Understanding human nature requires subtle intelligence.

The question is “How do we acquire it?”

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

One of the keys to success is understanding others in ways that allow us to help them enjoy greater success.  This week we’re going to use Step 6, Eclectic Education, to discover how we can become more attuned to our fellow human beings and Step 3, Suspend Judgment, to enrich those relationships.

The following quote comes from the Katha Upanisad:

Hidden in all beings,

The self does not shine forth.

But it is seen with supreme, subtle intelligence

By those of subtle sight.

The underlying theme of the Upanisads is that divinity resides in all living things, not just human beings.  It’s this divinity that is “Hidden in all beings” – that does not “shine forth.”  Yet each of us has experienced those special moments in which we’ve become comfortable with who we are and, in doing so, felt the joy of oneness with the world.

Unfortunately these special moments seem to occur too infrequently.  It’s the protracted time frames between these moments that keep the self hidden.  How can we enjoy more of these special moments?  How can help the self shine forth more frequently?

Through introspection – what the Upanisad calls “subtle intelligence” born of subtle “sight.”  If you truly want to experience more of these precious moments, spend 15 minutes each day getting to know who you truly are – warts and all – for even in the warts there is beauty.  Here are some of the things I’ve discovered about myself.  I:

• Am extremely confident.
• Assimilate information quickly and decide quickly.
• Am not good partner material – too independent.
• Am not particularly religious, but spiritual.
• Like people and like to make them laugh.
• Bore easily.
• Am results-oriented.
• Refuse to grow up.

One of the keys to making these self-evaluations work to my advantage is not to judge my discoveries as being either good nor bad.  Being extremely confident is very helpful as long as I don’t allow my confidence to close my mind to what others are telling me.

Not being good partner material could imply that I’m not a team player, yet I have no problems working with groups of people in my clients’ offices or on association boards.  I simply want the freedom to choose what I want to do when I want to do it without seeking a business partner’s permission to do so.  That knowledge allows me to be honest with people who seek any type of affiliation besides a collaboration on a project.

Each day that you spend 15 minutes discovering something about yourself and letting go of the judgment about whether it’s good or bad, the more comfortable you become with who you are.  With this comfort comes the ability the Upanisads calls “subtle sight” – the ability to see, without judgement, the qualities that define those with whom you come into contact.  In essence, you’ll be able to see their “true self” – it will shine forth because you’ve developed the ability to see it.

It’s counter-intuitive, but the ability to know, understand and appreciate others comes from our ability to first know and appreciate ourselves.

Develop this subtle sight, this subtle intelligence and you’ll become very adept at bringing out the best in all whom you meet.  This ability will make you INVALUABLE to those around you and, in the process, attract opportunities so that you don’t have to pursue them.

Would you like to learn how to develop these counter-intuitive thought approaches?  Check out my 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE self-study program.  It’s a modest investment with life-time returns.  Just click on the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE book cover and learn how easy it is for you to become INVALUABLE.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide or check out my latest book, Pricing for Profit.  Enjoy!

So easy to overlook…

…so large in their impact.

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

What can we learn from human genetics?  That the little things really do matter.  In this post I’m combining Step 6, Eclectic Education, with Step 4, See Similarities, to give you a new way of looking at the opportunities and challenges you face.

One of the stunning statistics to come from the human genome project is that 99.6% of our genetic makeup is exactly the same as other human beings on this earth.That means that only 0.4% of our genes account for the vast array of differences that distinguish the almost 7 billion people who occupy the world today.

Beyond the obvious ramifications in terms of gender, unique facial and body features, emotional make up and predispositions to disease, illness or wellness, what can we learn from this statistic?  That slight differences can have a huge and lasting impact.

By nature we’re wired to be enamored with grand and often complex plans.  There’s something enticing about being a part of something that’s bigger than ourselves.  Yet how many of these large initiatives have proven disappointing?  How many actually produce the desired result?

Often the complexity of the initiative combined with the protracted implementation period result in an abandoning of the project in favor of another new, grand initiative.  Such is the plight of our human nature.

What’s the solution?  It’s counter-intuitive, but you need to look for bigness in the result, not the plan, the process or the initiative.  Look for the little things that you can do right now that will produce results.  Each week find another little thing that you can do within hours, or a day or two, that will produce more results.

