This will by my last post here on any business related subjects for a while. I have started a new blog called DayAfterBuzz, its a blog about sales and marketing for companies who are stuck at what to do the day after they get buzz. The blog is designed to give you tips and insight into building a business from a Sales perspective. We will have several other authors contributing to this blog and if you would like to contribute to this little project, send me an email at tdejardine@gmail.com
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New Blog -DayAfterBuzz.com
Tim D -
The story of the monkey and learned behaviour
Tim D
I read a story a few days back. The story was about studies on monkeys and learned behaviours. It went like this:“Supposedly, some research group somewhere put eight monkeys in some sort of enclosed area. There was an escape route available, which a monkey could access by going up a staircase or ladder or something to get to an escape window; however, if a monkey got up to the window, he got an electric shock or something which kept him in and caused him to retreat. Eventually, all the monkeys got the message, and also apparently reached a point where if one of their number started to climb up toward the exit the others would grab him and pull him back to keep him from getting shocked - none of the monkeys even got the chance to get shocked any longer.
“Then, the researchers replaced one of the original eight monkeys with a new monkey. The newcomer at some point would try to head up toward the escape hatch, and the original guys would grab him and pull him back down. He eventually learned to do the same with any of the others who started up the ladder.
“Over time, the researchers one-by-one replaced the original monkeys with a new monkey. Things continued as above, with the newcomer being deterred from climbing the ladder by the others until he learned to do the same thing himself. Eventually, all of the original monkeys, who had actually experienced the shocks, had been replaced by newcomers, who had never experienced the shocks. But they all still would pull back anyone who tried to climb toward the escape hatch, even though by now none of them really knew why.”
The point is this: The monkeys in the cage were afraid, yet they had never been shocked. They had been told by their peers to fear something, but did not know what exactly it was they were fearing.
What have you encountered in your life where someone has said “dont do that!”. Stop for a moment and think about things you wont do or are against.
Have you been shocked? Or are you a monkey trapped in a cage afraid of a ladder?
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Spend more time throwing well than trying to catch everything
Tim D
We have all been there. Rushing around, the sense of urgency. Going from one “crisis” to another. We fight one fire, only to move on to the next. The flames seem never ending. This gives a sense of busyness, perhaps even an illusion of “productivity”. But its not good business.Some people seem to thrive on distraction. Distract, distract, distract. Am I busy? good. Must be productive then.
The key to becoming remarkable is to focus on throwing.
I recently read a great analogy in the book The Big Moo, published by Seth Godin. The analogy talk about learning to juggle. Most students of juggling focus on catching the juggling balls rather than throwing them. This is not the best technique. The best technique in learning to juggle is focusing on throwing well yet most people in business concentrate 99% on catching.
The key to becoming remarkable is to throw well, throw great passes. Focus on that.
What is your next move? What is your next product? Who are you calling next? How well prepared are you?
If things fall they fall, let your co-workers run around like headless chickens. Make sure your pass is accurate. But dont spend all your time trying to catch.
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Effectiveness -Its not how many hours you work, but what you actually do that matters
Tim D
There is a great myth around the entrepreneurial and corporate world. The myth is based around effort. Specifically related to the number of hours you work in relation to your productivity and more importantly, effectiveness.Thinking about business and your job can be one of the biggest time wasters. People can spend >60 hours a week on a business and get nothing done. But to them, it feels like they are working really hard.
This is much like social media for business. Social media can be really great for building a brand if used correctly. But if done incorrectly it is more a waste of time. Look at the number of people on twitter “building a brand” where in reality they are wasting their life.
New Zealanders typically have a problem with effectiveness. We tend to work long hours and are generally less productive workers than other countries like France, who work far less hours and are more productive (see OECD statistics for evidence). We see the larger the hours, the more the dedication= more effective? This is not true.
Its not the amount of hours you work but how effective you are. For example:
Sales peron 1 makes one call and one sale. They are extremely effective. Sales person 2 makes 60 calls and 1 sale . They are not effective. My bet is the manager of these sales people would favor sales person 2 as the harder worker. Why? Because they appear like to be. Running around like a headless chicken, using a cellphone like a crutch, stress and business are not the solution.
We need to put more focus on how effective we are. Not the amount of time people tally up doing nothing.
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Segway/GM Reinvents Transportation. Are we seeing progress?
Tim DInteresting prototype by Segway and GM, a personal transportation vehicle. I must admit, I was blown away by the wireless avoidance system and the sheer size of this vehicle. Click the video to watch.