Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness

Dan Pink: To Sell Is Human

Dan Pink is offering an outrageous deal for folks who pre-order his new book! Here's what you get:

1. A free 20-page PDF workbook, based on To Sell is Human, giving you a two-week plan to get better at selling and a head start on those who won’t have the book until January.
2. A free New Year’s Day webinar – with an exclusive look at the ideas, people, and publications I’ll be watching in 2013 and a chance to ask me questions. (We did this for the launch of Johnny Bunko a few years ago – and it was one of the best-received events I’ve ever done.)
3. A free customized Field Notes memo book – my favorite notebook of all time, printed in a (very) limited edition batch commemorating publication of the book. Check out the sample above.
4. A free To Sell is Human bookplate, signed and numbered, to slap inside your book.
5. A free audio download of a one-hour special edition of Office Hours (which won’t be available anywhere else) featuring exclusive interviews with Robert Cialdini, author of the classic book, Influence, and Adam Grant, the Wharton professor whose not-yet-published study is one of the biggest pieces of news in To Sell is Human.

Go to this link. Towards the end of Dan's article it says: What You Need to do. Follow these directions.

Many people only need hear Dan's name mentioned along with new book and it's fore gone conclusion. Bought. For others, here's what To Sell Is Human is about. I can feel Dan's new book will mesh well with the Standing Out in a Sea of Samenss culture.

In order to stand out, we need to go out and talk to people. While exploring careers of interest and enhancing pathways chosen, we need to both learn and articulate our position in the Universe.

I actually pre-ordered my book on Aug 7. All this free stuff is like just icing on the cake. I cannot wait to get my hands on Dan's new book, not to mention the field notes and workbook.

Did You Always Wanna be a....?

Dear Old Adult,

Did you always want to be a...(fill in your present job or career)? Are you content with the path taken to get there? Could there have been a more effective route?

When asked these questions most people say they wouldn't change a thing. Mostly because their experience forged who they are today. Of course there is truth to that. But still, dontcha wish just a teeny bit? To know then what you know now.

Now, how about all those kids walking towards the same cliff that you and I blindly and naively walked over? Sure life is about the experience, the journey. But wouldn't it be nice to alleviate some of their pain? Wouldn't it be nice to help them become more effective at an earlier age? Wouldn't it be nice to see them be able to make a difference in other's lives earlier in their lives? And about this nice-thing. It might end up in the top five of joy-givers in your life. We're getting around to that.

So how do you help young adults from meeting their demise on the jagged rocks below?

You paint a vivid picture of your profession's landscape, illustrating required education, job-related details, challenging, worthwhile and frustrating job aspects and career pathways. You tell them what you like and what you dislike. The intent is to supply information to help them make a decision as to whether or not your profession is worthy of a higher level of consideration.

Most young adults do not have a firm grasp on what people working in fields of interest actually do. An example is engineering. It's not uncommon for nearly fifty percent of the students in engineering schools to drop their major by the end of their freshman year. They just didn't realize what engineers do. (Getting Real, Gray, page 9)

The onus however, is not on you my old adult friend. It is on the student or as I refer to them, the explorer. It is up to them to find you. Or for them to utilize a person such as myself to help facilitate a connection.

Here is my working theory that is behind what I write. A young adult asks you for twenty to thirty minutes of your time. She is gathering information to assist in guiding career path decisions. She arrives smartly dressed and on time at your place of business. As she asks questions you cannot help but to notice how passionately curious she is to learn. It's in her body language, her eyes and her voice. And, unlike other people you encounter during the workday, she listens to you. Finishing up the conversation she asks if you could refer someone who would be willing to hold a similar conversation. You were so impressed by the respect she afforded and her demeanor, you offered to personally call your colleague and set up an appointment.

The next day a hand-written thank you note arrives in the mail. The young lady thanks you again for your time and reflects back on a point or two that you made. You feel quite satsified with the whole experience and wonder how her future will turn out. Later on in the year you receive another card from her and six months later another card. Five years later and you're still receiving cards from this young woman. She continuously updates you on her career and educational progress. A few times she reflected back on advice that you had given her and in the manner it helped you. That made you feel good. Real good.

One day you receive a phone call from our diligent young adult. She is wondering if you might be able to make a connection for her. I don't have to tell you how fast you acted in helping her. And that made you feel good. Real good.

The effort it took you to originally speak with this young adult: minimal (and enjoyable). The time spent on that first interview: thirty minutes. Time collectively spent reading all her correspondence: forty-five minutes. Value that YOU receieved from this relationship: priceless. 

There is a more than fair chance that you are taking me up on my suggestion to read this. If so, and you are interested in helping to guide and offer career advice to a young adult, please contact me.

Again, the onus is on the explorer to seek you out. Please consider allowing me to point them in the right direction.

 

The Art of Possibility

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander & Ben Zander

Note: This post is longer than one of my normal reviews. It is a Cliff Note type of experiment designed for Explorers who either don't have the time to read the whole book or choose not to.

There are many different ways to look at a situation or problem, right? You know that. But how often do you consider more ways than one, namely, the first one that comes to mind?

The Zanders' premise behind this book is that most often the framework of assumptions we place around circumstances block us in our daily lives. Change the framework and possibilites are possible. 

The book is written around twelve practices designed to transform our outlook, perceptions, beliefs and thought processes. An Amazon reviewer recaps the practices here. 

To guide us into a receptive frame of thought and set the book's tone, the Zanders begin with:

A shoe factory sends two marketing scouts to a region in Africa to study the prospects for expanding business. One sends back a telegram saying: Situation hopeless Stop no one wears shoes. The other writes back triumphantly: Glorious business opportunity Stop they have no shoes.

