Posts tagged generations
here an insight, there an insight, where an insight?
Feb 9th
So.
Every once in awhile in the ad/marketing business we talk about “what’s the insight that will help us create the big idea?”
Ok.
Not every once in awhile.
Actually ad nausea.
So often your head hurts.
In fact it may be the reason why people in the industry drink as often as they do.
Wow. I wonder if that is an insight.
Anyway.
Here is an insight to the aggravating people always asking for “an” insight.
There are product insights.
Company insights.
Consumer (or user) insights.
There are category insights for gods sake.
Insights are all around us (I wanted to use a gnat analogy but that could be construed as sarcastic).
Here an insight, there an insight, everywhere an insight (I believe that is a nursery rhyme insight reference).
In the end … a really good insight in marketing/brand management/product development/whatever development … marries the product and consumer needs.
Here is an insight.
Consumers don’t care about products or brands. All they care about is outcomes and results. Let’s , for simplistic sake, suggest that is “need.”
Some marketing insight guru described a consumer insight as “penetration into the target’s collective subconscious to unearth a link between untapped attitudes and behaviors to discover a deep-seated truth that reveals important needs/values the brand can exploit to connect with the target to impact attitudes and behaviors.”
That insight definition made my head hurt.
Especially the “exploiting” part.
But.
I do like the ‘deep seated truth‘ part.
Regardless. Suffice it to say the guru meant “an insight into need.”
<oops. Too simple>
Anyway.
There is no one insight.
And rarely is an insight more than just a window of opportunity (only to be replaced by another “insight” at another time).
The only thing that stays the same? That truth part.
Because the frickin’ truth is that if you want to change something in a consumer mindset (attitude) leading to purchase/usage (behavior) which benefits the brand (sales) … focus on some outcome/result.
Yeah … yeah … yeah … that ‘outcome’ may be a Maslow type outcome (self-worth, appearance, esteem, actualization, etc.) but that is outcome for god’s sake … not some mumbo jumbo on a voodoo thing I want to penetrate and exploit.
It is something real to a person. And if it is real … it is a truth. And if it is a truth it cannot be exploited … it can only be something that can be ‘met.’
And, by the way, if you happen to wrangle up an insightful truth (and make it through the mumbo jumbo marketing maze internally and externally) it really can impact what you do:
- Product design: how it looks and what it says on shelf or wherever you sell it. Why? Well. Now we can talk about exploiting. Because if you DID make it through the maze I can guarantee you are the exception to the rule … most of your competitors didn’t … therefore you can exploit their failure to do so (marketing gurus call this “weakness”).
- Marketing communication: this is obvious … but easier than you think (assuming you have made it to a ‘deep seated truth’) … why is it so much easier? Well.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm <I am thinking not humming>… because you have an opportunity to … well … speak the truth. Ok. It’s harder than you think despite that fact. Because even if you make it to this point (having identified the truth) a shitload of people will panic … they will want to dress the truth up in Lady Gaga like clothing trying to make the truth look ‘sexy’ (or more appealing). Why? Because sometimes people think the truth is too bland and needs to be spiced up. Marketing gurus make you think this way because they want to call his truth thing something like “an untapped compelling belief”. Yeah. Right. Marketing bullshit. Run away. As fast as you can.
So. This is easy if you are around people who accept that it is easy.
Ok. Next.
A lot of good insights are wasted. Not just because the window of opportunity closes while you dither around with whether the insight is really an insight or whether it is sexy enough … but because even with a good, or even mediocre, insight it gets wasted because then no one wants to identify who the insight should be communicated to.
Huh?
Yup.
It can be a real head scratcher but let’s say you find a nifty insight against a specific group … and then all of a sudden some genius stands up and says “tell everyone that … maybe they just didn’t know ‘x’ and we need to tell them … because … well … your presentation was great … and we should tell everyone the truth.”
In marketing layman’s terms this is some spineless jellyfish who doesn’t want to agree on a targeting choice but rather go to some broad audience (this is the infamous shotgun versus rifle battle).
Suffice it to say if most CMOs/Marketing/Agency decision makers were generals their armies would be carrying around shotguns and not rifles.
I think the Cosa Nostra called them “luparas” (lupara is an Italian word used to refer to a sawn-off shotgun traditionally associated with Cosa Nostra. The shortened barrel of a lupara lend itself to easier concealment and the lack of choke contributes to a wider spread of shot when the weapon is fired).
Yeah.
Well.
This is sounding more and more like the Valentine’s Day Massacre so maybe it is appropriate.
And it all starts so innocently.
“We need an insight.”
And it sounds simple … align purchaser need, an insight, and customer benefit and you can typically have a great opportunity to identify a good marketing idea.
Maybe it is simple because, once again, success revolves around the truth.
And maybe it is so frickin’ hard because, well, once again, it revolves around the truth.
In the end?
I end up discussing the mafia and shooting myself with a Lupara.
friends, feedback, influencing & a new economy
Feb 7th
So.
My thoughts on this topic were inspired by a trendwatching’s briefing called “The F-Factor.”
Their briefing (another excellent one by the way) discusses focuses how the impact of influencers’ on purchasing has increased because of the web (and the dynamics associated with the web).
By the way. Trendwatching has another excellent briefing called Crowd Clout from about 2007 or so which makes essentially the same point.
I am going to try and put my spin on their insights by talking a little about the past (the evolution of this whole influencer explosion) and the future (how it is creating a new economic model).
Let me begin by saying despite the advent of “social media & social marketing” that consumer decision-making has always been personal and social.
The truth is that consumer decision-making has always been about seeking feedback, leaning on what friends say and seeking ‘influencers’ thoughts … all of which influence the ultimate purpose.
This was true even before the media (or people seeking to create some ‘buzz’) added the word “social” to the marketing world. Yes. Even the marketing dinosaurs knew decision making ultimately had a significant social aspect.
What do I mean?
People talked amongst themselves.
People talked to their neighbors about home services.
People talked to relatives or friends about more personal decisions.
People reached out to trusted advisers (doctors for medical, veterinarians for pet stuff, dermatologists for skin stuff … well … you get the picture).
People talked and discussed.
In fact The Economist just did a great article on how Martin Luther built the entire Protestant faith off of ‘buzz.’
(boy … that is social media working at levels they could typically only dream of these days)
The difficulty we face in the current “what is buzzworthy” world we live in today is that it wasn’t called social back then therefore we seem to struggle in finding ‘successful past case studies’ (or at least ones that someone will pay attention to). In the “old” days … people simply sought out ‘experts’ (I use the term loosely … let’s assume the definition here is “someone who probably knows more than I do and can inform my decision making process”) to make a better decision.
Before social media you could always count on the following two factoids with regard to who influenced a purchase the most.
“Who do you speak with about making a purchase?”
1. Family. 1a. Friends. (you could flipflop or call it a tie pretty much all the time)
But something HAS changed.
The internet has changed our worldview on friends (and influencers).
