Alright... check out the US Rodeo Supply Blog for a peek at my first couple bull rides!

I'm headin to Webster City!!!

If I had a "buck" for every time I've heard that question, I wouldn't need to get so angry when I see my cable bill every month.  After all, I only watch 5 channels.  One of course is OLN when they have bull riding on.

Here is my final answer to: "Adam, why are you doing this?"

1. US Rodeo Supply Co - it's no secret... these guys rock and they define what it takes to be tough and tough on many levels.  I want a small taste of what they do everyday.
2. Clint Dickes - he's on the verge of becoming the type of promoter that will command serious attention.  Just wait until you see him fight a bull.
3. Rodeo in Rural Iowa - I believe that a concentrated effort to support rodeo activities in rural Iowa and Iowa in general will spur economic development.
4. Mike Sansone - My good friend went down... I'm going down... but we'll both get back up and be better for it.  (I'm still praying for us both Mike!)
5. The Thrill - I miss competition on the field.  It just isn't the same as business!

Gotta make it 8.

I'm almost "speechless" for once.  I'm not going to lie.  The anticipation as you walk up to the chute and prepare yourself to be strapped onto a steer, bull, cow or whatever you want to call it... is INTENSE.  And that's not even the best part...  I can't even describe the feeling when you shake your head and the gate gets pulled open.  Okay, I know they weren't PBR, PRCA, or NABA caliber tonight, but what a rush nonetheless! (I'll link to some pics & a video of my first, second and third ride on a steer when I can) And don't bother making popcorn... the videos aren't very long.

For now, I'm already sore and looking forward to my shot at Rocky.

I can't wait until Friday night. 

Looooong day, but a fun day today.  Dug out further from my vacation pile, set up some meetings, shot off some e-mails, had several phone conversations and presented to an entrepreneurial class at Grandview College from 8PM to 10PM with Mark True of REL.

Mark and I had a great time and I really liked the challenge of tying the D.I.R.T.Y. Brand concept into the Theory of Systematic Connectivity as a function of business development.  It was our first go-around, but I thought it came out well.  Next time, I'll come with props.

And I almost forgot... I finished one of my bullriding assignments from Coach Nathan Owen.  I watched the Lane Frost Instructional tape in preparation for my steer ride Wednesday night.  Rumor has it, Art from Juice Magazine will get some pics of my first true bucking test.  If I look stupid forgive me.  I just have to remember to stay off my pockets... use my legs and feet to grab the bull... keep my back straight... lean into the base... watch the bulls head and use my free arm to follow the ear in the direction he's spinning... all while not concentrating on any of those.  Could be interesting...

As many people know, our firm has enjoyed working with the guys at US Rodeo Supply.  We've known each other for close to a year, if not longer.  Well... roughly around the time we were coming back from a trip to Denver I said, "I'm getting on a bull. One of these days, I'm getting on a bull."

The original thought was to just have me ride in a practice pen in Truro, IA.  Now, because of a conversation with bull fighter Clint Dickes at a BBQ on Memorial Day, I'm riding this Friday the 29th in Webster City, IA ... in an actual event.

Tonight was the first of a couple practice days before Friday.  The first test... see if you can ride a horse bareback with no hands.  I've got a great coach in Nathan Owen, but he's no longer my friend because tonight he thought it would be important to make the horse run.  Needless to say, I launched off the horse and landed in a pile of dirt mixed with other stuff.  His quote verbatim... "You know what they say, if you get knocked off you have to get right back on."  Ha ha Nate.  And over the years, I've learned to listen to my coaches, so I got back on.  I'm sure that horse won't compare to the rush I'll get for my second test... bucking on a steer this Wednesday night.

I'll keep you posted as the lessons go on.  AND if you're interested... we'd love to have everyone come up with us.  Cheer for rocky if you want!  And definitely cheer for Nate, he'll be competing for money.  The event starts at 7 PM.  We'll set up a place to meet to carpool and make a roadtrip out of it.

And Rush... I hope to see you there!

I gotta be quite honest... I think I hit it out of the ballpark with this post for IowaBiz.com.  It's very timely in many cases, but to me it holds true no matter what industry you're in:

I often get the question: "Who are your competitors?"  My response usually gets odd reactions and/or a muffled comment that I think sounds like "Yea. Right. You're ignorant."  I could be wrong though.  They may be saying "You're right. You're excellent." Most of the time I never know.