Moving forward here and at Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness I  am going to slowly assemble a library that consists of foundational books that I believe to be of importance to the Explorer. The Art of Possibility is the first book that I am placing into this collection. 

Of the twelve practices designed to transform our perception, I feel a strong connection with the Explorer to the following five:

1. It's All Invented
2. Giving an A
3. Being a Contribution
4. The Way Things Are
5. Creating Frameworks of Possibility

To be real, any or all of the twelve apply. These are the ones that resonate in my framework of the Explorer creating a universe of possibility.

It's All Invented - The world is. Our perception of the world is created by life-long programming or mental maps. Our mind percieves and or constructs based upon what it knows. This is what Ben and Roz mean by it's all invented. They go onto suggest that we might as well invent a framework that enhances our quality of life then. Here's their process:

First ask yourself:

What assumption am I making, that I'm not aware I'm making, that gives me what I see?

Then ask:

What might I now invent, that I haven't yet invented, that would give me other choices?

Do you see a hopeless situation where no one wears shoes? Or do you see a big opportunity?

 Giving an A - The Zanders reference Michelangelo when they say, "inside every block of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within."

They then bring this concept into a child's education. Chip away at the stone. "...getting rid of whatever is in the way of each child's developing skills, mastery and self-expression." When a teacher presents the child with an A upfront, the child does not have to live up to a measurement of some preset standard, it gives them room to evolve from inside the block of stone. It focuses the teacher on chipping away at that stone as well. And, it focuses both on the outcome...the beautiful statue within. 

Although Ben uses an example from his classroom where he actually did give students an A based on them carrying out his instruction, the idea of giving an A transcends the classroom to our dealings with one another. And by giving the A we speak to the recipient's passion. The Zanders say, "This A is not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into."

Being a Contribution - Ben and Roz set the stage for this chapter with the Starfish Story. (Make sure you watch the short video at the end of the post!). 

The Process:

Declare yourself a contribution

Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference, accepting that you may not understand how or why.

I particularly like Ben's outlook on redefining his work. Instead of viewing it as an arena for success he looks at it as a place of contribution. I think those of us who've struggled finding success at work and more so confronting agonizing frustration, can look at it in the same light. Focus on contributions to be made.

At the end of the day or week ask yourself, how have I contributed? Or better yet, involve a friend and ask each other this question.  

The Way Things Are - Be present to the way things are. This includes our feelings about the way things are. Be present to what is happening and be present to your reactions. The Zanders say be present without resistance to the way things are. Without resistance we free ourselves to explore possibilities.

Our perceptions, assumptions and feelings could be very different from the true reality of the situation. If we can separate our preconceived notions and conclusions from what is actually happening, we give possibility time to open up. 

Ben and Roz use the example of should be. You know, when confronted with a situation we overwhelm ourselves with should be's. When we do this we lose our power to act effectively. In addition to clearing should be's it's recommended that we clear judgements as well. 

By refusing room for possibility, we talk in a resigned sort of way, a downward spiral. And the spiral perpetuates the more attention is placed on it. But by speaking in possibility we create a reality for how we define things and a framework for life to unfold. (I attempted to draw Ben & Roz's sketch from the book here).

Creating Frameworks of Possibility - This is about creating frameworks that allow possibility. The Zanders provide a powerful and moving story to demonstrate creating frameworks. Here's the distilled and paraphrased version:

A second grader underwent chemotherapy and lost her hair. She wore a scarf to school but some of the children pulled it off and made fun of her. Although she begged her mom to not make her go to school, she had to anyway. 

The next morning the teacher walked into class. She took off her coat and scarf, revealing a completely shaved head. All of a sudden a shaved head was cool and some kids began to come to school with shaved heads. 

The teacher had presented baldness as a possibility and created a framework to live with differences.

Here's a description of the practice:

1. Make a new distinction in the realm of possibility: one that is a powerful substitute for the current framework of meaning that is generating the downward spiral.
2. Enter the territory. Embody the new distinction in such a way that it becomes the framework for life around you.
3. Keep distinguishing what is on the track and what is off the track of your framework possibility.

Vision - the following are criteria that Ben & Roz say enable a vision to stand in the universe of possibility:

• A vision articulates a possibility
• A vision fulfills a desire fundamental to mankind, a desire with which any human being can resonate. It is an idea to which no one could logically respond, "What about me?"
• A vision makes no reference to morality or ethics, it is not about a right way of doing things. It cannot imply that anyone is wrong.
• A vision is stated as a picture for all time, using no numbers, measures, or comparitives. It contains no specifics of time, place, audience, or product.
• A vision is free standing - it points neither to a rosier future, nor to a past in need of improvement. It gives over its bounty now. If the vision is "peace on earth," peace comes with its utterance. When "the possibility of ideas making a difference" is spoken, at that moment ideas do make a difference.
• A vision is a long line of possibility radiating outward. It invites infinite expression, development, and proliferation within its definitional framework.
• Speaking a vision transforms the speaker. For that moment the "real world" becomes a universe of possibility and the barriers to the realization of the vision disappear.

In the spirit of small steps forward* which I will elaborate more upon here in the future, I suggest the Explorer chose one of the twelve practices, the one that makes the most sense, and really embrace it. In the grand scheme of beginning to build an effective and enjoyable life, this practice should be the foundation. I certainly encourage adapting more of the practices, but taking a small step and mastering one will pave the way to the others.  

*Video by  Dr. Robert Maurer author of One Small Step Can Change Your Life - The Kaizen Way. Video part II.