Ted-talk on Motivation and the power of baby step routines

Here is a Ted-talk on motivation and routines by B.J Fogg
The speech explains our routines from the point of view of starting with small steps. The reasonf or this is to align our short-term and long-term motivation.

Example: Instead of running 60 Minutes everyday one could start with putting on the jogging shoes and going for a walk;
Repeat, start running, faster and longer.

What triggers our behavior is effected by motivation and ability, on which routine has a large inpact.
Each routine takes less motivation from the pool of self-motivation and concentration.
This means that the more we think about something the less mental energy we have for other tasks and cognitive pleasures.

The Fog-behavior Model(Seen in the video and in the picture below) describes when a behaviour takes place.
By the use of baby steps for creating routines one can bring the mental effort needed for a desirable action. A functioning routine forms after around 21 days ( source needed).

By planting a small seed in the right enviroment that seed can grow.

Expertise for Complaints – Next medium thing

Finding experts as service  is common our digital world.

Finding Complaints and money-back as Service is not, but will come in the future. One of these is: Get Air Help is one which specializes on delayed flights and complaints for the travel industry: http://www.getairhelp.com/

 

When a service will take over the market one could look at the most annoying problems: Travelling

Many, I know I do, remember their worst travell experience. Because when you travel, you are in someone else´s territory, in their loving or horrible grip.
You have made a big investment of your time AND money. You are in a country you do not know, and at the big companies and scary and long agreements mercy. Having someone who would take care of this would be wonderful.

I would easily give 10-20% percent of something i could possibly win,  which would take me too much time, just as I would buy software because I really dont have time or energy to code it myself, or grow my own cabbage.

I think: Expertise for claims as Service will be known by the common man, starting with travelling and soon consumer goods will follow.

 

The only nation is Imagination

Rasism is spreading in Europe.

Rasism  is a manifestation of something else; the result of People´s limitations in identification and fear.

The threat people feel shows how scared and uneducated people really are since Rasism is deeply connected with the smallest parts of our identity. It is the dark and plain side of comparison . Instead of understanding the WHY – Why the negative feelings exist, we decide to act or not to act based on the generalization of Others not being Me.

That feeling makes Me feel better than Them. And then I do not have to feel threatened. Because, I am good, after all.

Historically, the idea of nation has been a safety net for members of a culture. A place for our personal identification can rest in peace.

This is inner realm is longer a secure place for the  small ego of individuals, since increasing inequality, the feeling of cultural  unity and the current(but choosable) disolvement /enrichment of it, all steem from the fact that our cultures are growing into eachother at an increasing pace.

What needs to be done by each individual is to try to immerse oneself with the fear and “stupid” or any other projection:

To understand that these feelings come from a feeling of loosing something, but what is it we are loosing? Is it maybe, only our limited ego dying? And most importantly: If one does not care to understand, then accepting is easier and more humane.

Our lack of knowledge and the inability to finding out more, shows that we are tired and lacking cognitive energy to do so. 
It is easier to identify with other easier feelings such as Rasism and Nationalism –  which is a more general term of pride, seniority, the old and other undemocratic, overly masucline and chauvinistic notions. And

The pride can be good when our own personal beliefs align in an inspiring way with our ideas of our culture..
That is why some people love Sweden, and others hate it or find it hard to incorporate the other parts into the smaller version of what Sweden and Swedish is.

The only nation is imagination.

 

The Tipping Point – Malcom Gladwell

I just finished the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.

The book is 304 Pages Long and is interesting and building on Social Network – Science.

The examples used in the book can also be read in Complexity and The Nexus of Leadership and The Amazing Power of Social Networks.

The Author explores and explains the fundamentasl for a social contagion and its spread through Social Networks. The Idea,  was according to the Author to try to understand the power of Viral, something people knew was important but could not reduce into its fundaments.

Before I speak more about the book I would like to mention one case study in the book:

The Coca Cola – Belgium Crisis, which is considered to be a huge PR disaster.

Link for more information: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB92997929752223356

In short: Coca Cola had been a higher rate than normal of a substance( I believe it was sulfur dioxide). The amount was apparently enough to make the Coca Smell bad and was not really a dangerous threat but the social contagion made people feel even sicker than they actually were, leading to a histeria – A rather common concept in Social science and especially with youths – who in this case drank the coca cola.

That example was detailed from the perspective of Coca Cola and Berkshire & Hathaway in The Snowball Effect – Warren Buffet and the Business of Life. The President of Coca Cola decided not to go there to ensure people of Coca Colas concern, even though the fault was not as bad as some people said. Coca Cola did not act quickly leading to a temporarily bann in not only Beglium but other European Countries.

