Blog
Words. Wisdom. Winners.
Excuses
One task – One goal
Imagine designing a customer survey.
You want to know what your customers think of your product.
And while you are at it, you might as well ask them their age, gender, email.
Perhaps get them to even upload a selfie, so that the best one gets a prize. Gamification, as they say it.
Imagine inviting applications for an open role.
You want people to submit their resume.
And while you are at it, you might as well ask for their current compensation, expected compensation, references.
Perhaps get them to upload their marksheets, so that your database can be complete.
As I look back, I see most of my unsuccessful endeavors lying in the bracket of “One Task – Multiple Goals”
Rarely works
Instead – optimize your task for one and one goal alone. Recognize that everything else you add is most likely adding friction to the process. Lowering your chances of getting to the objective.
The survey is only to gather responses
The application is only to gather resumes
The campaign is only to gather traffic
The product is listed only to drive sales
The merchant is acquired only to generate trust
The task is meant to accomplish only one goal!
I have to defeat defeat!
Brilliant!
Who designed the rules around you?
Show me a successful person who has been a conformist in his life
And I will show you an unsuccessful person who calls himself successful
Look around you
The rules have been laid out by people who are no smarter than you
Challenge then
Change them
Look in the mirror
They are not understanding what I want to say
I can’t get this done because the process sucks
Employees are leaving because competitors are throwing money at them
I came late to office because of traffic
I don’t earn much because I don’t have a good degree
I am not confident because my parents couldn’t afford a good school
I want this but the world is conspiring against me
Each time you feel you deserve something or you have worked hard for something
And it’s not working out because someone outside of you has the controls
Look in the mirror
The strength is you
The competition is you
The enemy is you
Buying respect
If you are a business or P&L owner, here is a piece of advice you will thank me for
When speaking to your vendors, employees, ex-employees, agencies and everyone else who you will owe money – you should be the worst negotiator on earth. Squeeze them off the last penny they can afford to give you
But once agreed upon, always pay an hour earlier than you promised.
When you pay people their money on time, every single time, you buy respect that this money can never buy.
Ready to die
The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple, right?
– Will Smith, in an absolutely absorbing interview
Replace treadmill with working hard
Replace Will Smith with my name
I cannot be out-worked.
Honesty is not a choice you make
It doesn’t matter whether you are being honest or not in the conversation.
To be honest is not a choice you make
It’s the choice of the recipient.
Whether he wishes to listen
Whether he wishes to be honest.
With himself
What’s the promise you have made?
Nescafé has a beautiful new ad featuring a stand up comedian with a stutter (no – it’s not real, it’s acted out).
While there can be a post on how brands are becoming bold with their approach, the ad struck a different chord
Here is a comedian who is selling his stutter as a hook. His promise is “I am a comedian. But a lot others are. I am a comedian with a stutter. That’s me”
Tomorrow if he works on his stutter and overcomes it – will he be breaking his promise?
Adnan Sami didn’t promise to be the fattest guy playing a piano. He promised to be the fastest guy.
And that worked out just fine when he overcame his obesity.
Everyday we make promises.
To be the nicest manager.
To be the most aggressive salesperson.
To work long hours.
To always be there no matter what.
To work out from now on.
To eat right.
Will we always be able to deliver on the promise. Are we promising on our strengths or our weaknesses?
If you spend enough time
Watched The Dark Knight again. For the 7th time. Or maybe 8th. I don’t remember.
The trailer, when it first came out, blew me away. The movie matched every possible hype around. However, with more views I noticed flaws. In the story, the characters, the sequences.
Despite that, it remains one of my all time favorites. Because the experience delivered, even with the flaws, is way better than most other movies I see.
Movies are such. Only some of them are really good. Those awe you with their trailers. Make you fall in love with them when you see them. They are designed as an experience.
But over time you realize they are not all that perfect. They have their flaws. The story breaks down at places. The characters are weak at some instances.
And yet you chose to ignore these issues. Because they are better than most others.
There is something else that works like movies
People!
If you spend enough time – everything will have flaws.
But that may not be the best use of your time.
Subscribe to warikoo wanderings