This document summarizes the keynote speech given by Tim Miles at Directors' Day on May 15, 2014. Miles discusses how societal outlooks swing between civic-mindedness and idealism in 40-year cycles. He notes that a new civic era began in 2003 and that the current generation values transparency, authenticity, and making a positive contribution over pretense or self-promotion. Miles advises embracing this new civic spirit through humility, honesty and focusing on one's purpose or "why" rather than just profits or marketing claims. He suggests the communication tools of today are credibility, belief and authenticity rather than arrogance or slick salesmanship.

1. Directors’ Day
Effingham
May 15, 2014

2. John Milburn
Board President
!
“The rising tide lifts all boats.”
John F Kennedy

3. © 2008 - Wizard of Ads, Ltd.
Tim
Miles
www.TheDailyBlur.com
The Pendulum

4. “ Good morning!

5. (ahem)

6. “Good morning!

7. (please repeat
after me.)

8. “ There has
never...

9. “ been a
better time ...

10. “ to do what
it is I do ...

11. “ ... but ...

12. “... but ...

13. “BUT

14. “There has also
never...

15. “ been a
more important
time ...

16. “ to be GOOD
at what
it is I do ...

17. see how I went all
caps on GOOD
there?

18. actually, you didn’t
have to repeat that
one

19. (thank you)

20. (you’re done)

21. (for now)

22. (dramatic black screen
to pause for emphasis
and transition)

24. PLEASE SIGN YOUR
NAME ON THE PAPER
IN FRONT OF YOU
NOW, SWITCH HANDS
AND DO IT AGAIN.

25. Are you good?

26. Are you ALL
CAPS GOOD ?

27. How do we
define “good”?

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30. Tom Stoppard, Arcadia
"It makes me so happy. To be at
the beginning again, knowing
almost nothing ... a door like this
has cracked open five or six
times ... it’s the best possible
time to be alive ... when
everything you knew is wrong."

31. Robert Bateman
“Before we can change direction,
we have to question many of the
assumptions underlying our
current philosophy.”

32. Steve Yastrow, 1•9•09
Don't think of our current economic crisis
as a recession. Instead, think of it as a
recalibration.
Everything is different now.
If you think of it as a recession, you may
be tempted to "hunker down" and wait
for the economy to cycle back.
If you think of it as a recalibration, you will
be motivated to focus on what you have
to do differently, since everything is
different now.

33. The way your business generates results is
different, now.
Your customers think differently, now.
Your customers care about different
things, now.
Your customers act differently, now.
Customers aren't disposable anymore;
more than ever, you have to create
sustainable customer relationships.
Steve Yastrow, 1•9•09

34. The 7 Steps to Hunkering Down:
1.Stay scared. Call it "street smart."
2.Cultivate cynicism. Call it "straight talk."
3.Praise pessimism. Call it a "reality check."
4.Believe you are wiser than everyone else.
5.Feel secretly superior.
6.Take no action that might improve your
condition.
7.Crow "I told you so" when things get worse.

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36. Still not convinced…

37. The coming year…

39. Douglas Adams

40. Douglas Adams
Anything that is in the world
when you’re born is normal
and ordinary and is just a
natural part of the way the
world works.

41. Douglas Adams
Anything that’s invented
between when you’re fifteen
and thirty-five is new and
exciting and revolutionary
and you can probably get a
career in it.
!

42. Douglas Adams
Anything invented after
you’re thirty-five is against
the natural order of things.
!
!

43. “The reason history must repeat
itself is because we pay so little
attention to it the first time.”
!
- Blackie Sherrod

44. “The system we grew up in is
a mess. It’s falling apart at the
seams and a lot of people I
care about are in pain
because the things we thought
would work don’t.”
- Seth Godin

45. “The thing that has been, is
that which shall be; and that
which is done is that which
shall be done: and there is no
new thing under the sun. Is
there anything whereof it may
be said, ‘See, this is new?‘
!
- Solomon

46. “Let the world know
you as you are, not
as you think you
should be.”
- Fannie Brice

47. “The thing that has been, is
that which shall be; and that
which is done is that which
shall be done: and there is no
new thing under the sun. Is
there anything whereof it may
be said, ‘See, this is new?‘
!
- Solomon

48. “Let the world know
you as you are, not
as you think you
should be.”
- Fannie Brice

50. Civic
Adaptive
Idealist
Reactive

51. Civic
!
Idealist

52. years
0

53. years
0
The Pendulum of the Forces that
Move Our World

54. years
0
Tipping Point
Civic Outlook
Gaining Ascendancy
Civic
begins.

