If you can stand a flashback to high school music theory class for a while, I want you to try something next time you walk by a piano. Strike the white key immediately to the left of any pair of black keys using your right thumb (see the key labeled C on the left).

Then use your middle finger to strike the white key immediately to  the right of the pair of black keys (see key labeled E above).  Now use your right ring finger to strike the white key on the inside left of the three black keys (see key labeled G above).  Each one of the keys are individual “Notes”.

Now strike all three of them at the same time.  Congratulations, you just played a“C – Chord” on the piano.  To appreciate what you just did, randomly strike any other three keys at the same time.

Hear the difference? Unless you accidentally made another chord or are tone deaf, it should have made you cringe a little bit because it sounded so bad. That’s the beauty of a “chord”. It only sounds good once it’s complemented by two “notes” that work well with it. This principle doesn’t only apply to music.
Each of us individually has gifts and strengths that resemble those of a unique ”Note” but no matter how good you are, you can only achieve so much on your own. Building partnerships with people who have different skills, passions, and work styles to create a “Chord” is critical to achieving success in business and life.  Just as great songs are made of a combination of the right ”Chords”, great organizations are made up of authentic and meaningful collaboration.

So don’t miss the chance to be a part of something great by working selfishly, and attributing all outcomes to your “note” or “gift”. Instead, build strong harmony with people who complement what you bring to the table.  Reach out to the right combination of “notes” and what you will create will be music to everyone’s ears.

-Andy

PS-If someone ever asks you if you play piano, you can now say ”a little”.

It’s a Saturday morning and you’ve made your list of things to do for the day and as you are walking thru the living room on your way to get your keys and head out, you notice that the movie “Shawshank Redemption” is on TV.  It’s your favorite part of the movie so you sit down to watch just that one scene.  Next thing you know, you’ve watched the entire ending and since you jumped in late and it’s playing all day as part of a TBS movie marathon, you begin to watch the first part of the next showing. Now you’ve spent 3 hours (that’s how long it takes to show a 2 hour movie on TBS) watching TV and your list of things to do has not changed.

You know what we call that?  “Getting Shawshanked”.

There are a ton of movies that will do it to you and it happens every day in other parts of our lives too.

We crave certainty and pursue it tirelessly even though most of the brightest parts of our lives and our best stories were created when there was zero certainty present.

How I met my wife?  How I ended up finding my best friend?  How I ended up in this career?  How I learned by biggest lesson that defined my outlook on life?

We get “Shawshanked” when…

We go to our favorite restaurant and tell ourselves we are going to try something new but at the last minute we cave and order the same thing we always get.

We go to a party and promise ourselves we are going to meet some new people but we end up hanging with the same small group having the same conversation we always have.

We we wake up knowing the three biggest things we can do to make an impact today yet we stare at our inbox all day letting that dictate our priorities.

We end each concert with the same song because we know it works instead of having the courage to try something new.

Our only options are to either retell old stories or make new ones.  And to make new ones that are worth re-telling, we have to try different things.  I mean after all, as comforting as it is to relive old stories, it’s kind of depressing to think that we might not be a part of any more great ones.

Let’s make some more glory days.  That’s what keeps us alive.

Last night, a friend of mine asked me to help her put herself into a new environment that was way outside her comfort zone and it meant traveling somewhere to do it.  I’m excited to help with this because I know once she gets on the plane, she will have no choice but to accept the fact that the only certainty in her life is that there is no certainty.  There will not be anything to fall back on, unless of course “Shawshank Redemption” comes on the TV in her hotel room.

Congratulations! You closed the big deal but left your team a little frustrated.

We call that the “IMPACT” and the “WAKE” and we all know people like this. They perform at a high level but it can be hard to be on their team.  I have been guilty of this many times and it is never worth it in the end. So I am working hard to reduce my “WAKE” without losing “IMPACT”.

Here are some examples I have either witnessed or been responsible for…

#) Secure an artist for a cruise by going direct to the manager instead of allowing our team to take the proper path.