Over the course of a year, these little things, implemented one at a time, not only dramatically improve your results; they produce sustainable results for the future.

If you want to distinguish yourself, become the person in your organization who sees little changes, little tweaks, to what’s being done that can produce huge results.  This ability will make you INVALUABLE to those around you and, in the process, attract opportunities so that you don’t have to pursue them.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning; you need to be compensated well for the value you provide.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how.  Enjoy!

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog, please enter your email address and name in the left sidebar.  You’ll also get a free copy of Step 1 of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE.   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.

Our natural tendency is to grow our operations.

Is it possible that we should be shrinking them?

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

Our natural tendency is to grow our existing operations.  We operate under the notion that what has worked for us in the past is the best approach for the future.  Often what we’ll discover is that while what we’ve been doing may have worked, it may not have worked well.  Here’s an example.

Mr. Eggett cites a candy manufacturer who discovered that his real strength was in creating new candies, not in producing them.  The candy manufacturer outsourced the production, sold his production facilities and aligned himself with a food distributor that needed a candy product.  The result? He grew his regional company to a national brand while shrinking his company’s operations.

It’s counter-intuitive, but when considering growth for the future take a look at:

• What your company does better than anyone else.
• What you have the most fun doing.
• Which aspects of your operation consistently disappoint your customers.
• Which areas of the operation give you the most headaches from an operational standpoint.
• Which companies excel at the things your company struggles with;  Mr. Eggett suggests that it could be a competitor who could become an ally.
• Which companies have a gap in their offerings that you can fill with your expertise.

Bring ideas like this to the table vis-a-vis your eclectic education and you’ll have others regularly seeking your counsel, inviting you onto their teams and involving you in their initiatives.  It’s another way to become INVALUABLE.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide.  Enjoy!

If you’d like to receive a weekly email reminder with a link to The Invaluable Leader blog, please enter your email address and name in the left sidebar.  You’ll also get a free copy of Step 1 of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE.   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.

It’s natural to rail at things that upset us…

…but is it productive?

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

In Step 3, Suspend Judgment, I struggle, as I believe most of us do, to avoid allowing the emotional reactions I have from becoming judgments about the person, the message or the behavior.  That’s precisely where I am today.

A friend recommended a national best-selling book to me.  I won’t mention the book or author because I don’t believe in denigrating the work of others.  There’s too much of that going on today.  Besides I wouldn’t be modeling the behavior of suspending judgment that I’m asking you to adopt as part of the 7 Steps program.

What I’m offering is the lesson that I’ve taken from this experience.  As I was reading the book – actually within the first 20 pages or so – I was inclined to return it to the library unread.  Why?  The author was railing about today’s political environment without offering any suggestions on what we, the readers, could do to effect changes in that environment.  The examples offered about governments failings were accurate and lucid, but these examples left me with the nagging question “So what do I do about it?”

Without that answer the author left me feeling angry, frustrated and helpless.  The last thing we need are those emotions running rampant throughout the populace.  It’s an emotional blend that builds a powder keg of emotion that, once sparked, unleashes terrible violent action despite the fact that this author promotes non-violence in his rhetoric.

It’s counter-intuitive, but railing at anything triggers emotional reactions in others that can lead to unpredictable, sometimes violent reactions.  At the very least, railing will result in the listeners forming judgments that closes their minds to alternative approaches to dealing with the situation being discussed.

Whenever you feel inclined to rail at something that’s upset you, pause a moment. Remind yourself that you’re experiencing an emotional reaction.  Recall previous instances in which you were emotional and how those emotions clouded your judgment.  Then recall those situations in which you were able to set aside those emotions and how much more lucid and productive your thinking was.  Relive the joy you experienced as this emotion-free state allowed you to craft a variety of alternative solutions to the problem you were facing.  Remember the peace you experienced as you realized that there were a number of solutions, any of which that could work.

If you want to be INVALUABLE, don’t rail at the situations you face. Instead, set aside those emotions and the judgments they naturally form and explore alternatives to the situation you’re facing.  Once you’ve identified those alternatives, communicate the circumstances factually as well as the alternative approaches.  The people around you will appreciate the fact that you haven’t cast them into an emotional whirlpool with no way out.  It’s the kind of approach that will cause them to seek your well-reasoned counsel, invite you onto their teams and involve you in their new initiatives.  It’s another way for you to become INVALUABLE.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide.  Enjoy!

