May 21, 2012
Those are pretty much the only two choices.
Being judged is uncomfortable. Snap judgments, prejudices, misinformation... all of these, combined with not enough time (how could there be) to truly know you, means that you will inevitably be misjudged, underestimated (or overestimated) and unfairly rejected.
The alternative, of course, is much safer. To be ignored.
Up to you.
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May 20, 2012
Good governance is like great marketing--it takes the long view, and relentlessly focuses on delivering on agreed upon goals over time.
Politics, on the other hand, is more like a ping pong match, and, thanks to electronic media, it's getting faster when we'd be better off if it slowed down.
Those that work in politics are now addicted to today's emergency, whatever it is. It could be a world event, a faux scandal or merely something...
Of course, that's impossible.
There's no such thing as a true story. As soon as you start telling a story, making it relevant and interesting to me, hooking it into my worldviews and generating emotions and memories, it ceases to be true, at least if we define true as the whole truth, every possible fact, non-localized and regardless of culture.
Since you're going to tell a story, you might as well get good at it, focus on it and tell...
May 19, 2012
Is that your goal? To find the next hot thing? Do you want to buy it, sell it, use it, eat it?
In every industry where there's fashion (which is every industry), people spend an enormous amount of time looking for heat. It defines the cutting edge, determines what's in or out, what's hot or not.
Two things worth considering:
a. the hot thing isn't always the thing that's aligned with your goals. Sure, sometimes the most...
May 18, 2012
If you're marketing a bass guitar or an orchid or an electric SUV, why are you concerned with what everyone thinks about it?
It seems to me that you should only care about the opinion of those that are actually open to buying one.
Shun the non-believers.
May 17, 2012
Not the easiest, but the quickest:
Don't demand authority.
Eagerly take responsibility.
Relentlessly give credit.
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May 16, 2012
The parking meter was rebooting. I guess we're supposed to walk to the other end of the garage and find one that's working.
We're seeing...
May 15, 2012
I don't think winners beat the competition because they work harder. And it's not even clear that they win because they have more creativity. The secret, I think, is in understanding what matters.
It's not obvious, and it changes. It changes by culture, by buyer, by product and even by the day of the week. But those that manage to capture the imagination, make sales and grow are doing it by perfecting the things that matter and ignoring...
May 14, 2012
Intelligence is the combination of knowing a lot about a little while you also know a little about a lot.
Deep domain understanding helps you create analyses. Your ability to understand how a particular system (no matter how small) works allows you apply a confident analysis to new systems you encounter. Once you know everything there is to know about nuclear physics, soccer or the praying mantis, it makes it easier to understand new systems...
If you insist that they are wrong, they stop being your customer* (if given half a chance).
People spend their time and attention and money in places that make them feel valued.
*There's nothing wrong with asking customers who are wrong to leave. Just be sure you do it on purpose.
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