Oh the saga that is the life of Terrell Owens. For those who don’t follow football, he’s the fellow that seems to find fresh and unique ways to piss off teammates and coaches regardless of which team he’s on. He’s the guy who takes self-centeredness to new heights. While many athletes can be considered prima donnas, he finds himself in a class all to himself (well, he might share a cab with Keyshawn Johnson and Randy Moss).

Here’s the problem: if he was just a loud mouthed, obnoxious jerk who couldn’t catch a pass, that would be one thing. But he’s a talented wide receiver who can make plays for your team. The question is…would you want him on your favorite team?

To perhaps bring it closer to home, would you want someone like him on your workteam? Imagine an individual with a volatile personality, but an incredible talent for selling that could take your company to the next level. You would have a dynamic all-star, but someone who might disrupt the team’s culture. Would the gamble be worth it?

I’ve written before about my aversion to those who admonish us to "think outside the box." Now, I have a brilliant Thatcherite retort:

If you still say ‘Think Outside the Box’ you don’t.

Thanks, Adrian for pointing me to the results of Nick Usbourne’s brilliant contest to protest business jargon BS. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be the one saying to my colleagues:

Shift my paradigm before I have had my morning coffee and I will core your competencies.

Here’s a little fact about me: I don’t like trade shows. From the visitor side, they make me uncomfortable. I’m always afraid to make eye contact with an exhibitor for fear that I’m going to get the full-on sales blitz. And usually it’s for a service or product that I really don’t need. Ever try to get away from these guys or gals (yes, the sales blitz technique is equal opportunity in its usage)? Nothing less than having a heart attack will allow you to elude their grasp.

From the exhibitor side, I’m not a big fan of them, either. There’s a certain quality of salesmanship that I find hard to grasp…there’s also a certain quality of will that doesn’t seem entirely authentic for me. And I guess it all comes down to my preference for depth. Can you develop a deep connection with a potential member, customer, or client in the span of 5-7 minutes (that’s the average amount of time you get to speak to one person at a trade booth)? Probably not, which is why so much leg work is required after the show to seal the deal. The practice of trade show exhibiting assumes that you already KNOW the needs and desires of your custo/member – it’s just a matter of talking to them until they fully know it.

Of course, there are alternatives. It starts by doing this: take all the assumptions you have about your custo/member – what they want, how they want it, what they expect from your products and services – and get rid of them. Write them down and burn them in your wastebasket. Give them the ceremonial flush down the toilet. The important point is to realize you may not know anything real about the folks with which you want to connect.

Now, take all the money that you would spend on your trade booth and put it toward the conference registration (you might even find this is less expensive). Don’t exhibit; instead, be a student. Go to the sessions and honestly listen to what the presenters have to say, attend the workshops and openly participate in the dialogues. In between, strike up real conversations with fellow attendees and figure out what’s going on in their lives and their work. Of course, be prepared with some brochures and swap business cards. But remember, the point isn’t to deluge the other person with info about your product or service (if that’s what you’re really after, be truthful about it and just get yourself a trade booth). The point is to emerse yourself in the rich world of your custo/member. What you give up in terms of having a long list of prospects (many of which may never be interested in you anyway), you gain in having a deep understanding of the individuals who comprise your market and how you can make their lives better. Trust me, they’ll love you for it.

For the next couple of days, I’m up in New England for another conference. The event is being held in upstate Massachusetts, near the New Hampshire border, so I had a good excuse to bypass Boston and Logan Airport.

Yesterday afternoon, I flew into Manchester, NH and rented a car to drive down to Nashua where I’m spending the night. I had my Google-mapped trajectory all laid out, but shortly after leaving the rental car lot I must have made a wrong turn somewhere. This became clear when the two lane road started winding through some truly beautiful country beside the Merrimack River.

There are some folks who would freak out if they discovered they were lost in a strange place. I’ve never felt that way. Honestly, I’ve been known to seek out occasions to get lost and see if I can find my way out (oh, and by the way, I’m a typical guy when it comes to asking for directions – I don’t). This instance was no different. While there were no distinguishable road signs cluing me in on where I was going, I knew I was heading south toward Nashua.

Along the way, I started to ponder what lost really is. Sometimes we talk about what it is to be lost, but is it actually a state of being? Or rather, is it a state of mind?  We may not always know where we are and we may not always know exactly where we’re going. And yet, whether we determine that we’re lost is in our own minds. It just might be that where we are and where we’re going will lead us to where we need to go. It’s opening ourselves up to the universe and a greater power to guide us. And along the way, we might see some really neat scenery or discover a cool little roadside vegetable stand. As J.R.R. Tolkien writes, "Not all those who wander are lost."

Consider chucking the maps and the GPS once in a while. Put away those books written by the various gurus (or at least open yourself to the possibility that, in the words of fellow blogger/thinker Jodee Bock, you already know this stuff). Develop a more intimate relationship with your own intuition and instincts. It just might be that you know exactly where you are and the place you’re heading…if only we’ll ask ourselves for direction.