Have you been to a 3-D movie in the past where they hand you this pair of flimsy glasses with special lens, where half way through the movie your ears start to hurt and when you take it off, you can't figure out what's going on? My recollection of such an experience was Jaws 3D. Man, the sharks were like jumping out on you.
This is the same in life. An illustration would be two different persons who witnessed the same car accident but may describe what they saw differently. If you weren't at the scene, you'd probably think was two different accident that they were talking about. Just like in a situation where two people are faced with the same situation, one may see more problems while the other may see more opportunities. Both are not wrong in the way they view the situation, it's just their way of re-presenting those events that differ.
The reason why we view the world through probably different 'lenses' is because of our background, our culture, our experiences, or our predominant representation system. So what is this thing called the "predominant representation system"? Its essentially the way we re-present the events that happened in our mind so as to derive a meaning to it. Because events or words have no meaning accept the meanings we give to them. None of these meanings are right or wrong, but essentially with those meanings, we then create the emotions linked to it and it affects how or why we react.
As a result it would be accurate to say that the current results you have achieved to date are essentially a result of your view of the world. How you view the world is based on the meaning you give to it. These meanings will create the emotions, which in turn affects the questions you ask yourself and the options that you are prepared to evaluate. These in turn will impact on the kind of actions that you'd take and hence your results.
Now that we have understood the steps or the processes, we can go out there and change the different components that we are challenged with and bring about the results that we truly seek.
However, unless you are able to wear a pair of glasses with a lens that allows you to see things differently, understanding the process by itself is only an intellectual awareness. Besides, because this pair of glasses is new, your ears may hurt a little. But once you are acquainted with those pair of glasses, you'd feel more comfortable and confident with the way you see things. Eventually, you will even grow to love it, hence seeing through the eyes of love.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Learning to create
In my role as a consultant focusing on the development of educators, I have come across the issue of return of investment in training many times. I have also been asked numerous times how we know that the training has been effective, which is essentially the preceding question phrased in a different manner. I feel that training or learning (being more than just attending courses) goes through a 5-step process. So unless we understand this 5-step process, we will always be left to wonder how learning can be more effective. Of course we also need to understand the individual who is receiving the learning to be even more effective in our approach.
Studies have revealed the 4-stage of learning that all individuals undergo. First is the stage of unconscious incompetence, which means you don't even know what you don't know. This is probably an extremely critical stage because without knowing what you don't know, you will stick to the old ways of doing things. This is easily illustrated by a child who uses a particular study technique to help her in her work. This leads to inconsistent results, sometimes good, sometimes bad. And she doesn't know how else to make it better.
However there are other more effective techniques out there that can help her in the challenge she faces. When she sees other kids using this more effective technique, she moves to the next stage of knowing what she doesn't know; or conscious incompetence. She now wants to learn this other technique so she approaches her friends and they teach her. Now she practises using this technique but as she is still learning it, she needs to refer to her notes every time she wants to apply this technique; or conscious competence. Let's say after numerous rounds of practice, she mastered this technique and the next time when she needs to apply it she becomes so familiar with it that she doesn't need her notes anymore. This is when she achieved the level of subconscious competence.
As adults, we all have many types of subconscious competence, for example driving, cycling, swimming, playing tennis, typing, dialling in the dark. But what can allow us to not just remain relevant but also to keep us at the fore-front is when we are able to create something new, ground-breaking, or innovative. It is here that we are able to take our learning to a new level.
Continuing from our discussion above, we know that by being aware opens us up to new possibilities or new areas of learning. By being aware that there is a better way of doing something, we now know that when we master this better technique, we will be more effective or more efficient; or both. So creating awareness amongst your staff is a good start, as they now know of the benefits of this new way or this new framework. They can also understand how this new way can make them more effective. When that happens, and if sufficient awareness is being created, individuals will want to know more, or to learn it.
That's when attending a seminar or a course will help. It gives the participants the tools, techniques, and knowledge for this new way. Of course they can read a book or observe a colleague to see how it's done. Hence, attending courses is just but one of the ways. The thing is, usually after a course they are pretty much left on their own with little or no follow-up. Hence, they might revert to their old ways.
This is just like learning to type with 10 fingers after you've been typing with your index fingers for as long as you can remember. You try using 10 fingers, it feels odd, and what's worse, you may even be typing slower than before; and you wonder if typing with 10 really has any virtues at all. Hence you may revert to your old ways and stop practising. All learning may then be lost. Worse, you might even come to believe that typing with 10 fingers is worse. The next time you come across a similar course or a colleague tries to convince you about typing with 10 you can probably tell them why it doesn't work or it's useless.
