I think it is
important to be conscious of the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in all yourplans and planning. It is also important to be aware that there are 3 possible
outcomes. The first - it is possible that you will get a positive beneficial
outcome. The second - it is possible to get a negative harmful outcome. And the
third, a contradictory consequence than of what you intended.
This is
especially true when you try to manage or manipulate a complex system. I think
your market is a complex system of consumers and competitors. There is a chance
that you will get undesirable effects that comes with trying to swingopportunities to your advantage with questionable ethics and tactics.
There is a
time to follow the rules. And there is a time to break them. In order to do
both and be good at it, takes experience. It means you need to learn the rules,
the basis of how and why it works. Then find the wisdom through experience to
break them and make them work for you. When you do that you create the
foundation of new rules.
If you are chasing
your dream and making a life for yourself, maybe late nights are worth it. That’s
the price to pay. Yes, of course with the yadda yadda work-life balance conversation thrown in. Truth is - who knows what is your balance? And the price you are
willing to pay for the life that you want. No one knows that and understands
it. Only you do.
If you
planned well and did not waste time in the day, and it takes the nights to
complete what will help you crawl towards your dream, it’s up to you to decide
if it is worth it.
Perhaps a good place to start is to see what makes you weak. Start to recognize the things and situations that have a detrimental effect on you. Some of us knows this well. Others choose to ignore it.
Those who know and stay away from the things that makes them weak gets stronger.
One way to become better at what you do is to unlearn certain things. Across time as you age, you would have picked up rubbish that weighs you down. It could be an uncompromising way of looking at things, recognized fears that you have done nothing about or even a dogmatic ritual you do.
Once you are aware what the rubbish you need to unload, the challenge is to be able to execute the dumping. You might think it is easy. But dumping rubbish has its challenges too, especially those you have been carrying for years.
To dump that rubbish means you are admitting that you have been carrying it for years. Your ego may not like it. Dumping means disruption to what you have been used to, once you are used to something, change brings pain.
Unloading this rubbish is important before it stink your life.
The brain or the heart? I don’t have an answer for this. It depends on who you think is responsible for the excuses and who is responsible for the reasons.
Being good at your job just means you are good at your job. Nothing else. Doesn’t make you a better person. It sure doesn’t give you the right to bulldoze others.
In the work world, assholes (Dr. Bob Sutton first used this term in his book “The No Asshole Rule”) relish the opportunity to make others feel small. Sometimes, they even create the persona that they are better as a person.
Don’t allow them to destroy your day or your work. Avoid them.
Being good at their work doesn’t make them a better person. The sad thing is they don’t even realize that it isn’t an “either/or” situation. They can choose to be good at their work AND be a good person as well.
Situations
that make you uncomfortable can function as a stimuli to spur you to grow. But
most times, you likely react with anger, frustration and disappointment.
Especially, during times of stress. Whether it is a new technology, an
unexpected request or an unwarranted call, these are random acts of discomfort
that can make you grow.
If you spend
enough time introspecting things that bring discomfort, it can act as an examen.
A realization of the deeper thoughts that drives your behavior can bring growth
and with it comfort.
Managers tend
to manage (well, lead if you like) others and things so well, they tend to
ignore themselves. Either for the fear of confronting their own ghost or the
attitude of “I know I am not perfect but it got me where I am”. And if they are
happy with where they are; they will think the qualities that got them there is
good. Great, even. Even if they are toxic to the organization.
If you are
some sort of manager or carry a word like this in your designation, you should start developing yourself first. It starts from a journey of discovering yourself which means to be self aware. Then managing yourself in understanding your strengths and
weaknesses. Eventually, developing yourself, looking into areas where you should
be better and could be better. Not just hard skills and knowledge, but those
that has been labeled as EQ.
Perhaps then
there is a chance, you will be a better manager (oh, well leader if you like).
And one that is fertile to the organization.
Just like
everything you do in marketing, even your sampling activity needs an objective
and a strategy.
Who do you
want to sample? Why do you want to sample them? Presumably, you want to give free samplesout because you want to recruit a new user. So, how many samples are
you willing to part with in order to get this user? Does your product or
service need to be sampled multiple times before there is even a chance of
conversion? Does it have to be habit forming? If it does, then wouldn’t your
sample quantities go up? All these needs to be taken into consideration when
giving out samples.
It is easy for business owners and managers to ignore the elements that they deem do not drive their business. For example, some business people do not think that it is important for them to have a website. So, they ignore it. After all, it is not a key business driver. But they often forget, while it may be a support - the support could be an important one. One that if you delay the decision, you could be missing out on a lot of opportunities. There must be other examples like these in your business. Things you feel aren’t your key business driver but important enough for you to take a second look. I think you need to sort those out. When enough supporting factors collapse, it will be a key issue. How important are the support?
I am not sure
about you. But I am surprised some companies still do not have a website. If I
have to convince you, you need one (even if you are a freelancer), then you
should stop reading this post.
If I met you
via a friend or at an event and I am vaguely interested in what you do? I will look you up on the net after the meet. For us to do business, I should know
what do you do exactly? Who you are? What you believe in? And tell me about
your work.
There is a
cab driver I often use to get me to the airport. He is a free
agent. You have his number and you book him when you need him.
In one of those
trips to the airport we discussed about his business ‘model’. I was curious how
he would handle his clientele when it gets larger? How does he handle
conflicting schedules?
Turns out, he
passes it to his friends when he cannot attend to his clients. Isn’t that
risky? I mean after all, your friends now have access to your clients. His
reply to me is that, he is not worried. He is not worried because no one can
handle all the demands on their own. Eventually, even the most selfish driver
will need someone to help them deliver the service.
Got me
thinking, if you have a mind of abundance it’s only a matter of time you will
get rich.