The effect of histeria is affected by the same mechanisms as Yawning, Social Proof( Described in detail in Robert Calclini: Influence Science and Practise

As a side note: It is rewarding as a reader to regognize names and events which have detailed in other books as they often describe problems or ideas from different perspectives and therefore  give a more complete view, as a web, over the issue.

Another example was Mark Granovetter who mentiones the power of weak ties; that our jobs often come from people known as aquitances and not our closest friends. Social Networks seem to function as a mechanism that allocats resources. Atleast we humans are aware of this concept thanks to our brain which some say has its size because of the Social dimension of human life.

 

To the book – The Tipping Point:

The book outlines a few companies Tipping moments and what led to it, particuraly the case of Sesame Street was interesting, as they consistently worked with understanding the attention span and communication to children in order to teach them something.

Not only Business and education is discussed but also deceases( Both STDS and HIV).

The Main points of the book revolves around 3 topics:

The Stickiness factor: The thing that really sticks to the group/market. What Sesame Street worked with. That the sticky part of something cuts through the clutter and is remembered. Often is a matter of presentation, rather than the underluying idea itself.
Power of context:
An organisation works best in smaller groups that are connected to a culture binding to 150 people. Seen in military, schools(?) and business organisations ( one example explained in the book).

We have a few close people that are within our emotional channel capacity – meaning our range of what we are able to point out, or really feel care for.
The Business Life Cycle is mentioned in this part and touches how one  Cross the Chasm that lay between the different types of consumers.

People often times are tipped over or not depending on the mileu; Peer pressure, likelihood to commit crimes if Graffiti levels are high etc. (Example from N.Y drastic decline in crimes)

The Law of the few: To cross the chasms between the different types of consumers one has to understand the roles of people within them which are:  Mavens(information), Sales People and Connectors(social).
The law of the few are the people who contribute toward the tipping point.

Connectors usually are people who ememrse themselves within several different groups and often have an authority within it.

 

In short the books explains the fundaments of group size, environment and the agents themselves involved in a social spread of something. The lasting result is looking a step earlier from the outbreak. What were the underluying causes for something to become popular, how did it spread, by whom etc. And to understand that just because no one buys, doesnt mean its not a great product. One has to be able to make it sticky and grow in the right context by the right people.

Warren Buffet – The Snowball Effect

 

Pages: 976 (Heavy).

Link for reviews: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2054761.The_Snowball
Link to Information about Warren Buffet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Buffett

 

The snowball effects tells the tale over the most famous investor in the world; Warren Buffet: From childhood until shortly after his first wives passing.

A remarble story, and much more than business – something I thought would have more focus.

The Snowball effect is a picture, painted, to show how the Warren Buffet style business worked.
You start with a small ball of snow, depending where you where born on earth, in which country, in which family, and slowly people start rolling the ball. If the mixture of snow is suitable one can start rolling a snowball with a size, big enough, to roll by itself.

From an early age Warren Buffet set out to earn 1 million dollars. He understood the power of compound – which meant, that every Dollar earned would double in size, many times over, if he just made good investments of the money.

 

Some concepts and wisdom from the book:

• Thumb Sucking – Quote from Warren Buffets Business Partner Charlie Munger.
  This is what people do instead of doing what they ought to do.

• Be Long-term greedy.
• Dont fire the doctor because you still are sick.
• Be greedy when others are afraid, and fearful when others are greedy.
• “Intensity is the cost of excellence.”  – Said about Warren Buffet.
• If you change the system will carry you.
• Not acting from Fear or danger. Rational decisions are not made that way
• Let money be your slave, not the other way around.
• Life is somewhat measured by how much the people closest to you, treasure you in return.No money in the world can buy this, many rich people are hated by their family.
• The ovarian lottery: By living in a wealthy state one is already richer than most people.
  This means that the means to reach the top are very different depending on where you are born.
• Reaching the 98 floor of 100 is not so much worse than the 99th floor. It is only in the head.
• Warren Buffet could soak up information and did the extra mile to get ahead of the game. His knowledge also seemed to compound as his capital did.
• People people, good people. This seamed to be vitally important for Buffet.
• Be humble and do good.

 

Complexity and the Nexus of Leadership

Next book for Reading:

Complexity and the Nexus of Leadership – Leveraging nonlinear Science to Create Ecologies of Innovation

Authors:

Jeffrey Goldstein

James K.Hazy

Benyamin B.Lichtenstein.

 

I was gifted this book in 2013 and have already read through it one time last summer. After reading Connected – The Amazing power of Social Networks and how they shape our lives(long name!), I decided it would be a good read again.