Therefore it is essential that learnings be reinforced with application so that it will be strengthened towards the stage of subconscious competence. This is where guidance or coaching is critical as the learner can receive support for her application. During application, the individual may also find out the pitfalls or challenges. She may also meet with success and its through this process of application that understanding deepens. To further deepen the understanding, she can share with her colleagues about her successes and non-successes, and through the sharing, she could perhaps receive other perspectives on the challenges that might help her resolve them.
At this stage, she is likely to be in the stage of subconscious competence. Now, to further the learning is to apply the same techniques with other techniques. This is when the next level happens where the individual is able to synthesize. This coalescence of two or more techniques can bring about cross fertilisation of ideas or solving issues with a combination of more than two techniques. At this point, the learning may become so deeply entrenched that she can create new solutions or techniques to solve problems. Here, the level of learning creates new products or services that are innovative or ground-breaking. This is when the learning really pays many times over and reap returns like 2000% or more.
How an individual can achieve the last level depends on what some might say, resourcefulness or creativeness. And to be creative, you need to adopt a new perspective on the same issue. By doing so, you can then be able to create new and innovative solutions to the issues at hand.
So understanding where the individual is at is critical; understanding what kind of learning deserves such attention and allocation of resources is also extremely critical.
Studies have revealed the 4-stage of learning that all individuals undergo. First is the stage of unconscious incompetence, which means you don't even know what you don't know. This is probably an extremely critical stage because without knowing what you don't know, you will stick to the old ways of doing things. This is easily illustrated by a child who uses a particular study technique to help her in her work. This leads to inconsistent results, sometimes good, sometimes bad. And she doesn't know how else to make it better.
However there are other more effective techniques out there that can help her in the challenge she faces. When she sees other kids using this more effective technique, she moves to the next stage of knowing what she doesn't know; or conscious incompetence. She now wants to learn this other technique so she approaches her friends and they teach her. Now she practises using this technique but as she is still learning it, she needs to refer to her notes every time she wants to apply this technique; or conscious competence. Let's say after numerous rounds of practice, she mastered this technique and the next time when she needs to apply it she becomes so familiar with it that she doesn't need her notes anymore. This is when she achieved the level of subconscious competence.
As adults, we all have many types of subconscious competence, for example driving, cycling, swimming, playing tennis, typing, dialling in the dark. But what can allow us to not just remain relevant but also to keep us at the fore-front is when we are able to create something new, ground-breaking, or innovative. It is here that we are able to take our learning to a new level.
Continuing from our discussion above, we know that by being aware opens us up to new possibilities or new areas of learning. By being aware that there is a better way of doing something, we now know that when we master this better technique, we will be more effective or more efficient; or both. So creating awareness amongst your staff is a good start, as they now know of the benefits of this new way or this new framework. They can also understand how this new way can make them more effective. When that happens, and if sufficient awareness is being created, individuals will want to know more, or to learn it.
That's when attending a seminar or a course will help. It gives the participants the tools, techniques, and knowledge for this new way. Of course they can read a book or observe a colleague to see how it's done. Hence, attending courses is just but one of the ways. The thing is, usually after a course they are pretty much left on their own with little or no follow-up. Hence, they might revert to their old ways.
This is just like learning to type with 10 fingers after you've been typing with your index fingers for as long as you can remember. You try using 10 fingers, it feels odd, and what's worse, you may even be typing slower than before; and you wonder if typing with 10 really has any virtues at all. Hence you may revert to your old ways and stop practising. All learning may then be lost. Worse, you might even come to believe that typing with 10 fingers is worse. The next time you come across a similar course or a colleague tries to convince you about typing with 10 you can probably tell them why it doesn't work or it's useless.
Therefore it is essential that learnings be reinforced with application so that it will be strengthened towards the stage of subconscious competence. This is where guidance or coaching is critical as the learner can receive support for her application. During application, the individual may also find out the pitfalls or challenges. She may also meet with success and its through this process of application that understanding deepens. To further deepen the understanding, she can share with her colleagues about her successes and non-successes, and through the sharing, she could perhaps receive other perspectives on the challenges that might help her resolve them.
At this stage, she is likely to be in the stage of subconscious competence. Now, to further the learning is to apply the same techniques with other techniques. This is when the next level happens where the individual is able to synthesize. This coalescence of two or more techniques can bring about cross fertilisation of ideas or solving issues with a combination of more than two techniques. At this point, the learning may become so deeply entrenched that she can create new solutions or techniques to solve problems. Here, the level of learning creates new products or services that are innovative or ground-breaking. This is when the learning really pays many times over and reap returns like 2000% or more.
How an individual can achieve the last level depends on what some might say, resourcefulness or creativeness. And to be creative, you need to adopt a new perspective on the same issue. By doing so, you can then be able to create new and innovative solutions to the issues at hand.
