By Michael Kanazawa
This last week the team at 800CEORead hosted their second annual Pow Wow. It is a gathering of business book authors and other publishing industry leaders. I didn’t know what to expect when I agreed to go and walking into the lobby of the Catalyst Ranch, which had wild paint on the walls, a small spring loaded rocking horse that they said was adult sized, and retro furniture looking like a Lucy and Ricky Ricardo garage sale only added a few more questions in my mind…like what the heck am I doing here?
Although in reality, the other Pow Wow attendees I had met the night before the event at dinner had already convinced me that the whole trip to Chicago had been worth it. And now days after the event, I’m still just starting to really undertand the astounding generosity of knowledge, genunine and authentic connections and inspiration that was happening between all of us at the Ranch.
No matter how well we can chat up people through our bluetooth headset, connect ourselves together indefinitely through LinkedIn and write on each others’ blogs…there is still no substitute for face-to-face, real-world meetings. There is a great post on relationships on Tom Peters’ blog that talks about the power of relationships, even to the point of saying that more than logical thinking, the relationships between people is what has allowed man to win out over the beasts.
Being new to the world of business book publishing, it would have taken longer than forever to make all of the new friends in the industry that I did through just one amazing gathering.
Then, beyond the personal connections, we were also able to get through an incredible amount of learning from eachother ranging from how to strengthen ideas, to better writing skills, to how publishing works and how to expand your speaking career. And different than a webinar where everyone logs off when the session is through, I had a chance to converse over meals and drinks with industry gurus like Ray Bard (Bard Press), Les Tuerk (BrightSightGroup), and Jack Covert (800CEORead). That type of collaboration doesn’t happen in the virtual world.
So, if you want to meet any of these people through me, don’t drop me a blind LinkedIn introduction request. Ask me how to get invited to the 3rd annual 800CEORead Pow Wow - that’s how to really get to know peope and build your network. The technology tools are just there to keep addresses up to date and lightly stay in touch.
Here are all of the amazing people who were there…
The authors
Erika Andersen
Greg Alexander
Jose Castillo
Phil Gerbyshak
Kevin Eikenberry
Joanne Gordon (not a blogger yet)
Jackie Huba
Joe Heuer (blog coming soon)
Alexander Kjerulf
Steve Little (not a blogger yet)
Ben McConnell
Pamela Miles - (works with Jack Mitchell, no blog or website yet)
Robert Mintz (not a blogger yet)
Jack Mitchell (not a blogger yet)
Susan Quandt (blog coming soon)
David Meerman Scott
Michael Stallard (not a blogger yet)
Dan Roam
John Rosen
Rajesh Setty
AnnaMaria Turano
Bill Welter (blog coming soon)
Steve Yastrow (contributes to Tom Peters‘ blog, with a personal blog coming soon)
Mike Kanazawa
The Publishing Gurus
Ray Bard - Bard Press
Mark Bloomfield - Harvard Business School Press
Shelley Dolley - Leap7
Barbara Cave Henricks - Cave Henricks Communications (blogging at http://blog.cavehenricks.com/, yeah, a blogging PR person! Cool!)
Mark Fortier - Fortier Public Relations
Nick Morgan - Public Words (who also blogs at http://publicwords.typepad.com/nickmorgan/)
Gerry Sindell - ThoughtLeaders INTL
Les Tuerk - BrightSight Group
Dennis Welch - Cave Henricks Communications
Susan Williams - Jossey-Bass
The team at 800 CEO Read:
Jack Covert
Melinda Cross - Concepts Content Copy
Sally Haldorson
Jon Mueller
Kate Mytty
Joy Panos Stauber - Stauber Design Studio
Todd Sattersten
Aaron Schleicher
Dylan Schleicher
Rebecca Schlei
7 Comments
ABOUT
Michael Kanazawa shares recent insights and tips about the no-nonsense, results-driven approach to driving business breakthroughs found in his new book Big Ideas to Big Results.
Mike - I echo your thoughts about the start of the experience, the Ranch and those initial thoughts. (Though I wish I could have been there the night be fore like you were!)
I too am just now starting to grasp the value of the information, knowledge and connections made. I look forward to working with you over the coming months and years!
Kevin Eikenberry
Author of Remarkable Leadership
http://remarkableleadershipbook.com
Mike -
I’m with you - social networking is wonderful, but it’s not (and will never be) the same as sitting together in a room. Watching people’s faces as they speak, noticing others’ reactions to them, hearing everyone laugh, sharing a plate of greek food…
Glad to have met you — see you there next year!
Erika
Hi Mike-
I completely agree! I walked into the Pow-wow with some pre-conceived notions about book marketing which were quickly corrected once I heard from the offline and online success of fellow consultants and authors. In-person attendance (and participation) helped me better understand the do’s and don’ts of marketing in today’s increasingly fragmented marketing channels.
It was nice to chat with you and look forward to staying in touch.
Best,
AnnaMaria
Mike-
Great stuff and great to meet you at the pow wow. The power of social connections are so much stronger when you can shake a hand and look in someones eye. Especially if it involves snow ball fights outside the Greek restaurant.
I hope to see you again soon. Have a spicy day.
Jose
It was a pleasure meeting you too Mike. I left learning and sharing more than I thought possible in such a short amount of time. I look forward to reading the book.
Les
Hi Mike:
We’re glad you came. You’re right; there is some dynamic achieved only when people meet face to face that can never be replaced by any other form of communication.
Thanks for coming!
-kate
You’re not kidding Mike! In person is best for solidifying connections, and for getting a quick reaction. You can create a relationship online via social networking, but to take it to the next level, you need to crank it up in person and press the flesh!
Great meeting you, and glad I could be part of the Pow-Wow with you and the other experts.