Okay. Full confession.

I’m a Star Trek geek.

And if you really want to start a small war with a ST fan group, declare one captain is better than another.

Although I grew up with the original series, I fell in love with Captain Picard when Star Trek: The Next Generation emerged.

Picard was cerebral.

Considerate.

Clever.

When we were first married, the Cowboy and I had a lively debate about who was the better captain – Picard or Kirk?

I chose Picard.

The Cowboy chose Kirk (natch).

But a few years later, I re-evaluated my choice and decided Kirk really was better.

What changed my mind?

My ongoing study of leadership and especially its effect on the marketing of a company.

Ever notice a lot of businesses look at their competitors and then mimic them?

When The Westin Hotels & Resorts introduced their “Heavenly Bed” in 1999, it released…

…bedlam into the hotel industry (I couldn’t resist).

Soon The Sheraton Hotels & Resorts came up with their own “Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed.”

And The Hyatt trailed along with “The Grand Bed.”

I don’t think too many people are ordering those other beds, but they are ordering Westin’s “Heavenly Bed” (made by Simmons).

Westin rolled it into a profit center and has sold $135 million worth of Heavenly Bed-related goods, including 100,000 mattresses and 175,000 pillows.

Westin did what any successful business does. It took a risk and it paid off.

And like Westin, Kirk didn’t look to anyone else.

He looked to his own instincts and played only by his rules.

When a stand-off with an alien vessel appeared to be a game of chess with no more moves left, Kirk resorted to poker and bluffed his way to safety.

There are a lot of fun stories about how Kirk took risks, gambled often on his own life and his crew’s, yet couldn’t seem to lose.

But he did take risks.

He didn’t call a committee meeting and discuss a problem for days (or weeks).

He just blew on the dice and rolled.

The good news is when it comes to marketing, it’s all about taking a risk but you can often re-adjust.

Is this the year to tweak your approach?

1Q/16 is over. You’re smack dab into the second quarter of this year. Let’s chart a course for the rest of 2016 to help you reach a new horizon.

Make your appointment with destiny here.

Boldly going places…
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