So understanding where the individual is at is critical; understanding what kind of learning deserves such attention and allocation of resources is also extremely critical.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Different strokes for different folks
Say you were given $2000 to spend it all within 2 hours, and you can spend it anyway you choose to and with whom you will enjoy this windfall with; what would you do?
I believe some of us would spend it on something we've been wanting to if only we had some extra money; or some will choose to spend a night out with families and friends. There will be some who would expend this on some less privileged people or for a good cause. Whatever the case is; many of us would find ways to spend that money in many different ways.
The same is true on how we spend our time, money, or even our lives. We all have varied ways of fulfilling a particular need and while some may be similar, others can be bipolar. For instance, when it comes to relieving stress; we all have different ways to 'manage' it. Either go for a run, skydive, fix a strong drink, or just meditate. Whatever the case is, we find some ways to indulge in one or a combination of our senses.
In understanding this fundamental truth, we can now begin to explore how this can be applied to one of the most crucial aspects of business; sales. Sales, they say, is 100% emotions. Now, think about all the items you have bought, tangible or otherwise; it very much fulfill the number one underlying factor and that is our need to feel good. Everything that you've bought is, in one way or the other, to make you feel good, whether it is a dress, a watch, a handbag, a computer, or a washing machine. With this understanding, you can now sell anything to anyone, like they say, sell ice to the Eskimos. How can we achieve this? To do this, we will need to understand how people make choices.
One of the easiest to understand is this very concept of familiarity. There are certain items we buy again and again because of familiarity. These are items which fall into two categories; the ones we have tried before and the ones we have not but are familiar with. For example, when you have a headache and need medication quickly what do you buy? You'll probably get a paracetamol. Why, because there were instances in the past when you had a headache and taken one either bought or given to you. You'd taken it and were relieved of your pain. So whenever you are faced with a similar situation, you will go out and get the same thing. You do it over and over again to the point where you almost become conditioned to it, that you can almost link it to the very incident. Think headache, and paracetamol comes to mind. This brings us to the next point of items you have never tried before. Because the conditioning is so powerful, you link a need to that product or service.
For instance, social status for most people is linked to Mercedes Benz. Or when you think of good looking sports apparel, you think of Nike. Fast food; you think McDonald's. It is this element of familiarity with which these companies have so successfully linked their products to that their name will come to mind the moment you mention it. So for this category of products or services, you need to ensure that customers can associate with your brand or product almost immediately. How you can do that is to create such a strong conditioning that its almost natural. You see now why it can be so difficult to convince someone who is successful to drive a Korean car, when the Benz has been so strongly associated with status and class.
Even for Benz, to cater to different category of customers, they need to provide variety like capacities and styles that reach out to the conservatives or the avant-garde. Therefore, another crucial factor is variety. No one enjoys eating the same food everyday, we all need variety sometimes. Imagine going to the same resort at the same location every single year for the next 10 years for your holidays, you'll be bored out of your mind. Or asking ladies to wear the same pair of shoes everyday or the same type of dress everyday, unless of course its a uniform where you have no choice, we will want some form of variety in life.
So if you are in the business of fashion, you'd be out of your mind to only have one type of dress and in one colour, like the Ford-T where you can have any colour as long as its black. And that is because we all want variety in our lives. Which is great news because if you can convince the customers by using your product it can still fulfill the same underlying need but at least you now have a choice, just like in telecommunications where the introduction of another player gives the consumer more options to choose from. And one of the ways to convince your prospect is cost.
Imagine if you can still make the call but at two-third the price you used to pay and what's more you now can exercise your right to choose, who would you pick? It depends. If both provides the same level of service, then more often than not you will pick the one with the lower cost. This is easy to understand. However, if your pricing is not that straight forward, then you'll need to educate your customer that your product is indeed lower in per unit cost even thought it may appear more costly. One example in this category is ink jet vs laser printers.
If the consumer's primary need is to print text in black and white, by telling him to get a laser printer might put him off initially because of the cost of the printer and its cartridge. However, once you understood his needs for a printer, you can now convince him that based on a per-page basis, printing for laser is actually more economical. Not only that, you can also share with him the benefits, which brings us to the next point.
Whenever we make a purchase, it has to benefit us, even if it can kill in the longer run us. There must be some benefits involved. And unless you can convince the prospect of the benefits, you are not going to win him over. Sometimes the benefits can even be perceived benefits, like looking good or feeling good. Not all of us buy a watch for investment purposes, so unless we are convinced of the benefits that it will look good on us or even put us in a different class, we will still revert to the so-called trusted names. Therefore some of these perceived benefits like being in a class of its own is indeed a major selling point.
As human beings, we all want to be accepted. Children may even conform to the friends around them to feel accepted and that's why some kids smoke or have indulge in sexual activities in order to feel being part of the 'group'. Sounds irrational to us adults but we all do it. We all want to feel special, significant and we can do it in many different ways. We drive cars that show that we have arrived, or we dine out at members' only club, or we dress and/or speak in a particular manner to show our alliance with a particular group in society.