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.

Would you like more influence?

Then learn to present your ideas succinctly?

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

This week we’re going to explore Step 2, The Persuasion Myth, in a slightly different light.  As most of you know Step 2 says that we can’t persuade anyone of anything, they have to persuade themselves.  With that in mind our goal, typically, is to ask questions that allow the listener to discover new perspectives on the issue at hand and, in the process, validate their conclusions with their own experiences.

Fortunately, that’s not the only way (is there ever just one way?) to gain influence.  I’m sure that you’ve met people who didn’t say very much, but when they did everyone listened.

What was it about this person that made their words so powerful?  What allowed the person to command so much attention even though, typically, he or she is soft spoken?  One of the keys is brevity.  Most of us have experienced monologues that dragged on and on leaving us wondering “Is there a point to this?”

Why do we do that?  Why do we embark on these endless narrations?  Our natural tendency is to seek recognition.  This pursuit often leads to lengthy explanations of the:

• Situation we faced
• Obstacles we encountered
• Ways in which we overcame those obstacles
• Conclusions we reached
• Reasons why our approach is the best approach

It’s counter-intuitive, but if we take a few seconds to organize our thoughts:

• To provide only relevant information
• Preferably in question form
• To encourage discovery by our listeners

we’ll go a long way in influencing the outcome we desire.  Remember, the approach will be viewed as manipulative unless you keep an open mind.  You must be willing to consider the possibility that your conclusion is wrong.  Your questions should be crafted as explorations of new perspectives, not as leading others to your foregone conclusion.

By retraining our minds to present ideas succinctly we make ourselves more valuable to others.  The more powerful our words become, the more others admire this ability in us.  It’s why they seek our counsel, why they invite us onto their teams, why they want us involved in new initiatives.  That’s how we become INVALUABLE to them.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to discover how to get compensated well for the value you provide.  Enjoy!

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.

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

Have you become disenchanted with your work?

If so, what can you do about it?

ATTRACT Opportunities Instead of Pursuing Them…

…Using Counter-Intuitive Thinking

I had to chuckle when I read the following comment a teacher made to Dr. Thomas Gordon as related in his book T.E.T-Teacher Effectiveness Training www.gordontraining.com/drthomasgordon.html

“When I started teaching I saw myself as the leader of a happy band of students, eager to learn, to explore, to discover.  It didn’t turn out that way.  I don’t look forward to teaching,  I dread each new class, each new day.  So do the students.  I feel like a slave driver cracking the whip over the heads of a bunch of lazy, good-for-nothing slobs whose only interest is to get out of work.  They lie, cheat, put each other down, and seem to be interested only in how little they can do and still pass the course.  Worst of all, I’m now told that I am going to be judged by how well they do on standardized tests!”

I’m not sadistic; I don’t take pleasure in other people’s pain.  Yet I had to laugh because, by simply changing a few words, I could use that commentary to describe virtually any work environment I’ve ever seen.  Even in the best of environments there are days that cause managers  to echo this teacher’s frustration.

Why do we become so disenchanted?  Why do we experience such great frustration?  More importantly, is there anything we can do about it?

Dr. Gordon suggests that this teacher first look toward her own expectations.  In the language of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE that means looking at your contribution to the problem.

Regardless of how you frame it, the question is “Is it reasonable to expect human beings of any age, background or temperament to occasionally appear to be ‘a bunch of of lazy, good-for-nothing slobs whose only interest is to get out of work’?”  People also lie, cheat and put each other down.

These are the less attractive aspects of our humanity, yet they exist in each of us.  If we know this, then it’s possible to set realistic expectations that, on occasion, people are going to behave badly. When they do it’s much easier to deal with that behavior because we realize that we’ve had our moments as well.  We can draw upon our less-than-exemplary moments to help the person return to more appropriate behavior.  It also helps if we utilize Step 3 of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE, Suspend Judgment, to avoid judging the person or the person’s behavior.

The second thing to explore when feeling disenchanted is how the system might be triggering the behaviors we’re seeing.  If you recall from my November 30, 2009 post “The Propensity for Evil”, Philip Zimbardo in his book, The Lucifer Effect, provides great insight into how situations  trigger behaviors that are atypical for the individuals involved.  If your frustration is on par with the teacher’s commentary above, it may be that the system (remember you’re part of the system) is the true source of your frustration.

