29 comments

1. What I do to grow in order to think differently is attending to seminars, workshops, webinars and any other of event in order to hear others point of views.
   Another of the things by assisting it helps me network and interact with other people and cultures.
   The world keeps moving and if I not keep updating and polishing yourselves with the latest leadership skills I won’t be able to succeed.
   If possible I would like to assist first to the event in Toronto and if not to the one in Vancouver.
   Thanks in advance and congrats for your company! Sebastian 5248034090

2. I read your blog of course! It’s amazing.
   – Vancouver please

3. What an awesome contest! I missed last year’s event and this would be an unbelievable chance to learn from some of the best in the business.
   I’m constantly reading and and learning from the top thinkers in marketing, seeing what has worked for them and picking the pieces that fit best for implementing into my company’s marketing efforts and expanding on them. At times, the higher-ups are reluctant to change and getting with the program takes some convincing, but I have become fearless of pushing back when I feel things could be done differently or more efficiently, and the rewards of that are starting to show. Getting involved in meetups and collaborating with people outside my 9-5 has also been hugely beneficial to myself and the company I work for and has given me more insight into what could be done better, or a different way than if I were to stay inside the confines of my close-knit team.
   The biggest thing for me is asking questions all the time – asking questions of the work I’m doing, asking questions of those around me and also asking for help or a second opinion. Even questioning the word and opinions of experts in the field (looking for opposite opinions on a topic) has given me a broader understanding of where the world of marketing is going and where me and my business can fit in. This has been a huge breakthrough and will continue to help me improve what I’ve built on over the past few years.
   I’d love to attend the Art of Marketing event in Vancouver.

4. I want to learn how those leaders have been successfully implementing their concepts in organizations and challenges they’ve faced.
   I’ve had a taste of the Toronto speakers’ concepts online and they resonate deeply with me. I believe we all need to learn how to rise up to the challenge of leadership in business and our communities. The generation beginning in the workforce can embody these concepts but one of the biggest challenge I find is motivating everyone to bring their best, especially upper management.
   I work in a small business and manage the e-commerce platform. The struggle to integrate marketing with product design and rest of the business is a constant battle, but I believe our niche it’s right strategy.
   I would love the opportunity to attend the Toronto conference with such a fantastic line up of thought provoking leaders.
   Thanks Mitch!

5. Grow: fight the urge to resist change.
   Learn: read, listen, surround myself with smart thinkers /successful people.
   Think differently: My opinion of thinking differently is to always remain objective, this allows for an ever shifting perspective.
   I would love to attend in Ottawa.
   Thanks

6. Toronto
   To me the most important thing to grow is to be flexible. I am a communications professional and was let go in July. This is a time of growth and change for me and the opportunity to find the right ‘fit’. I am also a yoga instructor. The important thing about yoga as in life is to practise what you learn ‘off the mat’ not just on the mat and for me that is being flexible and going with the flow.

7. In order to grow I try to push myself outside of my comfort zone, because that is the only way to foster growth and development. By reaching just further than I think is possible, I am able to continously achieve and surprise myself.
   By never resting on our laurels; pushing and reaching for more knowledge and trying new things I am able to discover greatness in myself and my employees that I never knew was possible. People ask if I am ever scared and the response is who has time for that? I’m too busy strategizing and doing to think about road blocks…sometime you just have to put yourself out there and try things in order to know what will succeed.
   I would love to attend your Toronto conference as I know that it will provide an enriching opportunity to grow!

8. Where do I go to learn? Everywhere and anywhere: Blogs, news sites, CBC, NPR, music, Twitter, and just plain old listening; its surprising what you will learn by just shutting up and listening.
   I would love to go to “the art of management” conference in Toronto.
   Thanks – love your blog!

9. I find the best way to learn and grow is to experience events, thoughts, and ideas that are outside our normal day to day industry or activities. The different perspective that is experienced allows new thoughts or ideas to crystallize as we mesh the new with the known.
   I would love to attend in Ottawa!