“Our definition of friends has changed because of Facebook, and Twitter, where quantity as opposed to quality is now almost a mantra”.
Rick Murray, President, Digital Edelman Digitas
Well.
I don’t know that I totally agree with Rick from Digitas.
Oddly while social networks do increase quantity research has shown three key things (to indicate that quality is tagging along with the quantity characteristic):
1. A Pew Internet research study shows that internet has actually strengthened and expanded existing social roles of churches and fraternal organizations. Therefore the quantity has simply strengthened existing quality.
2. the same research showed that more frequent communications via text actually ENCOURAGES the desire to spend more face-to face time
3. the research also shows that texting requires more careful crafting than a telephone or face-to-face communications and 3 out of 10 teens say “that they are more honest with friends when they talk online” therefore quality is the underlying foundation among all this “random quantity” discussion.
Next.
And while we often talk about how internet is influencing people we need to be careful with the ‘influencing’ word.
Research shows that the web can assist in education but ultimately the final influencer remains one and the same as the past.
The most tangible example I have at my fingertips of this notion is the most recent 2011 NPD Group Aftermarket Consumer Outlook Study:
Q: “Where would you go to learn how to do repairs on your vehicle?”
- Friend/Family 57%
- Vehicle Repair Manual 46%
- Mechanic 42%
- Internet 42%
- Store Personnel 16% (yikes)
Basically a Mechanic is AS influential as the Internet in this decision.
One word thought here. Wow.
So.
The main point here is that a consumer now has access and is aware of more people (true friends as well as web based friends) and can have more frequent communication due to the digital revolution. Yet. Social media is simply the fact that the traditional benefits of an acquaintance network (personal or professional) and friendships can be more expansively realized than before.
The other truth is that products today are at the mercy of crowds of friends. Crowds providing unsolicited feedback and influencing hordes of consumers making decisions on a daily basis.
Yes.
This is the “F-Factor:”
It is the expanding scenario of consumers increasingly tapping into their networks of friends, fans, and followers to discover, discuss and purchase goods and services, in ever-more sophisticated ways. (source: trendwatching.com)
The F-Factor is a real part of people’s lives because it provides real value. Value in that it offers a purchase decision making opportunity that is more efficient, more relevant, and more interesting and provides more “depth/breadth” than before. In the past consumers either had to spend endless time and effort on trying to discover the best of the best, or had to rely on sources that were distant, unknown or untrusted, and therefore potentially unreliable or irrelevant.
Now the six degrees of separation (at least in the influencer world) has shrunk significantly to a “no degree of separation” influencer world (this entire phenomena is inherently changing the trust value equation).
So.
Trendwatching does a nice job of identifying five ways that the F-FACTOR can influence consumer-buying behavior:
1. F-DISCOVERY: How consumers discover new products and services by relying on their social networks (Friends).
2. F-RATED: How consumers will increasingly (and automatically) receive targeted ratings, recommendations and reviews from their social networks. (by the way … this is creating an entirely new industry of something called ‘curated consumption’ where non-experts become distributors of expert like information).
3. F-FEEDBACK: How consumers can ask their friends and followers to improve and validate their buying decisions.
4. F-TOGETHER: How shopping is becoming increasingly social, even when consumers and their peers are not physically together. (in other words, the web permits consumers to share real time information and feedback and opportunities … and this is like a pebble in a pond syndrome where relevance & interest creates ripples difficult to quantify when it works).
5. F-ME: How consumers’ social networks are literally turned into products and services (curated consumption at its best).
This is one of those situations where the internet has unequivocally changed the dimensions of existing attitudes & behaviors. Simplistically the web has put the old F-Factor on steroids. I say it that way to point out that the web has not created anything new (attitude wise) but rather has encouraged a desired behavior to new boundaries.
The internet has also expanded an interesting existing consumer aspect to this entire “influencer” situation.
It is expanding the entire trend of putting consumers to work (whether they recognize it or not).
Think about his for a second.
This trend existed before the web. The easiest early example of this was in the fast food industry. For example the consumer of the fast food restaurant is also to some degree an actual producer of the meal.
- Among other things, diners are expected to serve as their own waiters carrying their meals to their tables or back to their cars, sandwich makers (by adding fixings like tomatoes, lettuce, and onions in some chains), salad makers (by creating their own salads at the salad bar), and bus persons (by disposing of their own debris after the meal is finished).
This trend has existed for some time.
Putting consumers to work gained momentum with companies/brands after the birth of the fast food restaurant and has expanded to other industries:
- Being a gas attendant by pumping your own gas
- Serving as a bank teller at the ATM machine
- Working as the checkout cashier at the supermarket by scanning one’s own food, bagging it, and paying for it by credit card
- Being a ticketing agent by using electronic kiosks to check in at the airport
- Serving as an entertainment guide by co-creating a variety of experiences such as moving oneself through Disney World and its attractions
- Performing traditional medical professional services by using do-it-yourself medical technologies (e.g., blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors, pregnancy tests) that allow patients to perform their own medical tasks
- Being a caller on a call-in radio show
- Being part of a Reality TV show
And now the web has enabled brands (or is it consumer empowerment like everyone suggests) to put consumers to work in a wide range of sometimes subtle and less material ways (this is where the F Factor truly comes into play).
Once again.
Think about that.
Much of what happens (and is created) online is generated by the user. Today’s web experience is often being defined by users producing content (individually as well as collaboratively). It wasn’t that way in the beginning when most of what existed on the original web was provider-generated but lately there has been an explosion of “consumers doing the work.”
Some examples of how the internet is putting consumers to work:
- Wikipedia – where users generate articles and continually edit, update, and comment on them
- Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking websites – where users create profiles composed of videos, photos, and text, interact with one another, and build communities
- Second Life – where users create the characters, communities, and the entire virtual environment
- Blogs – where the commentary is produced by the consumer
- eBay – where users are their own selling agent & shipper
- YouTube and Flickr – where mostly amateurs upload and download videos and photographs
- Craigslist – where consumers (mostly) create the market
- Amazon – where consumers do all the work involved in ordering products and write the reviews. (in addition users’ buying habits and site navigation are documented to recommend products)
- Yelp! – where users create an online city guide by ranking, reviewing and discussing various locations and activities in their area
- The GeoWeb, which consists of online maps where, increasingly, users are creating and augmenting content with Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo tools. In fact. Google Maps users can fix errors; add the locations of businesses; upload photos; link Wikipedia articles to, and blog about their experiences with, or reviews of, places on the map.
And that’s not all.
Start thinking about the new “location awareness” tools, often used in conjunction with ‘smart’ cell phones with GPS technology, which allow users to track where they are at any given moment and upload this information to websites such as Facebook, Twitter or one’s blog (Google Latitude, Yahoo’s Fire Eagle and Loopt mobile phone application).
Sure.
This type of consumer involvement in consumption was certainly not invented by the internet, but given the massive involvement in popular online sites, it can be argued that it is currently both the most prevalent location of this new type of consumption (consumer) purchase model … and it is certainly the most important facilitator as a means of consumption.