It’s counter-intuitive to look at our disenchantment from the vantage points of our personal contribution to the problem (Step 1 Contributory Negligence), the system in which we operate and our natural tendency to judge situations (Step 3 Suspend Judgment) but it’s the most effective way to regain the joy and excitement our work once brought us.

Use these simple concepts to help others overcome their disenchantment with work and you, too, will become INVALUABLE.  It’s another way to attract new leadership opportunities.

Attracting opportunities is only the beginning.  You need to get compensated well for the value you provide.  Visit www.pricingforprofitbook.com to learn how to communicate your value and command higher prices or salaries for that value.

Who’s your strongest competitor?

What are your odds of beating him/her?

Step 3 of the 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE is “Suspend Judgment.” Let’s take a look at how one winner used this concept to his advantage.

As American Idol is about to launch its new season, I couldn’t help but reflect on last year’s contest. The surprise win of Kris Allen over the favorite, Adam Lambert, offers some valuable insights into competition.

The importance of Winston Churchill’s famous 5-word speech to England’s citizenry, “Never, never, never give up,” was exemplified in Kris Allen’s American Idol win. Throughout the competition Adam Lambert was considered the person to beat. His performances were rewarded with glowing reviews from the judges and standing ovations from the audience. Yet, during the final two weeks of the competition it was Kris Allen who garnered the majority of the votes.

It would have been easy for Kris to embrace the idea that:

• Adam Lambert was more talented than he was
• Adam was more popular and, thus, unbeatable
• His chances of winning were nil

All of these thoughts could have, and probably did, enter his psyche. They all have one thing in common. They’re judgments; judgments wrought from emotion. These judgments limit our potential and the value we bring to society.

The reality is that there will always be someone a little brighter, a little more skilled, more experienced or more of a natural talent than we are. Their abilities make life miserable for us. No matter how hard we try we’re never going to surpass these people – or are we?

We can, and we will, if we follow Kris Allen’s example of setting aside these judgments and doing our best every week. It’s counter-intuitive, but there is only one competitor in your life – yourself. If you compare yourself against those who are brighter, more skilled, possess greater experience or are more naturally gifted, you’re likely to become disheartened and give up.

Conversely, if you compete only against yourself, every time you improve upon your previous performance you gain confidence and you position yourself for greater and greater success. It won’t matter what your competitors are doing, you’ll know that your success is assured because you’re continuously improving in areas that have value for your customers.

Learn from Kris Allen! Set aside those judgments that limit your future. Focus on your customers‘ needs and competing only with yourself. You’ll not only enjoy greater and greater success, odds are that you’ll have others in your industry viewing you as the one who is brighter, more skilled, more experienced or more naturally talented.

A reader shares a news piece…

…touting counter-intuitive thinking.

My thanks to Christy Beckmann for bringing this piece to my attention.  It’s a November 14, 2009 New York Times article entitled “At Bloomberg, Modest Strategy to Rule The World,” written by Stephanie Clifford and Julie Creswell.

Christy was intrigued by the following quote.  “We need a broader audience,” says Daniel L. Doctoroff, Bloomberg’s president.  “The history of this company is you do the counterintuitive , countercylical thing.  It’s part of our DNA.”

Indeed, Bloomberg’s success stems from it’s financial information systems software called terminals that offer the quick, reliable financial data and analysis to the trading desks of Wall Street firms in formats not available elsewhere.  Bloomberg built a better mouse trap and have maintained their competitive advantage for nearly three decades.  And they did it using counter-intuitive thinking – by looking at financial information in a new light.

Does their new strategy “to be the world’s most influential news organization”  fit their counter-intuitive, countercyclical DNA?  On the surface it doesn’t seem so.  If anything Bloomberg may be on a slippery slope of financial decline.  Why?  Here are the insights Clifford and Creswell provided:

• The vast majority of Bloomberg’s $6.3 billion in revenue and nearly all of it’s profit comes from its financial information systems.
• In 2009 Bloomberg will see a drop in the number of terminals in use.
• Bloomberg feels the need for “a broader audience.”

Let’s explore each of these insights in greater detail.