10. Personally, I find that the best way to learn and grow in work or in life is to always have an open mind and push the boundaries. Reading good articles and books by reputable people, never settling for less, and being generous by sharing knowledge and experiences (good and bad) so that other people can learn and grow and evolve.
    I would really love to be able to attend the Ottawa session for The Art of Leadership, so thank you for this awesome and generous opportunity 🙂 cheers Anne

11. In addition to scanning my blog feeds each day, I’m a big fan of http://www.Quora.com. I find that by following some of the questions that other marketers post as well as the responses from industry experts–it helps me to keep my finger on the pulse of the industry. Quora is also a great place to network and make connections with people – better than LinkedIN for this, actually, in my experience.
    I’d like to attend the event in Vancouver.

12. Growing in order to think differently has always been a natural process for me. I do it by spending “quality” time with myself. Embracing my hobbies and challenging myself to new experiences that I normally wouldn’t be comfortable with. Thinking differently means getting out of a routine and finding new ways to achieve a goal by using new methods, even if it means failing once in a while. The end goals should always be “what you learned”, “how effective it was”, and “would you do it again”. By accomplishing those, it is more practical for me to determine how I can/will do things differently next time around. Thinking differently is in all of us. Once you take away your common influence and your short cuts, we can all think in ways we never thought possible. I do this everyday.
    (Toronto Art of Management)

13. I would have to say the single most important factor to growing and expanding one’s knowledge and thinking differently from my experiences would be to take risks and not to be afraid of failing. I have personally failed many times, and those where the times in my career where I learnt the most, both personally and professionally.
    I would have to think any great leader in today’s marketing landscape would say that taking a chance or calculated risk at what they are passionate about was critical to their success. Everyone has access to the same blogs, books, etc about marketing and how to be a great leader. However, it has been my personal goal to always make sure I am taking some sort of risk and pushing certain buttons when the best ideas happen.

14. Thanks for this great opportunity Mitch. I had the chance to hear you speak at a McGill MBA marketing event 6 years ago and it would be great to hear your thoughts today.
    As an introvert I’m constantly grinding my mental gears towards every level of personal growth. I do a lot of my learning from reading the latest books and blogs, but I also learn from watching others. By seeing what they do well (awesome), and poorly (unawesome) I can learn and adapt my own professional and personal practices. (yes I’m currently reading Scott Stratten’s latest book).
    I’d love to attend the Calgary event to hear you and Susan Cain speak.
    ~~Chris

15. Dear Mitch,
    In the last year I have taken the initiative to return to McMaster and study marketing. It was through a Social Media course that I discovered your blog and read your book as part of an assignment. To my amazement you commented on my blog post where I reviewed your book. This truly showed that you walk the walk with what you have written.
    I am a salesman working on my own time and dollar to make a transition into marketing and this seminar would be a great help in my pursuit. In my industry, marketing is an afterthought and social media is something blocked on company computers. So I am leading an uphill battle to make my industry think differently.
    I would love to attend the Toronto event.
    Thank you for your consideration,
    Neil

16. To grow and think differently, I try and learn something new every day through videos such as Ted talks, blogs and mostly, speaking to new people with different perspectives. I meet these people everywhere I go but the best place is at conferences where I can meet hundreds of new people in a short period of time.
    I’m in Montreal and I’d love to go to the Ottawa event.

17. To think differently and grow in my marketing and leadership thinking, I took a leap this year and moved from a 200 person marketing agency to a 4 person startup, where I can learn from entrepreneurs with a history of startup success.
    I also participate in local and and national conferences, having spoken on a panel at Social Slam where you also spoke actually.
    Lastly, I read, listen to audiobooks and podcast, and consume blog posts voraciously. I try of course to not get so into consuming that I don’t actually produce, but I find that learning from and modeling innovative marketers and leaders (both in and out of the marketing field) changes and evolves my marketing and leadership thinking.
    I grew up just 90 minutes from Vancouver, so I would love to attend there if given the opportunity.