Bottom line.
It can be argued that the web is influencing an entirely new consumption model.
A new economic model (as I so succinctly suggested upfront).
This leads me to my big finish.
Friends, feedback and influencers is bigger than simply the web or how brands can compete in this transparent world (where putting consumers to work doesn’t mean they are an employee).
The F Factor is impacting America & capitalism (forget about the whole brand and branding discussion … this is much bigger than that).
Capitalism itself will be transformed, perhaps radically, in this F-Factor world we live in. Several thoughts lead me to this conclusion.
First. The inability of companies (brands) to control consumers in the way, and to the extent, that they have been able to control consumers in the past. Due to increased transparency there is a greater resistance to the incursions of obvious capitalism (e.g. efforts to gain greater control and greater profits).
This does not bode well for the companies dabbling in Facebook & twitter & social marketing who are doing so with the intent to “influence or guide purchase behavior.”
Second. It is difficult to think of today’s consumer, mentally & attitudinally, as being exploited in the same ways as before. The whole idea of exploitation is contradicted by, among other things, the fact that today’s consumers seem to enjoy, even love, their involvement and what they are doing and are willing to devote long hours to it … for no pay.
Third. The emergence of a whole new economic model to conduct business because of the internet. Traditional capitalism is dependent on the notion of the exchange of money for goods and services and profits are made in those exchanges. However, little or no money changes hands between the users and the owners of many websites (for instance, users do not pay Facebook or Twitter to use the services).
For one thing there is the unwillingness of corporations and other organizations to pay for work done by these new web based influencers. This is compounded by the fact the new consumer increasingly prefer, and are able, to pay little or nothing for that which they consume on the internet (news, blogs, social networking sites, and so on).
Think about this as part of a new economic model.
Friends … family … influencers … or extended employees?
Yikes.
That will raise some hackles.
Yeah. Think about it.
What I have outlined is contrary to what Humphreys & Grayson (2009) argued that when corporations are involved this type of consumerism is simply the creation of “temporary employees” and thus does not indicate a fundamental change in capitalism.
However I contend that entire business models based around these new consumer types (the so called “temporary employees”) who are unpaid and given the product for free indicates the possibility of a new form of capitalism.
Now.
If you are a business and you are reading this, think about the implications.
All these “friends” providing feedback (unasked for or asked for) and influencing gazillions of attitudes (which generate some type of behavior) are your employees (paid or not).
They are your associates.
They are an extension of all those people who come in every morning, drink your own bad coffee and use the internet inappropriately during business hours in your office.
When you look at them that way would you choose to treat them differently?
Do things differently?
Think about your “social media” plans differently?
Even sit down with strategic planning and think about your business model differently?
I will help out here.
The answer to all of those questions should be “yes.”
The web is a powerful powerful facilitator of influence & business.
You may elect to call it “friends & feedback quantity” architecture but I suggest if you want to be successful you think about it as a “quality” mechanism which can impact a new economic model.
Intimidating? Possibly.
But if you don’t think of it that way you will probably influence no one and end up on the slippery slope of irrelevance (with no friends).
survival
Feb 6th
“it is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
I love this quote.
Mostly because those with ‘brawn’ scoff at those with ‘brains’, and vice versa, when survival (and that doesn’t have to mean life & death but rather success or failure) is being played out.
Regardless of the side someone is on … both believe they have the advantage regardless of the situation.
But.
Chuck (as Darwin was called to his closest friends) suggests you don’t have to be the sharpest knife in the drawer nor do you have to be the strongest tool in the drawer to survive.
You just have to be flexible. Responsive to what is happening. Have a willingness to adapt to the situation.
Flexibility is certainly an advantage if you have the desire to succeed at anything you do (ask any coach). We all face times when we have to deal with situations that do not “fit in” to our routine or our ‘comfort zone.’
I say “tough noogies” (not sure exactly what that means but I bet you get the point).
Adapt or die.
Sure.
One of the most frustrating things in life is when you have done your best and yet things still go wrong. Or maybe you didn’t get to where you wanted to get to (what you were ultimately aiming for).
You have to be flexible.
You have to adapt.
You have to have the ability to fit in a changed situation or to modify your behavior & actions accordingly.
If instead you stubbornly hold on to some things that don’t work … and repeat mistakes … this inflexible will cause failure (or simply not reaching what it is you were aiming for … which is a derivative of some type of failure).
By the way … in other words … continuous behavior along those lines means you will not survive.
Ultimately you have to decide to do things differently to experience different results.
Easy? Nope.
It can be uncomfortable. It can be emotionally draining.
We know that when we are asked to change again and again, the physical and psychological reaction, which is actually excessive stimulation to the system, puts our ability to adapt under massive strain. All the change produces stress and carries with it a physical and emotional price tag. The more radical the change … the bigger the price tag.
Excessive stimulation has at least three levels — sensory, cognitive and decisional. To help us function, each of us has developed strategies or destimulation tactics to lower the level of stimulation when we feel uncomfortably close to the limits of our adaptive range. We use these tactics every day, often unconsciously. By becoming conscious of them we can increase their effectiveness. By examining our own responses to overstimulation we can learn ways of consciously influencing change. We can begin by influencing small events, then expand our influence to larger patterns of experience.
At this but you need to detach and rise above all that you are today so that you can be tomorrow.
You need to not only be prepared to recognize when change needs to occur (typically there is a threshold on where you need to stop fighting the change or risk falling so far behind you cannot catch up or just be ‘eliminated’ at that time … oh … that survival thing) but you also need to be ready to change.
Look.
Everyone has the capability to change.
In fact I have a nifty chart which shows how most people accept & accommodate change:
Its pretty simple but shows that we need to work through the different levels of response to effect change. I would imagine there are several points to be made but here are the two from me:
- you learn as you move through each phase at each point actually changing how you think about future problems/challenges to further change
- you can get stuck anywhere in any phase at any time (the nifty chart actually helps show how easy it is to NOT change because you get stuck somewhere).
So. As change is introduced to you & your life you are forced through all four levels. I would imagine the last conclusion would be to attain the fourth level as quickly as possible.
Anyway.
Survival, and change, pretty much always depends on the most basic first step – believe that you are able to make the changes. And take the first step.
Without that? You have the thought …. but no action.
And the result of no action? Lack of survival again.
All that said …
I tend to believe a lot of people will read the Darwin quote and seek to find meaning within ‘survival of the fittest’ bigger picture.
Think small my friends.
Think day-to-day.
Think “me.”
Think that survival is about adapting to the environment around you.
And adapting means “initiating a new order of <personal> things ….”
”It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only luke-warm defenders in all those who profit by the new order. This luke-warmness arises partly from fear of their adversaries, who have the laws in their favor, and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had an actual experience of it”. – Machiavelli
Bottom line.
Always think about how can you adapt.
By the way … I am not suggesting (and I believe Chuck Darwin wasn’t either) 100% change to adapt … successful change typically begins by pinpointing anchors of stability (one you either have or can develop) which help to make the transition change not only viable but more likely successful for you..