#) Come up with a great idea right before the event that requires lots of last minute changes instead of taking time in advance to brainstorm.

#) Have a breakthrough conversation with a partner about a new strategy and forget to inform the team of the new direction while they are working hard to execute the old strategy.

#) Lead a group into battle successfully and forget to share the credit with the team.

#) Write a hit song with your band mates and take all the credit when doing an interview on the radio.

#) Invite someone to sit in with your band without telling your crew who ends up scrambling and looking like rookies trying to set up for the guest artist.

Why worry about your “WAKE”? Because your team will eventually burn out over time, despite your “IMPACT“.

So get out there and make the great dive…just leave as small a splash as you can.

Andy

Did you ever think you’d learn a life lesson from a roadie?

Today is your lucky day.

Roadies set the stage in music and we set the stage in our lives with our families, our friends and our work.

Bands have a certain stage set up that allows them to do their best work and connect with the other band members. The bands crew spends hours setting up before each performance and with everything laid out precisely. The amplifiers are pointed in a certain direction, the bass player is positioned so he can see the drummer through a gap between the cymbals, and the lead guitarist is positioned to stay in balance with the rhythm guitar and singer. If the distance between them is too far, they will struggle to stay in sync. Too close together, and they will invade each other’s personal stage space and run the risk of looking like a little band on a big stage.

Next time you go to a show, look at the way the stage is set up and the relationship between each band member.

In our daily lives, we set our own stages:

• When we clearly communicate expectations to the people we work with, WE set the stage for empowerment and growth instead of chaos.
• When we turn off the laptop at night and focus on the ones close to us, WE set the stage for strong connections to occur instead of tension to build.
• When we take responsibility for our mistakes, WE set the stage for people to feel better about not being perfect instead of expending tons of energy putting on a face of perfection.
• When we identify & search out our most productive environments, WE set the stage to make an impact instead of fighting through interruptions.
• When we reach out to a friend to see how they are doing, WE set the stage for them to open up and share instead of dealing with their challenges alone.

Good luck setting great stages today.

-Andy

photo source

My Facebook thread contains about 80% football references, and today when I took the dog outside, I wasn’t hit by a wall of humid sunlight. You know what that means, right? Fall is coming!!

Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year, especially fall in the South. I am happiest when I need just a light jacket, the wind is blowing, and I can almost smell the leaves changing colors. A quick trip to the mountains reveals a tapestry of orange, red, yellow, and light green in the trees. People come out of their air-conditioned summer cocoons and start grilling out again, hosting tailgate parties and spending long nights on their porches and decks.

Fall also means that the Sixthman cruising season is back in full swing. You may have heard, but we just hosted our 25th full-ship charter. Sailing Southern Ground was a huge success; we had first-time cruisers, first-time Sixthman cruisers, as well as a bunch of alumni who helped the newbies find the best late night spots. We won over some new fans who say they’ll never go on a regular cruise again.

I cannot wait to see what surprises the rest of this season holds: our first non-music cruise (Jillian Michaels Ultimate Wellness Cruise) is next month, and we get to work with Graceland again on 2010′s The Elvis Cruise in November. I hope to meet some of you blog readers in person soon!

In between these adventures, I’ll be getting my slanket back out of the hall closet, making some cider, planning my Halloween costume, and wondering whether to try another corn maze before Thanksgiving.

Do you love fall as much as I do? What is YOUR favorite season?

We want to be connected.

In order to have a connection, we need a medium through which the connection flows. It’s no different than electricity needing metal in order to conduct.

Music is a medium. I am a freak about having music playing in the background at home, especially during hectic times of day. I used to believe that music just distracted the part of our brain that instigated tension but I am convinced that the music is just acting as the medium for us to share space & connect.

It’s a sensory stimulus that reminds us we are in the same space together and conducts a connection between us.  Tonight when you get home, put on some music instead of mindless television or silence and see if you notice this effect.

-Andy

photo

My first business venture was called “Bagels on Wheels” when I was 16.