18. I try and engage in growth and add to the personal/professional growth of others each day Mitch-
    Much like the folks above, I rock podcasts on my daily commute, speak at numerous conferences, Universities and Colleges and read business growth books and I try to share all what I’ve learned through my social feeds and help others find the value in them too.
    Jack Welsh and more recently Simon Sinek and Charles Duhigg have truly inspired me in my work and life. Simon with his great work on the “why” of what we do and clarifying the “how”, and Charles’ work has been critical in helping me work on my bad and good habits to improve my work and life.
    Most of all, I try to have no ego in being coached by mentors and coaching/helping others. I try to hold a non-work networking meeting every single business day at 7:45am before work to both learn and pay it forward.
    Business networking and social media have taken me from my dream job, to a job beyond my wildest dreams and I want this personal fulfillment for my entire network! We’re on this earth for a short time – got to use every moment to make things better.
    Thanks for the chance to pitch for this awesome prize in Toronto Mitch!

19. Never stop asking myself if a 22 year old hears what I’m saying or watch what I’m doing does he/she can relate to it!
    To me the biggest barrier to learn and grow is falling in to the success comfort zone. Comfort in the way I look at thing, the way I present things, the way I solve the problems,… the biggest barrier to grow is that once a method or approach has proved to be successful, I can challenge its merits & see the shortcoming of it.
    By the way, Toronto is my preferred location for my free tickets!

20. What I am doing to grow is changing my career (after 40) in order to give back. I gave up working for-profit but am convinced that the not-for-profit world can learn invaluable lessons from the leading minds in any sector.
    I can share lessons learned from these speakers and motivate my not-for-profit colleagues to think outside of the box, break down the silos and move forward to raise more money to allow their charities continue with their important work.
    Toronto.

21. I did my MBA part time while working full time. I read lots of books on a variety of topics, listen to podcasts while I do my daily commute. General conversations with my coworkers.
    So many ways to keep learning and growing based on everyone’s unique background and interests.
    I would love to attend Ottawa!

22. Thanks for contest opp! In the social-profit sector, we take inspiration from everywhere. I follow cause marketing developments through @joewaters and hope you will all follow him too. Today’s inspiration to share is about “the little library that could”. Great video storytelling from Troy, Michigan http://www.youtu.be/nw3zNNO5gX0. Enjoy!

23. Thanks for the contest! As a high school principal, there are many things I do to grow and adapt. I work at small school on the edge of our town with no major housing developments. There are 5 other local schools with much denser populations. For us to attract enough students to offer a wide variety of programs, we invest a lot of time into marketing. Our marketing is different than in the business world because we can’t spend money on campaigns etc. Rather, our marketing focuses on connecting people to our school, hosting events, and reaching out to our elementary partners.
    I would really love to attend the Art of Marketing in Vancouver because I believe I could learn valuable information about different strategies to use to market our school.
    For further growth I am enrolling in a Personal Coaching program through Erickson College in Vancouver. It is my belief that the skills I will learn will assist me in job of working with teenagers, some who are struggling. As well, I am actively involved in the use of Twitter, along with many other educators, to share resources and ideas (@GrantFrend). I work with incoming teachers and deliver workshops on social media, leadership etc. I am also the sponsor of our school’s student leadership group. I also have 2 mentors who I bounce ideas off of and who I feel comfortable sharing almost anything with.
    Thanks for the opportunity!!

24. Being a communications student at Simon Fraser University, I am hoping to enter the world of marketing after I graduate. Besides the typical classes, I gain knowledge and hands on experiences by getting involved within my community. At SFU, I am active in many student organizations with social media and project management. A few of the organizations I am involved in include AIESEC and Young Women in Business (YWiB). I also attend conferences and workshops on a regular basis within and outside of school to develop my leadership skills, listen to inspirational stories of other people, and to network with like-minded individuals.
    I believe leadership can start at any age, and I would like to start as early as possible to give back to my community and to inspire those around me to do the same. I also volunteer for a non-profit organization in Vancouver called “Battered Women Support Services” (BWSS) during my free time to support those in need.
    Vancouver would be the preferred city, thanks!

