The Process. There are nine things of which great men must be mindful: to see when they look; to hear when they listen; to be gentle in appearance; to be respectful in manners; to be faithful in words; to be earnest in service; to inquire when in doubt; to think when in anger; to be just when they have an advantage. ~ Confucius

After reading Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions by Guy Kawasaki, I am excited to put forward the next big idea for my clients. But first, it is critical to discover the opportunity and define the goal. To do this, have a conversation with the world. Well, more clearly, listen and observe. You can gather clues from many sources whether it be the news, the web, or the neighborhood. Check out the landscape most relevant to your business ... and consider the frontier of alternatives.

One of the many sources I have found is ten by ten - a site the reflects the times in 100 words and pictures. Without human input (since the developers launched it), the site scans sources, analyzes text content, and presents the top 100 words and corresponding images. You can look back in time as far as 2004.
Give it a try and let me know your impressions.

As always, more to come.