seize every opportunity to let others know what you’ve done for others so others want you to do the same for them. My livelihood depends on how many people know how much I’ve done for so many people. That’s why I’m telling you here. And that’s why I feature their testimonials on my website. How can you do it? And remember John Steinbeck’s words: A reputation for money is almost as negotiable as money itself.

Lipkin’s Seventh Way: Collaborate With Best-of-Breed Partners. We all become the company we keep. And we’re judged by the company we keep. We’re only as good as all of us together. The ultimate theme for success in 2009 is interconnectedness, specifically with those partners who will enable you to be great. That’s been a core principle of mine since I came back to Canada in 2002. That’s why I partner with Environics, The PowerWithin, Speakers Spotlight, Lowell Brown, White Hat Productions, Apple, YouTube, and Google – to name just a few. Who are you partnering with? How good are they? And why would they want to partner with you?

Lipkin’s Sixth Way: Connect With Key Stakeholders Through Multiple Channels. Think about all the ways you absorb information: face to face, ear to ear, print media, radio and TV, e-mail, Google and the web, and on and on. Our media smorgasbord is expanding daily. We have to find a way to leverage each new addition to our advantage. That’s why I’m revelling in my blog, YouTube productions and audio-podcasting. My main source of income is still the delivery of live seminars so I’m continually fine-tuning my oratory skills, but connecting with key stakeholders through multiple channels is my primary pursuit. It is possible to be everywhere all the time. And the person with the most visibility wins.

Lipkin’s Fifth Way: Be Compelling Online and In-Person. How enjoyable and interesting is it to meet with you? Would I be uplifted by the experience? Would I want more? Would I want to come back again and again? Would I tell others about how great it was? The actual experience of being with you is as important as any value you bring me. You see, it’s a given that you’re competent. I take it for granted that you’re technically awesome. The dealmaker is how empowered you make me feel. That’s why I’ve created my Over-The-Top, Enthusiastic, Irreverent, Energetic persona online and in-person. My mission is to give people the insights, beliefs and feelings that compel them to do what they otherwise would not have done. You may like me, you may hate me, but you’ll never be lukewarm about me. What’s your persona? How are you being memorable and motivational?

Lipkin’s Fourth Way: Earn Relationships With Key Opinion Leaders. In any given year, I will talk to over a 100 000 people. But there are only a few that enable me to talk to the other 99800. These are the 200 people who are the influencers, the connectors, the decision-makers, the arbiters of skill and talent. They are the ones with whom I need to earn my relationships. Their love for me is entirely conditional. I need to bring them insights that will empower them to grow their status in their communities. That’s where I leverage the proprietary Environics Social Values Research to give them guidance they cannot find anywhere else. And that’s where I’ll prepare points of view that enrich their perspectives so they can do the same with their stakeholders. The strength of your relationships with the Key Opinion Leaders in your industry is vital for your success. So how strong are they? And what are you doing to make them even stronger?

Lipkin’s Third Way: Play By The Rules. Before you can excel, you need to comply. Government’s presence is increasing in almost every category. Like it or not, we all have to navigate our way through ever-increasing regulation. So know the rules and play by them. And where the rules are vague, clarify them. Clarify them with your colleagues and your Customers. If you don’t know the rules, you cannot play the game. You’ll lose or, worse, you’ll be disqualified from playing again. And by the way, the more successful you are, the more power you have to change some of the rules. Change the ones you can, live by the ones you can’t, and have the wisdom to know the difference.

Lipkin’s Second Way: Bring Fresh Insights Every Day. You’re only as good as your last insight. Nothing goes stale faster than yesterday’s news. The world is full of people living in past-paradigms. You can hear their obsolescence every time they open their mouth. Same-old-same-old cannot cut it. So how are you re-freshing your colleagues and customers? How much time are you investing in exploring and exchanging new ideas. I spend at least a third of my time on creating and communicating new ideas. It’s the core of my service. And no matter what you do, it must be the core of your service as well. Let me ask you: If you could multiply the number of new insights you deliver to your key stakeholders, what would the impact on your business be? Think about it. It’s not as difficult as it may seem. Simply focusing on finding new insights reveals them to you. Then you have to capture them and share them with others through multiple channels. I’m walking my talk – that’s exactly what I’m trying to do here.

