Im happy to discuss, if you don’t scare me.

Both in business and personal life it can be difficult having efficient and productive conversations. Conversations that create action and update the current status quo (deliver desired results.)

Because of this (or in spite of this) most businesses and people operate within a comfort zone. They employ a way of thinking and actioning that is comfortable and ‘just’ works- The comfort formula. It happens across many industries and infiltrates into nearly all departments.

‘We already use a similar service at the moment’ upon further analyses, they do use a similar service that is more expensive and delivers minimal results and maximum comfort.

Making people aware that they could possibly be doing their jobs better, using better services or even better people can be a scary thing. It means they have to open their mind, challenge what they know, make a hard decision and be ready to be scared.

Planaholics and Goalism

Plans are important as they give us a certain discipline, a procedure and a line of attack. More often than not the plan becomes the goal- “everything went according to plan.” This is not the objective, nor the goal nor the outcome. You do not want a plan to be put together and the objective/goal been to fulfil that plan.

Plans take you in a direction, any direction. Some plans succeed, some fail. They also do not give the actual goal enough credit, as when plans are finalised they do not allow for much scope- scope can achieve a goal more efficiently.

The key here is the Goal, the objective, the pot of gold, the outcome and the re-evaluation stage. The time when the goal has been achieved and then we can sit down and re-evaluate if that goal has put us in the position that we intended to be in?

Then we start over.

Focus on the goal. What exactly is it that I want to happen? Increase sales by 12%, grow my data base by 12,000, save 15,000 dollars this year.

Put simply; Plan: To drink more water.

Goal: drink 6 glasses a day. (3 before 3pm and 3 after 3pm)

"your just two eyes in a box,

and a fairly small box at that!"

Are we all getting the point?

The papers print old news.

With the speed of modern media channels and the rate at which we are absorbing news, information, social interaction and entertainment increasing so dramatically It comes to no surprise that the traditional media channels, press/magazines/TV are now broadcasting (more than likely narrowcasting by now) old news.

This is not to say they can still have a play at the market for a decade or so longer, but as the younger generation, sitting around 8-15 y.o are inhabiting the world wide web so frequently it will nearly be impossible for the Traditionals to keep up.

Things progress and things digress. The web is progressing, the traditionals are in need of digression- traditional media need to take a path of interest, or specialty, they can no longer be the source of breaking news, the go-to platform for all things relevant, the current affair broadcaster-as the Web has this covered.

They need to digress, publish creative content. There are no surprises the most popular issues of the local rag are the ones containing memorabilia, or the ratings boom when a TV show pays tributes to a particular individual or event.

Most of us are getting our news, info and entertainment 2-5 times a day 5 days a week with 2 clicks- we are no longer waiting for the old news in the paper the next morning.

The Action Man

Do something,

Do something Now!

Now, Do something better.

All you need is love

Do you love your job?

Do you love your boss?

Do you love your responsibilities?

Do you love getting interrupted by new opportunities that could benefit the company you work for?

Are you going to love the outcome?

A little love goes a long way, especially in Business. Most people are similar, not the same, but very similar. They will take the same road/decision/opportunities that were taken by the person sitting in the role before them or the year before. They will take few new leads, enter few new conversations, reply to few inbound emails providing new opportunities and take few risks (let alone, merely understanding the opportunity that was given to them). Why? Well why not, more often than not it’s not their company (and never will be), it’s not their money, and they don’t love the outcome.

Everyone in a similar position is acting very similar to you- And because of this there is an opportunity to do something different and DO SOMETHING!

There are very few people in the Business landscape that are open minded, that DON’T believe they know it all, that admit when something needs to be fixed-even if it isn’t broken (yet!)

Here is a thought; If your consumers acted the same way you do when you launch or offer a new product, where would your company be?

A risk is safe- a risk an opportunity- an opportunity is an operation on your company.

n.b. 'Banksy' image displayed above.

Happy New Year

2009 year was a big year!

It was a big year for many reasons; there was a very big financial crisis, big decisions to be made, big opportunities on the table, big developments occurred, little companies became big companies and big companies expired, big people made big mistakes, big celebrities past away, little media continued achieving big results, and started demanding big budgets...just to rattle off a small few.

The big year is over and an even bigger year awaits, A new decade awaits, It hasn't unfolded yet- it is nothing more than an empty space for you to build whatever you desire. There is no future, the future is now.