My response to the question is always: "Nobody. I don't view anyone as competition."  I'll give some time to mumble something and then I'll give my reasoning...

In todays world, the marketplace is highly competitive and always changing. Because of this, businesses need to be connected to various types of resources.  Businesses that stand alone and are unwilling to collaborate with 'competitors' may miss an opportunity to grow strategically and/or financially.

Here is a real world example: My first job was with Country Insurance and Financial Services. I lived, worked and played in Plymouth, MN and I conveniently joined Country at the beginning of an acquisition.  Very difficult, but a great learning experience.  Early on in my practice I realized that I was not going to write every policy to every person I met.  So... I began looking for agents that directly competed with me.  I soon developed a trusted group of insurance agents that had the exact same products, only different descriptions.

If a potential client would say, "You're $300 more than my current rate!" I would say "Okay. Let me give you some names and numbers of others that I know and trust and see how they compare" instead of saying, "Yea, but I'll be the best darn agent you've ever had!" Let's face it... even I'm not going to pay $3600 more per year because I can call my agent on his cell to tell him "Hey. I just drove my truck in the lake."

This is a collaborative selling process based upon networking with the right people.  It's not a new concept, but because the marketplace & practitioners within different industries changes so quickly; businesses and business owners must be able to utilize each other to add value to potential customers.  You may just find that potential leads you 'lose' will come back to you (with friends) in the long run.

Well... today is a special day for me.  And no, it's not because it's my birthday... as a matter of fact, I'm willing to bet that I didn't even remember it was my birthday today.  Nope, today's special because I'm sitting up at Anderson's Lodge in northern Ontario catching fish and having fun.  Looking forward to seeing everyone when I get back though!

My luck I've been ejected from the boat and have to survive the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on my back and my vague memories of Bear Grills on Discovery Channel.  Wish me luck if that's the case.

Okay... Here's part 2 of the Personality of Networking... Just think Art, right now I've probably already hooked into some big walleyes, pikes and musky!

Part 2:

So... How do you blog when you have no Internet connection and no desire to think about work?... You re-post some thoughts from IowaBiz.com...

With that said, here is my first post for IowaBiz.com:

It's been my experience as a networker/connector that there are several pieces to the overall puzzle often referred to as connectivity.  One piece of this puzzle revolves around the personality traits of a successful networker.

Two basic characteristics within a personality that make for an effective networker are Attitude & Motivation.  First, we'll focus on a networking attitude.

Attitude
I broadly define attitude in this case as, 'any person that recognizes their strengths and weaknesses and utilizes them to achieve success in their personal practice.' In my opinion, it is important to recognize early-on what you don't know and surround yourself with the expertise you need to grow. 

Over the past three years, I have seen the following attitudes in effective networkers:

• Fearless - It takes courage to walk into a group of people and introduce yourself to others.  In many cases, someone that is unwilling or unable to approach a group may miss an opportunity for collaboration.  Sometimes a group may seem unapproachable, but in reality the group is in a comfort zone that will make them MORE approachable.  In order to find this out, you have to step outside of your personal comfort zone and make that determination.

• Light Heart - Life can and will throw you curve-balls.  Think back to a time you've met with someone and instantly knew they were having a bad day and couldn't care about anything you had to say.  Did you want to force a conversation that you knew they didn't want to have?  An effective networker is often able to hide their negative emotions (if only for an hour) in order to produce results from a conversation.  An effective networker can also utilize their positive attitude to brighten the other's day.

• Opportunist - It is of high importance to see opportunity when it is not readily apparent.  In a situation that has signs of little promise, an effective networker should be armed with open-ended questions that can lead to a potential opportunity (if not for them, then for someone else).  These questions can be as simple as: “Where are you from?”, “What is your passion?”, or “Does your neighbor have rabbits?”  Some of the best meetings come from those that show no signs of opportunity.  Many times questions can disarm a tense conversation and produce great results.

By recognizing different characteristics of your attitude, your odds for success will be increased as you move into the networking process.