The fact that nearly all of Bloomberg’s profits come from it’s terminals suggests that its media expansion efforts aren’t producing much, if anything, in the way of profits.  If that’s true Bloomberg is adding a lot of infrastructure cost with little return on its investment.  That’s not a financially sustainable business model.

Bloomberg’s core business is declining as evidenced by a decline in number of terminals in use.  Their desire to expand into other new coverage indicates that they don’t know what to do to fix this problem.  That’s not intended as a criticism.  All companies that enjoy tremendous success eventually face this dilemma.  The intuitive (not counter-intuitive) solution is to look for new lines of business.

Bloomberg is utilizing the intuitive approach by seeking “a broader audience.”  The fact that it is doing so at a time when the world seems to be devaluing news coverage is counter-intuitive.  What’s missing is an indication that Bloomberg has found a formula that will once again entice consumers to pay for that coverage.

While it is my sincere wish that the Bloomberg organization continue to enjoy tremendous success, I have serious doubts that their new strategy will allow that to happen.

To view the rest of the New York Times article visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/business/media/15bloom.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=bloomberg%20rule%20the%20world&st=cse

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, contrast Bloomberg’s previous counter-intuitive business strategy with its more intuitive new strategy.  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.

For examples of how counter-intuitive thinking can help your break the bonds of industry pricing visit my Pricing for Profit blog at www.pricingforprofitbook.com.  Enjoy!

Few of us doubt that evil exists…

…the question is where.

I recently had my world rocked when I read Philip Zimbardo’s book, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil.  Not so much by the fact that each of us has a propensity for evil behavior – who among us hasn’t made a biting comment when we’ve felt hurt or threatened?

What did surprise me was Zimbardo’s insight as to how the situations we face trigger evil behavior and how quickly that can occur.  Professor Zimbardo, a social psychologist, created the Stanford Prison Experiment at Stanford University in the 1970s.  His goal was to determine whether or not situations influenced behavior and, if so, to what extent.  His findings are amazing.

Within a few days male college students who had agreed to be either guard or prisoner depending on the luck of the draw experienced the following:

• Guards became progressively more verbally and psychologically abusive (physical abuse was not permitted) – so much so that the experiment was stopped after just five days.
• Those guards who didn’t participate in the abuse, or did so only sporadically to avoid criticism themselves, didn’t do anything to curb the abusive guards’ behavior.
• Some prisoners experienced such severe depression that they were released after only a day or two in the experiment.  Interestingly they could have left voluntarily at any time, but didn’t.
• All prisoners became accepting of the ill treatment they received.
• Professor Zimbardo admits that he fell victim to the situation and moved away from what he perceived his true nature.

What’s the message for us?  As we’re thinking about how we structure our organizations, incentive programs and other aspects of our business, let’s keep in mind this propensity for evil.  Are we creating an environment in which we encourage arrogance toward customers, intolerance with employees or exceedingly unrealistic expectation for vendors.

If you’re thinking “I’d never do that.”  Take a look at some of your policies.  Have you set sales quotas and, in doing so, encouraged your salespeople to sell to customers who don’t really value what you offer.  Worse yet, are they lowering the price to get the sale which hurts both your company and the customer.

Have you established aggressive collection policies?  If so, have your collectors lost their compassion for people who are trying to pay you, but find themselves struggling to find a way to do so.

Have you created compensation programs that encourage your employees to ignore what’s in the best interests of your customers or your business.  Years ago, during a training program I was presenting to mid-level managers, they told me of an ongoing problem.  When I began to offer suggestions on how to deal with the problem, they said “Oh, we know how to fix it.  That’s not how we’re compensated.”  Ouch!

It’s counter-intuitive, but the policies we establish and the procedures we put into place have the propensity to trigger the evil that exists in all of us by virtue of our human nature.  Spend a few extra minutes evaluating your policies and procedures with an eye to the evil it could create and you’ll save yourselves and those with whom you interact a great deal of pain.

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 6, Eclectic Education, to gain new perspectives from a social psychologist.  I also used Step 4, See Similarities, to demonstrate how his concepts apply our policy-making, procedure-writing activities.  Finally, I used Step 6, Contrarian Mindset, to offer ways to avoid triggering the less savory aspects of our human nature.  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.

For insights into how you can apply counter-intuitive thinking to your pricing strategy, visit my Pricing for Profit blog at www.pricingforprofitbook.com.

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.