While alluring…

…it’s regular use invites the demise of your career.

I’m sure that each of us has, at one time or another, bemoaned the fact that we didn’t have the power to change something.  If only we had the power to…, we could solve this problem quickly.

The reality is that those who have the power and use it regularly often limit their career advancement.  Why?  There are several reasons.  Most employees:

• Hate being told what to do
• Resent not having their ideas heard and acted upon
• Despise the arrogance their leader exhibits
• Will do “exactly” what the boss requests even though they know it will fail
• May harbor desires that the boss’ idea fails or, worse yet, work toward that end

Yet, despite all of these negative consequences some people achieve lofty positions using positional power.  I’m sure each of you could point to autocratic leaders who have enjoyed great success.  Or have they?  What price did they pay for that success?

Imagine the pressure autocratic leaders must feel as they:

• Manage the most minute details of their direct reports‘ work
• Assume the risk for every decision that gets made
• Work diligently to see that blame for an errant decision doesn’t land on their doorstep
• Are constantly on the alert for potential sabotage
• Work countless hours because they don’t trust their employees

Is that the career you desire?

So what’s the alternative?  Influence!  By engaging people in the decision-making process, you get greater buy-in, quicker implementation and better results.  Indeed, a former chairman of Porsche, said that his mantra was “Decide democratically, delegate dictatorially.”  He went on to say that “a poor idea, implemented well, will produce better results than a great idea implemented poorly.”

It’s counter-intuitive, but the foundation for career advancement doesn’t lie in positional power; it lies in your ability to influence the thinking of others.  How do you do that?  Remember that persuasion is a myth.  We can’t persuade anyone of anything, they have to persuade themselves.

The best we can do is:

• Shine the light on new information
• Allow employees to process that information and reach their own conclusions
• Allow them to validate their conclusions with their own experiences

If our conclusion is correct, our employees will reach the same conclusion we have and they’ll be excited about the idea because they know it will work.  If, however, we’ve overlooked something in our analysis, our employees can pull our bacon from the fire by shining the light on new information for us.

Fortunately, as a consultant, I never have positional power.  I have no authority in any client organization.  As a result I’m never tempted to use positional power.  Instead I rely on influence.  The ability to influence others‘ thinking serves me equally well in my personal life as it does in my work.  I would never trade that skill for positional power.  Indeed, like the Chairman of Porsche, I didn’t use that power when I had it.

Do yourself a favor.  Use the steps outlined above to influence others’ thinking instead of exerting positional power.  You’ll quickly discover that leadership can be fun and exciting instead of stressful and draining.  The choice is yours.  Which will you choose?

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.  In today’s blog I used Step 5, Contrarian Mindset, to demonstrate the often overlooked disadvantages of positional power, Step 6, Eclectic Education, to provide insights from an incredibly successful former Chairman of Porsche and Step 2, The Persuasion Myth, to help you see how easy it is to gain influence.  For more information on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE visit www.furtwengler.com/7steps.htm.

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog or if you’d like me to address specific topics, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.  Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment below.

Good news – My latest book, Pricing for Profit, was released 9.9.09 in the United States, Canada, U.K., Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands.  It’s available in all the major bookstores – Borders, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

A dilemma…

…or an opportunity for enlightenment?

A friend was telling me of an opportunity that presented itself.  Someone, who had a lot of very attractive contacts, wanted to do some joint marketing.  My friend then said that his potential partner, at their first meeting, had launched into an hour-long presentation of what he did and how valuable it was.  My friend asked for my thoughts regarding this opportunity.

What would your response have been?  Should he pursue this opportunity?  Is further exploration warranted?  Or should he forego this opportunity?  Regardless of your response, I’d like you to take a moment to reflect on the rationale for whatever advice you would have offered.  What were your reasons for the conclusion you reached?

Here’s how I responded.  I told him that I didn’t feel like there was much promise in this potential partnership.  Why?  Because I saw incongruities in what my friend was being told.  First, his potential partner claimed to have a lot of very attractive contacts.  If he was that well connected and had that many people who valued his offerings, why would he need a partner to market his offerings?

Second, during the first meeting with my friend,  his potential partner did an information dump that indicated that he wasn’t very adept at sales.  All of the effective salespeople I know tantalize prospects and potential partners by offering glimpses of what they’re offering without divulging much about the offering itself.