Complexity and the Nexus of Leadership is in short a look at networks and how one can adjust them in order to help emergence of qualities vital for businesses. It is up-to-date and brings exemples from both business world, chemistry and biology together to describe systems and networks.

Looking forward to writing about it.

Connected – The amazing power of Social Network

 

Next book for review: Connected – The amazing power of Social Network and how they shape our lives.

By Nicholas Christakis MD, Phd & James Fowler

 

Connected – A great introductionary book to social networks – which is in fact the missing link in our understanding of ourselves

 

After reading this book I have come to understand certain marketing/political efforts better.

Feministiskt Initiativ – a Swedish feminst party, has according to their Facebook post (22nd of March) doubled(!) their facebook likes on Facebook since the start of 2014. I believe this is partly tge result from very clever media agency. A part from social networking a  thing for politicans they have taken to house partys – formally done by companies as Tupperwear, Amway, Zincino and Aloevera.

If the people at houseparties, tell their friends who might tell their friends, the impact is not only the people attending but possibly thousands of people.

Difference between the house parties and going into is, that it is a political idea and that they are going into the homes to people for discussion and communication. In a more personal way than the TV did with JFK or Abraham Lincoln and the Newspaper i.e. – the speech in Ghettysburg.

 

Forcing a hand and waiting – More from Robert Greene

Forcing action leads to more problems. People who are too impatient will never have time to see beyhond the current present.
Waiting means controlling both yourself and others.

Today social power emplies waiting. Some people use this in talk to further strengthen the impact of their message.
Or simply as a habit springing up from years of re-enforcement of a belief that is “needed”.
Waiting creates expectations. Waiting creates need to hear what the other say.

Letting other people wait is a form of power, or merely a try to convey it. Often unneeded. Often selfish.

How to deal with this?
If you do not like the table set, turn it.

Black and white relationships

Before continuing with my report on the 48 laws of Power I would like to try mention a sort of meta-theory that combines the love vs. power approach to Business. I think business is a canvas on which the founders have not painted anything on. It starts with a 100% potential to get successful to do good or bad. Just as every relationship we can encounter… This business idea will differ in value depending on what the customers want and what product/service sell. Its potential will suffer depending on these constraints.

The constraints on the business are things as price, value/quality and other types of barriers of entry as laws and knowledge.
One can say a business work to create make the gap between idea and reality less, and to create the bridge to do so. And to connect this to what the reality “should be” or what the customers want.

Many businesses learn that their original idea was not really what customers wanted and might even change to something different! Just as relationships.

Some companies scew people over and some companies love their customers and treat them royaly.
Give-Give, give-take? Pillage and burn.

Black and White:
To condemn business to fit in one group as evil or just good is an outlook of life equal of seeing things as black and white. Without business we would not be able to enjoy the knowledge of books, because it would not have been available to us etc.

Just as we tend to avoid certain people and embrace others, we ought to do the same when thinking about and interacting with businesses – with a friendly distance.

Yes, Business functions much as relationships between people. Because they are an abstraction of these relationships.
A brand is a conceptualized dito in which a customers communicate with a person in uniform i.e. business representative. A business itself is founded by people and deal with people. Some people, just as businesses, are more personal than others. Some business hide behind bureaucracy or are more false than others, they might even cheat you out of every last cent.

The people working for a company is a customers contact point within this entity/business. To have such a contact can be very nice if you trust the person to guide you throught, both internal company issues, as outside issues. Therefore Guides are called so in tourism industry. They are there when you need them. That is what you pay for. To be known for great service and help, even when being forced/needing to do something, is the same type of behaviour we like in other people as they help people they do not have to help, or do that extra thing that they just did not have to do.

The human touch is what to felt within this system.

The difference between human relations and business relations is that the entry fee to the system is that you pay a fee and you are in. Once in, you will go on a journey until the transaction is complete.  A give- and take relationship. The more “love” or pull towards the relationship the more people will talk about the brand or the people working there.The less pull, or a push away from it people will equally leave, change and in talk/think badly about the brand.

Some people/business write old customers/aquitances every once a while after the transaction is complete to send new offers or just check in on them. Yes, to get more money, just as relationships can be seen as offering of value as well as asking for some value.

How a customer reacts is a personal response based on previous experiences and also knowing “who” they are and “what” the relationship is about. Some might have been hurt of previous encounters of companies or are afraid because of what they have heard, while some other are strong, know what they want and find out quickly if the company is good.

Customers come and go. The happier they are, the more they will come back depending on the amount of purchases made in a life time by a customer.