Regardless.
Make change your constant companion and friend.
the more things change the more they stay the same
Dec 27th
First.
Because of the business I am in (marketing advertising business consulting) I am constantly inundated with the buzzwords associated with the “new and unique” … and all the pontificators who spout them … and how people are constantly suggesting the world is changing – like it has never changed before.
Second.
Because of the age I am at …. I am constantly inundated with how people of my generation suggest <state> how today is more difficult for people than ever before.
I admit.
I kind of chuckle when I hear all this.
I often seem to create a maelstrom of conversational misery when I state things like “change is the constant companion of every generation” … or say something like “it isn’t any more difficult for this generation it is just different.”
Frankly. Most people my age think I am nuts when I say it. Shit. Most people any age.
Or think I am out of touch with what is happening around us.
Ok.
If I were sensitive, I would care.
Or more likely I would care if I didn’t find quotes like this.
“… my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age in which we live. No nation can now shut itself from the surrounding world and trot around the same old path of its fathers. A change has come over the affairs of mankind. … intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the globe.”
This sure sounds like something you may have heard on CNN or BBC from someone talking about what is happening in the Middle East or Russia.
Or maybe on CSPAN talking about the shifting global economy.
But.
Think 1850 (or abouts).
Think Frederick Douglas in a speech in NYC.
Think about the fact that each generation has faced some radical change and thought process and attitude.
Yup.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
what also stays the same?
Each generation gets “left behind” as another races toward what will be.
And there is friction between generations. It is friction created because the generation always being left behind is the older one.
The one that is supposed to be smarter.
The one that is supposed to know the best.
Well. Is this a generalization? Sure. But the truth? Mostly.
Pieces or parts smarter and know the best? Yes. Sure.
On the whole? Nope.
Ok.
To be fair. A minority of those being left behind actually enjoy the ride. They empower the youth. Fuel it. Guide it. Not restrict it. Those few get to enjoy a longer thrill ride.
But they are few.
On the whole the majority of the older generation holds on for dear life to what they know and makes them comfortable. And it would possibly be okay of they did that and remained silent … but instead they complain about what is lost within the following generations and try and slow change.
It is too bad.
For by focusing on what is lost they neglect to have the amazing opportunity to see what is gained.
But.
Regardless.
In the end.
Change comes upon us whether we want it or not. As Frederick Douglas said in 1850 … ‘you cannot ignore the intellect of the world.’
True in 1850.
True in 2011.
True in 2172.
Ok. Moving on to business.
Yup. A comment on the business aspect of this thought (older generations holding on to older thoughts).
This is the craziest aspect.
Big business is always (ALWAYS) slow to change. It is part of their personal survival-thinking DNA.
But its actually death-thinking DNA.
Creative Destruction is all about the small (entrepreneurs) disrupting and destroying the status quo and that of ‘the big’ and through the destruction they begin recreating what is right and good for the economy.
So.
After reading that you may think “old” entrepreneurs would be part of the minority “happy few change agents.” (the few who recognize that the more things change the more they stay the same)
Well. Nope.
Most typically they are actually the worst ‘non-change’ offenders.
Yes. All generations exhibit more conservative less risky behavior as they age.
But. Successful entrepreneurs, turned successful independent business owners, seem to most often exhibit this conservative (on steroids) behavior. My guess it is driven mostly by fear of losing what they gained (by the way … thinking this way isn’t exactly a stupendous growth strategy nor a healthy business environment if you want to have millennials as employees). But I also believe there is an aspect of refusal to let go of things that brought them that success.
That which made them successful they now disregard, and have discarded, under the guise of “maturity” or ‘mature businesses need to be managed differently than growth businesses’.
Oh.
And it is all compounded by their belief that past failed attempts should be avoided (even if someone has a thought on how that “failed” scenario could be viewed differently and therefore maybe the learning from that experience may have been flawed).
Now. I am not suggesting all past experience should be ignored. Or that successful entrepreneurs need to completely relive their aggressive risk (but smart) behavior that carved out their success.
But older business owners need to let go of some ‘beliefs.’ Not because they are wrong but rather because they are wrong ‘now.’
In addition sometimes new people provide new perspective on their growth (success & failures) experience. The new people possibly have just seen “from the other side” and discern different learnings.
It is fresh perspective.
And most independent business people lose perspective as time goes on …. because they have cocooned themselves within their successful behavior.
Regardless. This rant post all comes down to several overarching thoughts.
Each generation faces radical adversity.
Each generation facilitates extraordinary change (beneficial as a whole).
Each older generation is extraordinarily reluctant to release that which is comfortable to them (and what they “know” … or believe to know).
And, lastly.
We older folk, manager types, should reflect upon this.
Why?
Because we are managers. And we are managers of those who will beget what will be better than what we have done or created. That doesn’t diminish what we have done. And we should embrace the fact we have created an environment for others to go farther than we were able to go.
We wonder why managing young people (call them millennials if you would like) is so difficult?
Well. It is because we are holding them back (in general). It’s like trying to tame mustangs in the Wild West. Except we, unlike the savvy old cowboys, don’t reflect on the beauty of the wildness of the mustang as we try and tame them. We simply see the wild untamedness and believe it is a shame they are so wild.
Older managers, to be successful, need to admire the beauty of the untamed. And not seek to break the mustangs but rather guide their energy to enable them to take the herd to the heights it deserves.
A poetic metaphor (bad one)? Maybe.
But certainly something worth thinking about.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
perfection the thief
Sep 15th
Ok.
Perfection (or doing things 100% perfect) is an interesting discussion.
Because trying to do something well … in fact perfectly … is am admirable objective. The issue comes to the forefront when all of a sudden you begin thinking perfection isn’t an objective but rather attainable … at all time in all situations.
THAT is one of the crazy things affecting business today. The seemingly relentless pursuit, and demand, for perfection.
Or.
Maybe let’s say “get it 100% right all the time.”
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm …
Let’s think about that one for a moment.
It creates an excuse to procrastinate in decision-making.
It creates a fear of mistakes.
It actually creates a lower “standard” (i.e., ‘let’s make the objective so we achieve perfection and can claim perfection success’ versus ‘let’s aim for the fucking best that we can do if we max out and we may make some mistakes along the way but we outperformed those assholes who claimed 100% perfection by a mile.’)
It creates an entire generation of managers who look backwards instead of forward (i.e., lets re-explore every detail to see why we made that one mistake so we can refine our process so that we can achieve 100% perfection).
It creates a lot of angst and unnecessary pressure (on the wrong things).
Maybe the worst?
Think about what we are teaching (encouraging) our young people to do?
Do fewer things that could possibly end in less than perfection.
Take fewer chances.
Perfect mediocrity is better than flawed excellence or brilliance.
(now THAT was a scary sentence to write)
Yup.
That’s what happens.
So. Maybe if instead of perfection we encourage doing your best.
Striving to be better.
