Previously, on Leading Through Chaos: Chaos is hard because we can’t plan for it. Our protection? Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s “barbell strategy”: avoid ruin while finding opportunity. Use “effectuation” to find upside opportunity when planning...
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Leading Through Chaos, part 1: What’s the Root Problem?
When change is too fast, we stop investing for the future. Consider college: Who wants to spend four years and thousands to learn advanced skills that might be obsolete in ten years? When college is a path to success, it’s a no-brainer. When the job market changes so fast that college is a six-figure gamble? Not so much.
We can’t plan long-term during unpredictability, so we have to settle for short-term tactics. But that’s dangerous. Because short-term gains often come at the expense of long-term health.
The way to deal with chaos is to find predictability wherever you can.
Mistakes Matter, So Make More of Them
I’ve been doing a series of coaching calls with a wide range of successful people, to learn what’s holding them back in life. One of the most common fears: the fear of making mistakes. And it’s no wonder... It’s election time. And political discussions tell us that...
Time after Time: Put Your Decision-Making Time Horizon to Work
Put Your Decision-Making Time Horizon to Work Think about the future. Notice what kind of events you expect to happen in the future. Think about the projects you have going on. Think about the good things you expect to happen, and how you plan for them. You'll notice...
Good customer service requires substance and style
Good customer service requires more than just nice phone manners. I had a customer service need today. I called the company, whom we’ll call Canadian Mozy, and got a very nice young man named “Johnny.” He seemed to have a genuine American accent, clearly understood my...
One Price Doesn't Fit All
But offering lots of options can destroy the buying experience. I’m flying this morning. More accurately, I’m waiting in line after line after line at the airport. Once, I needed my boarding pass. Then I needed my boarding pass and driver’s license. Now, I need my...
Cause and Effect in Current Events
Don't be surprised when you get the expected result. Stupidity is running rampant, world wide. It’s frustrating, because the mistakes aren’t rocket science. They’re really simple stuff. People forget their actions have consequences. Let’s explore some cause/effect you...
Does email overload help us?
Tim Sanders wrote a blog entry that references a Business Week article on information overload I commented on last week. The writer suggests that information overload might be good. There might be some valuable information, and besides, young people can handle it just...
The key to ethical, sane behavior: the *little* voice.
Your little voice may have all the answers you need. Have you ever wondered how certain corrupt businesspeople can keep spouting great, moral words while doing the exact opposite in their behavior? You wonder how they can wax eloquent about the need to give customers...
Groupthink, brainwashing, and politics: eek!
Maybe you’ve been successfully brainwashed and just don’t know it. How would you? …