I thought I could get people to sign up to get bagels and donuts delivered to their house on Saturday morning. I couldn’t get one customer to sign up. The idea was so bad that I didn’t have to waste months trying to make it work.

My second business venture was my college band “Waterdog.” We worked hard but were just average. The challenge was that we would experience occasional victories that made us believe we might be on the right path to success. It wasn’t until 4 years had passed that we realized we were still in the same place that we were when we started.

Sure, we had a great time; I guess if you are ever going to be average, then let it be while you are in a college rock band.

However, being average in your business or your relationships wastes everyone’s time. Who hasn’t stayed at a job or a relationship because it wasn’t horrible but average?

The fog of Average is confusing and makes it more difficult to see that you are either missing an opportunity to improve them or move on to something else.

Seth Godin calls this “the dip” in one of his books about knowing when to quit vs. when to stick it out.

So please, beware of Average and thank Horrible for not wasting more of your time.

My first kiss was with a girl who is ended up being a Nun.

How is that for “Horrible”?

-Andy

photo source

(This is a post by new Sixthman staffer Jen Wedick’s dog, Shags!)

Hi! Shags here!

Yep – I’m the new dog in the office. That’s because my mom (Jen) just got a job here at Sixthman. For those of you on the past few Sixthman cruises, she was there, too! She was one of the people wearing a gray shirt and was running around working like a crazy person. Not that I saw her do that, but she told me about it. Anyway, I’m glad she did that, because now she works at Sixthman all the time and I get to work there, too!

My new life here at the office is pretty sweet. I mean, there’s lots of other dogs to hang out with, and they all bring their toys and we play. Then there’s this one rug that everyone pees on (humans excluded, of course), and on my first day, that’s where I hung out so I could meet all of my new k-9 co-workers.

For now, I spend most of my time in the Call Center with Minnie – we keep those ninjas in line and make sure they tell all of you the most up-to-date information about the cruises. That’s where my mom works right now.  Speaking of her…I guess I should tell you more about her. The reason they actually let me write this blog was so I could introduce her to all of you.

Her name is Jen, and she’s pretty awesome. She gives me treats, takes me on walks, scratches my belly…but I’m guessing you don’t care about that stuff if you’re a human. As I told you earlier, she worked on a few cruises and got to know the Sixthman team, so when they needed a little extra help in the office, they called her up!  If you didn’t see her working (on Simple Man, Cayamo, Best Cruise Ever, Kid Rock and Malt Shop), you might recognize her from the Rock Boat. She’s been going on that since 2004. Don’t worry- she leaves me with some REALLY cool friends when she goes on these crazy trips. And then when she comes back she has that weird boat smell – my favorite!

We just moved to Atlanta from Orlando, where we both worked at SeaWorld. It was so much fun. I starred in the pet show (yep, fur-real), and she worked in the marketing office and did a bunch of creative advertising stuff. When we’re not at the Sixthman office, my mom usually spends her time painting and doing artsy things. She likes to go hiking (and sometimes she takes me!), and she’s always going to really fun concerts.

Anyway, I think I hear Danger and Pistol playing with a ball in the hallway – gotta go!

Oh, and I hope you all have AMAZING vacations on your Sixthman cruises! (Honestly, I just don’t get cruises. I mean, there’s not even grass there…)

Today is Steve Kamb’s last day at Sixthman and while we are thrilled for him to embark on launching his own business, we are very sad to see him go.  He reluctantly agreed to allow me to celebrate him today on the forum that he brought to life over two years ago.

Andy:  How many articles have we published on the Sixthman Blog since you started it?

Steve: Phew, since we started the Sixthman blog during my first cruise season in 2008, we’ve published 697 articles on here, with over 2,200 comments.  Jeez, that’s a lot of memories.

Andy:  Is there one article of yours that stands out to you?