Stuff like that. Everybody is so scared of mistakes our version of today’s perfection is “what is the lowest bar I can achieve and guarantee no mistakes”.
I think that is what we have come to.
Oh. And add to that last thought … “Well. The only way we could make a mistake (or not be perfect) is because there is a flaw in the system.” (and then you invest so much energy reviewing an existing system or analyzing peoples behavior or tearing apart what was exactly done that you have … well. … expended a shit load of energy)
Look.
I am not suggesting that mistakes shouldn’t be reviewed to insure they were mistakes of laziness or stupidity. But at some point you have to believe in your systems and process and people and say “my perfection is a 95 percent success”. Huh? What do I mean by that? Well. If that 5 percent consists of some part honest human error and another part people just trying shit as improvement. Well. That is ok. In fact that may be perfect.
Oh.
And not all perfections are created equal.
I don’t encourage spectacular errors but I have to tell ya.
When one of my group has made one and it was because they were going 120 percent like a bull in a china shop … well … a part of me wants to pat them on the back and say “awesome. Let’s do it again. Cause next time it just may be spectacular. Not a spectacular error.”
Oh.
The next struggle with perfection.
Let’s call this perfection procrastination.
“The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides never decides.” – Henri Frederic Amiel, Swiss Philosopher
The sometimes (seemingly) unattainable goal of perfection freezes you.
You don’t even get started. At its worst it is “theft.” Perfection has stolen action.
When you let perfection get in your way you end up settling for less or even worse … nothing (or maybe even worse … less than the best …).
And it’s all because you cannot envision having the time or being able to invest the energy to complete the task or objective perfectly … so you decide to not even do it. Theoretically we are creating an entire generation of “non-finishers.”
“I went for years not finishing anything because, of course, when you finish something you get judged.” Erica Jong
And this is like a domino effect. If no one finishes then no one learns the satisfaction (or peace of mind) of job well done. Or what Julia Louise Woodruff called “out of the strain of doing, into the peace of done.”
Ok.
Let’s be clear. While I am ranting about perfection procrastination and what this whole fear of ‘less than perfect’ steals from us. It is a good thing to aspire for perfection.
Its balance (of which we in the business world seem to becoming worse at over the years rather than better).
I am suggesting there is a difference between aiming toward perfection and doing perfection. Because I do believe aiming at it is always a good thing.
“Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.” – Lord Chesterfield
But.
All that said with a good dose of reality.
I do believe what leaders (and some parents I believe) often forget is that perfection is a moving target. In life and, yes, in business.
“When you aim for perfection, you discover it’s a moving target.” – Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury
Anyway.
There does seem to be this wacky belief in the business world a\that perfection is NOT a moving target. It is something unstill and unmoving and a set & solid objective we are all running toward.
It ties into the whole ‘measurement’ and ‘standards’ game we all seem to be stuck playing.
The infamous … “well, how do we know if we are doing it well if we don’t measure it?”
Oh. We could assume good ole Red’s management style (and he did win a shitload of NBA titles):
“Just do what you do best.” – Red Auerbach
But.
This whole perfection thing makes it tough. We won an NBA championship but we lost 20 games. And 10 games were really close and we could have lost them. We weren’t perfect. C’mon. I know I am being silly but can’t you hear this in the business world?
Yes. We completed the project on objective.
But remember the 2 mistakes we made along the way. What can we do to make it go perfectly next time (even though exactly replicating any project is almost impossible … oh … it’s that moving target thing … sigh).
Anyway.
I wrote this awhile back. And rereading it I am not sure I would change a word.
I didn’t realize I was writing about how perfection is killing business but in a way I was.
“All you can really ask is for someone to do the best they possibly can.” – Anonymous (and me)
I have said this a zillion times. And I have no clue who I stole it from. But if I could beat this into the head of every leader in the world I would be willing to staple the piece of paper with the quote on it to my forehead. Sometimes we ask so much of our people it is amazing. And, yes, many people do not know what they are truly capable of until they are pushed to aim for something seemingly impossible. I am a pretty demanding leader. I set an incredibly high bar for my team. But in the end all I ask is that they do their best. And if it isn’t enough they we can say we didn’t succeed for lack of trying. And sometimes that’s as good as it gets. And sometimes that is when I have been proudest of people I have led. Ask the best of people and I believe most people will surprise you by doing a little better.
Perfection is a dangerous concept in today’s business world.
And even worse, it is a dangerous to the lessons we are teaching the next generation of leaders.
The bad news for me?
Rereading this I see some imperfections.
Damn.
I probably shouldn’t post his until its perfect (watch for this in 2013).
slippery slopes
Sep 14th
“Sliding down the slippery slope of mediocrity.” – david olgilvy
Ok.
I believe he actually said “the slippery surface of irrelevant brilliance” but I thought I saw somewhere he said what I wrote above.
Regardless.
A great thought from a great writer and what I would call a great leader (even though he may not have been the most flexible of leaders).
But. This isn’t just a business lesson but also a life lesson. Because it is about compromise and “half-truths” and a whole bunch of things.
It is absolutely so easy to compromise – in business and in life.
“Just this once” you say to yourself when you are tired. Whatever the decision or action it may be to you in the moment it is mentally “an exception”.
“Just this once” when you are asked a question. Maybe you embellish.
“Just this once” you say to yourself when you put off that thing you wanted to do. A workout. A chore. A diet. A phone call you wanted to make.
And before you know it (after some “just this onces”) you are on that slippery slope.
Life is funny that way.
Think of it maybe this way.
In that incomparable (and totally underrated) movie The Replacements there is a scene where Keanu Reeves talks about it as “quicksand”.
It’s the same thing.
You get in it. And you fight hard but you just can’t stop sliding down. In fact the harder you try the worse it seems to get.
And it is a truly helpless feeling. That’s quicksand in life.
That is the slippery slope.
Oh.
Maybe the worst thing about the slippery slope is that most people don’t realize they have started sliding until it is too late. Because the slope is tricky. Sly in fact. It teases you with some easy low consequence decisions upfront. You are on a diet and just have one dessert. On occasion (some people are tempted to call this “reward for good behavior” which is simply another trick the slippery slope plays upon you).
Maybe the slope even tempts you with permitting a small embellishment. Just a small addition at the end of a thought. Just a couple of words you wish you hadn’t said but didn’t seem to be that big. And the next time it becomes a few more words. And then before you know t the embellishment has taken on a life of its own.
Anyway.
It is one of my quests in life to find good people who have mistakenly started the slide and lend a hand to pull them back up.
Professionally and personally.
Does that mean I am better than mediocrity? Shit no.
I just recognize that sense of helplessness and I like people to have hope – for something better.
And I also believe there are a shitload of really good people … and I mean good as in talented and good as in heart & soul … who just get caught on the slope and life makes it even more difficult to figure out a way to get off the fucking slope.
Anyway. This quote reminds me of two things.