55. Civic
in full swing.
years
10

56. years
20
Civic
peaks.

57. Civic
in decline.
years
30

58. Alpha
Voices
Civic
in decline.
years
30

59. years
Tipping Point
Civic Cycle
Complete
40

60. years
0
Tipping Point
Idealist Outlook
Gaining Ascendancy
Idealist
begins.

61. years
10
Idealist
in full swing.

62. years
20
Idealist
peaks out.

63. Alpha
Voices
years
30
Idealist
in decline.

64. years
40Idealist
complete.

65. years
0
Tipping Point
Civic Outlook
Gaining Ascendancy
Civic
begins.

66. Civic
in full swing.
years
10

67. years
20
Civic
peaks.

68. Civic
in decline.
years
30

69. Alpha
Voices
Civic
in decline.
years
30

70. years
Tipping Point
Civic Cycle
Complete
40

71. years
0
Tipping Point
Idealist Outlook
Gaining Ascendancy
Idealist
begins.

72. years
10
Idealist
in full swing.

73. years
20
Idealist
peaks out.

74. Alpha
Voices
years
30
Idealist
in decline.

75. years
40Idealist
complete.

76. Civic
in full swing.
1923

77. Civic
in full swing.
1933

78. Civic
in full swing.
One Giant Family
1933

79. Civic
peaks.
1943

80. years
20
Civic
peaks.

81. Civic
in decline.
years
30

82. Alpha
Voices
Civic
in decline.
years
30

83. Alpha
Voices
Civic
in decline.
1953

84. Alpha
Voices
Civic
in decline.
1953

85. Civic
in decline.
1955

87. Alpha
Music
Civic
in decline.
1958

88. Alpha
Music
Civic
in decline.
1958

89. years
Tipping Point
Civic Cycle
Complete
40

90. years
0
Tipping Point
Idealist Outlook
Gaining Ascendancy
Idealist
begins.

91. Tipping Point
Idealist Outlook
Gaining Ascendancy
Idealist
begins.
1963

92. Tipping Point
Idealist Outlook
Gaining Ascendancy
Idealist
begins.
1963

93. Idealist
in full swing.
Freedom.
Self-Expression.
“Do your own thing, baby.”
Be yourself.
1967

94. Idealist
in full swing.
Freedom.
Self-Expression.
“Do your own thing, baby.”
Be yourself.
1971

95. Idealist
in full swing.
Freedom.
Self-Expression.
“Do your own thing, baby.”
Be yourself.
1971

96. 1971
Idealism
on the rise.

97. 1978
Idealism
on the rise.
Notice how the music is
becoming increasingly
more plastic?

98. 4/12/818/1/81

99. years
20
Idealist
peaks out.
Plastic.
Phony.
We become a nation of
poseurs.

100. Idealist
peaks out.
Plastic.
Phony.
We become a nation of
poseurs.
1983

101. Idealist
peaks out.
Plastic.
Phony.
We become a nation of
poseurs.
1983

103. Idealist
in decline.“Around World War II
we were proud
as a people but modest
as individuals.
Fewer than 2 people in
10 said yes when
asked, ‘Are you a very
important person?’
Today more than 6 in
10 say yes.”

104. Idealist
in decline.
“ Where we once
thought ourselves
collectively strong, we
now regard ourselves
as individually
entitled.”

105. Alpha
Voices
years
30
Idealist
in decline.
Talk is cheap.
Do something.
Help somebody.
Give me real.

106. Idealist
in decline.
Talk is cheap.
Do something.
Help somebody.
Give me real.
1993

107. Alpha
Voices
years
30
Idealist
in decline.
“I'd rather be hated for
who I am, than loved
for who I am not.”
!
- Kurt Cobain
Talk is cheap.
Do something.
Help somebody.
Give me real.
1993

108. Alpha
Voices
years
30
Idealist
in decline.

109. Idealist
in decline.
October 8, 1992 !
Walt Mossberg writes in an
article about online services
for the Wall Street Journal,
"I see America Online as
the sophisticated wave of
the future..." !
!
AOL launches windows
version. Links to graphics

110. Alpha
Music
Idealist
in decline.
Talk is cheap.
Do something.
Help somebody.
Give me real.
1998

111. years
40
This has been happening
for more than 400 years.
Idealist
complete.