25. I’d love to win free tickets (for Calgary) as I am in the midst of the launch of a brand new healthy living website for Canadians and we are doing a lot of thinking around marketing right now!
    What do I do to grow, learn and think differently about my marketing and leadership skills? In both regards, I do a lot of observing and seeing what works for people and then I try to figure out why. What are the subtle differences in what they are doing that makes it a winner? I supplement this by meeting people who are great at what they do, reading books, blogs (like this one), and joining in on discussions online. Mostly I just experiment, and so long as it’s not damaging to one’s future prospects, I learn by trial and error until I find ideas that stick. From a leadership standpoint, I have attended many personal development workshops over the years, done a lot of reading, done personality tests, stepped into various kinds of leadership positions, followed a lot, been open to feedback from colleagues/clients and am on a constant learning curve. I focus on my strengths rather than my weaknesses, and put people in my life who can help me make up for the things I’m not good at.
    I’d be stoked to attend this.

26. Toronto!
    My husband Scott and I have a small dairy farm and are now making cheese on-farm. We needed to diversify in order to make our farm work for us. We are young dairy farmers – thinking outside the Ontario industry box. Growing professionally is very important to us and unfortunately get to caught up in the day to day operations of our businesses to take the time. This opportunity would be a great way for us to further develop our management and marketing skills and build new ideas and visions for our future in farming.
    Thanks for this opportunity!
    Steacy

27. What don’t I do to grow, learn and think differently about my marketing and leadership skills.
    My passion is marketing. I love this industry and profession. I try to do everything in my power to be the best and learn every day. I constantly read, currently reading Purple Cow by Seth Godin. I listen to podcasts all week long…everything from Six Pixels of Separation to the BeanCast to Marketing Over Coffee to the BusinessCast. I have currently joined a council for the Canadian Marketing Association as well as joined the Mentorship Program through the American Marketing Association – Toronto Chapter where my mentor is Kevin Marcotte the Director of Marketing for BMW.
    But I also give back. I am involved in the Ryerson Tri-Mentoring program where I am paired up with a 4th year business student. I love this and do it because I believe in sharing knowledge and helping those who seek advice. I also constantly network and meet with people who seek advice or want to lean from my experiences. I connect people with others who would benefit from the connection.
    And finally, I have become a content creator. I re-started a blog and am so excited to share my ideas and thoughts with anyone that is willing to participate. My blog can be found at jgchiriboga.wordpress.com
    I would love to attend The Art of Management in Toronto on November 20th, 2012. I would love to blog about my experience at the event and share what I’ve learned with others through my blog. Please select me to go. I would be very grateful!

28. Thank you Mitch for the giveaway and for bringing all of us together in sharing our thoughts on growing, learning and thinking differently about marketing and leadership.
    To Grow: I try to keep up with our ever-changing marketplace through the simplest of ways – the news. I also seek out marketing resources from online blogs, magazines, books and webinars to most recently, getting out of my comfort zone and making more of an effort to try some Meetups and marketing events. I also try to stay connected with my program instructors, industry professionals and friends I’ve met along the way.
    To Learn: I try to pick up new skills from time to time through online courses and webinars. Later this fall, I hope to get back to my part-time study program and complete it soon. I see inspiration and opportunity all around – from the brands to the mom and pop shop around the corner.
    To Think: There are some great minds and personalities in and outside of the world of marketing that help shape my thoughts. Reading blogs or books by thought leaders like Mitch and Seth Godin, I see and think differently. It’s encouraged me to keep an open mind, experiment with new ideas and see where they take me.
    I’ve recently started a new job and in an attempt to learn the industry, company and keep up with daily routines and tasks, I realize I’ve given up on some of my personal-professional growth. I’ve had to remind myself that I need to make more of an effort to keep learning, thinking and growing.
    I was fortunate to have won a ticket to last year’s Vancouver event. Thank you again Mitch! It was my first such event and an excellent professional experience. Here’s hoping to attend the Vancouver event again!
    And to all who haven’t been to one of these I say – give it a try. You will leave motivated, challenged and with some new tricks under your sleeve.

29. What do I do differently? Read you blog :), read Scott Strattens books, think outside the box, research people/businesses and tweet/connect with them with something to say! Attend meetups – even ones that aren’t directly connected to what I’m doing – and I almost always meet someone who knows someone! I’m not sure how different my approaches are but hopefully the conference will give me some fresh new ideas and tools! Vancouver please!

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