1. Pay attention to everything. It’s the only way to insure mediocrity can’t gain momentum (because we all have to compromise on occasion)
2. Help those who have that look of “how the hell did I get so far down this slope” by grabbing their hand and pulling them back up whenever you have a chance. There are some incredible people and some incredible talent out there that just got caught on life’s slippery slope. It doesn’t mean they are mediocre by any stretch of the imagination.
It is simply that they got caught on the slippery slope and didn’t know how to get off.
Ok.
Because I used a Replacements scene as an example of the slippery slope (and a really good scene in the overall perspective of the movie with a good message about second chances and shit like that) I want to end with one more Replacements reference.
“Greatness, no matter how short, stays with a person forever.” – gene hackman (replacements)
For some of us greatness will never be a lifetime tag. In fact for many of us (me for sure).
But.
A great moment? A great action? A great thing? Yeah. We all have it in us. We shouldn’t dwell on it (for a life is never defined by one moment of greatness). But a short moment of greatness … when someone who has been stuck on the slippery slope and is struggling to get off and just can’t see how … well … remind them of their moment of greatness and point out what made it happen and what they are capable of .. and … in a great way …. You may also have achieved your own moment of greatness.
And, that … is what makes life pretty awesome.
festina lente
Sep 14th
Ah. festina lente … latin for … “make haste slowly” – Emperor Augustus
First.
About Augustus.
Augustus was born with the name Octavian. Well educated in philosophy, rhetoric, and military skills as a boy, he was adopted by his uncle Julius Caesar and became his heir. When Caesar was assassinated, Octavian raised an army to claim his inheritance and avenge his uncle’s murder. At the battle of Actium in 31 BC, he defeated the last of his opponents, Mark Anthony, and took control of Rome.
Second.
Good ole Augustus said a number of smart things but this quote is a humdinger.
Haste and slow.
Patient quickness?
Anyway.
It’s all about being choiceful in movement rather than just scurrying around.
So often we are hasty in our lives.
And by being hasty we often miss opportunities to take advantage of the moment.
This quote by Augustus tells us to do as much as possible, but while managing your time as well.
Maybe in other words … try and enjoy all of the aspects of your life and moments in your life but don’t dawdle (I love typing that word) over the meaningless.
The challenge is that it is equally important to take in the moment, make a moment meaningful, and find the best way to make it last … and still make sure you get going ‘with haste’ to make the next meaningful moment.
But.
I do know I chose this quote because it could be applied to all of our lives.
We have all seen it (and depending on your own personality you live it up and down the scale of “all the time” to “some of the time”) where something needs to be done in a hurry and you go so fast you make mistakes.
Learning to pace yourself and find the optimum speed is not easy.
Controlled speed. Whew. It is difficult as the list of things to do grows and life around you seems to be going a zillion miles an hour.
I actually suggest this is like when you were a kid and the old playground merry-go-round thing is spinning and you are judging when to jump on (or jump off I guess).
You aren’t running around it in circles and then jumping on … you wait … maybe take a couple of steps to get some speed and jump on.
For girls? That jump rope thingy thing they always did (which I couldn’t do because every time I tried to jump into the spinning jump ropes I simply got tangled up like a fly I a spider web). Wait. Patient. Choose your moment. Make haste (or end up like I did all the time on that jump rope thing).
Okay.
Making haste slowly though isn’t about standing still.
Doing nothing and waiting for matters to right themselves will only make things worse. On the other hand rushing into hasty decisions is equally bad.
Even though we might need to get from one place to another quickly, we can still maintain a mindful awareness of our actions.
It’s funny.
Being hasty sometimes doesn’t mean you get more of your to do list done and instead sometimes actually backs you into a corner timewise.
If you aren’t careful you find yourself sprinting from one place to another inevitably dropping things, forgetting things, or making mistakes that you would normally not make if I were moving more slowly.
Haste often makes us believe the world is conspiring against us with the intent to make time seem never-ending yet never enough.
The computer takes forever to shut down. The car keys mysteriously misplace themselves. That one phone number disappears into thin air.
Oh. And maybe you find your haste costs you more time when you realize after leaving home that you’ve forgotten something and have to double back.
So.
When the urge to ‘make haste’ takes over?
Try to remember to slow things down, be patient and then make haste.
I do call this patient quickness. The balance between haste and patience.
If you are lucky enough to find that balance you seem to get into a flow of things and things just seem to move more easily.
Anyway.
In the end?
The “need for speed” is a myth.
Being fast is not something to be admired (unless maybe you are an Olympic runner or NASCAR race car driver).
In the end, everyone will remember how well you did something and not how fast you did it.
Life (in particular) is meant to be lived … so … stay thirsty my friends … and … make haste slowly.
travels of reading part 1
Sep 7th
So.
This is part a rant about people who don’t take advantage of reading and part simply a plea for people to read as often as they can.
Let me begin with the traveling ‘thing’ I mention upfront.
I have been extremely fortunate in my life to have had the opportunity to travel the globe. And experience lots of things. And see a lot of different things.
But even with that.
I tend to believe books and reading have offered the best travels I have ever experienced. Yeah. I do love reading and I believe reading books really is like traveling.
Traveling to places. To thoughts. To others minds. To other types of thinking. To fresh ideas.
It is an absolute fact that everyone has the opportunity to see so many things through reading.
And imagine things with limitless boundaries.
And experience thinking and ideas and combinations of words that energize the mind and the heart and the soul.
Reading just gets you … well … thinking. Just thinking about things.
We all have found those moments in books when reading.
There are those moments when you actually traveled through a slice of someone ‘else’s life living it word by word.
As I typed that I remember I was fortunate to be given a proofers copy of The Horse Whisperer and asked my opinion. I know I gave it a great review.
And I believe it made me cry in the first 50 pages (which may be one of the most heart wrenching tangled emotional ‘stepping into a moment’ sections of a book I have ever encountered).
That is an example of traveling through someone else’s life experience.
You travel through their experience and feel it. In your gut. You live it. You get so close to the moment through the words you feel like you have traveled there.
I find the same (but different) feeling when I read The Economist.
Anyway.
Anyone who reads knows about the moments when you come across a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things that you’d thought and it was lurking in your own mind and it appears on a page articulated by by someone else, someone you’ve never met, maybe even someone long passed.
It’s as if someone has heard your thought and knew you couldn’t figure out a way to put it in words and has traveled to say “here it is, worry no more, for now you know what it is.”
And, of course, (because I am consistent on this issue and I am who I am) reading an easy path to knowledge.
Of course you can gain knowledge through experience, or discussion, or other paths … but reading is so freely available and simple that it can only be deemed a great failure to anyone who doesn’t encourage it as a core activity … if not privilege.
I do know I would like to see America become a place that’s proud of intellectual curiosity. But I fear too often intellectual curiosity is belittled by people whose idea of culture is determined by television or People-type magazines or internet blogs.
You would like to think that knowledge should be a lifelong goal and not something satisfied by high school mandatory reading lists or four years of college … but rather a lifetime of reading.
Here is the issue (ok. some issues).