Finally, the potential partner did little exploration of my friend’s background, skills, abilities, interests or results.  His focus was on convincing my friend that he would be a valuable partner.

What was the result?  My friend came back to me and said that my assessment was right on target.  During his second meeting with this potential partner he asked for examples of the results and successes the partner had achieved.  He asked about the strength of the potential partner’s relationships with his contacts.  Finally, he inquired about the potential partner’s knowledge of his business.What my friend’s inquiries uncovered was that his potential partner’s business was built on a very shaky structure.  Not one on which he wanted to invest a lot of time, energy or money.  He ended this partnership exploration after two meetings.

It’s counter-intuitive, but we can’t discover the truth in what we’re being told until we’ve investigated the incongruities.  In every misrepresentation, whether intentional or not, the truth can be found in the incongruities.  If you’re looking for a way to assess what you’re being told, compare the behaviors the other person is exhibiting against what you’re being told.  Then ask “Are this person’s words and behaviors aligned?”  If they are, you have good reason to move forward.  If not, the incongruities will lead you to the truth.  Once you’ve discovered the truth, you’ll know whether or not to proceed.

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program I offer is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.  In today’s blog I used Step 4, See Similarities, to show that the absence of similarities between behavior and words is a cause for further investigation.  I also used Step 5, Contrarian Mindset, to demonstrate that incongruities should be a cause for celebration, not consternation – a source of truth, not a dilemma.  For more information on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE visit www.furtwengler.com/7steps.htm.

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog or if you’d like me to address specific topics, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.  Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment.

Good news – My latest book, Pricing for Profit, was released 9.9.09 in the United States, Canada, U.K., Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands.  It’s available in all the major bookstores – Borders, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Have you ever wondered why some authors are so mesmerizing…

…while others are so easily ignored?

Mesmerizing authors offer a glimpse of what’s to come – tiny tidbits of information that grab your attention and build anticipation.  You want to know more, but the author makes you wait knowing that joy lies in anticipation.

If you doubt that, recall a book that you were enjoying when the author telegraphed the ending.  Remember your disappointment as you waded through the last fifty pages or so knowing what the ending was, but afraid not to finish the book in case you were wrong.  When your suspicions were finally confirmed, you felt cheated.  The author just wasted your time by “forcing” you to read those last fifty pages.

From the author’s vantage point, the only thing worse is having you decide within the first fifty pages that his work isn’t worthy of your time.  Ouch!

What’s this have to do with you?  Whether you’re a business owner, a career business development specialist or someone with a great idea who needs the approval of others to move forward, you need the skills of a mesmerizing author to attract new customers or champions for your cause.

What are these skills?  How do you develop them?  Our natural tendency is to think that we’re logical human beings who, when presented with all the facts, make reasonable, informed decisions.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  You don’t have to trust me; simply recall the last time you presented a well-thought-out idea and the reaction you got.  Remember the dismay you felt as your audience’s eyes glazed over.  You’ve just experienced the “ouch” the author feels when his work is discarded after fifty pages.

How do you avoid having this happen to you?  Learn to think like a mesmerizing mystery writer.  Learn how to craft messages that engage others with intrigue and anticipation.  Specifically you want to frame your messages to:

• Avoid telling them anything – allow them the thrill of discovery
• Don’t be afraid to use misdirection
• Use language that triggers an emotional reaction
• Leave them wanting more – even when they’ve already bought

Imagine how exciting it will be for your customers and champions if they always have something new to look forward to when dealing with you.  You’ll be this endless font of wisdom from which they’ll drink without ever being sated.  That’s the feeling others will have of you when you develop the skill of a mesmerizing author.

Let’s take a look at each of the above components of an intriguing message in more detail.  First, avoid telling them anything.  All great authors use questions or innuendo that give their readers a glimpse of what’s to come without letting them know what the outcome will be.  Indeed, many will employ the magician’s art of misdirection to cause the reader to vacillate between a number of alternative outcomes none of which will be the ultimate outcome.

Use language that elicit emotions.  Logic is BORING!  I know that exercising thirty minutes a day is good for my health.  Boring.  But exercising so that I can continue to scuba dive into my eighties, that excites me.  Make sure that your language targets what they want, not what they need.  I need to exercise, but I want to go scuba diving.