That's why people can spend huge amount of money just to belong to a particular club. Because it makes them feel significant. Of course it doesn't have to be in a material sense of the word. We belong to groups in society that have a certain belief/mission or to engage in a particular activity. Whatever the case is, we need to feel accepted. So if your product or service has that exclusivity feel to it then you need to accentuate it. Of course we don't always buy something because we want to be special. There are products or services that we buy because of convenience.
Can you imagine putting money with a special bank that has only one branch that operates in a secluded part of town and opens only for a few hours everyday, would you trade convenience for specialty? Not likely, so the ease of accessibility is also a crucial factor as well. Just like getting petrol has to be easily at reach or very soon you will switch to something more convenient. That is why, especially consumer products where the cost-benefits are few and not easily distinguishable, convenience becomes an extreme key factor. And the issue with convenience is of course linked to the last factor of our discussion here.
Time. It is but one of the most valuable resource and is not replenishable. So time is so crucial that we sometimes feel not being in a position to influence it. You see, there is never a better time than now to buy a product. Because the minute you purchase it, you will reap the benefits quicker. Just like buying an exercise membership, or starting with insurance, or taking nutritional supplements. Perhaps even getting a service. When you are able to distort time in such a way that it can make your prospects feel that starting early has its benefits and what's more, it gives you more time (in the sense that you do not have to spend time looking and trying the suitable product when you so desperately need it) later on.
Just like training. As long as it's seen as a luxury, there will never be a better time to start as there will always be other more pressing matters. By getting your prospects being trained early, it can bring about benefits such as increased productivity and hence place you in an advantageous position than your competitor that when the need arises you'll be more prepared and equipped with to engage the challenge.
Now that we understood the 7 factors that will influence how people choose to fulfill their underlying need, we can begin to bring our sales to the next level. Of course, the danger is to assume that everyone is the same. But once you understand that different people have different ways to fulfill the same need, success will soon follow.
I believe some of us would spend it on something we've been wanting to if only we had some extra money; or some will choose to spend a night out with families and friends. There will be some who would expend this on some less privileged people or for a good cause. Whatever the case is; many of us would find ways to spend that money in many different ways.
The same is true on how we spend our time, money, or even our lives. We all have varied ways of fulfilling a particular need and while some may be similar, others can be bipolar. For instance, when it comes to relieving stress; we all have different ways to 'manage' it. Either go for a run, skydive, fix a strong drink, or just meditate. Whatever the case is, we find some ways to indulge in one or a combination of our senses.
In understanding this fundamental truth, we can now begin to explore how this can be applied to one of the most crucial aspects of business; sales. Sales, they say, is 100% emotions. Now, think about all the items you have bought, tangible or otherwise; it very much fulfill the number one underlying factor and that is our need to feel good. Everything that you've bought is, in one way or the other, to make you feel good, whether it is a dress, a watch, a handbag, a computer, or a washing machine. With this understanding, you can now sell anything to anyone, like they say, sell ice to the Eskimos. How can we achieve this? To do this, we will need to understand how people make choices.
One of the easiest to understand is this very concept of familiarity. There are certain items we buy again and again because of familiarity. These are items which fall into two categories; the ones we have tried before and the ones we have not but are familiar with. For example, when you have a headache and need medication quickly what do you buy? You'll probably get a paracetamol. Why, because there were instances in the past when you had a headache and taken one either bought or given to you. You'd taken it and were relieved of your pain. So whenever you are faced with a similar situation, you will go out and get the same thing. You do it over and over again to the point where you almost become conditioned to it, that you can almost link it to the very incident. Think headache, and paracetamol comes to mind. This brings us to the next point of items you have never tried before. Because the conditioning is so powerful, you link a need to that product or service.
For instance, social status for most people is linked to Mercedes Benz. Or when you think of good looking sports apparel, you think of Nike. Fast food; you think McDonald's. It is this element of familiarity with which these companies have so successfully linked their products to that their name will come to mind the moment you mention it. So for this category of products or services, you need to ensure that customers can associate with your brand or product almost immediately. How you can do that is to create such a strong conditioning that its almost natural. You see now why it can be so difficult to convince someone who is successful to drive a Korean car, when the Benz has been so strongly associated with status and class.
Even for Benz, to cater to different category of customers, they need to provide variety like capacities and styles that reach out to the conservatives or the avant-garde. Therefore, another crucial factor is variety. No one enjoys eating the same food everyday, we all need variety sometimes. Imagine going to the same resort at the same location every single year for the next 10 years for your holidays, you'll be bored out of your mind. Or asking ladies to wear the same pair of shoes everyday or the same type of dress everyday, unless of course its a uniform where you have no choice, we will want some form of variety in life.