Steve: Hmmm, I’d have to say the article that I enjoyed writing the most was probably my first attempt at a “running diary” back in 2008, Day 1 of the 2nd Annual Ships and Dip III.  It’s always fun to go back and try to remember what you did on any given day while on a Sixthman cruise, because you pack so much STUFF into each day that it’s almost impossible to get it all.  I had so much fun writing articles in this style that I ended up writing a few per cruise after that.

Andy:  Tell us about your new venture, NerdFitness.com?

Steve: About sixteen months ago, thanks to my time spent working on the Sixthman Blog, I realized how much I enjoyed writing and decided to start my own blog in my spare time.  I had always been kind of a fitness nut, and I figured there were probably thousands of other people out there like me who maybe wouldn’t check out a normal fitness website or get a gym membership but want to lose weight, build muscle, and live healthier.  There’s too much bad and incorrect information out there when it comes to the fitness industry; I started Nerd Fitness to present my studies, research, and experiences in a unique and (hopefully) comical manner.

Since launching the site last January, it’s grown from a simple blog into a pretty substantial group of people helping each other turn their lives around.  Ultimately, the site had grown so big that I had to make the tough decision recently to focus all of my attention on it; I’ve realized that’s where my heart is and that’s where I can make my the biggest impact on people’s lives. This is hokey to say, but I honestly want to change the world and I think I’ve found my avenue to do so.  It’s terrifying to go out on my own, but deep down inside I know it’s the right move for me and I can’t wait to get started.

Andy:  What will you miss the most about Sixthman?

Steve: This is almost impossible to answer, as there are so many things about this job and Sixthman that I will truly miss. If I had to pick just one thing though, it would be the day-to-day interaction with all of my friends (who happen to also be my co-workers).

Thanks to the unique office life, ship life, and culture that you’ve created here, incredibly powerful friendships and relationships are established really quickly around here.  I consider the people at Sixthman to be some of my closest friends and I fully intend to stay close with them for the rest of my life.  In fact, as long as you’ll have me, I plan on running my company at least a few times a month from a laptop while sitting on a couch at Sixthman HQ, just so I can be around everybody.

Andy:  Share one office memory and one cruise memory that stands out as unforgettable?

Steve: One of each is impossible, so I’ll do two in detail followed by a few more quick ones.

Office memory: Sixthman Christmas party, 2007. I had been with the company for only two weeks up to this point, but Sixthman managed to give me two Christmas gifts that showed just how much they wanted me to feel like part of the family.  Because I had joked one day in the office that my car had no heat, I was given the best gifts ever: 3 pairs of really great thick wool socks along with a double-disc edition of my favorite movie, The Shawshank Redemption.  I spent the rest of the night, teary-eyed, listening to my coworker Jill Mac and her band Arlington Priest performing at Eddie’s Attic.  I was just in shock that such a thoughtful and caring company existed.

Cruise memory: My first cruise ever, Simple Man Cruise 2008, first night on board. After a successful and long boarding day, Sixthman let loose thanks to having a port day the next day.  After a couple of beers (hmm…it might have been more than a couple), I threw my arm around your shoulder and seriously asked, “how much do I owe you for this experience?”  Thanks for never charging me.

A few more memories:

• My job interview: Getting interviewed by April, Lauren, and Melissa at Midtown Bowl – they wanted to make sure I could fit in with the team and have some fun.  I happened to bowl the best game of my life while being “interviewed.”  Last night we returned to the same bowling alley for my send-off party. Damn I love these guys.
• My drive cross country to come work for Sixthman: Driving my heatless car 2200 miles in three days, smiling the entire time, screaming any song on the radio at the top of my lungs.  That’s how excited I was to come work here.
  
• Sixthman Christmas Party 2008: Epic on all accounts, it resulted in the funniest email I’ve ever received at 7AM on the Saturday morning the next day.
  
• Cayamo 2009: Watching my parents  have the time of their life on this cruise, enjoying incredible performances from their favorite musicians and finally getting to see what I do for a living. Not surprisingly, they’ll be returning for their 3rd Cayamo this Spring.
  