Finally, leave them wanting more.  Even though you know where your idea is headed, don’t share any more than absolutely necessary to get the sale or the approval you need.  Leave a few things hidden so that you can continue to wow them well into the future.

It’s counter-intuitive, but you’ll enjoy greater, more lasting success in any endeavor you choose if you learn to think like a mesmerizing author.

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.  In today’s blog I used Step 2, The Persuasion Myth, and Step 4, See Similarities, to demonstrate how people who make their living attracting readers can help you attract more buyers or more champions for you cause.  For more information on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE visit www.furtwengler.com/7steps.htm.

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog or if you’d like me to address specific topics, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.  Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment.

Good news – My latest book, Pricing for Profit, is going to be released 9.9.09 in the United States, Canada, U.K., Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands.  Prepublication orders are being taken at  amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Enjoy!

Are you having a difficult time closing sales?

Do you feel guilty because you know you can help the prospect?

If so, you’re problem lies in your inability to say “No” to people. This tendency could be the result of:

• a sense of scarcity
• a passion for helping others
• a desire to please others

A sense of scarcity makes you look hungry during the sales call. Buyers sense your need and naturally withdraw. Who wants to work with someone who is struggling?

A passion for helping others often causes you to overlook the prospect’s desire to change. Just because you know that you can help someone doesn’t mean they’re interested in being helped.

If you’re a pleaser, if your goal is to make others happy and you’re willing to do whatever they ask, you’ll cave to the prospect’s demands – often to your detriment. Again, buyers sense your need and take advantage of your nature causing you to do a lot of work with little compensation and even less customer satisfaction.

Regardless of the reason, your inability to say “No” sends mixed messages to the market. If you’re experiencing scarcity, buyers sense that and find it difficult to believe that your offerings are as great as you say they are. When your passion for helping others causes you to say “My offering can help anyone,” buyers become skeptical – they know that there are no panaceas, no one-size-fits-all. If you’re a pleaser and you keep changing your offerings to accommodate buyers, you cause then to question the value of your product or service.

What’s the solution? The secret is to say “No” to people who don’t value what you have to offer. You know which of your customers bring you great joy and which drive you bonkers. Discover what those delightful customers have in common and use these characteristics to define your ideal customer. Then learn to graciously say to the others “I don’t think I’m the right person to meet your needs.”

Indeed, you can take this one step farther by telling prospects, in the sales call, who your ideal customer is. Amazingly, when I use this approach, some people have asked “Do I qualify?” This simple question allows me to have a candid conversation with the prospect that allows them to participate in a self-evaluation that helps them and me make a more informed decision about whether or not we should move forward.

It’s counter-intuitive, but if you want to:

• attract more business
• close more sales
• become more effective in serving your customers

learn to say “No.”

Buyers want to do business with people who:

• demonstrate confidence and success by their willingness to walk away from business that doesn’t make sense for them
• have a clear understanding of who their ideal customers are and communicate that information clearly and effectively
• who aren’t willing to compromise the value of their offerings to please others

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program I offer is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.

In today’s blog I used Step 1, Contributory Negligence, combined with Step 5, a Contrarian Mindset, to demonstrate how our inability to say “No” makes us less attractive in the marketplace. For more information on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE visit www.furtwengler.com/7steps.htm.

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog or if you’d like me to address specific topics, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com. Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment.

If you’re like me you understand the importance of a niche…

…you’re just not sure what it is or how to find one.

The Nametag guy, Scott Ginsberg, to the rescue!  In his latest book, Stick Yourself OUT There (actually it’s two books in one),  Scott describes two types of niches:

1. Niche expertise
2. Niche market

Here’s how Scott defines these niches:

1. “Niche expertise means you know a LOT about a SPECIFIC TOPIC that applies to a WIDE AUDIENCE.”
2. “Niche market means you know a LOT about a SPECIFIC GROUP OF PEOPLE to whom you apply many topics.”

What’s fascinating to me is that I’ve often been told that I need to find a niche market when I’m really a generalist.  I’ve worked with people in defense contracting, toxic waste disposal, railroad sidings, professional organizations, fast food, automotive suppliers and rubber extruders to name just a few of the industries I’ve served.  

