As we begin a new year, I have been reflecting on some of the lessons that I have learned that  can be useful in making the year ahead better for me and the community that I care so much about.  What my reflection revealed is that I have a point of view about a lot of things.  My friends and colleagues agree with some of them, and of course, they disagree with others.  So, I sorted through my opinions to find the core beliefs that drive the actions that I take to enhance the relationships I have with others.  

Here are seven of the key lessons that represent the foundation of my actions related to the iZania Black Business Network.  It is my hope that sharing these will invite a more active dialog within the community to help all of us as we strive to reach the goals we have set for ourselves.

My Point of view: 7 Key Lessons Learned

1. Viral Marketing is not a natural phenomenon.  Word-of-mouth viral growth means -- the one with the loudest mouth gets the most attention. Your followers won't share on their own. You have to give them the "buzz words" to create a trending viral phenomenon.
2. There is no good substitute for good analytics. Good analytics requires good data. Analytics are no good without action. Don't be misled by feel-good stories. The plural of anecdote is not data.
3. Often, our visions are too grand. We cannot boil the ocean -- no matter how much we envision the bubbling waves. Temper visions with realism. If you cannot measure your progress, and see the end, the vision is too grand.
4. High achievement doesn't have a cruise control. To improve and advance, we must show up every day prepared to work harder than we ever have in our lives. That is what will make tomorrow better than today. 
5. Only measure your performance against the best practices in whatever you are doing -- not the nearest person to you. You may not ever become "the best practice," but you will improve and perform better when you use best practices as the benchmark for your performance.
6. Never accept anything less than the best from yourself. If you are not exhausted -- mentally or physically in need of rest -- then you haven't done your best. If you haven't left some sweat behind, you are not performing up to your potential. 
7. Lifelong learning is not a cliche, but must become a habit. If you don't learn something new today, you will wake up tomorrow and find out you are farther behind those who are leading the way.   

 I look forward to building  on these lessons to provide more value to our community.  Throughout the year, we will launch new initiatives, improve on those which provide value, and discard those  which are no longer working. I also welcome your "point of view"  about our community.

 If you haven't done so, please take a few minutes to respond to our iZania Member Survey 2013.

Click Here to Complete the Survey.

Thank you for your your support. I wish you all the very best of success in the New Year.