Lipkin’s First Way: Feed Your Mojo Three Times A Day. It’s tough and it’s getting tougher to sustain the kind of motivation that motivates others into action. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the past six months, it’s that we have to take a lot more steps to win the same business as before. Decision-making times are being stretched as people ponder their options and delay their decisions. People want more proof, more evidence, more referrals, & more options to lessen their risk of failure. So be prepared to run down dead ends, chase false leads, make wrong turns, go down dark holes and hear the words you don’t want to hear. Your resilience, stamina and endurance will win you the game, but it’s gonna go deep into OT. Be prepared by feeding your mind, body and spirit. Condition yourself for preeminence. Work out. Listen and watch great programs. Speak to great people. Reach out to the people around you. Give them all the love you can and take all the love you can get. Money cannot buy you love, but love can bring you the Mojo to get the money.

That’s it. Those are Lipkin’s Ten Ways To Win in 2009. Let me know yours. And let’s help everyone else win in 2009.

Toronto, March 18, 10.13pm

The Call To Inaction is growing louder by the day. “When in doubt, do nothing” is the new mantra.

Hesitation, equivocation, indecision, fence-sitting, hedging, and avoidance are becoming habitual responses to the Economic Crisis. Survival Instincts are smothering bold initiatives. Wherever I go (and I go to a lot of places) I’m hearing the vocabulary of contraction: save, wait, suspend, cancel, refrain, hold, delay, postpone, downsize, rationalize, lay-off, wait-and-see. Dr No rules.

Doing nothing has become the “responsible” option. Not making mistakes is the new priority. Minimizing losses is the new goal. Or, as someone told me yesterday, “Flat is the New Up.” Yup, the wagons are being circled. Fear is the prism through which the future is being viewed by the majority of people.

So why am I smiling? Why am I pumped by the possibilities? Why is my Mojo multiplying? What’s feeding my passion? The Few, The Fabulous, The Talented and The Brave. In the midst of the doom and despair, there are cadres of can-do performers who are bucking the trend. They’re viewing the crisis as an invitation to greatness. Their instincts are to create in the face of destruction, grow in the face of shrinkage and reach out in the face of withdrawal. Without these intrepid souls, the hole would be even deeper.

I’m talking about people Like Dani Reiss, CEO Of Canada Goose, who is creating a new breed of Goose-people, and “Making Cold The New Cool” with his array of goose-down, made-in-Canada parkas. See http://www.canada-goose.com/home.htm .

I’m talking about David Komlos and his unique Syntegration processes that optimize large group interaction and unlock new solutions to complex problems. See  www.syntegrity.com .

I’m talking about Martin Perelmuter and his team at Speakers Spotlight who find opportunities where others find nothing. See www.speakers.com .

I’m talking about Salim Khoja who motivates thousands of Canadians every year through his mega PowerWithin seminars – www.powerwithin.com .

I’m talking about Rick Tobias and his crew at the Yonge Street Mission who are committed to being a pivotal agent of change in the community – see http://www.ysm.on.ca

I’m talking about Rick Williams and his turned-on troops at WFG – See http://www.wfg-online.ca/ .

These are just a few of my favourite people. They understand one primary truth: Actions create Habits. Habits create Character. Character creates Destiny. How you act in the next 24 hours will determine who you become in 24 years. Now more than ever, the future belongs to those who are willing to create it. And that means taking action today. It means looking, listening, learning, trusting, doing, inspiring, falling, rising, experimenting, over and over again. It takes guts and resilience. But it’s all made easier by one fundamental realisation: there’s no other way to be. Timidity is not an option. Neither is recklessness. It’s about being exactly who we need to be so we can do what we need to do. That’s my Holy Grail. Think about it…

Toronto, March 1 2009, 11.00pm

The Ides of March are almost upon us. January and February 2009 are already history. How did the heck did that happen? A week is the new day. They just flash by. And that’s great news. It means that the gathering of the bears will soon morph into the running of the bulls. The global meltdown is already re-forming itself. Nothing lasts forever. This too shall pass. It already is. Every day, I see signs of hope and change. Can you see them? Because I know it’s not just me. I’m a radical optimist but I’m not Pollyanna. I see the Omens and they’re getting bigger, brighter, sharper and louder.