Not only do I enjoy the variety being a generalist affords, I find that I can port ideas from one industry to another for my clients’ benefit.  That’s why I found the idea of a niche market so puzzling.  Thanks to Scott, I realize that I’m employing the “niche expertise” model.  

It’s counter-intuitive, but, whether you are a specialist or a generalist, there are niches available to you.  If you, like me, have been wrestling with the concept of a niche and losing the battle, follow Scott’s sage advice.  For those of you who would like more information about Scott check out his website at www.hellomynameisscott.com/landing.aspx

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program I offer is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.  In today’s blog I used Step 6, Eclectic Education, in the form of Scott’s message and Step 1, Contributory Negligence in exploring my contribution to the problem of identifying a niche to help guide me, and hopefully you, toward even greater success.  For more information on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE visit www.furtwengler.com/7steps.htm. 

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog or if you’d like me to address specific topics, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.  Please share your experience with our readers by posting a comment.

How a world-class musician viewed his talent…

…and what it can mean for you.

Concert pianist Artur Schnabel said “The notes I handle no better than many pianists.  But the pauses between the notes – ah, that is where the art resides!”  

It’s the pauses that give listeners a chance to savor the notes – to enjoy them leisurely rather than racing on to the next note, to reflect on them and enjoy the emotional reaction they elicit regardless of whether the emotion is joy or sadness.

In a similar vein authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz in their book The Power of Full Engagement, tell us how they help world-class athletes in golf, tennis, speed skating and basketball dramatically improve their performance.  How?  Not by focusing on the skills associated with the sport, but by educating them on how to use the time between shots, plays and events.  Why?  Because it’s the downtime that allows these athletes to recover from the strain of competition and intensify their focus for the next shot, play or event.

Are you building pauses into your schedule?  Are you using pauses to help you:

• Savor your success?

• Reflect on a skill you acquired and how it can be applied or enhanced?

• Recover from the strain of competing in one of the most challenging environments ever created – the world of business?

• Intensify your focus for dealing with the next growth opportunity or misstep on your way to greater success?

If you’re not, you’re positioning yourself for failure.  It’s counter-intuitive, but it’s the pauses between our activities as much as the activities themselves that help us enjoy greater success.  That’s what Artur Schnabel, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz are all telling us.  That’s what has driven their success.

Based on the wisdom of these three gentlemen, I’ve begun building into my day, a 10 to 15 minute break for every 90 minutes I work.  What has it done for me?  Exactly what you’d expect.  I accomplish more in less time than I did previously without feeling exhausted.  

Give yourself the gift of frequent pauses.  The more that you think “I don’t have time for a break”, the more essential it is for you take one.  You’ll find that you’re enjoying greater success, less fatigue and greater joy in living your life.

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program I offer is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.  In today’s blog I used Step 5, Contrarian Mindset, to show you how to pauses are as essential as the activities in which we engage.  I’ve also employed Steps 4, See Similarities, and Step 6, Eclectic Education, by using the disciplines of music and sports to demonstrate how universal these concepts are. For more information on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE visit www.furtwengler.com/7steps.htm 

Please share your experiences and wisdom with Invaluable Leader readers by posting your comments.  If there are topics you’d like me to address, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com

An often overlooked advantage of specialization…

…staffing 

I recently spoke with Tim Rosenauer, Business Development Manager, with Account Resolution Corporation (ARC).  These folks provide an array of services in the field of medical collection.

When I asked Tim what distinguished his company from his competitors, he told me his practice management clients appreciate the fact that ARC specializes in medical collections.  ARC’s collectors know the idiosyncrasies of medical billing and are able to assist practice managers with billing and adjustment codes.  They also are more adept at helping delinquent customers understand the services they received and the value of those services.

This specialization allows ARC to:

1. focus on a narrower set of skills and experience when hiring staff
2. limit the amount and types of training necessary to enhance employee skills
3. create a more flexible workforce because all collectors possess similar knowledge and experience
4. monitor changing practice management needs
5. adapt more quickly to that changing environment

What about the employees?  How do they feel about ARC’s strategy?  ARC touts one of the lowest employee turnover rates in its industry.  Why?  Imagine that you’re a collector and you’re considering offers from two companies, one that specializes in one industry and the other who represents customers from a variety of industries.  On the surface, the company that serves multiple industries might seem attractive because it offers more variety in your job.  But once you’re on the job you realize that this “variety” also adds a great deal of complexity to your job.  How?

