Apples and Oranges

Comparisons are meant to help us make choices. But if the same quality or criteria isn't behind the items being compared, the choice is a false one.

Example: I'm always a bit perplexed when people say original art is too expensive, that they would never pay $500 for even a large painting.

It's because we use a different baseline for comparison. They use "things you hang on a wall" and I use "originality and long-term value." They compare the painting's cost to a mass produced poster and can't see the value. I think of the painting in relation to a furniture purchase and don't see it nearly as expensive.

When making decisions with others, make sure the criteria everyone applies is transparent and shared. Otherwise you can't really make an informed choice.

Don't Confuse Risk and Ambiguity

The current issue of Inc. magazine has a great interview with noted business author Jim Collins.

One of the many succinct observations he offers is that people often confuse risk with uncertainty, particularly when talking about entrepreneurship.

"As an entrepreneur, you know what the risks are. You see them. You understand them. You manage them. If you join someone else's company, you may not know those risks, and not because they don't exit. You just can't see them, and so you can't manage them. That's a much more exposed position than the entrepreneur faces. But there's lower ambiguity on the paint-by numbers path: very clear but more risky. The entrepreneurial path: very ambiguous but less risk. Of course, the truth is that it's all ambiguous, anyway. If you think you can predict the future, you're crazy."

Next time you face a decision you see as risky, ask yourself if ambiguity might actually be the source of your discomfort. Doing so may cause you to choose a different path.

Every Little Detail Counts

I’m working right now at my favorite Indy café.

The décor is unique and visually interesting.

The food features local and organic ingredients in refreshing combinations.

The staff is eager to serve and always smiling.

The seating is varied and conducive to quiet conversations as well as gregarious group gatherings.

And the music?

... completely wrong.

What’s the missing piece in what you’re doing right now? Details do matter, particularly when you have 9/10 correct. It makes the one missing piece stand out even more for how wrong it really is.

The Rush to Judgment

It’s frightening nowadays to be or do anything less than perfect.

In an instant your faux pas can be YouTubed and Twittered to thousands upon thousands of people. Just witness the almost instant calls to boycott Amazon.com this past weekend.

We used to talk about giving others the benefit of the doubt when we weren’t completely sure if everything was what it appeared to be. But you don’t hear much about the rush to judgment anymore. The emphasis seems to almost solely be on getting the word out, regardless of how sure we are that the word is truth.

We would be wise to slow down, give others time to adequately respond, and make sure we are really reacting to (and acting on) facts. It is too easy and too simplistic to merely fan the flames of innuendo and incomplete information.

In reality, the benefit of the doubt comes to the doubter. By acting more cautiously, we receive the benefit of avoiding looking foolish.

update 4/16/2009

You really need to read Clay Shirky's really insightful and more in-depth commentary on this topic, specifically the Amazon case. (HT: Andrew Sulivan)

Keeping Up with the Joneses

Are you changing as fast as the world around you?

That's one of the key questions explored by thought leader Gary Hamel in his most recent book, The Future of Management.

Get a taste of his thinking in my article published in the April 2009 issue of Associations Now.

The Best Self-Promotion is Making a Contribution

Many people spend much of their day marketing themselves through blatant self-promotional messages as if to say: "Look at me. Hire me." Much of what they share is about them and what they can do for you.

Fair enough.

But other people spend their day making meaningful and timely intellectual contributions to their profession, ones that others find valuable and that cause them to sit up and take notice. Much of what they share is about you and your needs and they provide value for free.

With limited hours in the day do you want to spend them trying to get the world's attention for you ... or do you want to spend them doing work that gets the world's attention?

I would strongly suggest you favor the latter. The best form of self-promotion is not promoting the self, but selflessly contributing to others' success.