112. The latest tipping point
took place in 2003.

113. A new Civic Generation is
in full swing.

114. The ways we used to
communicate and lead…

115. … no longer have the
same impact.

116. The carrot at the end of
the stick we chase?

117. It changes every 40 years.

118. What’s the new carrot?

119. We want the truth.

120. We want the truth.
Even if it’s ugly.

121. Conversations among
human beings sound
human.
!
They are open,
honest, uncontrived
and conducted in a
human voice.

122. That homogenized
‘voice of business?’
That sound of mission
statements and
brochures?
!
It will soon sound as
contrived as the
language of the 18th
century French court.

123. Getting a sense of
humor about yourself
requires more than
throwing a few jokes
up on the corporate
website.
!
Rather, it requires big
values, a little
humility, straight talk
and a genuine point
of view.

124. Focus on “The Why”

125. David B. Wolfe
Younger consumers strive to make social
statements in their decisions ...

126. Volunteerism
is on the rise.
Young Americans are setting an
example for their parents through their
volunteer efforts, says a new poll.
The survey by charity World Vision
found that 56% of teens volunteer to
support a charitable cause compared
to the 39% that work part-time. In fact,
teens are volunteering at a higher rate
than adults; 46% of the adults
surveyed said they volunteer their
time.

127. ThankYou!
819
toys donated: 100 train sets, 290 balls, 60 hoppers, 40 little engine that coulds, 50 dump trucks, 87 little pony sets. 98 board games, 85 UNO games, 9 buses...
Instead of sending you
a tin of holiday popcorn this year,
we raided the toy shelves and donated
toys in your name to kids all across Missouri
through TOYS FOR TOTS.
P.S. If you miss the popcorn or want to see more
pictures, go online to www.WheresMyPopcorn.com.

129. "We want to become a catalyst
in the culture rather than act like a
big brand announcing something."
!
- Frank Cooper, CCEO, PepsiCo

130. What are you -
what is your company
doing to engage, to give back?
!
What are you doing
to contribute to more than
your own bottom line?
!
Today’s Civic Generation - led
by the youth - is watching to
see if you share their values.
!

131. Yesterday - your tools were:
!
Cleverness
!
Volume
!
Arrogance
!
Authority
!
Slickability

132. Today - your tools are:
!
Authenticity
!
Transparency
!
Humility
!
Belief
!
Credibility

133. Boomer
icons
were
beautiful,
brash,
and bigger
than life

134. Boomers
rejected
conformity

135. But
today’s
Civic Generation
rejects
pretense

136. Born into a world of hype, their internal
BS-meters are highly sensitive and blisteringly
accurate. Words like “amazing,”
“astounding,” and “spectacular” are
translated as “blah,” “blah,” and “blah.”
!
Consequently, tried and true selling methods
that worked as recently as a couple years ago
are working far less well today.

139. Who’s the most trusted
newsman in America?

140. Civic
ascending.
2014

141. So what,
exactly,
are the
forces at
work?

142. The principal changes
taking place are these:
1. Word of mouth
has grown into the
muscular beast,
Interconnectivity,
and it moves with
lightning speed.

143. Technology’s re-
writing the rules of
commerce. Online
chat-rooms, blogs, and
instant messaging are
ensuring that, whether
good or bad, the word
gets out.

144. 2. We’re moving into
an era of transparency
in which it will become
harder than ever to
win new customers
through P.R. and
Advertising alone.

145. You’re going to have to
begin delivering all that
you promise in your
marketing materials.
!
Claims of ‘biggest,’
and ‘best,’mean nothing
when customers have
friends
who are telling them
otherwise.

146. YouTube, facebook and Google are
the Kerouac, Dean and Salinger of
the new generation

147. None of this is
rocket science.
!
Work hard. Keep at it.
Live simply and quietly.
Remain humble.
Stay positive.
Create your own luck.
Be nice. Be polite.
!
- Hugh MacLeod

148. “There is no present or
future, only the past
happening over and
over again, now.”
!
- Eugene O’ Neill

149. “Thank you for
not throwing
fruit.”
!
- Tim Miles

150. The Pendulum
© 2008 - Wizard of Ads, Ltd.
Tim
Miles
www.TheDailyBlur.com