Each industry/profession has its on idiosyncrasies, its own language and its own preferred practices.  This not only makes your initial orientation more difficult, it makes keeping current on changes within each industry/profession more difficult.  This complexity typically slows collections at the same time that you’re being evaluated on your ability to collect quickly.  Is it any wonder that the better collectors migrate to firms that specialize?

While many business owners may view this kind of specialization limiting, the reality is exactly the opposite.  It’s counter-intuitive, but specializing allows your firm to:

1. gain a greater understanding of the customers you serve
2. monitor the ever-changing environment in which they work
3. provide higher levels of service to those customers
4. charge premium prices commensurate with the higher service levels
5. recruit, retain and reward staff more effectively

Take a page from ARC’s playbook and specialize.

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program I offer is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.  In today’s blog I used Step 5, Contrarian Mindset, to show how industry specialization can work to your advantage.  Contributory Negligence, Step 1, was used to show how we often inadvertently complicate our lives and add to the cost of doing business by trying to serve multiple markets.  For more information on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE visit http://www.furtwengler.com/7steps.htm

Please share your experiences and wisdom with Invaluable Leader readers by posting your comments.  If there are topics you’d like me to address, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.

If not…

…how reliable is history?

Our pastor made the comment that memory is a function of history?  Is it? 

In his book, Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert shares scientific studies of memory that show that, contrary to popular opinion, our memories aren’t full-length features stored in exacting detail.  Instead they are more like holograms where what’s stored are the key elements of the story.  The details get filled in as we recall the episode.

Professor Gilbert goes on to say that “the least likely experience” is often the “most likely memory.”  Why is that?  Because the least likely experiences trigger emotional reactions.  Indeed, it’s the emotional reactions that we have to the situations we face that determine what memories we retain.

If you doubt that think of your last trip to the grocery store.  Was it memorable?  If not, there were no surprises; nothing that triggered an emotional reaction.  Conversely, if it was memorable, it’s likely that someone allowed you to go ahead of him in the checkout line, shared a kind word with you or raced to get ahead of you in line.  Each of these actions triggers an emotional response that forms a memory.

Why is this important?  Because, as Professor Gilbert notes, this natural tendency can “wreak havoc with our ability to predict future experiences.”  If our primary recall is of unusual experiences, how accurate is our historical perspective?  How well can we predict future outcomes if we’re focused on the least likely results?

It’s counter-intuitive, but memory is not an accurate historical perspective.  That’s why, when predicting an outcome, it’s wise to recall:

1. The last relevant experience you had
2. What emotions were triggered during that experience
3. Whether this was an isolated instance among many other similar, yet less memorable, experiences

Then ask yourself, “Is this memory an accurate predictor of what I can expect?”  This simple approach will help you avoid creating unrealistic expectations and improve the historical accuracy of your memory. 

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program I offer is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.  In today’s blog I used Step 3, Suspend Judgment, to show you that emotions trigger memories and influence our expectations for the future. Then I used Step 1, Contributory Negligence, to demonstrate how we contribute to the outcomes we get – favorable or unfavorable – by our penchant for using “least likely experiences” to predict the future.  Finally I used Step 5, Contrarian Mindset, to show you how to overcome this natural tendency.  For more information on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE visit www.furtwengler.com/theinvaluableleader/

Please share your experiences and wisdom with Invaluable Leader readers by posting your comments.  If there are topics you’d like me to address, please send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.

What can neuroscientists and athletes teach us about reality?

How to choose more effectively!

Nobel-prize winning neuroscientist, Dr. Gerald Edelman, says “we must look at all acts of perception as acts of creativity.”  In other words, we create the reality we’re facing by the way we choose to perceive what’s happening.

Neurobiologist William Calvin, in his book, The Cerebral Symphony says “We create the world we see: We surely modify it with experience, but it’s an invented world.  How we emotionally react to something may, in turn, affect how we see it in the future.” 

World-class athletes echo these themes when they say that their greatest asset is a “short memory.”  These athletes quickly forget both their successes and failures.  They realize that flawless performances and failed attempts are both merely fleeting moments in time.  Dwelling on either their successes or failures can only accomplish one thing – limiting their future success. 