Last Monday, I had the great pleasure of presenting my thoughts to the Canadian sales force of Intercontinental Hotels Group, the holding company for Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Intercontinental Hotels and others. Angela Xavier, the Director of Sales for Canada, asked me to share my view of the trends transforming Canada in 2009 with her team. So I prepared the presentation I’ll share with you in this blog. That’s the way my life works: someone asks me to create a message and I get to share it with the entire planet. How cool is that? Very cool. But I have a request of you: as you read my Omens, give me back some of your own. The more you think, write, talk and share, the more you create the future with everyone else. And that’s the best way to predict the future: influence it with your voice, insights and energy.

Here’s Lipkin’s First Omen: Prices for everything are going down, including the price for your service. Deflation is already here. It’s a buyer’s market. House prices are heading south.  Cars are selling at massive discounts. I’m charging less for my services. Five-star hotels are charging less for theirs. Harry Rosen is selling their fancy suits for 30-50% off. Professionals on the hunt for jobs are settling for lower salaries. Bonuses are being eliminated. Travel costs are plummeting. There’s downward pressure on fees and prices everywhere. How are you handling it? How are you maintaining your revenue against intense downward pressure. How are you managing your overheads? How are you ensuring your cash-flow? No matter how much things improve in the next twelve months, prices and fees will lag. In our personal and professional lives, we’re being trained to expect and get lower prices. So run lean. Run hard. Be special. Be memorable. Create value that people can only get from you. Creating a micro-personal-monopoly is the only antidote to the pricing downdraft. That’s why I’m writing this blog. It’s part of my UVP – unique value proposition. Lipkin’s unique insights can only come from one person – Lipkin.

Here’s Lipkin’s Second Omen: The Volatility Index will increase exponentially. Shock-ing is the new normal. The last thing you expect is the first thing that will happen and it will keep on happening. Some of the shocks are traumatic. And some of the shocks are nirvanic. How about the Dow at 7000, exactly 50% down, versus a year ago? How about a Black man in the White House? How about Canadians preferring the American leader to their own? How about the next breakthrough in communication, medicine or diplomacy? How about me being able to produce the video of this blog on my Apple, upload it to YouTube and instantly be able to talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime? How about 50% of my market disappearing overnight as conferences and meeting are cancelled because of the crisis? How about the call I know I will receive tomorrow that could change everything all over again? How about my friend, Ken Allen, being appointed to Global CEO of DHL Worldwide? In ways both personal and universal, the surprises will come at you with accelerating velocity. Don’t be surprised by surprise. And give others the kind of surprises they want to help them handle the kind of surprises they don`t.

Here’s Lipkin’s Third Omen: 1-2-1 connections will help you rule your world. Social networking begins with one person talking to one person. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the like, are faux substitutes for the real thing. Online “friends“ who come and go at the click of a button are not real friends. Real  friends know you, love you, buy from you, and promote you to other real friends who can do the same. The winners will be those who develop deep, enduring, mutually valuable relationships with people who matter. These precious few are known as KOLs  – Key Opinion Leaders. They are the people who either make the decisions, or influence others to make the decisions. They need to be nurtured over time. They are discerning, appreciative, loyal, strategic and connected. They require intense one-to-one conversation. Their love is entirely conditional: you have to keep bringing them the kind of value that makes them valuable to their friends.  If you even have a handful of these people in your immediate network, you will thrive. And just one more can make a monumental difference. I know. I depend on these people for a living. You know who you are. Thank you.