So if you are in the business of fashion, you'd be out of your mind to only have one type of dress and in one colour, like the Ford-T where you can have any colour as long as its black. And that is because we all want variety in our lives. Which is great news because if you can convince the customers by using your product it can still fulfill the same underlying need but at least you now have a choice, just like in telecommunications where the introduction of another player gives the consumer more options to choose from. And one of the ways to convince your prospect is cost.
Imagine if you can still make the call but at two-third the price you used to pay and what's more you now can exercise your right to choose, who would you pick? It depends. If both provides the same level of service, then more often than not you will pick the one with the lower cost. This is easy to understand. However, if your pricing is not that straight forward, then you'll need to educate your customer that your product is indeed lower in per unit cost even thought it may appear more costly. One example in this category is ink jet vs laser printers.
If the consumer's primary need is to print text in black and white, by telling him to get a laser printer might put him off initially because of the cost of the printer and its cartridge. However, once you understood his needs for a printer, you can now convince him that based on a per-page basis, printing for laser is actually more economical. Not only that, you can also share with him the benefits, which brings us to the next point.
Whenever we make a purchase, it has to benefit us, even if it can kill in the longer run us. There must be some benefits involved. And unless you can convince the prospect of the benefits, you are not going to win him over. Sometimes the benefits can even be perceived benefits, like looking good or feeling good. Not all of us buy a watch for investment purposes, so unless we are convinced of the benefits that it will look good on us or even put us in a different class, we will still revert to the so-called trusted names. Therefore some of these perceived benefits like being in a class of its own is indeed a major selling point.
As human beings, we all want to be accepted. Children may even conform to the friends around them to feel accepted and that's why some kids smoke or have indulge in sexual activities in order to feel being part of the 'group'. Sounds irrational to us adults but we all do it. We all want to feel special, significant and we can do it in many different ways. We drive cars that show that we have arrived, or we dine out at members' only club, or we dress and/or speak in a particular manner to show our alliance with a particular group in society.
That's why people can spend huge amount of money just to belong to a particular club. Because it makes them feel significant. Of course it doesn't have to be in a material sense of the word. We belong to groups in society that have a certain belief/mission or to engage in a particular activity. Whatever the case is, we need to feel accepted. So if your product or service has that exclusivity feel to it then you need to accentuate it. Of course we don't always buy something because we want to be special. There are products or services that we buy because of convenience.
Can you imagine putting money with a special bank that has only one branch that operates in a secluded part of town and opens only for a few hours everyday, would you trade convenience for specialty? Not likely, so the ease of accessibility is also a crucial factor as well. Just like getting petrol has to be easily at reach or very soon you will switch to something more convenient. That is why, especially consumer products where the cost-benefits are few and not easily distinguishable, convenience becomes an extreme key factor. And the issue with convenience is of course linked to the last factor of our discussion here.
Time. It is but one of the most valuable resource and is not replenishable. So time is so crucial that we sometimes feel not being in a position to influence it. You see, there is never a better time than now to buy a product. Because the minute you purchase it, you will reap the benefits quicker. Just like buying an exercise membership, or starting with insurance, or taking nutritional supplements. Perhaps even getting a service. When you are able to distort time in such a way that it can make your prospects feel that starting early has its benefits and what's more, it gives you more time (in the sense that you do not have to spend time looking and trying the suitable product when you so desperately need it) later on.
Just like training. As long as it's seen as a luxury, there will never be a better time to start as there will always be other more pressing matters. By getting your prospects being trained early, it can bring about benefits such as increased productivity and hence place you in an advantageous position than your competitor that when the need arises you'll be more prepared and equipped with to engage the challenge.
Now that we understood the 7 factors that will influence how people choose to fulfill their underlying need, we can begin to bring our sales to the next level. Of course, the danger is to assume that everyone is the same. But once you understand that different people have different ways to fulfill the same need, success will soon follow.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Proactive vs anticipative strategies
Recently, during one of my conversation with a teacher; I was sharing with her about machines replacing analysts by scanning through press releases of companies and issuing blurts through Reuters machines. I then went further, probably too far for her liking, that perhaps one day teachers will be replaced by machines. She dismissed my thoughts and said it can never be possible.
The discussion ended when I mentioned that you can choose to ignore or deny it and continue with what she has been doing or you can acknowledge it and do something about it. Should it become a reality, you will be caught if you think the former or you will be prepared if you think of the latter. Question is, sometimes, not whether the matter will become a reality but the fact that you have such a mindset, you will always be one step ahead of the competition.