How do these athletes develop a short-memory?  The answer lies in William Calvin’s quote above; it’s the word “emotionally.”  It’s not that these athletes are devoid of emotion.  Indeed, anyone who has watched a sporting event knows how high emotions run before, during and immediately after the game.  The key to these athletes’ success is that they are able to quickly set aside those emotions and focus their attention on the next shot, the next play or the next game. 

Conversely, many of us behave as if we are bipolar when it comes to dealing with our emotions.  We’re reluctant to let go of the emotional highs we experience when things go well.  We find it equally difficult to pull ourselves out of the throes of disappointment when our attempts fail.  In essence, we create realities of incredible joy or staggering disappointment.

Now imagine what your reality would be if you chose to view your successes as affirmation that you’re on the right path and your failures as guideposts directing you back onto the path.  Wouldn’t life be a lot more enjoyable if you could consistently maintain these mindsets?  Isn’t that a reality you’d choose for yourself if you simply knew how?

It’s counter-intuitive that, while we can’t avoid emotional reactions, we can limit the amount of time we spend in any given emotional state.  How?  By first recognizing that we are being emotional, then choosing to set that emotion aside so that we can focus our attention on the next thing we need to do to enjoy even greater success.  This simple two-step process helps you choose a reality that minimizes the periods of self-doubt, fear and anxiety all of us experience and replaces them with a “can do” mindset that makes life a lot more fun and exciting.  The choice is yours.

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program I offer is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.  In today’s blog I used Step 3, Suspend Judgment, to demonstrate how emotions form judgments which, in turn, determine the reality you experience.   I also employed Step 6, Eclectic Education, to offer insights from two different disciplines, neuroscience and sports, to support my point.  Finally, I used Step 4, Seeing Similarities, to show how two different disciplines reach the same conclusion.

You can learn more about the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program and how it can help you deal with the business challenges you face by clicking on http://www.furtwengler.com/7steps.htm

Please share your thoughts, whether you agree or not, by posting a comment.  If there are topics you’d like me to address, send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.

Each of us has a natural propensity for discovering solutions to problems…

…what’s yours?

In his book, The Cerebral Symphony, William Calvin notes that in the scientific community there are experimenters and synthesizers.  Experimenters are people who exploit new techniques for looking deeper into whatever question they’re investigating. 

Conversely, synthesizers take the vast array of discoveries from a variety of disciplines to piece together a holistic view of the way things work.  Calvin goes on to say that, while both approaches contribute to scientific progress, few scientists employ both.

What does that have to do with you?  First it affords new insights into the way you prefer to work – your natural style.  Here’s a quick question to gauge your preference.  Given a choice of projects would you prefer to tear apart a process to discover ways to improve it or would you rather gather information from someone who has done that analysis and use it to establish new procedures? 

Some people enjoy the investigative intrigue problem-solving affords.  Others prefer to learn from others and use that knowledge to get ahead of the curve by establishing new policies and procedures to avoid the problem in the future.

It’s counter-intuitive, but awareness of your natural style (experimenter or synthesizer) and the style of your colleagues prefer, can help you, your boss and your team enjoy greater success.  Helping guide the delegation of tasks based on natural preferences can increase job enjoyment, reduce cycle times and dramatically improve results now and in the future.

The 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program I offer is designed to help you see more effective ways of doing business – ways that dramatically improve your bottom line while making your life easier.  In today’s blog I used Step 6, Eclectic Education, to demonstrate how to import insights and ideas from other disciplines.  In this case I drew from the field of neurophysiology.  I also employed Step 4, Seeing Similarities, to apply those insights to business.

As you share these insights at work don’t forget Step 2, The Persuasion Myth.  Your natural tendency will be to try to convince your colleagues and boss how valuable this approach is.  The more you try to persuade them the more resistance you’ll get. 

Step 2, The Persuasion Myth, suggests that you share the concept with your colleagues, then ask them how they think this approach could be used in your organization.  You’ll find that they’re more likely to embrace the concept once they’ve had a chance to do their own evaluation of it.

You can learn more about the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE program and how it can help you deal with the business challenges you face by clicking on http://www.furtwengler.com/7steps.htm

Please share your thoughts, whether you agree or not, by posting a comment.  If there are topics you’d like me to address, send me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.