• Gaelic Storm’s deck show on TRBX: I wrote about this more completely here, but that was one of the greatest shows I’ve ever been a part of.

Andy:  Are there any philosophies you think you will “Borrow” from Sixthman?

Steve: I plan on borrowing so many things from Sixthman that I should probably be charged for them.  Luckily, these are all intangibles rather than physical items, which technically make them priceless.  Here are a few.

Above and beyond all else, I want to be accessible to my readers.  I’ve learned that the more “personal” you can make yourself whether it’s through a blog, video, podcast, email, or message board post, the more people are going to consider giving you their trust and attention, something that is incredibly difficult to earn when it’s not a face-to-face interaction.

Secondly, although it’s always been something that’s been important to me, Sixthman has solidified my belief in the importance of integrity, morality, and business ethics.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard a guest approach you with a difficult issue or put you in a difficult situation.  Rather than discuss how much it’s going to cost to fix, your response has always been, “what do we need to do to make this right?” THAT is how you run a company, and when I start to bring in revenue through my site I plan on running my company with the same level of integrity.

Andy:  What contributions are you most proud of during your time at Sixthman?

Steve: Finally, an easy question!

This blog – Before coming to work for Sixthman, I never once considered a career in writing, the music industry, or fitness – hell, my degree was in economics!  However, in the two+ years I’ve spent with the blog I’ve really discovered a passion for writing that I never knew I had.  Although I’m no longer in charge of the Blog, I can’t wait to see what direction it’s headed.

Sixthman.TV – Despite having zero education or experience in script-writing, cinematography, directing, or editing, you reached out to me last summer to start creating short films each week highlighting our office and the different personalities that inhabit it.  Thanks to the colorful and hilarious people that work at Sixthman, it turned out to be the highlight of my workweek.  We’ve made so many videos that we now have an entire TV channel on board dedicated to our videos.

Hopefully I can come back at some point to guest-write/direct a future Sixthman TV episode – the idea well has not run dry yet!

Andy:  What advice would you give someone starting at Sixthman today?

Steve: Learn as much as you can from those around you, and enjoy every freaking minute of it.  Companies like this are one in a million, and I will never forget the time I’ve spent here.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn so many things from so many great people and form such lasting relationships.  I have no reservations saying that coming to work for Sixthman was one of the greatest things to ever happen to me.  I’m going to miss you guys, but don’t worry, I won’t be a stranger…you can’t get rid of me that easily.

Andy: Good luck Steve.  Thanks for bringing Sixthman out of the cave with a Blog, Sixthman TV, Podcasts, Great Writing and a Million Ideas.

-Your family

So, it happened. Just like it does every year. My birthday came and went – just like that.  I did choose a new word, to which I’ll keep to myself over the next year, but did want to keep my promise of sharing the past words, and how they have helped me grow.

I am going to, however, focus on this past year – as it was one of the best words I have chosen yet. A word that I centered one year of my life around, but will pursue getting better at achieving.

SIMPLIFICATION

Seems like the meaning of the word, should be just that – simple.

However, in my 29th year of life, I learned that mastering the art of simplicity in life is exactly the opposite of simple. It is hard, and it is challenging, and it is work.

On my 28th birthday last year, when I chose this word to live by, i chose it because I felt that certain parts of my life were too busy – too cluttered – and too overwhelming.  I felt it just wasn’t how it should be. I lived in a great house, was surrounded by incredible people, had (and still do have) a stable, fulfilling job, and ultimately from the outside had a really good thing going.

But, there were things that just got in the way of  making it what it could be.  Stuff, of all different kinds.  It didn’t seem right.  So, I set out a year ago to try for one year to figure out ways to simplify my life.  Did I win the golden prize? No. not even close. But I did learn a lot about myself, and how I want to become who I want to be.

I know there are some of you out there who have made goals surrounding simplification, read books about it, , and figured out various ways of success, and I hope you will share.

I want to hear from you.

What inspired you to simplify, how did you go about doing it, and what did it mean for your way of life?

-Ape

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