The truth is many of us are like this teacher sometimes. We sometimes know that if we continue doing what we have been doing, we will become irrelevant one day. But because circumstances have yet forced us to look squarely at it, we choose to ignore it. Let's cross the bridge when we come to it, as now there are just too many variables. However, when the worst happens, we are caught and hence react to it in ways that may not be the best of. Also, when we react to any situation, we are more often than not being at the mercy of it. Of course, some will cry out saying, why me? Others may learn from this painful episode and gain an invaluable lesson for life.
Otherwise, we can be proactive and say, well if we continue doing what we have been doing we will be irrelevant, so let us find a way to circumvent this. Let's see what we can do now so that we can become prepared for the event should it happen. Here's where we know, to a certain extent, the damage or risk involved and hence doing something about it now. That's being proactive and taking the initiative to change the way we do things so that we can remain relevant. Thing is, by being just proactive we can also sometime be caught. Because the risk could take a different form and no matter how much you prepare yourself for, the events that take place result in a complete shift of focus. You did not anticipate that something could happen that no matter what you did to prepare yourself for becomes irrelevant! Many of us have seen industries disappear almost overnight. And no matter what the companies did, it did not matter anymore because new things have happened.
Which leads us to be being anticipative. To do that, you will need to be able to anticipate possible changes that will have an impact on what you do. So, apart from being proactive and sighting what might take place, you will also need to anticipate all the various possibilities about other situations. Maybe machines will replace you, or maybe not but machines will take away the lower value added portion of your service so you will need to think of ways to hone your skills on higher value added services. So you look at what's happening in your industry but in more developed countries or what are other industries doing to cope with these changes. By doing so, you will be able to come up with various scenarios that you can prepare yourself for. Now, this is hard work as it could mean endless things you will need to do in order to prepare or it could mean you have to deal with all the underlying uncertainties, which most people are not comfortable to deal with. There are just too many variables and soon you become overwhelmed and hence result in a lack of focus where you attempt to do too many things at the same time. We all know when you spread yourself too thing, you become more susceptible to vulnerabilities.
So then, what could you do to remain relevant? I believe, when you are able to develop the skill set to formulate creative strategies, that's when you can be assured of being relevant. Think about just 20 years back. There was no demand for mobile phones and the reason was because we did not even know we needed one! Then zoom forward to 2007; how many of us feel like we are one limp short when we forgot our mobile phone or whenever the network breaks down? Between just 2 decades, mobile phone companies have successfully created the need for one. Yes, it has to do with the change in our lifestyle as we become more mobile instead of being at one place all the time, there is now a need for mobile phones. And because of the availability of this equipment, it has made it more possible for people to be mobile, hence reinforcing the need for one. Of course with the platform, companies now can create more higher value added service and thus making the mobile phone a commodity and raising it's value by appending these higher value added services to it.
Now, how does one become creative or adopt a creative mindset that allows you to formulate creative and not just proactive or anticipative mindsets? If we look at all the people who are creative in all industries, they all have one common trait that runs across. And this trait is nothing more than adopting a perspective that others don't. What I mean by that is this. When you look at iPod and the its creator, Steve Jobs, you see someone who is able to successful understand how people want their needs fulfilled. What are the ways that they have been fulfilling those needs and asking what other ways can those needs be fulfilled. If there aren't any right now; then its simple. But if there are many different ways of fulfilling those needs then you ought to find a way to create a way to fulfill the same need but in a different manner that will make people want to switch. If for example, the ideas that most people have about relaxing during weekends include catching a movie, going to the park or beach, doing some exercises, getting a massage, chilling out with a group of friends over beer, dancing the night away, or maybe just spending time with family and loved ones.
Now, how Ikea did it different is by creating an environment where going to a furniture mall is a family affair. The kids can enjoy themselves at the playroom, while mom and dad can take their time to explore ideas provided by the showroom items to furnish their place. What's more amazing is, they can actually see and touch the many items on display which helps them visualise how it will be like if they've got the same fixtures at home. Mix and match ideas are also provided so that you can buy a matching cabinet to go with your sofa. What's more interesting is the items are often inexpensive and fun to put together too. Which can also serve as a do-it-together family thing. Then when you are done shopping, you can dine at the cafe where you can also pick up some of these food items on your way out. Never has a privately-held company achieve this level of success before. And to see that reality of providing more than 20,000 items at an inexpensive price requires you to have access to thousands of suppliers worldwide which can then provide the items quickly and in a cost-effective manner.
Of course being in a position like Ikea offers you tremendous advantage, as competition will find it hard to beat. To date, no serious competitor is in sight. Also it offers you unprecedented ways to woo your customers over and over again. Ikea items are not made to last, and that is fine as they are rather inexpensive and besides when you change a sofa, it gives your place a new look and possibly a conversational piece!
