(Time to read this Blog is about 3 minutes)
Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking or smiling:
- My Biz Quote of the week:
“All businesses sell stuff….great businesses are on a mission to improve the human condition in some significant way. What ‘mission’ is your business on? What extraordinary outcomes do you commit to deliver for your customers, your team, your community, for the planet, for ‘humanity’…and for your bottom line?”
…Donald Cooper.
- Quick Biz Tip:
Not every job is a traditional full-time job: (From HR, Culture and Organizational expert, Kim Seeling Smith).
When looking for talent to fill a particular position, or solve a particular problem, ask this important question: ‘Does this really need to be a full-time role?’
For decades, organizations have defaulted to full-time employment as the standard answer. But work is no longer that simple. Some roles need a full-time employee. But others are best filled by a ‘fractional expert’ who you hire for a specific number of days a week or month.
Some needs might be most effectively solved by a skilled contractor for six months. Other, more complex projects, might require an experienced and dedicated Project Team.
Other needs might be best resolved by reskilling (training) from within, rather than hiring an outsider.
- Fun Fact: The average Canadian commutes 54 minutes a day.
- Everything you never wanted to know about the tennis balls at Wimbledon. The annual British Tennis classic starts June 29. Here are a few facts about the balls used.
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- Wimbledon uses approximately 54,000 to 55,000 tennis balls during the two-week tournament.
- Slazenger has been the official ball supplier since 1902. They supply the balls at no charge in exchange for ‘promotional consideration’. This is the world’s longest-running sport sponsorship.
- Balls are stored at a consistent temperature of 68°F (20°C) until put into play.
- New balls are introduced after the first 7 games, and then again after every 9 games.
- Once they’re removed from play, the used balls are sold to fans on the tournament grounds, or donated to the Lawn Tennis Association. Some of the used balls are donated to the UK Wildlife Trust to be repurposed as elevated, predator-proof nesting shelters for harvest mice.
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- Are you ‘creating the next’? MIT researchers have developed a process of 3D printing several different materials to automatically create a complete, functioning electric motor, in just a few hours.
So, what are you doing to create ‘the next’ in your industry or market?
- Big companies do stupid things. BMW tried to charge owners $18 per month to activate the heated seats in their BMW vehicles. The heated seats were already in the car, and the customer had paid for them when they bought the vehicle. But BMW locked control of the heated seats behind a paywall.
If you have examples of big companies doing stupid things, I’d love to hear from you.
Now, to this week’s important topic:
The myth of ‘Never give up’:
Motivational speakers tell us that we should “Never give up…believe in your dreams!” They remind us of famous business people, politicians, athletes, musicians and others who overcame great odds to, ultimately, succeed. But here’s the truth. There is a time to give up, to learn from our mistakes and move on! The beginning of wisdom is the recognition of reality.
‘Wisdom’ is knowing when to give up and move on. Many future successes are built on past failures. But if we’re not, first, prepared to admit to the failure, we don’t get to move on to the potential success.
There’s a big difference between being a ‘quitter’ and having the wisdom to know when to let go and move on to ‘Plan B’. Every week I see businesses, all around the world, that are just a bad idea. They’ll never make money and will suck the owner dry, financially.
The secret is knowing when to let go of a bad idea, an outdated business model, a lousy location, a mediocre product, or a toxic employee that you’ve been trying to ‘rescue’ for the past 7 frustrating years.
We all need to reinvent our business and ourselves. To do that we need to let go of the stuff that isn’t working and replace it with better ‘stuff’. So, what’s not working in your business…and your life? It’s time for a reality check.
Make one list for your business…and one for your life. Write down what’s not working. What and who are dragging you down? What action is required? When will you take that action? Remember, the beginning of wisdom is the recognition of reality.
That’s it for this week…
Live brilliantly and be kind to each other!
Donald Cooper
Donald Cooper speaks and coaches internationally on management, marketing, and profitability. He can be reached by email at donald@donaldcooper.com in Toronto, Canada.