High quality and high prices drive off many. Some will still want the best, and some will settle for less. Some will demand much and give less. The cost-value relationship is therefore different. To adapt, to understand the market and find a suitable nisch. Thus, we will have opportunists, realists, great relationships and equally one night stands; Transactions based on short term needs. But maybe…  there can be something added to each transaction that gives something new and more long lived than other businesses in terms of value? Something not needed for the transaction to be taken place but done so because of the human touch of heart!

Having worked with teenagers in a student travel company I have encountered many differences between these individuals in their respektive group including the group mentality that much governs their behaviour. In general the customers want to be treated well, deserve well and although asking sometimes for too much than they can pay, they are agreeable when discussing. This is because they often times ask specific questions to their specific needs. They want an easy understandable package and then exclusions or “extras” as they go along.

There will always exist people who just gets it! Customers who understand and demand what they should demand, and also drive the company forward since they make you think of how you can provide more. They do not fight with you, but talk to you. they do not make unreasonable demands but are connected in both reality and have an understanding for how a business works with friendly distance to it.

Who is giver and who is taker. A sneaky concept. In business the customers are used to take but feel the giving part more when they pay a certain amount. The more they feel they pay the more they demand. The more one gives the easier they will take advantage.
To say no to customers sometimes even calms them because they tried your limit. This is needed when offering a personalized value. One can by minimum offer them alternatives. Alternatives that you choose based on what is fair.

Since business is more objective for the customer since the transaction is tangible with the concept of money. (An actual abstract idea that is so ingrained in our lives.) they can easily judge and compare and it is also easier to explain and talk objectively than for instance a subjective person-to-person experience. Of course they have their own perspetion of money´s worth and depending if they feel they have paid enough for the value, or even less than the value they got, they will like you.

Remember here that the fact that a money transaction has taken place means an agreement has been understood, agreed upon. Contracts are done in this way, and in relationships these are more intangible.

Do that extra thing!
As an customer; Experiencing something different that is not required. the human touch, will give more satisfaction.
The sceptics will think you add this touch this to get more money and it is true to a certain extent, because the relationship became more phone and gave more value,  but you didnt need to, just as people dont have to be nice to eachother. Is that really damage ?

Business need to get money in order to survive and the more they can take the more they can serve. Serve customers, serve employees and serve the owners so lets not hate business but understand.

As a business owner: To say no to customers is like saying no to certain aquitances. The further away they are the easier to say no. The more love you havve the harder it is. Clear and straight communication is best, as every relationship coach would say.

We will have opportunists, realists, great relationships and depending on what I need I can choose.

To finish with an example: Ryan Air: Cheap! If you do not follow the rules they screw you over and do not care at all. Yet many travel with them because they are convenient, cheap and hold their promise. But you cannot win against them!:) Just play by the rules and enjoy them.

And least but not last: I do not believe relationships and business are the same thing and obviously the differences between them implies a lot in which I cannot comprehend and dont want to go in to, but it is thought provocing I think about this connection. To see businesses less black and white and to make them more human.

48 Laws of Power – Part 3

Last post was about formlessness and not allowing your ego to kill you.Admit a loss and do not fight the reality. Instead look how the situation can be turned to your benefit.

Inwardly solid, outwardly fluent…

“If you are not in danger, do not fight” – Tsun Tzu.

“The mind must not wander from goal to goal or be distracted by success from its sens of purpose and proportion but: Concentrate, coherent and connect to the past. It gives power. What is dissipated, divided and distended rots and falls to the ground. The bigger it bloats. the harder it falls.” – Robert Greene,

“The best strategy is always to be very strong; first in general, then at the decisive point… There is no higher and sumpler law of strategy that that of keeping one´s forces concentrated… In short the first principle is: Act with the utmost concentration.” – On war by Carl von Clausewitz.

But isn´t Guerilla Warfare spread out?  The military efforts are still concentrated in one tactic and it is coherent strategy that adapts. It can be seen as a insertion force spread to wherever the enemies are perhaps They do not crush, they leech and focus with small but deadly bites. They hit where they need to and tire the big enemy.

Do not try too hard, to do what you have assigned. Do the best you can, do what you planned but take your time and focus your energy.

Practical advice here: Focus your energy to the task you want, do not spread your focus too much so people around you cannot grasp what you are doing if they are on your side: “KISS”. Keep It Stupid Stupid”.

Energy:
Spiritual, Emotional, Bodily and Mental(Mind). Your energy, together with time, is an extremely important resource, and connected.

Do not burn out… Take care of yourself…Grow yourself in these aspects.

Remember: By placing long term goals in front of you you can turn the wheel a little and just keep the course. You will not have to use full force and as a result crash.