So as an individual, how do you formulate creative strategies that allows you to be in the fore front and also gives you the advantage that your peers can only dream of? I believe the secret is this. To be creative, you need to be open. And to be open, it means you must be willing to look at things from various perspectives. Go beyond the usual perspective of yours and the customers, and look at it from your competitors, your non customers, your suppliers, your partners, the people in the environment you are operating in, and so on. It is important that you look from these various perspectives so that the challenge can be viewed from various angles and not just a biased point of view. Sometimes the most unattached perspectives can provide you with a solution where you were previously blinded. Once you have adopted this ability to see things from various perspectives you can be creative. However the next part will require you to take concrete actions to move forward. And then at each step of the way, you gather feedback to see what's working and what's not and you change accordingly. Remember that once you keep your eye on the big picture (of why you want to be creative), the little things don't matter as much. So go on, be creative, be playful, have fun, test the ways possible and move on.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Opportunity only knocks once; not!
I recently attended a business opportunity meeting, where the presenter was sharing with us amongst the greatest thing about the opportunity was the timing. And then he went on to mention that opportunity only knocks once. I cannot disagree more.
If you were like me, you must have heard this phrase before and it's probably told to you either by someone who loves you or someone who wants to sell you something. There are two parts to this phrase and let us take a closer look at it one at a time.
Some of us probably heard that in order to be successful, you just need to be at the right place at the right time three times in your life. That is another load of garbage. Should you believe that opportunity only knocks once; you not only believe that opportunities are in control of you and not the other way round. Also, if you'd believe it to be true, it means you should be looking out for opportunities.
The fundamental flaw with this perspective puts you in a situation where you force fit yourself into the opportunity. Let me ask you this, if you saw a $50 bill on the floor, would you keep it? Probably yes, probably not. But if you knew that $50 bill dropped out of the pocket of an elderly ladt, would you keep it? Chances are you will not. Now, was that not an opportunity to have an extra $50 in your pocket? Yes. Was it there staring at you in the face? Yes. So why won't you keep it? I think for most people it is just not the right thing to do. This is pretty direct.
Now, what happens when its a situation where you are really in dire need of a job or an opportunity to let you make some decent money. Except you are not quite sure if the product works or it requires you to persuade someone to part with a large sum of money for something you felt quite certain that its priced too high? Now this becomes a little less clear and its merits become debatable. Would you accept the offer or would you pass?
What's your choice?
My believe is it depends on how you view this as an opportunity. If you, like some people, view this opportunity as a once-in-a-lifetime chance, you'd might jump on it. That said, you become controlled by the opportunity and hence surrender your destiny to this so-called opportunity. On the other hand, if you take the view that you are able to create opportunities for yourself, you may take another look to weigh the consequences and see if the opportunity is in line with your core values. At the end of the day, you might find that this opportunity fits hand-in-glove and you grab it. Or you might find there are some issues that are in conflict with your values and let it pass.
So, some of you might say, well not everyone is capable of creating opportunities for themselves, that's why some ends up more successful than others. Well, if you have nodded in agreement, you have just succumb yourself to the principle of limiting beliefs. Think about all those people who were not only not offered opportunities but had opportunities denied from them. People like Anne Sullivan who was not only not given the chance to go to school, but was denied from attending one. And everyone around her told her they won't let her.
Or Viktor Frankl who was thrown into a concentration camp and was not just denied of survival but had survival literally taken away from him. How did these two individuals who were not only denied of almost all opportunities but also being in a disadvantage position to be able to create the opportunities for themselves and even subsequently inspired many others after them? What sets them apart from you or me? I believe fundamentally it was the choices that they need to make.
If Anne Sullivan didn't go to school, she'd probably die of some infectious diseases that killed many other children. If Viktor Frankl didn't dived into the pile of corpes, he would have been gased or tortured to death by the Nazis. The choices they made allow them to not just look for opportunities but to create them.
So, the point here is simply this, to quote Sumner Redstone, CEO of Viacom from his Commencement Keynote Address to MBA Graduates Kellogg School of Management in 2002; “Opportunities never knocks”. You need to create them if you want to succeed. If you just simply look for opportunities, it may sometimes disguise itself in a form that cause you to miss it altogether. Besides if you believed that opportunity only knocks once, it means that once this opportunity is exploited, you will need to wait a while before something like this comes around again; and you'd still might miss. So meanwhile you should just settle for a mediore life.
Additionally, holding the perspective that opportunity only knocks once means they are rare; they are scarce. In short, it's limited in supply so if you don't take it someone else will. That is true if you believe that you can only look for opportunities and not create them, because you are just not smart enough, you just don't have enough capital, you just don't have the time, blah, blah, blah.
Once you accept the perspective of abundance you will be able to not just spot, but create opportunities. Just to use an analogy, you not being able to spot opportunities or spot them too late means it is reactive. To be proactive you got to be able to keep a look out for those 'rare' opportunities. Key point here is 'rare'. If you can anticipate the opportunities that are coming up, or trend spotting if you like, you ready yourself in anticipation of the opportunities.