Okay. Some statistics.
From bookstatistics.com:
- 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
- 42% of college graduates never read another book.
- 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
- 70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
Ok.
Did you know that there are approximately 30 million adults in the U.S. who can’t read?
Yikes.
THAT last one sends a shiver down my spine.
While I would like to think most people would like to read (like I do) but I guess I also assume they can actually read.
But.
Look at number 2 on the list. 80% of families did not buy or read a book. 80 frickin’ percent.
Whew.
What happens to us (from childhood where we seem to have endless supplies of books to read)?
I do know that one of my favorite childhood memories is “reading” The Hobbit.
Ok. I didn’t read it. Our teacher read it to us in installments in elementary school in ‘reading time.’
Afterwards? I couldn’t wait to get my own hands on it.
Since then I have read it and the entire Lord of the Rings maybe 10 times. I have no idea at what age was my first time but it has to be very young. I remember being fascinated, excited and impatient waiting for the next chapter to unfold. I created pictures in my mind at each reading and the next day another picture would be drawn.
So.
I am not suggesting everyone love reading as much as I do.
But understanding what reading has to offer is important.
Not everyone can physically travel and books not only give someone an opportunity to travel anywhere in the ‘now’ but they give you an opportunity to travel through time … and see ideas past, present and future.
Look. I know reading books certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on becoming “smart.”
I’ve read some amazing stuff online, and I’ve read amazingly thought provoking newspaper articles (not in local papers but the NY Times or The Guardian). And I do think staying open to new media is a key sign of intellectual curiosity.
I don’t know.
In any case, I don’t know if people who don’t read lack intellectual curiosity. I think there can be other ways to satisfy intellectual curiosity (particularly in today’s web crazy world).
But I do think if you don’t read you can find yourself with a lack of ability to think in the abstract and the potential.
You may have heard the term “lifelong learning.”
Though learning begins when we are children education is truly a never ending process (and reading can play an important part of learning for everyone). Reading not only keeps us informed about the world around us but also provides intellectual stimulation and helps keep us mentally sharp.
Reading offers benefits not found in more “passive” media.
It gives the brain a much better workout than does watching television. When we watch TV, we take in the information in a passive way. But reading allows the mind to:
- pause, reflect, think
- operate more actively
- use intellect and emotion together
- develop a longer attention span.
Oh.
And on that last bullet point. To those of you who may say “I don’t have the attention span to read.” Well. There ain’t anyone out there who has a shorter attention span than I do. I have the attention span of a gnat. And still a book can suck me in to a place where it doesn’t become about ‘attention’ any more but rather ‘involvement.’
Ok.
Regardless of all my own personal ramblings on the greatness of reading there are some actual studies (if you doubt that this whole reading is traveling thing is really for you).
- Carnegie Mellon scientists discovered that the volume of brain white matter in the language area of the brain increased after study participants followed a six-month daily reading program. The Carnegie Mellon study proved that the brain structure can be improved by training poor readers to become better readers.
- In 2009, Mayo Clinic conducted a Study of Aging that offered some good news for middle-aged and senior adults. Reading a book and other cognitive activities could decrease the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
This says we should assume the brain is like a muscle. Studies prove that exercising it and stimulating it makes it stronger. Reading stimulates brain activity. Reading a variety of “things” (blogs, books, newspapers, etc.) challenges the brain to think in new directions and absorb new concepts and information.
And children?
Children benefit from reading on many levels. Parents actively stimulate their child’s brain by sharing a reading time with them. Interactive reading time creates a shared bond between parent and child along with provoking a child’s natural curiosity about the world and environment.
Giving a child a chance to ask questions, express an interest in a particular topic, and hear new vocabulary and ideas forms a positive impression on a child that lasts a lifetime. Children with poor reading skills have a tendency to feel more anxious and sad (that comes from a study but I lost the source).
Reading also means we are in more control of how we learn and absorb different ideas. We can skim over portions that interest us less, move backwards and forwards, reread and, as in my case, make notes or write spectacularly articulated things down.
Reading helps keep us oriented and engaged.
Science, history, biographies, self help, religion, philosophy … the list is really endless … all make our ‘world’ a little more ‘full’ (but it is a glass that can never actually be completely filled) with each book we read.
I left this to the end because people who haven’t really figured out how to enjoy reading don’t “get” this. But there is an amazing pleasure to sitting down with a good book. It’s kind of like traveling to anywhere in the world (imagined or real) without leaving the comfort of our own chair. We can visit a fantasy realm with JRR Tolkien, or the American West with Louis L’Amour, or solve a mystery with Sherlock Holmes or see the intricacies of war with Tom Clancy. (that list could truly go on and on)
So.
In the end.
Some people will never ever be interested in learning unless dragged, kicking and screaming.
My biggest hope is that we adults (the ones who don’t like reading) don’t hinder our kids natural curiosity about the world and still encourage them to read (it is unfortunate that kids typically do as they see … so … if you don’t read they don’t feel compelled to do so).
I do know that I will never quit trying to give everyone the opportunity to love reading and knowledge and encouraging curiosity.
Why?
Because not all of us have the privilege to travel.
And books give everyone the privilege to travel.
Doesn’t get much simpler than that.
travels of reading part 2
Sep 7th
“You get a little moody sometimes but I think that’s because you like to read. People that like to read
are always a little fucked up.” Pat Conroy
This is a follow up to my reading part 1 (which was serious about the importance of reading).
This is more a rant (and a warning) on how people who love to read abuse their joy of reading.
This possibly provides a counterbalance to my disdain for people who waste the opportunity to permit their minds to travel through reading … which is a luxury everyone can afford and has access to regardless of budget.
So.
Readers can take things to absurd levels (simply because they read).
Pretentious.
Pompous.
Treating people who don’t read (or are not “well read”) as lesser beings (and they can do it overtly or in sneaky but still pompous ways).
Oh.
And the perpetual idiotic rephrasing or quoting of literature (rather than seek their own words).
Using quotes can be lazy.
Just as using any words of others can be lazy.
For reading is only good if you are using it to increase your own intellectual thinking.
And to come up with your own ideas.
And to express your own thoughts and ideas better,
Reading is traveling.
Traveling through other people’s thoughts and ideas.
And, sure, it is okay to show pictures of your trips and travels but you don’t want to read from the guidebooks as you tell everyone about the trip … they want to hear your thoughts and experience it through your eyes and words.
Yeah.
I am certainly a lover of a well crafted written thought. That poetic turn of phrase. Even that full chapter of prose that when it ends you finally exhale. And then only to turn back upon on some pages and reread something because the way the words have been put together it stirs something inside you … it could be your soul … it could be your mind … it could just be ‘something’ but those words have created an imprint upon you.
But.
The imprint is often best used in your own words when shared.
Do I use quotes or literary references? Sure. You bet I do.
Do I use them to replace my own words? Rarely.
I use someone else’s words to either emphasize my own thoughts or introduce my thoughts or (in a business environment) to honestly “steal a moment.”