It's Wednesday, June 13th and I'm sitting in my office with sandals, jeans and a t-shirt on.  I'm pretty excited and nervous all at the same time.  I'm wondering what it's going to be like without a phone for 11 days... If you don't know, I am taking a trip to the ABI Convention in Okoboji and then heading to Canada for my first extended vacation in 3 years.

Sure, I've taken a day off here and a day off there... but those technically don't count as a vacation.  Oh and I always had my phone on me.  Therein lies my challenge... How do I survive without a phone for that extended period of time?

I think I can answer my own question and overcome the challenge... I am going to take a breath, soak in the sun and set the hook on several walleye and northern! (Normally, I would relate this into a business scenario that said something like 'it's okay to take a step back from your business and then take a fresh approach going forward' but I'm not going to today!)

I'm excited to leave, but I'm looking forward to seeing everyone when I get back!

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070608/OPINION01/706080341/1035/OPINION

I stumbled across this article on Friday and just had to give my thoughts via my blog.  I would have posted on the comments section of the Register, but as many of my readers know, I don't think anonymous comments add value to a conversation.  Before you read my comments, make sure to read this article carefully... because I agree with almost everything Paul Soucy has to say.

My first thought after reading this, was my last post... in which I talk about my passion for helping Iowans leave that don't want to stay here.  I don't get mad, I don't fret, I look for pathways to help them succeed.

My second thought was a post I wrote on the Generation Iowa Commission... in which I talk about the fact that I'm excited for what seems to be progress being made.  You'll note too... that I'm not relying on the Commission to solve any problems.  That's not a knock or a complaint.  It's just a marketplace observation.

My third thought was this... I think that every person living in Iowa should view themselves as an employee of the State.  Figure out how you can improve Iowa and then improvement will come to you.  Much like my strategy of creating success for others... create success for your State.  And if you move to FL, NY and MN like I did... then figure out how to create success for that State too.

My fourth thought was this... The Indianola school system allowed me to learn enough to get into college.  Granted it was in MN and I didn't get an academic scholarship... where would I be today if someone forced me to stay in Iowa?

My fifth thought was this... I golfed in beautiful weather this weekend, I met up with good friends and somebody held the door open for me with a smile on their face.  I live in a great State and I'm happy to be back in Iowa.

I recently had a meeting with a college grad looking for a job.  This person was educated in Iowa and will be moving out of state.  Now, if you know me, you'll know that I don't tell people to stay in Iowa.  I do tell them of opportunities Iowa has, but I encourage them to leave.  Go. Explore.  And while we're at it, let me give you some connections in the area you're moving too.  Please remember though, that we'll be here when you decide to come back!

A week before this last meeting, I met a college grad looking for a job in Des Moines.  This person was educated OUTSIDE of Iowa and has since decided that Des Moines is the place for them.  In this case, I found out what they're interested in and did my best to establish connections for them in the area.  I don't know if the connections will pan out, but after speaking with this person, they'd be crazy not too.

So let's put this into an Adam Steen equation:  1 for the Brain Drain... 1 for the Brain Gain... Hmm.... Seems to me that equals a Brain Wash.  Here's the kicker and the value.  When the 1 Brain Drain comes back... They'll have amazing connections, resources and knowledge in their hip pocket and they'll be able to utilize them in Iowa.

For a couple years now, I've been trying to explain to others why I decided to start blogging.  Recently, Mike Sansone suggested that I join in Liz Strauss's conversation on describing a metaphor on why I blog.  After a quick Google Search to remember what a metaphor is... Here's mine...

Bare with me and understand that I consider myself, most of the time, a business nerd.  I'm a business nerd because I think blogging is like 'dreaming about networking and collaboration.'

If you think about it, you can write a blog post... take a nap... and allow your posting to do your networking for you.  That's a powerful tool because a powerful tool is one that can be effective without anyone operating it.  Or maybe that's my metaphor... blogging is like a narcoleptic operating heavy machinery...

My high school English teacher would be proud.

The members of IowaBiz just recently got the current page results of our blogging for PSIS.  I still don't know that I really understand them, but apparently they're very good for a young blogsite.  Once again, I'm humbled, honored, privileged and flat out excited.  Plus, one of my posts made the list of the most read.  With a group of experts like that, it's very flattering.  Here the post... but make sure you check out the other bloggers.  There is some good stuff for business owners in there.