Sometimes you are spot on, sometimes you couldn't feel more lousy than the man who predicted the end of the world every year only to have the day past without any commotion. However, when you are able to be creative and create opportunities, then your only limit is your imagination.
So, remember that opportunity never knocks. You need to create them. And you don't need an MBA to do that. All you need, first as an important pre-requisite is to hold the perspective of abundance.
If you were like me, you must have heard this phrase before and it's probably told to you either by someone who loves you or someone who wants to sell you something. There are two parts to this phrase and let us take a closer look at it one at a time.
Some of us probably heard that in order to be successful, you just need to be at the right place at the right time three times in your life. That is another load of garbage. Should you believe that opportunity only knocks once; you not only believe that opportunities are in control of you and not the other way round. Also, if you'd believe it to be true, it means you should be looking out for opportunities.
The fundamental flaw with this perspective puts you in a situation where you force fit yourself into the opportunity. Let me ask you this, if you saw a $50 bill on the floor, would you keep it? Probably yes, probably not. But if you knew that $50 bill dropped out of the pocket of an elderly ladt, would you keep it? Chances are you will not. Now, was that not an opportunity to have an extra $50 in your pocket? Yes. Was it there staring at you in the face? Yes. So why won't you keep it? I think for most people it is just not the right thing to do. This is pretty direct.
Now, what happens when its a situation where you are really in dire need of a job or an opportunity to let you make some decent money. Except you are not quite sure if the product works or it requires you to persuade someone to part with a large sum of money for something you felt quite certain that its priced too high? Now this becomes a little less clear and its merits become debatable. Would you accept the offer or would you pass?
What's your choice?
My believe is it depends on how you view this as an opportunity. If you, like some people, view this opportunity as a once-in-a-lifetime chance, you'd might jump on it. That said, you become controlled by the opportunity and hence surrender your destiny to this so-called opportunity. On the other hand, if you take the view that you are able to create opportunities for yourself, you may take another look to weigh the consequences and see if the opportunity is in line with your core values. At the end of the day, you might find that this opportunity fits hand-in-glove and you grab it. Or you might find there are some issues that are in conflict with your values and let it pass.
So, some of you might say, well not everyone is capable of creating opportunities for themselves, that's why some ends up more successful than others. Well, if you have nodded in agreement, you have just succumb yourself to the principle of limiting beliefs. Think about all those people who were not only not offered opportunities but had opportunities denied from them. People like Anne Sullivan who was not only not given the chance to go to school, but was denied from attending one. And everyone around her told her they won't let her.
Or Viktor Frankl who was thrown into a concentration camp and was not just denied of survival but had survival literally taken away from him. How did these two individuals who were not only denied of almost all opportunities but also being in a disadvantage position to be able to create the opportunities for themselves and even subsequently inspired many others after them? What sets them apart from you or me? I believe fundamentally it was the choices that they need to make.
If Anne Sullivan didn't go to school, she'd probably die of some infectious diseases that killed many other children. If Viktor Frankl didn't dived into the pile of corpes, he would have been gased or tortured to death by the Nazis. The choices they made allow them to not just look for opportunities but to create them.
So, the point here is simply this, to quote Sumner Redstone, CEO of Viacom from his Commencement Keynote Address to MBA Graduates Kellogg School of Management in 2002; “Opportunities never knocks”. You need to create them if you want to succeed. If you just simply look for opportunities, it may sometimes disguise itself in a form that cause you to miss it altogether. Besides if you believed that opportunity only knocks once, it means that once this opportunity is exploited, you will need to wait a while before something like this comes around again; and you'd still might miss. So meanwhile you should just settle for a mediore life.
Additionally, holding the perspective that opportunity only knocks once means they are rare; they are scarce. In short, it's limited in supply so if you don't take it someone else will. That is true if you believe that you can only look for opportunities and not create them, because you are just not smart enough, you just don't have enough capital, you just don't have the time, blah, blah, blah.
Once you accept the perspective of abundance you will be able to not just spot, but create opportunities. Just to use an analogy, you not being able to spot opportunities or spot them too late means it is reactive. To be proactive you got to be able to keep a look out for those 'rare' opportunities. Key point here is 'rare'. If you can anticipate the opportunities that are coming up, or trend spotting if you like, you ready yourself in anticipation of the opportunities.
Sometimes you are spot on, sometimes you couldn't feel more lousy than the man who predicted the end of the world every year only to have the day past without any commotion. However, when you are able to be creative and create opportunities, then your only limit is your imagination.
So, remember that opportunity never knocks. You need to create them. And you don't need an MBA to do that. All you need, first as an important pre-requisite is to hold the perspective of abundance.
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