(note: ‘stealing a moment definition: that would be when the meeting is spinning in a direction and you cannot seem to stem the stream of unfocused idiocy spewing forth and you grab an appropriate quote out of your memory banks – because frankly your own words haven’t done shit to steer everyone away from whatever the hell it is they are saying – and you grandly toss someone else’s words out into the air. That, my friends, is the art of stealing a moment with a quote.).
Anyway.
Reading is useful only when … well .. you make it useful.
Reading and learning and saying nothing is a waste.
Reading so you don’t have to do your own thinking is a waste.
Reading to solely use other people words is a waste.
Reading to simply say things to show you are better and smarter (well, maybe more ‘well read’) is a waste.
Oh.
And not reading is the worst waste.
Beyond my quote/using others words rant.
If you are a reader and love books?
Don’t abuse your love for reading. Don’t just talk but listen.
And share after listening.
Your attitude with what you have gained from reading can either encourage someone to pick up a book or discourage some from reading.
If you love to read, you are an ambassador for reading and need to think of yourself as such.
Think of yourself as a curiosity fulfillment teacher. Think of it as your own personal “no person left behind” program.
Advocate reading don’t belittle someone who doesn’t.
And if you struggle to figure out how to encourage someone to read?
Maybe steal someone else’s words … Charles Schultz (Peanuts author):
“This is my report on the importance of knowing how to read. If you can’t read and you get a love letter, you won’t know what it says. That would be very sad. Although in the long run, it also could save you a lot of trouble.”
- Charles Schultz
answering dress code questions
Aug 1st
So.
When you get into top management slots in businesses you begin having to discuss some of the most random things … most of which you would assume would be just common sense.
But. I will tell you that the discussion you have with employees is absolutely nothing compared to those same discussions in the Executive meeting. All these senior executive types start talking about serious crap like “did you see what Evelyn wore to the office the other day” and getting their proverbial panties in a wad.
And then, of course, you have the head honchos who look around and sagely say “well, I worked my way through the business and it was because I wore “x” all the time and people took me seriously and that was the secret to my success.”
(note: not that maybe they may have actually said something smart said or done something right on occasion).
It is typically at this stage of the executive meeting where things start spiraling completely out of control. Because, while no one had anything constructive to suggest when the discussion was about … say … the strategic direction of the company all of a sudden everyone has an opinion on dress code. And then there are the brown nosers who line up behind the leader and shout “yeah, we wore that too and that’s why we got promoted and clients loved us.”
It was in meetings like this I was torn between becoming a human bobble head and becoming sea sick or simply falling into a coma as all useable oxygen was sucked out of the room.
So. Below is a typical management outline of company Dress Code doublespeak non clear direction and my interpretation.
Q. What does “business appropriate” mean?
A. We have chosen “business appropriate” as the preferred way of describing our dress standard. This acknowledges that the work you do should guide your choice of dress rather than having a formal dress code. Some individuals have incorrectly interpreted business appropriate as casual dress. (For example, wearing weekend attire to work.)
- WTF. I believe they are saying formal wear (black tie) is preferred versus formal sandal wear. If I were creative (and wanted to get fired) I could argue business appropriate means appropriate for business I work on … for example … if I work on Chiquita I am permitted to wear a fruit headdress any time I want .. Valvoline I can wear a cool mechanic shirt with my name sewn on the front … accountants are permitted to wear their formal green visor. Lastly. “Incorrectly interpreted business appropriate as casual dress.” Awesome. Basically while oddly crafted they are trying to tell you “don’t ever be casual at work.”
Q. How do I know what is appropriate dress if there are no specific guidelines?
A. We have not created an all inclusive list of appropriate attire. Instead, we rely on employees to use common sense to wear what is appropriate for the type of work that they do. While jeans, shorts, mini-skirts, clothes that expose mid-sections, sweat suits, spandex (or other tight fitting clothing), flip flops, and tennis shoes are certainly acceptable weekend casual wear, they do not convey a professional business image and would not be appropriate to wear in business situations.
If there are important business reasons for an employee to dress formally, such as attending meetings with outside clients who dress in more business formal attire, then formal business attire would be appropriate on those occasions.
- Ok. To be clear. I didn’t make this crap up. This is actual company policy. So. We trust you as long as it isn’t jeans, shorts, sweatsuits, spandex (I wonder if spandex underwear is okay?), tennis shoes, etc.
Once again. We won’t list appropriate attire but given this list wear a suit or something formal.
Q. Who decides whether my dress is appropriate? How is it reinforced?
A. We expect each employee to dress in a way that reflects the company’s professional creative and trendy image, shows respect for others and is appropriate for the business they will do that day. So, as long as those principles are met, each individual will decide what appropriately meets those criteria. And, most employees have a good sense of what is and isn’t appropriate for the work they do.
In the rare situations when the principles are not adhered to or are in question, each employee’s manager is expected to address the inappropriate attire, just as they would any other type of inappropriate conduct in their departments. Since dress always involves a subjective element, managers should use common sense in handling dress standard issues and talk things out in a professional, constructive way.
- Lots of references to common sense but basically you are at the mercy of your manager. And it pays to remember that shit rolls down hill so your manager’s manager is actually the one you are watching for “attire guidance.” Oh. And while I do love a contradiction how the hell do I maintain a ‘creative & trendy image’ but I cannot wear jeans, sandals or bare my mid riff (which is unfortunate because I have a sweet beer belly button tattoo)? Does this mean I have to wear some goofy tie with Marvin the Martian on it … or worse … a bow tie?
Q. Will it be seen as a performance issue if I wear clothes that are too casual (something I thought was appropriate, but my manager does not)?
A. Use your best judgment on what to wear to convey a professional image. If there is an issue, your manager should deal with it quickly, honestly and openly to help clarify what business appropriate attire might look like for the work you do. This should not be seen as a long-term performance issue unless it happens repeatedly despite getting advice and counsel.
- So. After reading the answer the real answer to the question is “yes. Casual clothes will be seen as a performance issue.” As in “you will no longer be performing here if you wear those fucking jeans (or loin cloth) one more time.”
Q. Can my manager dictate that my department wears only formal business attire?
A. This will need to be discussed between the manager and his/her department. If there are important business reasons for a department to dress formally every day, such as they meet daily with outside clients who dress more business formal, then this may be appropriate.
- Yes. The manager can dictate it. But. Once again don’t worry about your manager. If he/she has their shit together they will be slyly suggesting that they believe everyone should be able to dress however they want. Don’t be fooled by listening to them. Look to the corner office. Unfortunately no matter how cool they say they want the office culture to be if they wear suits every day and wear argyle vests or knitted sweaters with cats on them on “casual Fridays” … well … that is the “common sense” attire direction.
Let me be clear on this. Dress codes bring out the worst in senior management. It is an Office episode. Sadly so.
Okay. One last thought. THIS I am clear on. Do not appear on casual Fridays like this <see below>. Even wearing a suit won’t keep you from getting fired. 
