2018 EO Xcentric Recap by Christian Arnold
Happy October EOKC,
Our KC members flocked to XCentric 2018 in St Louis via planes, trains and automobiles and as usual, it was an event to remember! I volunteered to share my personal experience in the hopes that it would encourage others to take advantage of this amazing resource in the future.
I’ve personally set a goal to attend 1 or 2 EO events outside of KC each year and over the years, some great friendships with entrepreneurs across the country have developed. I’ve found such tremendous value in using these trips to carve out time to work ‘on’ the business and each time I find some new takeaways ranging from marketing to cultural development, financing growth, marketing, and branding. Typically it results in too many ideas and not enough execution but I’m working on that.
Consistent with our monthly forum updates, the ideas that I capture cover business, family and personal in equal doses. I’ve learned not to implement all the ideas at once but to strategically spread them out across the year so that when I attend the next event I’ll be ready for new ideas on strategies of how to make our business stronger.
Here are a few highlights from this year:
All the KC members gathered for a private dinner at Element on Monday night which I found to be a fantastic opportunity to get to know those outside my forum. In true forum confidentiality we shared stories (and subsequent laughter when appropriate) on some unexpected ‘situations’ that we’ve found ourselves in over the years.
Here are a few soundbites from the speakers that resonated with me personally:
Lance Armstrong shared his story of recovery when most of the world still hates him. He shared a story of an f-bomb attack from some random strangers on the street and how he handled it...which then broke out in a spontaneous f-bomb attack from many people at the event. I found it interesting that amidst all the professional athlete doping (an entire team in Russia’s case) that one man has become so epitomized (and hated). In Armstrong’s words, “If I wouldn’t have been such an aggressive asshole before, during and after the allegations, it probably wouldn’t have been as devastating.” Lesson learned.
Darren Hardy shared his point of view on target acquisition, applying the least amount of effort for the most results; how to focus and eliminate distractions. When he timed himself doing the 3 vital things he needed to do to succeed it only amounted to 19 min/day. What are the 3 vital things we need to do? When most people strive to be bigger and faster, should we be striving for less and simplification? (my thoughts, not his)
Jocko Willinik shared his podcast Warrior Kid and the importance of decentralized command. When too much control is placed in too few of people’s hands, you end up with soldiers trying to secure and impossible target or goal instead of using common sense to pivot to what’s best for the health and safety of the group.
John O’Leary shared his tragic and heroic story and reminded us all to SLOW DOWN. After a severe burn trauma as a child, learned how to write again by sending thank you cards for each autographed baseball he received. Confined to a hospital bed with 100% burns, showing gratitude. Humbling story. When we tell someone we love them, be specific. What do we love about them?
Andre Norman shared his story of perseverance and opened with “I’m going to just tell my story and you’re all smart enough to draw connecting lines.” It was such a powerful story that I can’t possibly do it justice. Find him at another event and just go.
Jesse Itzler shared his wild ride from a rapper, co-founder of Marquis Jet, (acquired by Berkshire) Zico Coconut Water, (acquired by Coca-Cola) founder of the 100 Mile Group and co-owner of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. He decided that booking a G4 for Matt Damon, Ben Afleck to attend Sundance would place enough financial pressure on himself to get them signed up as customers of Marquis Jet. It worked. His latest life experiment included inviting a former Navy Seal David Goggins to come live with him and his family for a month and doing whatever he was asked to do and writing a book about it.
The list goes on an on and I’m still working on prioritizing ideas that they inspired, how and when to best execute them. Looking forward to the next one!
Christian Arnold,
President
About Clockwork
Clockwork Architecture + Branding Agency is a multi-disciplinary team of experienced architects, designers, advertising professionals, and brand strategists. Our integrated approach yields creative solutions and refreshing results that do more than just support our clients’ business goals — they become an extension of them. Our projects span across North America including strategic historic renovations to complex mixed-use commercial projects for AMC, Garmin, Google and Tesla. With a mission to integrate the emotional connection between brands and the physical spaces in which they are manifested, we give our clients the edge over the competition in the war for talent, tenants, residents, and customers. Learn more at clockwork-ad.com.
