The Singular Power of the ‘Un…’

Nickname for 7-Up, a lemon/ lime flavored soft drink, given to it for marketing purposes…to remind people that it was not cola.

It’s been a a clean-up week; traveling done for a bit, in between deadlines, in a time of year perfect for reflection and consideration. Because the impact of technology on our ability to be present is so popular in every leadership, sales or service session I conduct, it’s often on my mind. This last week I saw an old 7Up commercial from their very effective ‘un-cola’ campaign, and it got me thinking.

The ‘un’ cola…not cola, the opposite of a cola drink. ‘UN’…a prefix meaning not, giving negative or opposite force to words. Within the context then of technology and not being present, I now use the singular power of the ‘un’ as a reminder of how to free myself to be more present with others.

Un-follow: I too often read social media posts that I either have no interest in, or that I find irritating. The solution? Unfollow! It’s been easy and liberating to simply remove certain individuals from my media streams. I’m glad I have.
Un-clutter: How many apps live on your smart phone? Marketers want their brand within your field of vision. There is an app for everything, and they take up space…mental shelf space. We need smart phones to conduct business in the 3rd millennium, I get that. But I surely don’t need Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or any number of other brands noisily competing for my awareness and attention 24/7 – they are now gone.
Un-subscribe: Do you ever look at your phone first thing in the morning in anticipation of 15 or 20 new emails, only to again discover they are all marketing messages…BestBuy, Hertz, Delta, it doesn’t matter who sent them. Fact is, they have absolutely no bearing on my life. They are nothing more that a distraction and an irritant. Start unsubscribing now (they’ve been adding up for years). It’ll take a week or more – but it is worth it!

Living in the 3rd and 4th quarter of my life, I’ve begun to realize how little time remains to me, and how important right now can be. Others live as if they’ve got lots of time, but sorry, just none right now. All we have is ‘right now’. Free it up. Un-follow, un-clutter, un-subscribe.

About the Author: Don Brown

Don Brown is the developer of ‘The Leader’s Daily’ and author of “Bring Out the Best in Every Employee” (McGraw-Hill), “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – in Sales” (McGraw-Hill) and “Situational Service® – Customer Care for the Practitioner.”
Don has spent 30 years ‘helping people with people’ for the likes of Anheuser-Busch, Ford Motor Company, United Airlines, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Jaguar Cars, McLaren Health, and Hilton Hotels. You can email him at Don@DonBrown.Org.

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email

Related Posts

About Us
don brown holding

Don Brown dedicates his career to ‘helping people with people’ in leadership, sales and customer service. Bilingual and experienced at the executive and line-level alike, you see the results of his work across dozens of industries, including brewing, automotive, airline, banking and medical equipment.

Let’s Socialize

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email
Popular Post