Here`s Lipkin`s Fourth Omen: In the face of bewildering complexity, people crave meaningful simplicity. The world`s current economic woes can be sourced to one core phenomenon: Too many people trusted too many people to invest too much money in too many things they didn’t even want to understand. It was much worse than the blind leading the blind. It was those who thought they could see, leading those who thought others could see for them. Sprinkle some greed and arrogance into the mix and you have a lethal cocktail – delicious at first, damn-near fatal later. There`s a massive swing back to the fundamentals. There`s a migration to the “brilliant basics“ where the dots can be seen, explained and connected. But even that`s not enough. The dots need to motivate people to want to connect them. With so much noise and clutter clouding their future, people are searching for meaning – the kind of meaning that makes sense of things which don’t make sense. That requires stories that resonate on a heart and soul level. That`s why I`m writing these words. This is how I`m navigating my way through the future. These are the things I`m finding out every day. It`s about stripping away the inessentials to uncover the essence of the things that matter. We`re all explorers in this weird new world. And we need people who can tell us the stories that will compel us to keep going against all odds. Become one of them.

Here`s Lipkin`s Fifth Omen: We’re heading even deeper into the Age of Transparency – get used to being naked in front of others. Big Brother is watching. So is little sister. So is your neighbour. So is the person you don’t even know knows you. The video camera is tracking you. The webcam is watching you. Your personal data is being accessed by people you don’t want to access it. You`re being evaluated by everyone all the time and their opinion is being broadcast to the world. Privacy is almost obsolete – and even if it`s not, it pays to act like it is. Integrity is not just keeping your word or being honest. It`s living the kind of life that expresses the authentic you from every angle. Elaborately constructed public  images are collapsing as private personas are being uncovered. Consistency in the face of human fallibility is the holy grail. People will forgive you for the breakdown – especially in the US and Canada. We`re the continent of new beginnings. What people won`t forgive you for is lying, deceit or cover-up especially where their trust or interests are involved. Anyone who wants to sell to others, lead others, influence others, be connected to others is a public figure. So go public. Be an open book. Hide in plain sight. And remember one crucial truth: you are not the centre of other people`s universe. If you knew how little time they spend thinking about you, you wouldn`t worry what they think about you.

Here’s Lipkin’s Sixth Omen: Government is getting bigger so play by its rules. It turns out that Adam Smith was wrong. As people pursue their own self-interests, they don’t automatically lift others up. Unbridled, unregulated personal ambitions can destroy the planet. Some adults are just larger, more dangerous kids. That’s why we need other adults to monitor them – closely. The public and the private sector will get closer in the months ahead. The rules will proliferate. Compliance will become an even greater challenge. But Government will also change as it draws more people to it from the private sector. It will be become more consultative. It will become more responsive. But government will always be government. Its mission is to create the rules. And your mission is to know them and play by them. So get closer to government at the municipal, provincial and federal level. It’s already almost 40 percent of the economy and it will become even more. Connect. Comply. Communicate. Contribute.

Here’s Lipkin’s Seventh Omen: Crushing problems are crushing your competition – if you want to win, then WOW. I see the 80:20 principle everywhere. 80 percent of people are being diminished by the crises. They’re being tortured by their own anxiety. They’re focusing on what has gone wrong, what is going wrong, what could go wrong. They’re trapped in the negative feedback loop. Listen to the typical water-cooler conversation and you will hear the language of worry, sorry and woe. Misery loves company and many people are flocking to join. The irony is that there has never been a better time to shine. While most people are hunkering down, looking down, and feeling down, the vital few are stepping up their game. These are the 20 percent who understand that it doesn’t take extra time, energy or money to be excited. They understand that success is an inside job. They’re stepping into the gaps being created by their depressed, underactive competitors. They’re experimenting with a repertoire of new tools to WOW their customers. They’re not pursuing “customer satisfaction”. For them, that’s a given. They’re Living Above The Line. Their standard is a higher standard. It’s becoming the benchmark by which all others are judged. In ways big and small, they’re taking more and more “mindshare” from their paralyzed competitors. So choose: be excited by the future and transfer that excitement to others. Or be scared of the future and transfer that fear to others. See which approach works better for you.

Listen to this blog on my new audio podcast and watch it on YouTube – see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7YKQ0UVVIs

Together, let’s make 2009 a blockbuster year, whatever the circumstances…